IOSH

Very briefly, joint actions are where there is a coordinated attempt across nation states to deploy resources to achieve an objective. In the case of this conference, it was a three-year investigation by experts from 25 countries and 126 organisations to improve the quality of cancer care across the EU.

Attending a conference with experts in cancer care was a great success for us, with delegates appreciating the focus on occupational cancers, and that the NTTL leaflets had been translated into 24 European languages.

There were Health Ministers, or Departmental representatives, present from most of the 25 contributing countries, many of whom were excited, and perhaps a little surprised, to be handed a leaflet in their mother tongue.

We were also able to showcase the extended range of guides we have produced in Slovenian and Bulgarian. In these cases, IOSH worked with local safety organisations to convert and adapt the English NTTL guides to reflect the situation in those countries, something we wish to do more of.

Our campaign highlights prevention as key. Focus on eliminating or minimising the risk first, and we eliminate or minimise the need to deal with the terrible after-effects. This message was well received and was mirrored in a number of the speeches.

The No Time to Lose campaign aims to get the causes of occupational cancer better understood and help businesses take action.

As our campaign points out, an estimated 666,000 people die from work-related cancers each year, including some 100,000 in Europe alone. This is clearly a global problem, requiring global action, so the more countries that tackle occupational exposures, the greater the chances of reducing these terrible, yet so very avoidable, workplace deaths.

If you would like to see NTTL promoted in your country, or would like to know more about this campaign, please let us know on [email protected].

IOSH recently published the ‘Return to work after cancer: occupational safety and health considerations’ report to understand the implications of returning to work after cancer. Here are a few ways that we’ve identified to help make the return easier for employees and employers.

Tailor your approach to the individual – this could include introducing a phased return to work or implementing flexible working. Make sure that you have developed a written plan for the return.

Keep in constant communication throughout - meet formally and informally, keep key people involved throughout, including managers, HR, occupational health and OSH practitioners.

Introduce a return-to-work policy, if you don’t already have one – make sure it covers all illnesses including cancer, and be sure to involve OSH practitioners in the development of the policy.

Risk assess work tasks – think about this while employees are going through treatment as well as when they return to work. All assessments should take into consideration individual needs and risks, and be reviewed regularly.

Try to reduce further risks – take all elements into consideration including the commute, meetings with clients and work tasks. Try to reduce or eliminate the possibility of risk, particularly around fatigue and infection

Keep key people up-to-date – share information with HR, line managers and OSH practitioners and consider training if necessary.

Identify barriers to returning - would the role stop someone coming back? What symptoms need to be considered? Think about physical, as well as psychological, barriers.

You can download the full report on the IOSH website if you’d like to know more.

I also recently hosted a webinar around the health and safety implications of returning to work after cancer and treatment. You can watch a recording here.

Working conditions and job quality are a high priority on the European policy agenda. Previous research studies show consistently that job quality has a critical role in shaping the society we live in. It has a direct effect on, for example, workers’ health and well-being, work-life balance and length of working life. Good job quality has been shown to increase productivity and provide an important contribution to wider social objectives such as gender equality. In short, better job quality translates into better living and working conditions for all.

The pan-European survey covers more than 43,000 face-to-face interviews with workers in 35 European countries. The survey’s main objectives are to:

measure working conditions across Europe using a common methodology

analyse relationships between different aspects of working conditions

identify groups at risk and issues of concern, as well as areas of progress

monitor trends over time

contribute to policy development, particularly on quality of work and employment issues.

The research devised seven job quality indices, representing different dimensions of job quality, selected on the basis of their proven impact (positive or negative) on the health and wellbeing of workers. These were:

physical environment

work intensity

working time quality

social environment

skills and discretion

prospects

earnings.

Discussions at the conference tackled key topics such as gender inequality, work intensity, the ageing workforce and other changes in the world of work.

Conversations specific to OSH highlighted the following areas for improvement:

unclear boundaries in working conditions accentuate workplace risks

the need to continue exploring working time quality and its links to health and wellbeing

the inclusion of diversity in risk assessments.

Research on the physical environment has demonstrated that the exposure of men and women to physical risks differs markedly, depending on sector and occupation.

Comparing survey data over the last decade reveals that exposure to noise has decreased in the EU28 significantly, while exposure to chemical and infectious products has increased.

