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Occupational Health

HSE health surveilance leaflet

INTRODUCTION

Every year more than two million people suffer ill- health caused or made worse by work, with the loss of 13 million working days. Work-related illness can occur in any business and costs British industry several hundred million pounds every year. Preventing ill- health caused by work will therefore serve to protect your staff and your profits.

WHAT IS WORK-RELATED ILLNESS?

Work-related illness, also known as occupational ill- health, describes any illness an employee suffers because of the hazards they have been exposed to at work. There are a wide range of health risks, capable of causing a variety of illness.

Examples of such risks include:

HEALTH RISK	ILL-HEALTH EFFECTS	MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH THESE INDICATIVE ONLY LOCAL AUTHORITY ENFORCED ACTIVITIES
· handling heavy or awkward loads · Poor work postures · Repetitive or forceful movements	· Musculoskeletal disorders e.g. bad backs, upper limb disorders, 'RSI'	· Warehousing/retail distribution · Offices · Anywhere where loads are moved.
· Breathing in and handling hazardous substances e.g. asbestos, solvents, wood dust.	· Cancer · Asthma · Dermatitis · Bronchitis	· Dermatitis: - Hairdressing/beauty care - Cleaning - Catering · Asbestos - motor vehicle repair - repair and maintenance of older work premises
· High noise levels	· Deafness · Tinnitus	· Woodworking machines in DIY/ builders merchants · Anywhere using power tools (include. pneumatic tools) · Entertainment
· Vibration e.g. from hand-held tools	· Vibration white finger (VWF)	· Agricultural/horticultural amenity work · Hand held grinders
HEALTH RISK	ILL-HEALTH EFFECTS	MAY BE ASSOCIATED WITH THESE INDICATIVE ONLY LOCAL AUTHORITY ENFORCED ACTIVITIES
· Radiation e.g. UV radiation from prolonged outdoor work	· Burns · Skin complaints · Cancer	· Agricultural/horticultural amenity work · UV tanning saloons · Catering (microwave ovens)
· Biological agents	· Mild sickness to serious diseases e.g. Hepatitis B, Legionnaires disease	· Skin piercing · Cleaning · Agricultural/horticultural amenity work
· Stress	· High blood pressure · Heart disease · Depression	· Any

TAKING ACTION

Preventing ill- health requires sound management, summed up in the following 4 stages:

(i) Find out if you have a problem

· Talk to employees, look at sickness absence records etc.

· Get information/advice from suppliers.

(ii) Decide what action to take

· Assess the risks

· Evaluate existing precautions

· Identify control measures needed

· Prioritize your action

(iii) Take action - implement identified improvements

(iv) Check/review what you have done

In this way you can anticipate problems rather than deal with them after they have arisen.

HSE Webpage Occupational Health information

Talking leaflets

These files are provided in mp3 format,

INDG397 Off work sick, and worried about your job? [MP3 2.3mb]

Safety and Health Working

WHERE TO GO FOR HELP

· Booklet HS (G) 137 'Health Risk Management - A practical guide for managers in small and medium-sized enterprises' should be of great help in managing work-related health risks. It provides more detailed advice and practical guidance on the four stages of the process of health risk management outlined above, supported by several check lists.

· Advice can be sought from Gosport Borough Council Environmental

Health department, the HSE area office, HSE's Infoline

(0541 545500), HSE Autofax (0839 060606). Trade associations, employers' associations or trade unions may also be of use.

· The Employment Medical Advisory Service (EMAS) is a team of doctors and nurses who can advise on work-related health problems. For the Hampshire area including Isle of Wight, they can be contacted via the HSE Area Office at Basingstoke Tel: (01256) 404000.

· You may also wish to seek specialist advice from the following:

- Engineers (ventilation, noise, water treatment)
- Occupational hygienists
- Occupational health doctors and nurses
- Ergonomists
- Microbiologists

Each of these groups has its own professional body who may be able to advise on selection and appropriate qualifications. There is also a free leaflet available, 'Selecting a Health and Safety consultancy'.

HSE webpage Securing Health Together

HSE Occupational Health free leaflets

CHECKLIST - OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

1.	Have you identified all occupational health hazards in your workplace?	YES /NO
2.	Have you carried out risk assessments covering all work procedures where there may be a health risk, identifying who might be harmed and how big the risks are?	YES /NO
3.	Have you used the risk assessments to help decide what action you need to take?	YES /NO
4.	Do you monitor and review the measures in place to control health risks?	YES /NO
5.	Do you inform, instruct and train employees in relation to work-related health risks?	YES /NO

REFERENCES/FURTHER DETAILS

(NB References for specific health risks are contained in individual elements of this manual.)

1. Booklet HS (G) 137 'Health Risk Management - A practical guide for managers in small and medium-sized enterprises'.

2. Booklet HS (G) 167 Biological monitoring in the workplace

3. Free leaflets

4. HSE Books:

5. Asthma web page :-

6. Free leaflet indg 304:-

For further information please call (023) 9254 5505, 5506 or 5507 during office hours or call at the Town Hall, High Street, Gosport, Hampshire PO12 1EB.

Alternatively e-mail ehs@gosport.gov.uk any time