Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Securing Health Together
The Health Work and Well-being (HWWB) strategy (launched on 19 October 2005) is a cross Government partnership between DWP, DH and HSE. HWWB is helping to forge links between the occupational and public health agendas, and is helping to deliver a crucial part of the Government's commitment to improving the health and well-being of the working age population.
This is a central element of the wider welfare reform agenda and also helps to make a reality of the Health and Safety Commissions Strategy for Workplace Health and Safety. HWWB will provide added impetus to HSE's preventative mission and to the key HSE projects within our health agenda. Further information on the strategy can be found on the work and well-being website.
The Better Backs campaign has now peaked, but our messages have been spread far and wide. In the first four weeks of the campaign, 36,500 people visited the Better Backs site and visits to the MSD web pages in the same period increased by 99% over normal levels. A substantial amount of HSE and local authority time was given to workplace visits and inspectors dealt with everything from the handling of Halloween pumpkins at vegetable markets to the handling of fine art at auction houses. Over 170 organisations signed up to demonstrate their support for the campaign and 55 events were funded by the HSE. Over 25,000 campaign packs were distributed. A full report will be released later in the year. In the meantime, find out how to manage back pain at: www.betterbacks.hse.gov.uk.
Throughout 2006, HSE has been running a series of free, one-day workshops to help organisations manage sickness absence within their workforce. The days focus is on reducing work-related stress using HSE's Management Standards approach. The workshops are aimed at the five sectors reporting the highest levels of stress-related ill health: Education; Health Services; Central Government; Local Authorities; and Financial Services.
Central Government workshops took place in June, financial services were in November with education and health sector workshops are taking place in November and December 2006. The local authorities workshops are taking place in January 2007, and there will be a small number of additional workshops arranged for the first quarter of 2007.
If you would like to find out more about what HSE is doing on occupational health policy please see the 'Partners for Better Health at Work' newsletter.
This newsletter is produced quarterly and is aimed at occupational health professionals. You can download copies of past issues via the links below, or alternatively you can sign up to receive the newsletter by e:mail by sending a message (requesting to be added to the list of subscribers) to: oh.strategy@hse.gsi.gov.uk
SignUp is a quarterly magazine produced in partnership by DOH and HSE and is aimed at small to medium sized businesses that have signed up to the Healthy Workplace Initiative.