The authority said it is looking for a company to help develop an industry-leading occupational health programme for the thousands of workers who will be employed to build the venues and infrastructure of the Olympic Park.
 
Services will include first aid and health services to the workers on site, a new medical centre on the Olympic Park and annual health checks for every worker; 9,000 at the peak of construction.
 
According to Government data, the average time lost annually through ill health in construction is 29 days per worker, the ODA said.
 
For a three-year project employing up to 9,000 workers this could mean over 750,000 lost days.
 
David Higgins, Chief Executive of the ODA said: "Health and safety is fundamental to everything we do. It is not just about preventing accidents but promoting health. This is going to be one of the largest and most complex construction projects in the UK and we will be employing thousands of workers on site during the peak of construction. A healthy workforce is a productive workforce."
 
The contract is due to be awarded in July 2007 and the successful provider will be required to provide health facilities on the Olympic Park site from October 2007.