Abstract
Currently, occupational health faces increasingly diverse and complex challenges (such as rising mental health issues, an aging workforce, and increasing female employment rates), yet occupational health initiatives in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) remain highly inadequate. To change this situation, healthcare and legal professionals in the field should begin with what they can do themselves (for example, mental health measures, harassment prevention, commitment to workplace improvement, support for balancing disability and work, distinguishing between reasonable accommodations and labor management, and preventing health problems caused by long working hours). In doing so, we should better utilize services from existing organizations, such as Regional Occupational Health Centers, while also leveraging the networks
of this society. Additionally, to secure adequate personnel, it is necessary to reconsider the division of roles and positioning (redistribution of resources) of occupational physicians, occupational health nurses, and others.
