The government is being urged to oversee greater investment in occupational health to prevent long-term sickness and stop “the workers of today becoming the economically inactive of tomorrow”.
The call has come from the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) in a letter to work and pensions secretary Mel Stride.
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In the letter, IOSH chief executive Vanessa Harwood-Whitcher has argued such investment would align with the government’s priorities for growing the economy, cutting NHS waiting lists and reducing debt.
She also called for progress on the Women’s Health Strategy for England, which was presented to Parliament back in August 2022, and has emphasised the value that workplace-based support could bring to the table.
For example, it highlighted how access to good occupational health services, mental health support, line manager training and workplace adjustments can support good health at work and help to tackle taboos around menstruation, menopause and gynaecological conditions.
The letter has called on ministers to take a more proactive approach to ratifying International Labour Organization conventions relating to occupational safety and health, including:
- ensuring better management of asbestos risks to workers, including stronger regulation and enforcement;
- putting workers’ health and safety at the heart of AI legislation and regulation;
- continued monitoring of free trade agreements to ensure an emphasis on improved labour standards;
* and updating the Modern Slavery Act.
Harwood-Whitcher said: “Next year marks 50 years since the commencement of the Health and Safety and Work Act, presenting an opportunity for this government to modernise legislation. While the UK has an enviable record in safety, the subject of occupational health, specifically mental health and occupational cancers, is an immediate area of our focus.
“With more than a quarter of working-age Britons unemployed or economically inactive, equal support for keeping people in work is imperative,” she added.
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