Health and safety statistics released

Key figures for Great Britain (2013/14)

- 1.2 million working people suffering from a work-related illness- 2535 mesothelioma deaths due to past asbestos exposures (2012)- 133 workers killed at work- 78 000 other injuries to employees reported under RIDDOR - 629 000 injuries at work from the Labour Force Survey- 28.2 million working days lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury - £14.2 billion estimated cost of injuries and ill health from current working conditions (2012/13)

To view the full HSE Statistics report please click here

Cutting work cancer deaths campaign launched

An industry-wide campaign to cut the number of deaths from occupational cancer will be launched today (Monday 3rd November).

According to conservative estimates, some 8,000 people die from cancer and around 14,000 contract the disease each year in the UK because of exposure to a work-related carcinogen, such as diesel exhaust fumes, silica dust or asbestos fibres. Worldwide, occupational cancer claims the lives of more than 666,000 a year – one death every 47 seconds.

The figures far outstrip those for fatal incidents in the workplace, but the invisibility of carcinogens, the long latency of their effects and a lack of knowledge continue to produce this staggeringly high number of preventable deaths and cancer registrations.

Led by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) and backed by business leaders, academics and charity Macmillan Cancer Support, the No Time to Lose campaign will call for a collaboration of government and employers “to beat occupational cancer”.

A national database of work-related carcinogen exposure, more research into the potential cancer risks of new technologies, a greater focus on work cancer in medical courses and awareness training for apprentices are all part of the call to action.

IOSH, the world’s largest professional organisation in occupational safety and health, will also publish new guidance today for employers to help them identify and deal with cancer risks. And the Chartered body wants businesses to sign a pledge demonstrating their commitment to controlling carcinogenic exposures in their workplaces.

IOSH head of policy and public affairs Richard Jones said: “We need a concerted joint effort to educate and protect future generations from work-related cancer. Simple actions today will save lives tomorrow – there really is no time to lose in tackling this global tragedy.”

Findings of a survey of its members by IOSH found 80 per cent of respondents felt industry was doing too little to tackle occupational health issues, due to a lack of awareness and resources.

Dr Lesley Rushton, of Imperial College London, is lead researcher behind the most recent study into the UK’s work cancer burden. She said: “There’s no excuse for young people entering into work today and being exposed to carcinogens. And we need innovative ways to get key messages to the self-employed and those working in smaller businesses.

“If we don’t do something now, we are going to have thousands of occupational cancers annually, but if we take action now we can beat occupational cancer.

“We know there are problems with exhaust fumes and shift work, sun exposure is a problem. We know what the problems are, and we know how to reduce the risks. Now, we just need action.”

For more information about the campaign, this afternoon’s House of Commons launch, and the No Time to Lose call to action, visit www.notimetolose.org.uk

New safety qualification designed for people driving to work

The British Safety Council has launched a new qualification to help people who drive as part of their work stay safe on the roads. 

The Level 2 Award in Safe Driving at Work provides learners with key knowledge of the hazards and risks associated with driving. It equips vehicle users with valuable guidance on the measures available for reducing these risks, such as vehicle inspection, behaviour and defensive driving.

According to estimates from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), up to a third of all road traffic accidents in Britain involve someone involved in work-related activity. In 2013, according to government figures, 1,713 people died on the road, with the total number of casualties standing at 183,670.

The Ofqual-regulated qualification, which is designed to be delivered by employers or training organisations, instructs learners on a range of topics including the particular risks associated with vulnerable road users, such as cyclists and pedestrians, the importance of regular vehicle safety checks and how to adapt driving style in response to changes in driving conditions or the actions of others.

Alex Botha, the British Safety Council’s Chief Executive, said: “Driving can be a risky activity, a fact borne out by the high number of injuries and fatalities that occur annually on our roads.

“However, simple steps can be taken by employers and drivers to manage and reduce this risk. Our new Level 2 Award in Safe Driving at Work provides learners with all the essential knowledge to help them stay safe on the roads.

“Learners can expect to leave the qualification with a thorough knowledge of the main risks posed by driving – whether to themselves or other road users – and how to reduce them.

“Once registered with us, employers or training centres deliver the training using the high-quality teaching and student materials provided. Qualifications are assessed through a 45-minute multiple-choice examination that can be either taken online or on paper.

“This is a stand-alone qualification designed for delivery as a short course. It is also well-suited for integration into wider vocational programmes of study or, for example, as part of an induction programme. Students need no former knowledge or experience, so can come from a diverse range of educational and employment backgrounds.

“Safer driving habits should also feed through into workers’ personal lives, providing employers with a valuable corporate social responsibility tool to help make our roads safer in and out of work.”

First aid refresher courses are important!

Training your employees on the importance of first aid in the office is essential in creating a safe workplace. It is against the law for employers to not provide adequate and appropriate personnel, equipment and facilities needed to ensure their staff receive immediate attention if they are injured or taken ill on their premises.First aid courses are becoming more commonplace, but many businesses fail to make use of the extra refresher courses these service providers offer.

Who Is the Course For?If you’ve already sent a member of staff on a course, this isn’t the end of their training. It’s important that you realise first aid isn’t like riding a bike. It isn’t something you “never forget” and instead requires additional training to ensure the individual is prepared if the situation arises.Regular refresher courses are essential for any nominated workplace first aiders, and current UK health and safety guidelines recommended that first aid trained staff attend a half-day update every twelve months as well as completing full re-qualification training three years after their initial test. Not only is this an essential course to help keep your first aiders aware of the basics, it also provides an opportunity for them to ask questions to their instructor and peers about any specific scenarios they feel uncomfortable with.

