BOHS, the Chartered Society for Worker Health Protection, is delighted to note the tackling of ill health as one of six key themes of the new five-year strategy of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to 2020, and the Society has pledged to collaborate fully with the safety watchdog and others to achieve real success in this vital area.
The HSE has confirmed that the six themes, published in advance of the formal launch of a new five-year strategy for Great Britain’s health and safety system, will cover:
The HSE has indicated that discussions around the new five-year strategy will include events across Great Britain, digital forums and social media initiatives under the campaign hashtag #HelpGBWorkWell and BOHS intends to participate extensively in this process.
Britain has achieved a huge reduction in fatal injuries at work in the 40 years since the Health and Safety at Work, etc Act 1974 was introduced with 86 per cent fewer fatal injuries to employees in 2014/15 compared to 1974. However, the extent of Britain’s burden of work-related ill-health remains unacceptably high, says BOHS, stating that 99% of all occupational mortality was attributable to disease, with the 142 fatal workplace accidents in 2014/15 making up just 1% of the total annual occupational death toll of some 13,000.
The majority of those 13,000 deaths were the result of work-related lung disease and cancer, attributed to past exposure to chemicals and dust at work. Of all the industry sectors, it is the construction industry that accounts for the largest proportion (over 40%) of Britain’s cancer deaths with 3,500 occupational cancer deaths each year caused by exposures in this sector.
Commenting on the HSE’s forthcoming five-year strategy, Adrian Hirst, President of BOHS, said, “We at BOHS intend to participate fully within the HSE’s process of engagement in order to achieve a new five-year strategy to help Great Britain work well. Furthermore, once the HSE’s strategy is formally launched, the Society has pledged to collaborate closely with the HSE, employers, trade unions and other influential people and organisations in support of our common goal of highlighting and reducing work-related ill-health in Britain. This is an issue which no single agency, sector or organisation can tackle alone and we look forward to vital strategic co-operation with HSE and others in this regard during the next five years.”
On 28th April 2015, BOHS launched the Breathe Freely initiative to prevent occupational lung disease in the construction industry. You can find out more here.
