Better Occupational Health Needed

The TUC has today (Monday) called on UK employers to give better occupational health assistance to the two million employees who every year believe they have become ill as a result of their jobs.

To coincide with Workers’ Memorial Day - which this year focuses on good occupational health for all workers - the TUC and unionlearn, its learning and skills organisation, are publishing a new guide to occupational health for union safety reps.

Over the next year, the TUC hopes that around 15,000 workplace safety reps can be trained using the new educational workbook, Occupational Health: Dealing with the Issues. The reps will be able to use the guide to assess the extent of ill health in their workplaces and work with their employers to find the best ways of making the business a healthier place to work.

The TUC workbook says that apart from the huge personal cost to individuals when they become ill as a result of their work, 175 million working days were lost as a result of sickness absence in 2006, costing firms £650 per poorly employee.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “Workplaces where there are union safety reps tend to be both safer and healthier places. But the UK is currently facing an epidemic of occupational ill health. Many people are ill and in pain as a result of lifting injuries, slips and trips, stress and noise-induced hearing loss suffered either at, or caused by, their work.

‘Using this workbook, union reps can learn about all the aspects of occupational health. Then they can use it to encourage their employers to do much more to make employees feel they are getting a decent level of support from work when they are ill and again when they are on the road towards a full recovery.”

Worker’s Memorial Day is held on 28 April every year, when all over the world workers and their representatives conduct events, demonstrations, vigils and a whole host of other activities to mark the day. The day is also intended to serve as a rallying cry to ‘remember the dead, but fight like hell for the living.’

Jumbo Jet Load of Workers Killed Each Fortnight

The equivalent of a jumbo-jet-load of passengers dies every fortnight in Britain because of the failure to ensure safe and healthy conditions in workplaces, RoSPA said as Workers’ Memorial Day approaches (April 28).

Roger Bibbings, Occupational Safety Adviser for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, said: “Because workers rarely die in high-profile disasters, their plight and the silent suffering of their families tends to go unnoticed.

“But if one jumbo jet crashed every two weeks killing all 400 people on board there would be a national outcry – and that is the rate at which workers are dying. Workers’ Memorial Day offers a chance to remember those who have been harmed at work and to redouble efforts to protect those who remain at risk.”

He said Government ministers claimed justifiably that reportable workplace injuries had come down and that the UK was now almost in pole position in the world when it came to accident rates. But the latest HSE figure of 241 notifiable deaths due to accidents to workers could disguise the true extent of the health and safety problem in the UK.

Over 100 members of the public (still under-reported) die annually in accidents connected with work activity. About 1,000 people die in work-related road accidents and many thousands suffer early death due to work-related health damage (estimates vary from 6,000 to 24,000 cases).

“By focusing only on accident deaths at the top of the casualty iceberg, there is a danger of losing sight of figures for the overall injury and ill-health toll which tend to remain below the water line,” Roger Bibbings said.

“There are more than 1.1 million work-related injuries annually – excluding road injuries – and about 2.2 million cases of ill health caused or made worse by work. In all, this is estimated to contribute to about 36 million lost working days.

“This is equivalent to more than 20 jumbos landing every day in the UK loaded with sick and injured people. And around the world more workers continue to be killed, injured or made ill by their work than all those who die in armed conflicts.

“For families and friends affected by each of these tragedies, their loss cannot be measured by statistics.

“At a time when it has become fashionable to poke fun at ‘elf and safety’, these stark figures should serve to remind everyone of the true extent of pain, suffering and loss due to the failure to manage risks associated with work.”

Dealing With Mental Health Problems

Employment relations service Acas has issued advice on how to spot and deal with mental health problems at work. The advice comes ahead of Depression Awareness Week (21 – 26 April) which is focusing on employment this year.

Gill Trevelyan, Head of Training and Equality Services says: “Spotting and doing something about troubled employees is an important business skill. As well as being good managers in the traditional sense, we urge bosses to look out for early indicators before they develop into something more serious, like stress or depression. Healthy and content workers translate directly into productive employees.”

The advice also coincides with the release of Acas’ new free guide on Health, work & wellbeing.

College Fined For Breaking Safety Law

City of Bristol College has been fined £14,000 and ordered to pay £18,000 costs for a breach of health and safety law. The case, brought by the HSE, related to the College’s failure to ensure the safety of its employees, particularly with regard to the use, handling and storage of hazardous substances and to the provision of appropriate training and supervision.