What Will Be Covered?There are many common hazards in the workplace so courses teach a variety of subjects across the session. Those involved will re-learn vital information such as how to properly examine a casualty, basic life support techniques, how to effectively control blood loss, and how to deal with those suffering from shock or unconsciousness. However, perhaps the greatest benefit to refresher courses is re-learning how to manage the situation. A serious accident in the workplace is a stressful time and places particular attention on the first aid worker in question. To ensure your designated first aider is ready for this moment, make sure they regularly attend refresher courses for their sake as well as their colleagues’.Studies from last year showed that an estimated 646,000 workers have had an accident in the workplace, 231,000 of these injuries lead to over three days absence from work and a further 175,000 to over seven days.

To prepare your business against these risks, take advantage of the services offered by first aid refresher courses. Service providers run courses all year round and can even visit your company's premises or a local venue of your choice.

New Consruction Industry 24/7 Health & Safety Helpline

Lighthouse Charity enhances support for workers and families

The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity has been providing emergency financial assistance to the construction community since 1956. LCIC is dedicated to helping construction people and their dependents in times of need and exists to:

• Provide emergency financial assistance, welfare and well-being advice and emotional and legal support;
• Promote initiatives aimed at avoiding accidents and improving safety on construction sites; and
• Deliver local and national events that embrace networking, fundraising and fun within the industry.

Shining brighter…. and reaching further

The construction industry is one of the largest employers in the UK providing many different forms of employment. The risks and hazards within the industry can be significant and the challenges this creates for the health, safety and welfare of workers and their families are many and varied.

Many larger employers manage the risks through Employee Assistance Schemes which offer help and advice on a portfolio of health and welfare matters outside the scope of the normal HR department. However, the fragmented nature of the industry means than many do not have access to this helpful and critical information.

LCIC is now launching a new Construction Industry Helpline to “offer an essential portfolio of welfare and support services to everyone within the Construction Community”.

This confidential 24×7 helpline service is now open for calls on 0845 605 1956. The service will not only be the conduit to access the charity’s traditional emergency financial assistance it will also deliver:

• Advice on occupational health and well-being;
• Support and advice for sufferers of stress and addictions;
• Advice on matters ranging from divorce to employment;
• Advice on specific tax related issues;
• Help to manage and reschedule debt;
• Help to understand the benefits system and entitlement; and
• Support on career changes, especially after accident or injury.

Support sought from construction industry

LCIC has provided the initial funding for this Helpline and is now actively seeking financial and other volunteer support from the major operators within the industry to secure the future of this valuable service for the construction community.

Bill Hill, CEO, Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity said:

“This is a big departure from the traditional services offered by our charity and we know that our new 24×7 Construction Industry Helpline will provide a valuable big company benefit to many members of our construction community who are in need of help, advice and support but do not have the opportunity to access it”

Cormac MacCrann, Executive Director, Canary Wharf Contractors and Charity Trustee said:

“In the past our charitable activity has been by way of reacting to requests for emergency financial aid. This new Construction Industry Helpline provides a proactive service and allows LCIC to engage with the community we support at a much earlier stage. I would encourage all the major operators within our industry to get behind this much needed initiative.”

The TUC express Health & Safety concerns

The TUC has called on employers to make urgent improvements to health and safety at work.

The TUC has called on employers to make urgent improvements to health and safety at work.

The union body also wants safety representatives to be given more powers, and urged regular inspections of workplaces.

At the same time it launched an attack on the Government, saying that several measures introduced by ministers, such as cutting the Health and Safety Executive funding and reducing the number of health and safety inspections, could lead to more accidents at work in the future.

The warning comes ahead of a union protest outside the Qatar Embassy in London, which aims to highlight the conditions faced by workers in Qatar on projects connected to the 2022 football world cup.

TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady said the UK did not have a record to be proud of, as the country was currently ranked in just 20th place in an index assessing the health and safety risk of 34 developed nations.

Ms O'Grady added that it was only the bad employers who see health and safety regulations as a burden, while those who are happy to collaborate with unions on health and safety issues do not.

Cutting corners when it comes to health and safety, she said, represents a real risk to the UK's workplace safety culture and could have "disastrous" consequences for workers.

Asbestos Health Risks

Asbestos is responsible for over 4000 deaths every year. Younger people, if routinely exposed to asbestos fibres over time, are at greater risk of developing asbestos-related disease than older workers. This is due to the time it takes for the body to develop symptoms after exposure to asbestos (latency).

Exposure to asbestos can cause four main diseases:
l mesothelioma (a cancer of the lining of the lungs _ it is always fatal and is almost exclusively caused by exposure to asbestos);
l asbestos-related lung cancer (which is almost always fatal);
l asbestosis (a scarring of the lungs which is not always fatal but can be a very debilitating disease, greatly affecting quality of life);
l diffuse pleural thickening (a thickening of the membrane surrounding the lungs which can restrict lung expansion leading to breathlessness).

It can take anywhere between 15 to 60
years for any symptoms to develop after exposure, so these diseases will not affect you immediately but may do later in life. You need to start protecting yourself against any exposure to asbestos now because the effect is cumulative.

Asbestos was a widely used material within commercial buildings, homes and machinery
until 1999, when it was banned. This means that asbestos is common in the general environment.
However, working directly with asbestos- containing materials (ACMs) can give personal exposures to airborne asbestos that are much higher than normal environmental levels. Repeated occupational exposures can give rise to a substantial cumulative

exposure over time. This will increase the risk of developing an asbestos-related disease in the future.

The majority of the current fatal cases from asbestos exposure are associated with very high exposures from past industrial processes and installation of asbestos products.
Read some more frequently asked questions on asbestos.
Visit HSE’s web pages on asbestos for the full picture.