Work and health

This article summarises the major issues which impact on work place health.

Although, statistically, you are more likely to suffer from ill health if you are unemployed, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) estimates that British industry loses around £13 billion per year from sickness absence. This is the equivalent of 30 million working days. And in 2006 - 2007, more than a third of the days lost were due to work related stress, depression or anxiety.

There are laws which govern health and safety at work. This means that as an employee you have a right to expect the company you work for to maintain a safe and healthy working environment. The article on Health and Safety at Work outlines the main provisions.

The work place is an ideal environment for promoting positive health policies. In the first place, the increasingly complex modern work environment creates more factors likely to impact upon an individual’s health and wellbeing, both physical and mental. And demographic trends show that the workforce is becoming increasingly more diverse:

• more women
• more people who have a disability
• more people in the upper age range. 

These trends can only contribute to the range of possible health issues likely to affect employees.

NHS Health Scotland identifies the following major issues which may impact upon work place health:

• alcohol
• asbestos
• blood borne viruses
• confined spaces
• driving at work
• drugs
• electricity
• fire
• gas
• hazardous substances
• heights or falls from heights
• home working
• legionella or legionnaires' disease 
• noise
• oral health
• respiratory and skin sensitisers (allergies)
• slips, trips and falls
• smoking
• transport and vehicles
• vibration
• violence and aggression.

Stress at work

According to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), 'Stress is the adverse reaction have to excessive pressure or other types of demand made on them'. It can be a serious problem, both for the individuals who go through it and for the organisations they work for, leading to:

• low staff morale
• low commitment to the company
• high staff turnover
• high sickness absence rates
• lowering quality standards
• dissatisfied customers.

There are some common warning signs that you are suffering from stress:

• physical symptoms such as headaches, chest pain, lack of energy, stomach trouble or panic attacks 
• behaviour changes such as having mood swings, being indecisive, forgetting things or changes in your eating or sleeping patterns 
• psychological symptoms such as anxiety, depression, lack of concentration or low self esteem.

And many of the solutions may lie in reviewing your lifestyle and changing it for the better (learning to relax; taking regular exercise; looking at your eating and drinking habits; cutting back (or cutting out) smoking and managing your time better).

However, your company or organisation can work with you to develop solutions to work place stress. And there are many campaigns and initiatives which aim to:

• reduce mental or physical ill health which is caused, or made worse by, work
• help people to return to work after illness, whether work related or not
• promote good working practices
• improve work opportunities for people currently not in employment due to ill health or disability.

If you feel that you have a health problem which is affecting your work performance or is caused or made worse by your work situation, you should speak to your employer and trade union representative if you have one.

Sources of information and advice about work place health:

Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives - part of NHS Health Scotland, it helps to create a safer, healthier, more motivated work place

Tel: 0800 019 2211

Web: www.safeandhealthyworking.com

www.worksmart.org.uk - TUC website including information on work place health

http://www.healthscotland.com/ - NHS website delivering programmes to improve Scotland's health

www.hse.gov.uk/stress

www.workstress.net/whatis.htm

http://www.isma.org.uk/