Further details are available on the UCU website.

Work Related Stress Responsible For Sucides

Work related stress could be responsible for as many as 250 suicides each year, more than the total number of fatal accidents at work recorded by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

These alarming figures are highlighted by the trade union Hazards magazine in a recently published report called Crying Shame. They are based upon statistics in Japan where an estimated 5% of suicides are considered work related.

In their report, Hazards magazine refers to the case of three teachers, all of whom found the pressure of their jobs too much. They also point out that figures released by the HSE in November 2007, showed a sharp upturn in cases of work-related “stress, depression or anxiety,” with the total affected up to 530,000 in 2006/07 from 420,000 the previous year.

In a related matter, the House of Laws recently ruled in the case of Corr v IBC Vehicles Ltd. It found the employer liable for Mr Corr’s suicide where it directly resulted from foreseeable depression caused by an accident at work (House of Lords on 27.2.08).

ACM Members’ Excessive Working Hours

ACM members regularly work excessive hours in order to fulfill their management duties; yet colleges appear unmoved by what is clearly a widespread disregard of the Working Time Regulations. These are some of the findings, just published by ACM, taken from results of their survey of members’ working time.

The 2007 Survey, which was undertaken last term, found that two out of three ACM members are working in excess of the average 48 hour week limit set by the Working Time Regulations, but only 4% have signed a working time opt-out that allows them to do so. This suggests colleges are ignoring safe limits on working hours in order to ensure targets are met.

In addition, 90% of ACM members have so much work that they regularly take some home, while 81% describe the demands of their job as high. And as we have already reported on this blog, an alarming one in eight members has been diagnosed by a GP as suffering from work related stress in the 12 months before the survey was undertaken.

Indeed, exposure to factors that can cause stress is high. One in four members described their role at their college as not clearly defined, and a further quarter described their role as conflicting. Two thirds of members also said they had experienced substantial change in the last 12 months.

Sadly, the 2007 survey results are almost identical to those of the previous survey carried out in March 2004. The implication is that moves to improve work life balance in the UK have simply by-passed the Further Education sector.

ACM Head of Employment Relations David Green said, “These figures ought to be shocking, but sadly they come as no surprise. They do underline though, just how much pressure is placed upon college managers. Indeed, add in the fact that colleges restructure regularly and it is hardly surprising that stress is such a big problem.

“Unfortunately colleges are reluctant to tackle the problem. They have LSC targets to reach; and the effect on their staffs’ work life balance and even health simply isn’t a big enough priority.”

ACM has been pressing the Association of Colleges to negotiate national guidelines on reducing working time.

One in Eight College Managers Suffers Stress

A massive one in eight ACM members has been diagnosed by a doctor as suffering from work related stress in the last year. These alarming figures come from ACM’s survey of working time and related issues, carried out towards the end of 2007.

The survey also found that nearly two thirds of members worked in excess of 48 hours per week, and that one in six works over 60 hours per week. But despite these excessive hours, 95% of members have never opted out of the Working Time Regulations which limits maximum hours to an average of 48 per week.

Not surprisingly, four out of five members said high demands were placed on them in terms of workload and targets.

But potential sources of work related stress aren’t just confined to the demands of the job. Two thirds of ACM members said they had experienced substantial change in the last year, and a third reported a low level of support from their line manager or in terms of resources. In addition, one in four members described the clarity of their role in the college as conflicting.

Commenting on the figures, ACM Head of Employment Relations said, “These survey results should ring alarm bells in our FE colleges. They show clearly that ACM members work in a very stressful environment; and that there is a real risk their jobs will make them sick unless colleges take preventative action.

“Sadly the culture in most colleges means that tackling stress is not seen as essential. If the going gets tough you are too often expected to struggle through or leave.”

ACM will be using the survey results to highlight the need for proper implementation of the HSE management standards and other measures to prevent stress. The findings will be reported to FESH, the sector’ safety and health forum, who have already begun work on preventing stress. ACM will also be using the survey results to back our calls for national negotiations on joint guidance to reduce working time in the sector.

In the meantime, ACM branches will be urged to ensure working time and stress is moved up the safety agenda. David Green added, “At the end of the day, positive change will only come about with consistent union pressure. If managers are worried about their health or the excessive hours they are working they should join us now and strengthen our voice on this important issue.”

