Workplace health issues move up agenda

Each year close to 55,000 employees in Northern Ireland suffer from ill health that has been caused or made worse by work.

The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland (HSENI) highlighted this staggering statistic as the agency launched a public consultation exercise on the proposed Workplace Health Strategy for Northern Ireland.

The proposed strategy has been prepared by the Occupational Health Forum for Northern Ireland and sets out proposals for tackling the problem of work-related ill health in a concerted and coordinated way. The proposed strategy compliments the new public health strategy for Northern Ireland, Investing for Health, which was launched earlier this year and which firmly recognises the workplace as a priority setting for tackling health issues and health inequalities.

Explaining the significance of the consultation exercise, Liam McBrinn, Chairperson of HSENI and the Forum, said: “Close to 365,000 working days are lost each year in Northern Ireland as a result of work-related ill health. This is equivalent to 1,000 workers being absent from work each-and-every day of the year and obviously represents a huge cost to our economy and to society in general.

"The consultation paper sets out the Forum’s proposals for addressing this unacceptable situation. It represents the final stage in a lengthy consultation process, which has included a series of regional workshops held in September 2001 and a discussion document issued for comment in April 2002.

"We feel that this paper captures the key elements raised during the earlier consultation. However, we are keen to ensure that the final strategy, when it is published in March 2003, reflects the expectations of all those involved in, or affected by, health issues in the workplace.

Mr McBrinn said that he wanted as many people as possible to read the draft Workplace Health Strategy and make their views and comments know, particularly any successful or innovative initiatives introduced by organisations to improve health in the workplace.

(SP)