Page 11 - Gi flipbook September 2018

Minister urges employers to create

arthritis-friendly workplaces

MINISTER OF STATE for by the Department for The fund was launched
Disabled People, Health Work and Pensions and as part of government
and Work Sarah Newton the Department for Health ambitions to get one million
has urged employers to and Social Care, is available more disabled people in
make adjustments for for around 20 research work by 2027.
people with arthritis and initiatives looking at: According to charity
musculoskeletal disorders. ■ Measures to help Arthritis Research UK, to employment.”
According to Personnel disabled people stay in arthritis and back pain Arthritis Research UK
Today, Newton wants work by increasing their account for 30 million Chief Executive Liam
companies to increase job ability to self-manage working days lost each year. O’Toole said: “Arthritis and
opportunities for those who their conditions Newton said: “We know related conditions, like back
feel traditional workplaces ■ New approaches there is a gap between pain, affect around 17.8
would be challenging for them. to assist employers disabled people who want million people in the UK.
Her call to action came and colleagues in to work and those who have We know arthritis can have
following the launch of the helping people with the opportunity to do so. a devastating impact and
government’s £4.2 million musculoskeletal or “Seventy-eight per too often takes away the
Challenge Fund, which will mental health conditions cent of people acquire freedoms most of us take
fund research into new stay in employment their disability or health for granted.
approaches that might ■ How systems can be condition during their adult “We are determined to
help people with either joined up to improve life, which is why we’ve help people with arthritis
musculoskeletal conditions communication, liaison launched the Challenge to maintain their health,
or mental health issues or joint action between Fund to support those wellbeing and independence,
stay in work. government and other disabled people who want and we know that work is
The fund, which is managed organisations. to work to stay in or return fundamental to that.” ■

Work-related fatalities and level priority. was banned in the 1980s.
Morag Rea, Head
But despite the
fines increase prompts Sentencing Council’s of Business Crime and
Investigations at online
toughened stance, 144
health and safety warning workers died as a result of resource Thomson Reuters
injuries sustained at work Practical Law, said the top
between April 2017 and tiers of management should
EMPLOYERS HAVE BEEN Reuters Legal Business March 2018 – nine more see any health and safety
urged to ensure that the found that the value of than the year before − breaches as a costly mistake.
health and safety of their employer fines for health according to the Health and “The health and safety of
workforce is a priority as and safety breaches Safety Executive. the workforce is a business
fatal work-related injuries increased to £57.3 million in The construction industry priority, and failure to
and corporate fines for 2017, up 18 per cent on the saw the greatest share of prioritise is considered a
health and safety breaches value for the year before fatal injuries across any significant business risk.
continued to rise last year. (£48.5 million) and more industry – 39 in 2017/18. “Fines for health and
Analysis by Thomson than double that of 2015 This was followed by the safety breaches continue
(£27 million). agriculture sector (29 to rise considerably,
The Sentencing Council fatalities), manufacturing (15), as companies are held
brought in tougher transport and storage (15) increasingly accountable
guidelines for health and and waste and recycling (12). for failing to adhere to
safety fines in 2016, which Mesothelioma – a standards,” she said.
focused on employers’ form of cancer that can The HSE figures showed
culpability for the level develop because of past older workers were more
of harm or risk of harm in exposure to asbestos likely to suffer a fatal injury
the event regulations were – killed 2,595 people at work. In 2017/18, 40 per
breached, reports Personnel across the UK in 2016, the cent of people who died as
Today. This was intended figures revealed. This was a result of a work-related
to encourage more largely a consequence injury were aged 60 or over,
organisations to establish of occupational asbestos even though they made up
the health and safety of exposures that occurred around only 10 per cent of
their workers as a board- before the building material the workforce. ■

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News.indd 6 14/08/2018 20:00