Priority Industry Sectors
24. This Strategic Programme focuses on activity to address health and safety hazards in priority industry sectors.
Total Gross Expenditure
What we aim to achieve
25. The Delivery Board has set the following targets for the Strategic Programme. These targets will contribute to the Revitalising Health and Safety (RHS) targets (both to be delivered by 31st March 2010):
| Target area |
Sector Strategic Programme target to be achieved by 31 March 2010 |
Overall HSE RHS target to be achieved by 31 March 2010 |
| Reduction in fatal and major injuries |
4% |
10% |
| Reduction in days lost through work-related injury and ill health |
9% |
30% |
| Reduction in new cases of work-related ill health |
5% |
20% |
What we aim to do
26. The Sector Strategic Programme consists of five programmes, each dealing with an industry sector that has:
- A high incidence rate of fatal incidents, major injury or ill health;
- A large number of employees with an associated high incidence of 'over three day' injuries; or
- Significant influence over other sectors and employers.
27. We have identified the following sector programmes:
- Construction
- Agriculture
- Health Services
- Government Setting an Example
- Manufacturing, Utilities, Services and Transport.
Construction
28. Construction is Great Britain's biggest industry and one of its most dangerous (although the industry's record compares favourably with that of other nations). Between April and December of 2003, 53 workers (provisional numbers) died and thousands were injured as a result of construction work. Work-related ill health is also a problem in this sector.
29. The construction industry set challenging health and safety targets at its 2001 summit. HSE is committed to working with stakeholders in the industry to help achieve these targets.
30. The programme aims to reduce the number of workers killed or injured, or whose health is affected due to working in the construction industry by:
- Working with key stakeholders (e.g.training providers, industry bodies and employees) to raise awareness of health and safety issues and good practice;
- Revising the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations(CDM), the Approved Code of Practice and the guidance;
- Working with CDM duty holders (such as designers and architects), engaging clients, and interventions with large multi-site contractors and at large projects;
- Educating and increasing awareness of the importance of managing occupational health risks;
- Regulating the asbestos licensing regime;
- Implementing health-related supply chain initiatives;
- Employing safety initiatives to address significant issues, such as short duration work at height, lifting operations, site traffic management and road works; and
- Carrying out a targeted inspection programme and investigating where necessary.
31. For further information go to http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/index.htm
[back to top]
Agriculture
32. Agriculture has one of the worst fatal incident records of any industry. In 2002/03, the rate of fatal injuries to workers in agriculture was more than double that in construction.
33. The programme aims to reduce the number of workers killed or injured, or whose health is affected due to working in the agriculture industry, by:
- Engaging all stakeholders who can influence the industry, including rural forums, banks and unions;
- Developing and supporting the Industry Advisory Committee;
- Developing supply chain synergies with the food industry;
- Extending the knowledge, skills and competencies of those in the industry (and those joining it) by working with national training organisations and awarding bodies to develop vocational (and other) qualifications;
- Providing targeted information, advice and guidance. This includes producing and revising a number of publications, and supporting and attending national and regional agriculture events;
- Stimulating action among self-employed, family and small farms by use of Safety and Health Awareness Days and Local Farmer's Group Inspection events;
- Influencing safety through design, particularly by getting involved in standards and engaging with manufacturers and importers of machinery;
- Promoting the development of occupational health and rehabilitation provision and encouraging its take up by the farming community;
- Continuing work on child safety in agriculture; and
- Carrying out a targeted inspection programme and investigating where necessary.
34. For further information go to http://www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture/index.htm
Health Services
35. The health services are one of Britain's biggest employers, with almost two million people employed in the public and private sectors. Healthcare workers suffer from large numbers of injuries resulting from slips and trips, manual handling and violence. The industry also has prevalence rates of musculoskeletal disorders and stress significantly higher than the average for all industries.
36. The programme aims to reduce the number of workers killed or injured, or whose health is affected due to working in the health services by:
- Working with central Government on NHS initiatives and with other health service regulators such as the Healthcare Commission;
- Working with national and regional healthcare stakeholders and intermediaries, through events such as Safety And Health Awareness Day, seminars and training programmes;
- Promoting awareness of sector issues, including risk controls for patient handling, slips and trips, violence and aggression, proactive stress management, and highlighting the cost of incidents; and
- Ensuring compliance through targeted inspection of NHS and independent sectors, and investigating where necessary.
37. For information go to http://www.hse.gov.uk/healthservices/index.htm
[back to top]
Government Setting an Example
38. This programme will harness the power of the Government, in its roles as executive, employer and purchaser, to demonstrate the benefits of successful health and safety management.
39. The programme aims to improve health and safety management in Government Departments and reduce injury, ill health and sickness absence by:
- Making sure that health and safety is incorporated into central departmental policy making and statements of internal control;
- Agreeing and delivering targets for reducing injuries, ill health and sickness absence in Government departments and other public sector employees;
- Influencing health and safety through stakeholder relationships;
- Ensuring compliance through a targeted intervention programme, and investigating where necessary.
Manufacturing, Utilities, Services and Transport
40. There are other industry sectors in which we must work if we are to achieve our long-term targets for reducing injury, ill health and days lost. For example, almost four million people work in the manufacturing industries, which have high fatality and ill health rates.
41. HSE plan to do this by fully engaging stakeholders, including phased "targeted initiatives" using central approaches to engage with industry groups. Such initiatives have already secured significant improvements in rates of ill health and injury across a number of industry sectors including quarries, glass, ceramics, paper and rubber.
42. We will develop this technique to identify and target further industry groups where the approach is likely to be successful. We will use the following criteria to select potential candidates:
- Form a discrete industry set;
- Have a suitable risk profile e.g. high incidence rates of ill health or injury with a sizeable population at risk;
- Have a commitment to improve at a senior level;
- Have identifiable stakeholders;
- Have good prospects of success and ability to influence; and
- Have a means of measuring success.
43. We aim to:
- Engage all stakeholders who can influence the targeted industries;
- Extend the knowledge, skills and competencies of those in the targeted industries and those joining them;
- Work with intermediaries, including the DTI, industry bodies and educational organisations;
- Promote the development of occupational health and rehabilitation provision;
- Improve safety through our work with designers and those who set standards, (such as the European Committee for Standardisation); and
- Reduce our involvement in mature existing schemes where good progress is being made.
