Occupational Health Adviser
Also advertised as: Case Manager (Occupational Health), environmental health and safety engineer, health and safety engineering adviser, health and safety engineering consultant, health and safety engineering expert, health and safety engineering specialist
Advises employers and staff on health issues affecting work and attendance.
What the job involves
Occupational health advisers assess employees' fitness for work, manage sickness absence cases and advise employers on adjustments for staff with health conditions. The job sits at the crossroads of clinical care and workplace policy, and usually builds on prior nursing experience. It typically offers a better work-life balance than clinical NHS roles.
Typical responsibilities
- Assess employee fitness for work
- Manage sickness absence case reviews
- Advise on workplace adjustments
- Run health surveillance programmes
- Support return-to-work planning
Common employers
- Large employers with in-house OH teams
- Occupational health provider companies
- NHS staff health services
Pay, hours and working environment
Typical pay
£32,000 – £36,000 a year
With experience
£42,000 – £52,000 a year
Typical hours
37.5 hours, typically Monday to Friday
Working environment
Office-based clinics within workplaces
Remote working
hybrid
Demand for this work
steady
Pay ranges are indicative guidance drawn from advertised UK vacancies and published careers information. They are not an offer, and actual pay varies by employer, location and experience.
Skills and qualifications
Core skills
- Clinical assessment
- Report writing
- Workplace law awareness
- Negotiation
- Confidentiality
Transferable skills you may already have
- Nursing or HR background
- Case management experience
- Written reporting
Requirements employers ask for
- Clinical assessment
- Report writing
- Workplace law awareness
- Negotiation
- Confidentiality
- Registered nurse (NMC) or relevant health background
- Postgraduate diploma in occupational health
- NMC registration (where nursing-based)
- Basic DBS check
- safety engineering
- advise on safety improvements
- adjust engineering designs
- approve engineering design
- engineering principles
- technical drawings
- engineering processes
- health and safety regulations
- assessment of risks and threats
- draw up risk assessment
- perform scientific research
Useful but not essential
- Nursing or HR background
- Case management experience
- Written reporting
- Experience in HR or case management
- Health surveillance training
- textile materials
- instruct employees on radiation protection
- follow up on safety breaches
- human factors regarding safety
- radiation protection
- advise architects
- educate employees on occupational hazards
- accept own accountability
Helpful qualifications
- Experience in HR or case management
- Health surveillance training
Licences and checks
- NMC registration (where nursing-based)
- Basic DBS check
Ways into this career
A degree is only one route. Where an apprenticeship, work-experience or qualification route exists, it is listed here alongside the academic option.
Apprenticeships and work-based routes
- Occupational Health Practitioner (postgraduate apprenticeship)
Degree and college routes
- Related subject: Health and social care
- Related subject: Biology
Where this career can lead
next
Senior Occupational Health Adviser
next
Occupational Health Manager
next
Occupational Health Physician (medical route)
The good parts and the hard parts
What people enjoy
- Better work-life balance than clinical nursing
- Varied caseload across many industries
- Growing demand as employers focus on wellbeing
What people find hard
- Requires prior clinical experience to enter
- Can involve difficult conversations about capability
Common questions
- Do you need a degree to become a occupational health adviser?
- No. As well as degree routes, this career can be entered through an apprenticeship or by building experience and qualifications on the job. required
- How much does a occupational health adviser earn in the UK?
- Typical advertised pay runs from £32,000 to £36,000 a year, rising towards £52,000 with experience. Figures are indicative guidance rather than an offer.
- What skills transfer into this career?
- Skills that transfer well include Nursing or HR background, Case management experience, Written reporting.
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Where this information comes from
- National Careers Service
- Institute for Apprenticeships
Last reviewed 14 September 2026.
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