The Department of Work & Pensions launched the Health & Safety Executive's new Health & Work Strategy on 15 December.
The British Safety Council has welcomed it, saying it starts an industry-wide conversation about health in the workplace.
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has published draft proposals for various sectors. The construction sector draft (which you can read here) proposes prioritising occupational lung disease and musculoskeletal disorders, supporting small businesses to achieve improved risk management and control and embedding the principles of the Construction (Design & Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM) within the industry.
Louise Ward, Policy, Standards & Communications Director at the British Safety Council, said: “We look forward to working with HSE and its partner organisations on implementing this very important strategy, which has the potential to make a real difference in the world of work.”
The Association for Project Safety Chief Executive, Lesley McLeod, said: “Worker safety and health must never just be add-on items. Members of the Association for Project Safety are working hard to ensure there is a continuing emphasis on building in health & safety right at the outset of the design process and to shaping and sharing good practice in design and safety risk management with colleagues right across the construction sector.
"Our members are pleased the Health & Safety Executive is placing such importance on the issue and we look forward to working closely with them to help cut deaths and injuries as well as to improve long term health outcomes for workers.”
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) says in a statement: “This is streamlining the HSE’s thinking around the three key areas. It’s also a jumping-off point for more conversations – with industry bodies, unions, employers and those interested in health & safety. Future action points will be decided in collaboration with stakeholders.”
The HSE strategy highlights three priority areas:
- Occupational stress and related mental health issues
- Musculoskeletal disorders
- Occupational lung disease.
Lung disease will be a 'priority health topic' in construction, not least in the stone industry, along with musculoskeletal disorders such as industrial white finger.
The Health & Work Strategy comes under HSE's ‘Helping Great Britain Work Well’ umbrella, which targets workplace health & safety.
The HSE is putting a new, dedicated health & work team in place to help co-ordinate the efforts of health & safety organisations, unions and employers around the three priority areas. The team will also co-ordinate research to create a stronger evidence base for policy.