Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
About HSE
We’ve set ourselves ambitious targets for reducing workplace injuries and ill health, as well as cutting the days lost that they cause. Against these targets, set in the Revitalising Health and Safety Strategy and in our Public Service Agreement with the government, very good progress has been made in recent years. But there is much more to do.
There have been improvements. Last year saw 4000 fewer serious injuries and 53 000 fewer new cases of ill health. But there is still much to do.
A close working relationship between HSE and its enforcement partners in local authorities is important if we are to continue to drive down these figures. A key to the success of this partnership is the ability to achieve a higher profile for health and safety in councils around the country. Persuasive communications aimed particularly at councillors are crucial. Last year, HSE and Local Authorities Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services (LACoRS) published an ‘Elected Members’ Handbook’ which raised awareness of the beneficial links between health and safety regulation and the wider priorities of local authorities.
HSE has also worked closely with its partners to develop the strategic programme: ‘Fit for work, fit for life, fit for tomorrow’ aimed at reducing work-related accidents, ill health and lost working days caused by them.
HSE is making a substantial effort to work with a wide range of stakeholders, as well as becoming actively involved with central initiatives such as the proposals for improved co-ordination of regulation and enforcement flowing from the Hampton Review, and the establishment of the proposed Local Better Regulation Office. It’s important to recognise regional differences. That’s why high-level partnership forums between local government and HSE now exist in England, Wales and Scotland.
There are at least 80 people alive today who would have died without the improvements made in the construction industry since 1999. However, in that same period 535 workers have died from injuries, most of which were avoidable.
The latest survey of self-reported work-related illness, carried out in 2005/06, estimated that 86 000 people suffered from an illness which was caused or made worse due to a current or most recent job in the last year in the construction industry.
There is now a commitment to change within the industry. For example, slips and trips are regularly the biggest single cause of reported injuries in the industry; the campaign Watch Your Step was used to improve site conditions and so reduce the risk of slips and trips. With employers, unions, and construction safety groups on board, HSE inspectors targeted housekeeping issues in nearly a thousand site inspections, taking enforcement action as appropriate.
Launched jointly in October 2005 by HSE, the Department of Health and the Department of Work and Pensions, the Health, Work and Well-being strategy has three main aims:
HSE, working with local authorities, makes significant contributions to this strategy through a number of initiatives including the Stress Management Standards, the Better Backs campaign and Workplace Health Connect (WHC), an occupational health, safety and returnto- work support service for small businesses. Over 3500 enquiries have been received by WHC’s Adviceline and more than 1500 initial workplace visits conducted. Over 95% of callers say they are satisfied or very satisfied with the service.
HSE continues to work closely with the Small Business Service to make simple, practical, good practice guidance available to small businesses through the Business Link website, as well as HSE’s own site. By October this year, over 6000 businesses had completed a free online assessment tool, which is jointly run by HSE and Small Business Service/Business Link and helps users prioritise health and safety requirements.
Our Small Business Trade Association Forum ensures that key HSE publications are meeting the needs of these businesses as well as leading to the creation of specific, smallbusiness- friendly guidance.
HSE and local authorities are working with larger companies to help achieve better health and safety outcomes. To date, this partnership initiative has invited 17 companies to join a pilot that focused on developing closer partnerships to improve health and safety. Between them, the selected companies employ around million people.
Health and safety improvements can be much greater if firms take action because they are convinced of the business benefits of effectively managing health and safety. At the beginning of 006, HSE ran a Better Business campaign to highlight to small firms the possible cost savings to be made through good health and safety practice. This was supported by a press campaign and a series of case studies (see www.hse.gov.uk/ betterbusiness).
An encouraging improvement in central and local government sickness absence levels is starting to show following the setting up of a Ministerial Task Force two years ago.
With support from the Department of Health and the Department for Communities and Local Government, HSE is delivering a nationwide programme of ‘Healthy Workplace Solutions’ workshops. The aim is to persuade the public sector of the business case for managing sickness absence and equipping them to use the Stress Management Standards.
The workshops will be followed by a major programme of visits in 2007/08 to key employers in education, local and national government, and the NHS. Poor performers in the NHS and local government sectors will continue to be inspected and enforcement action considered.