Other points of interest

This data-compiling exercise is not limited to Europe. Some countries outside Europe (US, South Korea, China and to a lesser extent some Latin American countries) are developing surveys using the EWCS framework. Cooperation with the International Labour Organization will continue in this field. In 2017, the first comparative analysis building on the results of these surveys will be carried out, which will be a fascinating and potentially valuable resource.

Dr Brendan Burchell (Cambridge University), a member of the advisory committee, says that the report is written in a way that will facilitate wider use. International comparisons like these tend to encourage “competition” between countries.

The interactive data visualisation tool in the survey may be seen by employers as a means of benchmarking the quality of their working environments.

Links

Sixth European Working Conditions Survey – Overview report

Sixth European Working Conditions Survey – Overview report: Executive summary 

Sixth European Working Conditions Survey - Data visualisation

More and more organisations are recognising the many benefits of sustainable workplace practices, promoting the longevity and wellbeing of their workforces. These organisations understand that an investment in the safety and health of their employees is good for the individual, helps their business succeed, and benefits society as a whole.

An ageing workforce, however, can raise employment challenges and opportunities. For example, longer working lives may result in longer exposure to risks, more chronic health problems and specific needs, and greater vulnerability to certain safety and health hazards.

To tackle the issue, employers can deliver proactive age management, as outlined in Age Action Alliance’s employer toolkit, including better designed work and workplace adjustment; training, retraining and redeployment; flexible working; and phased retirement.

Occupational safety and health (OSH) professionals can support the management of an older workforce through diversity-sensitive risk assessment and also help dispel myths and unhelpful stereotypes. 

This week is European Week for Safety and Health at Work. Hundreds of events will be taking place across Europe to promote sustainable working lives. You can get involved by downloading the free ‘Healthy workplaces for all ages’ campaign resources to help raise awareness in your workplace.

IOSH has also produced materials on the topic, including the free Occupational health management in the workplace guide, which was published last week. The guide aims to provide OSH professionals with the thinking and knowledge to assess whether their employers or clients are managing health risks sufficiently. Some of our branches have held, or are due to hold, events on the subject and I was delighted to share our campaign resources recently with our East Anglia Branch.

We’d like to hear about the activities you organise during European Week for Safety and Health at Work. Please let us know by emailing [email protected].

It’s important to remember that workplace wellbeing initiatives are not a replacement for the effective identification and control of physical and mental health risks that arise from work. Physical and mental health issues caused by work are still on the increase and take a huge toll on the individuals affected, the businesses employing them and society as a whole. Businesses must focus on, and invest in, addressing these risks before supporting broader workplace wellbeing activities.

IOSH is launching a new guide ‘Occupational health management in the workplace’ on 19 October 2016, during Great Britain Health and Wellbeing Week. ‘Occupational health management in the workplace’ examines why health has, for a long time, been the Cinderella to safety, before providing guidance on understanding health risks in the workplace. It also provides guidelines on what businesses need to consider and do, and when they need to get expert help.

The second part of the guide examines the aspects businesses need to consider when providing occupational health services. These services are important to effective health management, and yet navigating the complexities of providing them can be daunting, not to mention expensive. The guide takes you through some of the main issues to think about, whether you’re providing the services in-house, or using an occupational health service provider.

You’ll be able to download your free copy of the guide from Wednesday 19 October. Keep an eye on our website, as well as our Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn channels. 

Beginning at the starting point that ‘good work’ is good for health and wellbeing and that all work should be safe, healthy and supportive, we stress the need for better designed and managed work through improved education, training and awareness. We provide examples, showcasing some of the many employers reaping considerable gains from promoting mental health at work and share findings from research linking positive feelings about work with higher productivity, profitability and customer and worker loyalty.

As well as our collaboration with Healthy Working Lives Scotland on the ‘Train 2015’ initiative, IOSH is now funding research into return-to-work following common mental disorders, due to report in 2017. More recently, I was pleased to be involved in this year’s ‘Mental health awareness week’ and, as part the Health in construction leadership group, IOSH is now supporting the development of the Mates in Mind scheme to promote positive mental health in the sector.

