From the CEO’s desk

There are however shockingly high levels of individuals suffering from long latency diseases and chronic health issues, which can affect a worker’s quality of life and in fact how long the person lives. The HSE estimates that 13,000 people each year die from diseases caused by past exposures at work, such as chemical and dust, and that 1.1 million people who worked during the last year have been suffering from an illness they believed to have been caused by or made worse by their current or past work. 0.5 million of these were new conditions which started during the year.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) where a worker is exposed to dust, gases, vapours and fumes is the big killer followed by past exposure to asbestos (either mesothelioma or asbestos-related lung cancer). The next four biggest categories of occupational cancer were cancer due to silica, diesel engine exhaust, mineral oils and breast cancer due to shiftwork. Other problems include musculo- skeletal, dermatitis and stress which affect a substantial proportion of the working population, leading to disability and often substantially adverse changes to their lifestyle. The question we need to ask ourselves is, is there enough focus being paid to the prevention of such workplace health issues? Most of the time, the affects of such health issues can take many years to develop, often after the employee has left the company.

All of the issues mentioned above can be avoided through the implementation of education, good working practice and commitment from both the employer and employee. The BSIF has a number of educational programmes, such as ‘Clean Air? Take Care!’ to help prevent respiratory diseases and ‘It’s in your hands’ to help combat workplace dermatitis. These programmes are free of charge to employers looking to improve their working practices. The BSIF is here to help you and will always be sure to point you in the right direction if we can’t be of direct assistance.