MINISTER URGES ACTION TO MANAGE HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS AT WORK

HSE press release: E079:03 - 19 May 2003

Today Health and Safety Minister Nick Brown urged organisations that use hazardous chemicals to look at ways of preventing ill health in the workplace, including cancers, respiratory diseases and skin diseases.

The Minister visited the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) launch of the European Week for Safety and Health Action Pack, at its stand at the Safety and Health EXPO in Birmingham on Monday 19 May.

The free action pack includes a 12 page European Week Newsletter, a mini CD ROM, stickers, fact sheets, leaflets and a poster, focusing on the theme of this year's week, Dangerous Substances, which begins on 13 October. It is designed to help organisations that use potentially harmful chemicals plan an initiative to protect workers' health.

Mr Brown said: "This initiative deserves widespread support throughout the UK. The European Week for Health and Safety is an opportunity for employers, employees and their representatives to look at ways of improving their work environment. The misuse of dangerous substances and chemicals at work can result in debilitating ill health or even cause death.

"This is not just an issue for large firms. Potentially dangerous substances are used by many of us - in cleaning, hairdressing and motor vehicle repair businesses to name just a few. With the right prevention and control measures, most of the ill health effects can be reduced or eliminated."

An estimated 6,000 people die from cancer due to occupational causes every year and an estimated 66,000 people suffer from new or existing skin diseases caused by work - around two thirds have dermatitis or eczema.

In addition 7,000 new cases of asthma are occupationally caused or have work as a significant contributing factor, every year - with an estimated cost over the next 10 years of between £579 million and £1,159 million.

John Thompson, head of HSE's chemicals policy division, said: "All this is preventable. The majority of the 1.3 million companies covered by specific chemical legislation are small and medium sized enterprises. Many of these don't think of themselves as using chemicals. They see them simply as branded products - but they can also be harmful chemicals. Others only partially understand what they need to do to protect their employees and other people from risks from the use of chemicals. Employers, workers and stakeholders can use the week to start to make an impact."

HSE is encouraging participants of the European Safety and Health Week to organise campaigns focusing on the week's theme of dangerous substances, and send feedback to HSE.

Independent evaluation of last year's European Week, which focused on stress, has revealed that more than half the participants surveyed made specific changes to working practices as a result of the week. It is estimated that the message reached 6.28 million employees and there was a 78 per cent increase in the number of organisations sending for action packs.

Requests for action packs can be made at http:www.hse.gov.uk/campaigns/euroweek

Notes to editors

1. This year's Safety & Health Expo, takes place alongside the RoSPA Congress from
19 - 22 May at the NEC, Birmingham. HSE's stand is Q40 in Hall 12.

2.. The European Week has taken place six times - 1996, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001 and 2002. HSE has organised seven Health and Safety Weeks including the six European Weeks. The Week is part of a wider European initiative organised by the European Agency for Safety and Health.

3. To promote the week in the UK, HSE has formed a European Group whose members include: TUC, CBI, The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), BackCare, British Safety Council, Health and Safety Executive of Northern Ireland, Health Education Board for Scotland, National Assembly for Wales, Departments of Health, Education and Skills, Work and Pensions, European Week 2001, membership was extended to include the Health and Safety Authority of Ireland, an Environmental Health Officer representing local authorities and representatives of the banking and insurance sectors.

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