HSE and managing sickness absence and return to work

The Health and Safety Commission’s (HSC) strategy for workplace health and safety in Great Britain to 2010 and beyond recognised the need to strengthen the role of health and safety in getting people back to work through a much greater emphasis on rehabilitation as a contribution to the wider government employment agenda. HSE is working in partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and other stakeholders to take forward this agenda. The 2002 DWP Green Paper Pathways to work: Helping people into employment and the 2005 DWP 5 Year Strategy recognised the substantive role HSC/E has to play in stopping the flow, via work-related sickness absence, onto incapacity benefits:

• Pathways to work: Helping people into employment
• DWP 5 Year Strategy

Who are we?

Sickness Absence and Return 2 Work Unit

The unit focusses on working with stakeholders to deliver HSE’s policy on managing sickness absence and return to work.

If you have any questions about this subject please contact HSE Infoline on 0845 345 0055.

If you want to share your experience in dealing with managing sickness absence and return to work issues, please fill in the feedback form.