Marvin OnumonuThousands of men die every year from illnesses caused by their jobs, according to the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS).
BOHS responded to the NHS men’s health consultation, saying workplace diseases like respiratory illness claim the lives of over 8,000 men each year.
Adrian Parris, president at BOHS, said: “Many of the most significant drivers for early death, economic inactivity and disability among men arise as a result of preventable workplace hazards.
“Over 800,000 men have their health blighted because of lack of protection from preventable illness caused by work.
“While the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) enforces against the most serious breaches of workplace health standards, a joined-up approach is needed, one that involves the NHS, occupational health providers, the Department for Work and Pensions, as well as employers.”
Parris added: “HSE also undertakes valuable research to help reduce work-related ill health, but enforcement is only one part of the picture.”
The society’s response gave examples of heart disease and musculoskeletal disorders affecting working men and called for action to prevent these causes of early death and lost working days.
He said: “We rightly focus on suicide amongst younger men, obesity and substance use as important men’s health issues.
“However, men’s working conditions and the hazards that they are exposed to play a major role in promoting unhealthy lifestyles.
“Governments have tended to focus on how the workplace can help manage pre-existing health issues, but they often ignore the hazards already present in the workplace.”
BOHS said workplace health protection should be a top priority for the Government and employers.
It said most NHS healthcare workers, including GPs, had no training on workplace factors that cause men’s ill health, like cancer, physical disabilities and infections.
Occupational health, BOHS said, often only steps in after harm has already been done.
The society added that the UK’s workplace health laws date from the 1970s, when the State was a major employer and industries looked different.
Now, the framework is struggling to protect workers.
Legal standards are based on what is “reasonably practicable,” which can lead to different levels of protection at different employers.
BOHS said a strategy that relies too much on what employers are willing to pay for is flawed.
Kevin Bampton, CEO at BOHS, said: “Environmental legislation often provides stronger and clearer safeguards.
“Companies must meet strict environmental rules, such as ensuring construction sites avoid disrupting wildlife habitats or paying for bat surveys.
“By contrast, workplace health laws are less prescriptive. As a matter of law and fact, protection for species such as newts and bats can be more robust than those for workers’ health.”
Bampton added: “Unlike other countries, like Finland, which has higher employment rates and lower levels of work-related ill health, UK businesses do not have a straightforward duty to prevent men or women from getting ill through the work that they do.
“It means a spaghetti of red tape for businesses trying to do their best, and plenty of places to hide for those who don’t want to look after their workers.”
“Directly addressing the role of the workplace as a cause of illness, disability and premature death among men must be a fundamental part of any Men’s Health Strategy.”
He said: “It’s time to leave behind outdated workplace health approaches which saw working men as disposable, and to create a strategy that ensures every worker receives consistent, proactive protection.”
