Programme Action Group 2: Continuous improvement

The Continuous Improvement Programme of Work occupational health projects can be accessed from the OH Case Studies page.

Scope - The purpose of this programme was to promote a culture and environment where occupational health issues are addressed through interested parties:

• collaborating;
• forming partnerships;
• valuing innovation; and
• striving for continuous improvement in occupational health because they want to be among the best.

This programme will include promoting good health at work beyond the legal minimum of preventing work-related ill health and adjusting work environments to accommodate people not currently in work due to ill health or disability. It will also encompass using the work environment to tackle the non-work contributors to work-related ill health; doing all that is required to rehabilitate individuals after ill health; and to promote general health. Champions, committed individuals with knowledge of the strategy and its links with other initiatives, will be used to help progress the strategy within different sectors and professions.

Aim - By 2010 we will strive to promote a culture and create an environment where people can collaborate, form partnerships and work together in innovative ways to address occupational health. Priority areas include:

• increasing the number of firms whose culture encourages the management of healthissues as an integral part of their day to day business;
• increasing the number of partnerships and joint ventures between industry,occupational health professionals, regulators and other interested parties;
• Government Departments and Agencies demonstrating that they are exemplaryemployers in improving the health of their staff at work;
• increasing participation in award schemes with an occupational health component (eg Scotland's Health at Work (SHAW) award 18 and Wales’ Corporate Standard for workplace health promotion 19 );
• increasing involvement of employees or their representatives in decision-makingprocesses and implementation schemes;
• occupational health needs being tackled at a local level (in both the geographicaland company sense);
• employers being encouraged to consider flexibility in the design and management of workso that it is adapted to individuals’ needs throughout their working life, and so that, as faras practicable, people are not excluded from work due to ill health or disability;
• those who are made ill by work being made aware of timely and appropriate opportunities to help them return to work. This action will increase the numbers ofpeople being rehabilitated back to work, and reduce those who are retired on thegrounds of ill health; and
• improving the physical and mental health of individuals by using the workenvironment to promote health.

The members of the Continuous Improvement PAG were:

Chair

Brenda Stephens, Workplace Health Development Specialist, Welsh Assembly Government

Members

Mr Neil Budworth, Principal Safety Advisor, Severn Trent Water Ltd
Ms Janice Craggs, Occupational Health and Safety Manager, Rhodia Chirex
Ms Sue Cruse, Employee Health Support Manager, Glaxo Smith Kline
Professor Richard Ennals, Centre for Working Life Research, Kingston University
Dr Jim Ford, Department of Work and Pensions
Mr John Fuller, Department of Work and Pensions
Ms Jane Huntley, Head of Employment and Health, Health Development Agency
Dr Sayeed Kahn, Chief Medical Advisor, Engineering Employers Federation
Dr Phillip Lewis, Head of Occupational & Environmental Health, Chemical Industries Association Ms Judy Loggie, Health at Work Co-ordinator, Health Promotion Department
Mr Ron McCaig, Health Directorate D, Health & Safety Executive
Ms Sharon McKenna, Senior Health Promotion Officer, Argyll and Clyde NHS Board
Mr Mic Porter, Senior Lecturer/Consultant in Ergonomics, University of Northumbria & Newcastle
Mr Hugh Robertson, Head of Bargaining Support and H&S, Unison
Dr Peter Verow Sandwell, Occupational Health and Safety Services
Mr Stuart Whitaker, BMI Health Services

Copies of the action notes from the Compliance PAG can be obtained by contacting the:

Securing Health Together Team
8SW, Rose Court
2 Southwark Bridge London,
SE1 9HS.
E: mail: oh.strategy@hse.gsi.gov.uk
Tel: 020 7717 6088.

This Programme Action Group has now completed its discussions and the final report [PDF] [30kb] is available.