So, I’m really grateful to those IOSH members who promoted this survey, helping capture the voices of nearly 20,000 people employed in the UK. The report paints a concerning picture, highlighting a mismatch between employees’ experience and leaders’ perceptions. For example, 60 per cent of board members and senior managers believe their organisations support people with mental health problems – but 50 per cent of employees wouldn’t discuss their mental health with their line manager and only around 25 per cent of employees with poor mental health approached someone at work for support the last time they experienced it.

The study also highlights the problem that line managers may be dealing with issues they have little knowledge of. It found that while 76 per cent of line managers believe employee wellbeing is part of their responsibility, just 22 per cent have received training on mental health at work. Worryingly, 80 per cent say that they face barriers to supporting team members with mental health problems and 63 per cent say they feel obliged to put corporate interests before the wellbeing of colleagues – every day, often or sometimes.

The report urges more employers: to ‘talk’, taking the employer’s pledge and breaking the silence around mental health; to ‘train’, investing in basic mental health literacy and first aid training in mental health; and to take action, asking all staff about their experiences and closing any gaps between what’s committed to and what’s experienced.

Supporting the report, Dame Carol Black underlines the importance of more widely available mental health training for managers, early intervention and visible senior leadership. As health and safety professionals, IOSH members work across all sectors and sizes of organisations and have a valuable role to play in helping employers to manage mental health at work. So, I’d like to echo the important points made by Dame Carol and her comment about those respondents who’ve generously shared their experiences, including IOSH members, which is “We owe it to them to listen and to act now.”

Triggers

People often undergo significant life changes without developing a mental health issue. But significant changes in someone’s work or personal life, including happy events, can prove stressful and challenging to adapt to.

Here are just some of the sorts of circumstances which might trigger mental ill health:  

Personal life changes:

Bereavement

Divorce or relationship breakdown

Having children

Health scares or physical illness

Changes at work:  

Starting a new job

Coping with an increased workload or a promotion

Poor relationships with colleagues or managers

Redundancy, or fear of redundancy.

Signs to spot

Recognising a mental health issue is the first step in accessing the support needed to recover. Some signs of common mental health issues include:

Physical

Frequent headaches or stomach upsets

Suffering from frequent minor illnesses

Difficulty sleeping or constant tiredness

Being run down

Lack of care over appearance

Sudden weight loss or gain.

Emotional and behavioural

Irritability, aggression or tearfulness

Being withdrawn, not participating in conversations or social activities

Increased arguments or conflict with others

Erratic or socially unacceptable behaviour

Loss of humour

Indecision, inability to concentrate

Increased consumption of caffeine, alcohol, cigarettes and/or sedatives

Being louder or more exuberant than usual

Loss of confidence

Difficulty remembering things.

At work

Look out for these signs in the workplace that an employee may need support with their mental health:

Increased errors, missing deadlines or forgetting tasks

Taking on too much work and volunteering for every new project

Working too many hours – first in, last out, emailing out of hours or while on holiday

An employee who is normally punctual frequently arriving late

Increased sickness absence

Becoming fixated with fair treatment and quick to use grievance procedures.

 For more guidance around how to approach and respond to a colleague who may be experiencing a mental health issue download the free Line Managers’ Resource at mhfaengland.org/workplace/line-managers-resource

To find out how employers can support the wellbeing of their staff and demonstrate their commitment to World Mental Health Day, visit mhfaengland.org and download the free MHFA England Take 10 Together toolkit.

The report also highlights more than one in 10 of pregnant women and new mothers reported being dismissed, singled out for compulsory redundancy or forced out of their job by poor treatment, according to research by the former Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).

According to Committee chairwoman Maria Miller, there are now record numbers of women in work in the UK. In an interview with the Express following the publication of the report, she said: “The economy will suffer unless employers modernise their workplace practices to ensure effective support and protection for expectant and new mums.”

IOSH is committed to providing guidance and good practice to ensure businesses can confidently invest in a culture of care to its workers. In turn, this will make businesses more profitable and resilient.

In Great Britain, around 440,000 women each year continue to work during their pregnancy and approximately two-thirds return to work soon after giving birth. Pregnancy is not an illness. Therefore, women should not be signed off sick simply because they are pregnant.

In workplaces, some risks can affect the health and safety of new and expectant mothers and that of their child. Working conditions which are usually considered to be acceptable may no longer be suitable during pregnancy and/or for breastfeeding or may need to be reviewed.