Revised HSE Guidance on Preventing Stress

The revised HSE guidance ‘Managing the causes of work-related stress - A step by step approach using the Management Standards’ (HSG218), is now available from HSE books price £10.99. For more information please see the HSE website.

Stressed Workers Heart Disease Risk

Researchers have confirmed that a stressful job can greatly increase your chance of having a heart attack. In a study of civil servants, those under 50 who said their work was stressful were nearly 70% more likely to develop heart disease than the stress-free.

A more detailed article about this study can be found at the BBC News Website.

New Guidance on Tackling Stress

The Health and Safety Executive has published new guidance on managing work related stress.

Work-related stress is a major cause of occupational ill health, poor productivity and human error. That means increased sickness absence, high staff turnover and poor performance in organisations and a possible increase in accidents due to human error.

Based on the Management Standards, this new guide aims to help employers, employees and their representatives manage the issue sensibly and minimise the impact of work-related stress.

Priced at £10.95, it is available from HSE books.

Tackle Root Causes of Ill Health Says TUC

More employers are becoming aware of the need to promote a healthy lifestyle by offering ’stop smoking’ or lunchtime exercise classes to employees, but if they really want to improve the health of their workforce, they should address problems like stress and poor office design that are really making their staff ill, says the TUC today (Thursday).

In its submission to Dame Carol Black’s review of the health of the working age population, the TUC says that employers’ attempts to encourage healthy living are most effective when they look at how work can contribute to or cause lifestyle problems.

But the TUC also warns against employers moralising over lifestyle issues. Drug and alcohol issues, for instance, are a concern when they affect the performance of a person in the workplace or put at risk the safety of workers or the public. Good employers may wish to assist any employees who have an addiction problem that is affecting them or their work. But employers should not be attempting to interfere in what employees do outside the office if it has no bearing on what goes on at work.

The TUC submission says that there is a difference between an employer who is keen to introduce choices and working methods that will help staff who want to control their weight, and the employer who wants to force anyone who they consider overweight to change their eating habits.

It is the working environment that often makes staff ill or unhealthy, and the TUC submission urges employers to avoid working arrangements that leave employees desk-bound for long periods of time. Similarly, workplaces with poorly managed workloads or where bullying is rife can increase employees’ stress levels. However, the TUC believes that proper work-life balance policies can go a long way towards encouraging a healthier lifestyle.

Although healthy food in staff canteens, subsidised gym membership or access to counselling for those with drug or alcohol problems are to be encouraged, the TUC says that lunchtime yoga classes are no substitute for reducing stress in the workplace. And while access to fresh fruit is a good thing, it won’t be of much use to employees who never get to take a lunch break, nor will gym access be a benefit to those who work late night after night.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: “The workplace can, like any other environment, be a useful place to encourage people to make healthy choices, but it must be done in a non-judgemental way. Employers should be creating opportunities so that staff can make healthier choices should they so chose, rather than try to force them to adopt a particular lifestyle that has no bearing on how they do their jobs.”

The full response which covers a wide range of issues including prevention, sickness absence, access to occupational health provision and rehabilitation can be found at http://www.tuc.org.uk/h_and_s/tuc-14004-f0.cfm

Long Hours Working On Increase

Long hours working is on the increase in the UK, reversing the slow but steady ten-year decline in people working more than 48 hours a week - according to a new TUC analysis published yesterday.

More than one in eight of the workforce now work more than 48 hours each week, with as many as one in six in London putting in 48 hours plus a week.

While the law protects people against an average working week of more than 48 hours unless they opt out of working time rules, the TUC says that a lack of enforcement means that bad employers know that this is one employment right that they can breach with little or no risk of any consequences.

Good employers have responded to concerns about the need for a greater work-life balance, but these figures show that a hard core of bad employers are taking no notice of either the law or calls from government, progressive employers and unions, says the TUC.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said, “There is undoubted abuse of the law, but employers know they can get away with it because it is rarely enforced. Neither the Health and Safety Executive nor local authorities who share responsibility for enforcement have the resources to implement the law. And the Government knows that employers can abuse the opt-out as ministers consulted on ways to close loopholes in 2004, but have yet to bring forward any concrete proposals for change. The current discussions on how best to protect vulnerable workers and enforce existing rights must include working time rights and closing the loopholes that make a voluntary opt-out a joke.”

ACM recently undertook a survey of members’ working hours and results will be published in the new year. However, initial findings suggest that the 48 hour week is being repeatedly flouted by FE colleges.