Despite a call to action, received and supported by some, the report finds work-related illness among women is facing a worsening crisis that continues to be inadequately addressed.

Since BOHS’s initial report, the proportion of women experiencing work-induced illness has grown significantly. The latest analysis raises critical questions:

• Have health outcomes for women improved over the past year? The BOHS report indicates that, despite more awareness, the health crisis among women in the workplace has worsened. Long-term sickness rates for women have reached nearly 35%, overtaking men for the first time. An estimated 1.5 million women are currently off work due to ill-health.
• Which groups are most affected? Data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Labour Force Survey shows that workplace-related illness impacts an estimated 936,000 women compared to 806,000 men, with women experiencing consistently worse outcomes in most exposure categories, including MSDs and mental health.
• Are employers sufficiently aware of female health issues? According to Fawcett Society research, a significant proportion of women feel uncomfortable raising health concerns at work. Additionally, 40% report that health issues related to gender have negatively impacted their career prospects, while over 60% believe work has worsened their health.
• Emerging cancer risks linked to work: Breast cancer, often associated with night shifts, remains the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) highest predicted cancer risk. Recent studies reveal that night shift work is increasingly common among women, with high correlations to breast cancer, premature menopause, and miscarriage.

New IOSH president believes OSH professionals must look after themselves

HEALTH AND safety professionals must look after themselves to ensure they protect others, the new president of the chartered body for the profession says.

Kelly Nicoll became the 58^th president of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) earlier this week and has a clear message for her fellow professionals.

“I want to explore how we look after ourselves when we spend so much time looking after others,” she said.

Kelly is an experienced occupational safety and health (OSH) professional. She is currently head of environment, health and safety at Doncaster Culture and Leisure Trust. In her 15-year career, Kelly has also worked in industries including rail, facilities management, the NHS, construction, events and broadcasting.

She has held several volunteering roles for IOSH, including as a member of the Thames Valley Branch committee, as a mentor and as a member of Council. Away from IOSH, she represents health and safety for a special educational trust in Doncaster and is a board member for the Recovery Coach Academy, which delivers coaching skills for people recovering from addiction.

She took over from Stuart Hughes as IOSH president following the Institution’s AGM on Wednesday 13 November.

Speaking about the key areas she wants to highlight, she said: “I have experienced both burnout and very poor mental health during my career but found that I felt I was unable to reach out to people because I was always the one that others reached out to.

“Building excellence within our profession, one of IOSH’s missions, cannot be done without ensuring that we have the resilience, and the support and network around us when we need it. We cannot create a safe and healthy world of work without the input of others. So, how do we support each other? And how do we ensure that we get the help and support that we need when we need it?”

Ten-year ban for director who hired illegal workers

THE FORMER director of a pizza restaurant and hand car wash who employed six illegal workers has been banned for 10 years.

Edris Ali, 39, recruited two people who did not have the right to work in the UK at the Tasty pizza restaurant in Hartlepool and a further four illegal workers at Bubbles Car Valeting in Guisborough. The workers were discovered during Immigration Enforcement visits in 2020 and 2022. Ali, of Lorne Street, Middlesbrough, was handed the disqualification order at the High Court in London in October.  He was also ordered to pay £9,884 in costs. His directorship ban started on Tuesday 12 November.

Dave Magrath, Director of Investigation and Enforcement Services at the Insolvency Service said, “Employers hiring illegal workers defrauds the public purse and puts potentially vulnerable people at risk of exploitation.

“Edris Ali failed in his statutory duties by employing these six people who did not have the right to work in the UK.

“We will continue to work closely with the Home Office to tackle rogue employers who breach the standards we expect of company directors.”

Successful legal battle exposes danger of silica dust

THE GREATEST risk to construction workers after asbestos; is the industry doing enough to protect workers from silica dust? Max Smith provides an insight.

Each year, around 500 construction workers in the UK die from lung cancer linked to silica dust.  But because the illness typically takes between 10 and 30 years to develop after first exposure, it’s often decades before individuals affected see the full extent of the damage.

The Irwin Mitchell ‘Silica exposure register’

This was the case for Paul Gray and Stuart Johnson, who worked for stone production companies in West Yorkshire. Both men developed silicosis before passing away in 2019 and 2021.

Following successful litigation, settled by Irwin Mitchell for their families, the UK-based law firm has set up the Silica Exposure Register, which focuses on recording details of worker exposure  to the substance, preparing them with data for any future legal claims. This register is a step in the right direction to protect workers from the dangers of silica dust, and these latest developments should send a clear signal to businesses: protect your workers now or expect legal action later.

The danger of silica dust

Recognition is growing around the true extent of dangers from silica dust. The substance is naturally occurring, found in rocks, clay, and sand. In the construction industry, those working with affected objects, from concrete and bricks to kitchen cabinets, are at substantial risk from the silica particles released.

Research shows rise in incidents during the holidays

ECOONLINE RELEASES new data highlighting ‘holiday hazards’ faced by workers during the festive period. This research examines the environmental, health, and safety (EHS) measures businesses adopt to protect employees, highlighting regional differences between the UK and North America due to varying regulations.

The research revealed that outside of seasonal illnesses, the top three holiday hazards for UK workers are preventable: fatigue from increased workload and/or longer working hours (38%), weather-related hazards (38%), and increased stress or pressure to meet deadlines (34%).

When asked about existing practices, protocols and products in place to safeguard workers, UK managers identified weekly team briefings (32%), access to mental health support resources (32%), and regular checks on workplace equipment and machinery (30%) as the primary lines of defence. Interestingly, 1 in 10 respondents (11%) said no additional measures were taken during the holiday season.

Biggest employment reforms in a generation unveiled

UNVEILING THE biggest reforms to employment support for a generation, Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall has published the Get Britain Working White Paper, marking the Government’s first major intervention to achieve an ambitious 80 per cent employment rate.

It comes as stark figures show almost one and a half million people are unemployed, over nine million people are inactive, a record 2.8 million people are out of work due to long-term sickness. Young people have also been left behind with one in eight young people not in education, employment or training, and nine million adults lack the essential skills they need to get on in work.

The UK is also the only major economy that has seen its employment rate fall over the last five years, which has been largely driven by a significant rise in the number of people out of work due to long-term ill health with an outdated employment support system which is ill equipped to respond to this growing challenge.

This White Paper sets out a fundamentally different approach to the employment support system – backed by £240 million of investment – to target and tackle the root causes of unemployment and inactivity, and better join up health skills and employment support based on the unique needs of local communities.

That includes tackling ill health as the biggest driver of inactivity by fixing the NHS. This includes deploying extra staff to cut waiting lists in areas of high inactivity, expanding access to mental health support, as well as a greater focus on prevention to stop people becoming ill in the first place.