A recent report from the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) sets out a plan for healthier, more productive workplaces.
IOSH’s Fixing sick Britain whitepaper draws on the expertise of the UK’s foremost occupational health organisations and experts to address how to get people back to work by applying good occupational health and safety practices.
HSE workplace health and safety statistics show that 1.7 million UK workers were affected by work-related ill-health in 2023-24, with an estimated £150 billion annual cost to employers. Further to this, there are 2.8 million people who are economically inactive due to long-term sickness problems – the highest on record.
IOSH says the issue can be fixed with robust occupational safety and health (OSH) practices to keep people healthy, productive and in work.
However, the world’s largest professional health and safety body warns that access to occupational health services is unequal, with small businesses, gig workers and the self-employed more likely to lack this support.
Universal access to occupational health services could fix sick Britain
Currently, less than half of Britain’s workers (45%) have access to occupational health services, and less than 1 in 5 small businesses (18%) can offer this support to their staff. This is despite the fact, IOSH argues, that universal occupational health access could help keep more people healthy, productive and in work.
They say that occupational health and safety and occupational health can work together to “prevent harm, support recovery and protect wellbeing.”
The whitepaper argues that the benefits would be far-reaching, with reduced demand on the NHS, a much-needed boost for the economy and better health and longevity for workers. But this solution requires a “culture shift”, moving, as IOSH terms it, from “absence management to work enablement.”
Moving to a prevention-first approach
It comes as the final report for Sir Charlie Mayhew’s Keep Britain Working review was released, which aims to resolve widespread economic inactivity by addressing barriers to work, including poor health.
IOSH believes that occupational safety and health and occupational health are a vital part of the solution, stating that work-related injuries and ill-health are “preventable.”
In her foreword to the Fixing sick Britain whitepaper, IOSH’s President, Kelly Nicoll CFIOSH, said:
“At the workplace level, we need robust health and safety management systems that drive prevention of harm and protection of workers.
“Within this system, when we reference the ‘health’ of the worker, it means both physical and mental. So provision should be in place to promote health and wellbeing, which includes mental health and the management of psychosocial risks.
“By prioritising prevention-first approaches, workplaces can become active contributors to healthier communities and society rather than sources of harm.”
Fixing sick Britain requires ‘system-wide change’
The OSH body commissioned YouGov to survey 1,100 workers and found:
- Less than half believed employers treat mental and physical health equally (48%)
- Only 4 in 10 reported that managers received mental health training
- BUT 70% believe that mental health training should be mandatory for managers
- 62% said small business workers get less support
- 73% are in favour of universal occupational health services in local areas
- Three quarters want self-referral access to occupational health (75%)
IOSH’s report sets out a roadmap of recommendations for ‘Fixing sick Britain’:
- Establish core occupational safety and health frameworks and systems, with robust occupational safety and health management systems embedded in every workplace. IOSH also calls for investment in strong occupational health systems as well as skills, training and competence.
- Prioritise prevention-first and proactive approaches to workplace harm and health, with holistic robust risk assessments, early intervention and rehabilitation. IOSH also wants to see close links built between occupational safety and health and public health to help address risks early, raise awareness on health matters and recognise workplaces as health enablers. They are calling for greater investment in ill-health prevention, with greater access to occupational health services and early intervention strategies to help people stay in or return to work.
- Create inclusive support systems to ensure all workers receive appropriate protection and support. This includes providing small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) with resources for occupational safety and health, occupational health and mental health and improving access for vulnerable workers, including gig, platform and informal workers and those in small organisations. IOSH says businesses must also support workers with disabilities and health challenges through reasonable adjustments and accommodations. They have also called for more investment to equip managers and staff with mental health awareness and training to help support wellbeing.
- Ensure a system-wide change by establishing lasting partnerships that work together. This includes promoting cross-government collaboration and aligning departments and employers on workplace health, incentivizing ‘good work’ and healthy and safe environments and enforcing health and safety rights and protections for all.
IOSH concludes its whitepaper by asserting: “Investing in this approach is not only good for individuals and employers but it is also a smart strategy for a more resilient, productive labour market.”
Supporting workplace health and safety
First Response Training (FRT) is one of the UK’s largest and leading national training providers.
They deliver a wide and diverse range of training for businesses and organisations across all industry sectors and throughout the UK. Their course range includes training in the fields of health and safety, first aid, fire safety, manual handling, mental health, food safety, health and social care and more.
Their health and safety training is mapped to UK standards and legislation and follows HSE guidelines. The portfolio includes courses such as Health and Safety, Managing Health and Safety, Risk Assessment, Accident and Incident Investigation, Working at Height, Asbestos Awareness and many more.
They are also licensed to deliver a number of IOSH-accredited qualifications, including IOSH Working Safely and IOSH Managing Safely.
FRT places equal focus and importance on mental and physical health. Their specialist mental health training courses include Understanding Mental Health, Mental Health Awareness in the Workplace, Managing Stress, Anxiety and Phobias Awareness, Self-Harm Awareness and Suicide Awareness.
They can also provide qualified, approved trainers to deliver accredited Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training courses, including the Adult, Youth and Lite versions.
A trainer from FRT says:
“We believe in creating safer working environments with people who care. This is our vision and central to our services. It means providing training that helps to protect worker health, safety and welfare. This includes their physical, mental and emotional wellbeing.
“Organisations need to work on developing positive workplace health and safety cultures that value and protect workers’ health, safety and wellbeing and promote a good work-life balance which is sustainable long-term.”
FRT have developed a brief guide to IOSH’s Fixing sick Britain whitepaper: the key findings, solutions and related training to help boost workplace health, safety and wellbeing across all organisations. You can download it for free now.
For more information on the training that FRT can provide, please call them today on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.