Here is some information and resources available for employers:

The HSE provides some useful information on what you must consider if you have any new or expectant mothers in your workplace. It will help employers and employees understand what their responsibilities are and what they need to do to comply with the law. The site also contains FAQs on risk assessments, specific risks and a brief guide to health and safety.

Download an example risk assessment checksheet from Sheffield Occupational Health Advisory Service. The checklist includes movements and postures, manual handling, work equipment and extremes of cold and heat.

A factsheet including gender issues in risk assessments from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.

Advice from the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) on managing attendance and employee turnover.

Guidance for employers and occupational health practitioners on using fit notes (statements of fitness for work).

For more information on pregnancy in the workplace, please visit our occupational health toolkit, which has additional information not only for employers but for employees.

To help, here are some hints and tips to consider when submitting your application.

When submitting your entry, make sure you explain not only the process behind your initiative but the benefits that come from it.

Think about whether or not your project can be used by other Branches and Groups. Try not to make your project niche – demonstrate that others can use it too.

Your project, initiative or tool doesn’t necessarily have to be applicable to just IOSH members. It can be aimed at all in the occupational safety and health profession.

Avoid jargon and acronyms.

How collaborative was your project? Tell us who you worked with to achieve results. How did your idea come about and how did you do it?

Finally, and perhaps most importantly of all, read the judging criteria and refer back to it throughout your application.

You can find out more about the Excellence in Communication Award on our website including an entry form, more on the judging criteria and the benefits of winning. The closing date is 25 September 2016.

The very best of luck.

Think safety

 Emerging markets, remote locations, travel fatigue and unfamiliarity with local road rules and driving culture can increase the risk of work-related road crashes.

Taking the time therefore to become familiar with the roads in the destination country is critical to pre-judging the level of road safety risk.

As well as the roadworthiness of vehicles and the physical condition of the roads, key road safety risk factors that need to be considered also include speed, drink-driving, use of motorcycle helmets, seat-belts and child restraints, and increasingly, distraction.

While many countries are taking steps to adopt and enforce legislation relating to these risk factors, business travellers need to be extra cautious and aware of these risks when travelling abroad.

Companies should also consider carefully whether it is appropriate that they allow their mobile workers to drive themselves in certain destinations around the world.

Know the roads 

Travelling by road in a foreign country takes forward planning.

Things taken for granted in the home country, like traffic signs and road conditions, may be completely different overseas.

Sometimes the safest option is not to drive at all.

If the rules of the road, highway conditions or local language are unknown, it may be better to arrange transportation with a trusted and vetted provider.

The key is to understand the risks, get the facts, and take steps to protect the traveller’s safety.

Planning can help mitigate and prepare for road safety issues that may be encountered.

Preparing to be road-safe when abroad is not just for drivers and passengers.

Mobile workers should take the time to become familiar with the roads as pedestrians, and to stay alert and avoid walking near or on roads after dark.

Checklist

Before setting off on a work-related journey, it is worth considering:

The departure time and traffic conditions at that time, for example in peak hours

journey duration and the need to plan for rest breaks

terrain (for example, single-lane or mountainous terrain) and the effect on driving speed and arrival time

climate, which may require planning for additional vehicle safety features, such as wheel chains if there is ice or snow on the road

visibility – how weather or pollution can affect visibility, and the need for a motorcyclist to wear a reflective vest to improve visibility to others

route selection – whether the route being planned is safe, what risks the traveller may be exposed to and whether it is safe to travel alone

communication coverage – how easy or hard it is to contact others in case of a crash or vehicle breakdown. Who else has been informed of the journey and what arrangements have been made for them to check in with the traveller?

emergency support – are there road traffic authorities along the planned route? Is it possible to access a hospital if required?

driver services – in high-risk countries can driver services be made available or can the worker be collected by a colleague?

ground transportation services – a list of recommended safe ground transportation services should be developed and be provided to travellers.

Dr David Gold is a chartered member of IOSH and senior consultant to the International SOS Foundation.

The information contained within this blog is published in ‘Managing the safety, health and security of mobile workers: an occupational safety and health practitioner’s guide’, compiled by Dr Gold and IOSH staff. It was released by IOSH and the International SOS Foundation earlier this year. The guidance on road safety was sourced from and supplied by the Global Road Safety Partnership (www.grsproadsafety.org).

