New Northern Ireland Workplace Health Leadership Group calls for effective occupational health management on Workers Memorial Day

On Workers' Memorial Day, the newly formed Northern Ireland Workplace Health Leadership Group (NIWHLG) is highlighting the important role that awareness and effective occupational health management have in today’s workplaces. 

The Group also reflected on the cost of poor occupational health on the Northern Ireland economy, which is estimated to be over £219 million.  A cost expected only to increase.
Workers' Memorial Day is an annual event designed to “remember the dead: fight for the living”.  While the day is an important reminder of those people who have been tragically killed or seriously injured as a result of a workplace incident, it is also a time to reflect on those who have died or continue to suffer as a result of their health being affected by their job. 

The day not only serves as a poignant reminder that everyone has the right to come home safe, but also healthy from their place of employment.

Effective workplace health management is a challenge facing all employers. The outcome of poor occupational health management is wide ranging but can present in a large number of different health conditions both mental and physical. 

This includes cancers connected to the type of job someone does.  An example of this would be occupational lung cancer seen in construction workers as a result of being exposed to silica, from activities such as kerb cutting without appropriate controls being put in place.   It also includes asbestos related deaths that still claim the lives of over 60 people a year in Northern Ireland. 

Other workplace health conditions, such as musculoskeletal problems and asthma, account for high numbers of occurrences.  While these conditions are not always fatal, they still have life changing consequences for those concerned.   Workplace stress continues to be experienced in all types of workplaces and effective management actions need to be proactively considered.

The need to halt the horrendous impact of poor occupational health on all sections of society is part of the rationale of the formation of NIWHLG.  The Group, formed in 2016, has membership representation from industry, professional bodies and government.  Their work will involve, early in 2018, the roll out of a five year strategy, aimed at building awareness, capacity and capability of effective occupational health management among business leaders and health and safety professionals. 

Further information on the importance of managing workplace health is available from HSENI’s website at www.hseni.gov.uk