Valentine Occupational Health is proud to be supporting Health & Safety Week June 2015.
Great Britain has one of the best combined health and safety records in the world, due in no small part to the Health and Safety at Work Act introduced in 1974.
In 2014, forty years on from this life-changing piece of legislation, Health and Safety Week was launched to celebrate the achievements of UK practitioners and bring back some pride to the industry.
However, there is still room for improvement. Despite fatal injuries being at their lowest in 20 years, occupational health cases are on the rise.
The latest statistics show that 2,535 people died of mesothelioma (asbestos-induced cancer) in 2012 due to past exposure to asbestos, while more than 1.2 million people are suffering from a work-related illness.
- Occupational health issues include:
- Cancer – from asbestos, silica, shift work, etc
- Other asbestos-related illnesses
- Respiratory diseases – lung cancer, asthma, emphysema, bronchitis
- Noise-induced hearing loss
- Musculoskeletal disorders
- Work-related skin disease
- Stress
- Mental health
- Hand arm vibration
The aim of Health and Safety Week 2015 is to inspire employers and employees to embrace health in the workplace by instigating initiatives and programmes throughout the year.
Valentine OH can assist with helping companies of all sizes to both understand what is required of them through current legislation, what is best practice, and most important of all to ensure that they maintain a happy, healthy and safe workforce.
Health surveillance is necessary for certain categories of workers under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (2002) and the Management of Health and Safety Regulations (2002).