The guide is one of a collection of free-to-access IOSH publications that can be downloaded at www.iosh.co.uk/resources

Then there are the spectators themselves, who can forget about everything else apart from what they have come watch. As secretary of the Rugby League Ground Safety Officers Association (RLGSOA) in the UK, I’ve seen, for example, spectators present themselves at the first-aid point feeling faint and realising that they are suffering heat stroke.

Lessons from summer rugby

Since 1996, rugby league has been played throughout the summer months. This brings with it a risk that may seem trivial compared with the more recognisable risk of injuries that accompany our intense and physical game, but the sun can be more damaging than we may realise.

Skin cancer is referenced in the Rugby Football League’s (RFL) Medical Standards and Community Game First Aid Standards. 

Within the Medical Standards, it states that medical staff should ensure players and coaching staff are aware of the increased risk of skin cancer from spending long periods of time in the sun.

Players and coaching staff should be advised to use an effective sunscreen, and where appropriate wear clothes and hats that provide protection. Medical staff should consider adding skin cancer screening to their annual screening programme.

The Community Game First Aid Standards also say that first-aiders should reinforce messages about using sunscreen to all players, and in particular to juniors.

Tiny changes in our behaviour on and off the pitch can be the difference between safety and risk.

For example, during one game at The Willows, the former home of Salford City Reds (now Salford Red Devils), a steward fainted and had to be treated by St John Ambulance staff.

It was a hot and sunny afternoon and he was feeling the effects of the sun. It didn’t help that this was the third match he had worked on that weekend.

Measures to take

For clubs and venues, it is really about making spectators aware of the potential problem. For those employed, such as the stewards, it is also about making sure that they are aware, and that they dress appropriately and use sunscreens.

But management should also ensure that stewards are rotated so that they get an opportunity to work in shaded areas as well as sunny areas, and also have drinks available.

The RLGSOA recognises that players, ground staff, stewards, officials and spectators could all be at risk of health problems from exposure to the sun. That is why it has signed up as a supporter of IOSH’s No Time to Lose campaign.

The association is not an employer but its membership is made up of representatives from each of the 39 professional and semi-professional rugby league clubs in the UK.

Details of the campaign are on the agenda for the association’s regular meetings and relevant campaign documentation is issued at the meetings. Members are able to take information back to their own clubs to use as they feel appropriate.

John’s top-five tips for sun safety at sporting events

Apply a broad spectrum sunscreen and re-apply as necessary

Wear light, loose fitting, long-sleeved clothing

Wear a hat, preferably wide-brimmed

Wear sunglasses with proper UV protection

Drink plenty – keep hydrated but avoid alcohol.

John Holden CFIOSH

John Holden is a chartered fellow and former president of IOSH. He is also a past chair of the IOSH Sports Grounds and Events Group and is currently secretary of the Rugby League Ground Safety Officers Association (RLGSOA).

2. Sign into MyIOSH, click the MyCPD link at the top-left hand side of the screen and update your Development Plan for the next three to six months. If you haven’t yet set your plan up, consider some of the following:

What are my current main duties and responsibilities?

What knowledge, skills and experience do I need to demonstrate?

Do I need formal training?

Do I need to update any of my current knowledge or skills?

What are my career objectives?

3. Make every effort to upload the previous three months’ CPD activities that you’ve completed. You need to aim for a minimum of six activities per year, which works out at an activity every two months. You can always add more if you want to. You can break down a large project or training course into smaller activities, for example: modules, sections or elements, and spread the activities over a three- or six-month period.

4. Reflect on those activities by describing:

What the activity was

Why you carried out the activity

What you felt you gained or learned from carrying out the activity

How you intend to apply that knowledge in the future.

5. Remember, whatever stage you’re at with your CPD, whether you’ve started and come to a stop or in fact not started at all, help is always at hand.

Download our step-by-step CPD guidance document

We hold a free open webinar once a month for anyone who’d like to know more about the process. These provide a short presentation followed by a demo of how to use the relevant microsites. There’s also an opportunity to have questions answered. To book your place, please contact our bookings team either by email or by phoning +44 (0)116 257 3197. Here are dates for 2016.