Occupational hazards - September 24

THE EMPLOYMENT Rights Bill was among a raft of new legislation revealed in the King’s Speech, which followed Labour winning the General Election in July.

Among the top items in the Bill were a ban on zero-hours contracts, which is long overdue. Such contracts make workers increasingly vulnerable in terms of their physical and mental health, as they add a huge degree of uncertainty around the duration of employment and unpredictable working hours.

Meanwhile, improvements to statutory sick pay will go a long way to preventing people from returning to work too soon, which can also contribute to long-term impacts on their health as well as presenteeism.

These will certainly be steps in the right direction. Indeed, we believe focusing on occupational safety and health matters really can be a quick win for Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and his Government.

We are keen to see a greater focus more generally on looking after all people at work, making organisations accountable on their human rights obligations, tackling insecure work, advancing flexible working, strengthening safety standards and improving health (covering both physical and mental) and wellbeing in the workplace. This is the best recipe for boosting productivity and sustained economic growth as well as preventing harm and supporting workers to be safe, healthy and well. 

This said, it can also have a positive impact on reducing the number of people seeking diagnosis and treatment via the National Health Service, thereby reducing demands on those services and reducing waiting lists.

In our own manifesto, published in advance of the General Election, IOSH highlighted how workplace injuries and work-related ill health cost the UK economy an estimated £20.7 billion in 2021-22, demonstrating what the national economic cost is of poor health and safety. Added to this is the human toll. As well as the tragic fatalities, many people have their lives severely impacted by either accidents and injuries at work or ill health and diseases caused by workplace hazards and exposures. This demonstrates the strong need to approach occupational hazards and risks with a prevention-first mindset. 

IOSH made five calls to action around how the Government might go about this. 

They were: 

• protecting workers’ rights to safe, healthy and decent work; 
• strengthening and expanding the UK’s world-leading system that prevents harm at work; 
• supporting businesses to tackle new and emerging workplace hazards; 
• promoting a diverse, inclusive, skilled and motivated workforce; 
• and building a more robust, sustainable economy.

There are many different ways we feel the Government can achieve this in practice. There is an opportunity for the Government to be proactive on laws, regulation and support for businesses. We are also keen for the UK to endorse and fully implement international OSH conventions, covering all workers no matter what their status. And it’s time for investment in strong occupational health systems, to equip small and medium-sized businesses with the resources they need to prevent health (both physical and mental) problems.

There is so much more that can be done. It’s time to get started. 

Ruth Wilkinson is head of policy and public affairs at the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health. For more information, visit www.iosh.com