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Occupational Medicine

Occupational Physician Consulting

Our Occupational Physicians, Dr. Graeme Edwards and Dr. Matthew Brandt, hold extensive experience in occupational and environmental health — supporting Australian employers with strategic advice, program supervision and independent third-party assessments.

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AFOEM-qualified physicians. Delivered in-clinic, onsite or via telehealth across Australia.

Quick answer

The short version

KINNECT’s Occupational Physician Consulting service connects Australian employers with AFOEM-qualified Occupational and Environmental Physicians for strategic advice, complex case reviews, surveillance program supervision and independent fitness-for-duty assessments. Our consultants — Dr. Graeme Edwards and Dr. Matthew Brandt — bring 25+ and 20+ years of experience across coal, rail, mining, silica-exposed and hazardous-substance industries. Engagements range from a single consultation through to ongoing Chief Medical Officer support, delivered in-clinic, onsite or via telehealth.

What is an Occupational Physician?

Medical experts in the health of people who work.

An Occupational Physician is a medical specialist and Fellow of the Australasian Faculty of Occupational & Environmental Medicine (AFOEM). They complete a six-year medical degree and a further four-year specialist training program with AFOEM — then spend their career advising on the clinical management of workers across two key areas of medicine.

  • Occupational Medicine

    A preventative approach to workplace health and safety — reviewing how the work environment affects health, and how a worker’s health affects their ability to perform the role safely.

  • Environmental Medicine

    The human health impacts of industrial practices beyond the site boundary — from community exposure to environmental contaminants through to long-term population health.

  • Occupational & Environmental Physicians (OEPs)

    Specialist clinicians who connect a workplace with the health services needed to keep employees healthy, safe and productive, and who manage the complex cases where it really matters.

How our physicians help

Specialist input where it actually matters.

KINNECT’s Occupational Physicians collaborate with our allied health team, your safety leaders and your treating clinicians — stepping in on the cases and decisions that need a specialist opinion.

  • Preventative strategy

    Recognise risks and construct preventative strategies aimed at reducing workplace morbidity — particularly musculoskeletal conditions.

  • Complex case support

    Assist KINNECT’s allied health team in complex scenarios where targeted, expert management is crucial to a successful outcome.

  • Chronic illness management

    Help employees with chronic illnesses remain healthy, productive and in the workforce for as long as possible.

  • Diagnosis & causation

    Diagnose complex medical conditions and determine cause-and-effect where work, exposure or pre-existing factors intersect.

  • Acute exposure assessment

    Assess employees affected by acute exposure to environmental contaminants — such as crystalline silica — and advise on the best course of action.

  • Program supervision

    Act as Supervising Medical Practitioner for health surveillance, pre-employment medical and statutory health monitoring programs.

Our Occupational Physicians

Meet the consultants on your engagement.

There are only around 500 Occupational Physicians practising in Australia. KINNECT employs two of them — both based in Brisbane and available to support clients nationally in person and via telehealth.

Portrait of Dr. Graeme Edwards, Senior Consulting Occupational & Environmental Physician at KINNECT

Dr. Graeme Edwards

Senior Consulting Occupational & Environmental Physician
Chief Medical Advisor, KINNECT — Brisbane, QLD

Dr. Edwards is a Senior Consulting Physician with more than 25 years’ experience advising companies across a wide variety of industries. A Queensland representative on the AFOEM Council and Director of Work & Health Risk Management, he has been at the forefront of Queensland’s response to the silicosis crisis — including the statewide stonemason lung-testing audit. He holds a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery and Bachelor of Medical Science from The University of Queensland, with a thesis in neuroanatomy and neurophysiology specialising in pain.

  • Silica & RCS expertise
  • AFOEM Council
  • Mining & resources
Portrait of Dr. Matthew Brandt, Senior Consulting Occupational & Environmental Physician at KINNECT

Dr. Matthew Brandt

Senior Consulting Occupational & Environmental Physician
Brisbane, QLD

Dr. Brandt is a Fellow of AFOEM and an AFOEM examiner, with more than 20 years’ experience in occupational and environmental medicine. He graduated with an MBBS from The University of Queensland Medical School in 1997. His practice spans risk identification and management, planning and medical management of health surveillance protocols, development and review of health standards for work, rehabilitation program design, evidence-informed early-intervention advice for workers’ compensation claims, fitness-for-duty for safety-critical roles, and the delivery of health education programs.

  • AFOEM Fellow & examiner
  • Health surveillance
  • Fitness for duty
Meet our wider clinical team
Ways to engage

From a one-off opinion to ongoing CMO support.

Occupational Physician Consulting is scoped to fit the question you’re trying to answer. Engagements can be in-clinic, delivered onsite or run via telehealth — wherever your team and your decision-makers actually are.

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1300 546 632
  1. 01

    A single consultation

    Ad-hoc specialist advice on a complex case, an exposure event, a return-to-work decision or a policy question.

  2. 02

    Program supervision

    Ongoing Supervising Medical Practitioner role for a health surveillance, pre-employment or statutory monitoring program.

  3. 03

    Chief Medical Officer support

    A retained, strategic relationship — our physician acts as your CMO for the issues that need consistent clinical oversight.

  4. 04

    Independent assessments

    Impartial third-party fitness-for-duty, IME or causation opinions for employers, insurers and regulators.

KINNECT clinic network

Find a KINNECT clinic near you.

Explore our current clinic locations. Service availability varies by clinic, so contact us to confirm the right location for this service.

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Frequently asked

Occupational physician consulting questions, answered.

What is an Occupational Physician?
An Occupational Physician is a medical specialist qualified through the Australasian Faculty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (AFOEM). They are rare — there are only around 500 in Australia.
When should we engage an Occupational Physician?
Typical reasons include complex case support, diagnosis and causation opinions, acute exposure assessment (for example crystalline silica), preventative strategy for musculoskeletal conditions, and supervising a health monitoring program.
How can we engage your physicians?
You can engage them for a single ad-hoc consultation, for ongoing program supervision, or as retained Chief Medical Officer (CMO) support.
Who are KINNECT’s Occupational Physicians?
Dr Graeme Edwards (25+ years’ experience, the Queensland representative on the AFOEM Council, and an expert in silica/RCS and mining) and Dr Matthew Brandt (20+ years’ experience, an AFOEM examiner, and an expert in health surveillance protocols and fitness for work).
Can a physician act as our Supervising Medical Practitioner?
Yes. Our Occupational Physicians can take on the Supervising Medical Practitioner role for statutory health monitoring and surveillance programs.
How is the consulting delivered?
Consulting is delivered in-clinic, onsite at your workplace, or via telehealth nationwide.
Who is this service for?
It is designed for Australian employers, safety leaders and insurers who need specialist occupational medical advice at a strategic or case level.
Related services

Other ways our physicians support your program.

Occupational Physician Consulting sits alongside the wider Occupational Medicine offering. Pick the surface you need.

View all Occupational Medicine services
Engage our physicians

A specialist opinion, when it matters most.

Whether it’s a single consultation, surveillance program supervision or ongoing Chief Medical Officer support, our Occupational Physicians can step in where your program needs specialist leadership.

Get a Quote Make a Referral
Call 1300 546 632
Occupational Physician Consulting | KINNECT