Programme Action Group 4: Skills

Scope

This programme was about ensuring that all parties had the relevant competence and skills to perform their role effectively in order to achieve the 2010 headline targets. Managers, workers, doctors, nurses, hygienists, designers, ergonomists, human resource professionals, students, and children (in their own context) needed to be aware of how they could contribute to protecting and enhancing health during work activities.

Aim

The aim for Programme 4 had three components:

• to make a substantial move towards understanding and agreeing the skills (which were not necessarily formal qualifications), which different interested parties required;
• to increase the opportunities that were available for the people to gain the necessary skills; and
• to increase awareness of those opportunities.

The following were priority areas:

• identifying the skills required and gaps within the system;
• developing plans to fill these gaps;
• getting health and safety considerations delivered as part of the school curriculum (eg. under Key Stage 1 of Personal, social and health education and citizenship), pupils could learn the basic rules and skills of keeping themselves healthy and safe.
• health and safety being a component of all relevant management and professional training courses (eg MBAs);producing guidance on competence and on what is a competent person;increasing the percentage of GPs who have a sound understanding of occupational health and when to seek specialist help; and promoting opportunities to gain skills.

The members of the Skills Programme Action Group were:

Chair

Jane Drabble, Vice-Chair of the Basic Skills Agency

Members

Prof David Stubbs, Professor of Ergonomics, Robens Centre for Health Ergonomics, University of Surrey
Dr Alastair Robertson, Institute of Occupational Medicine
Carole Spiers, Occupational Stress Consultant, Carole Spiers Associates International Stress Consultancy
Nina Torbett, Forth Valley Health Board
Roger Bibbings, The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
Dr Robert Davies Health Safety & Environment, College of Medicine, University of Wales
Donald Goodhew Head of Small Firms and Training Policy Branch, HSE
Tessa Blewchamp Network Audit Manager, Chadwick House Group Ltd
Jan Maw Educational Officer, Occupational Health, English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting
Steve Walter Health, Safety & Environment Advisor, The Engineering Employers Federation
Dr Kerry Gardiner Acting-Director, Institute of Occupational Health, University of Birmingham Claire Sullivan National Health & Safety Officer, Chartered Society of Physiotherapy
Dr Shaun Chambers Occupational Health Manager, Land Rover Vehicles
Dr AP Colvin Director of Clinical Services, Institute of Occupational Medicine
Dr John Harrison Senior Lecturer in Occupational Medicine, DEOM, The Medical School, Newcastle

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.