The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) needs to do more to reduce work-related ill health
In its submission to the Work and Pensions Select Committee inquiry into the operations and work of the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) and the HSE, IOM said that there needs to be more emphasis on tackling work-related illness.
IOM acknowledges the vital role of HSC / HSE in safeguarding health of workers in Britain. We believe these bodies take a balanced and mature approach to risk management and are committed to working in partnership with all stakeholders. The IOM re-affirms its support for HSC / HSE in the important work they are doing.
There has however been a serious weakening of HSE’s medical expertise, coupled with a reduction in their resources for enforcement of health and safety law. The consequence is that HSE is less able to provide clear, authoritative guidance, and is less able to carry out effective enforcement. There is a particular concern in relation to occupational diseases, such as chronic lung diseases caused by dust and chemicals and occupational cancer. Overall IOM is concerned that HSE is under-resourced to meet its core responsibilities. In particular, we question whether HSE should have a headline target for reducing sickness absence, most of which is not work-related, when there is still much to do within HSE’s core mission of protecting workers from exposure to hazards in the workplace.
Download the full IOM submission to the Select Committee. A correction was subsequently made to this submission, which is available here.