FEATURE: OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
A HEALTHY INVESTMENT Timber processing can be a hazardous business, involving the use of machinery, handling heavy materials, working at height and exposure to chemicals, dust and noise. Occupational health deals with all aspects of health and safety in the workplace and has a strong focus on primary prevention of hazards. In the first of a series of articles where we will look at best practice in the fields of health, safety and the environment, Margaret Grahamslaw, Head of Occupational Health at B&CE, explains why health should be taken as seriously as safety. OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND THE TIMBER INDUSTRY
employers have set up their own interpretation
It will give workers a clearer understanding of
of health surveillance requirements, resulting
the health risks to which they may be exposed,
British industry has made great strides
in an uneven approach across the sector. Some
provide them with greater ownership of the
in addressing safety since the Health and
workers undergo duplicate assessments whilst
compliance process and encourage employers
Safety at Work Act 1974, but there’s still so
others get none.
to take a more consultative approach with their workforce. It’s a welcome step in the journey
much to be done in terms of improving health, particularly in construction, its specialist trades and the wider supply chain. Here at B&CE, we believe that health should be taken as seriously
A NEW STANDARD FOR OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH and Safety Management Standard (ISO 45001)
many small and micro-businesses in sectors
was published recently, which is good news for
such as timber and joinery, it’s important to
both employers and workers. Implementation
keep people well and in work longer.
of the Standard will encourage employers to
and safety legislation is complex, and many
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the workplace.
The first International Occupational Health
as safety – with an ageing workforce and so
Consistency is also an issue. Current health
to getting health taken as seriously as safety in
DID YOU KNOW? 13,000 DEATHS EACH YEAR ARE LINKED TO DUST, CHEMICALS AND OTHER HAZARDS There’s a lot of talk about occupational
treat occupational health and safety as an
health and wellbeing these days, but what
investment rather than a regulatory burden.
exactly are these? Simply put, occupational
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SPRING 2018