Millions of workers still exposed to smoke
A smoking ban in public places may be coming into force in England in 2007, but millions of workers are still exposed to workplace smoke, lobby group Action on Smoking and Health has said. Figures for 2004 showed more than 10 million people still worked in places where smoking was allowed somewhere on site and more than two million where smoking was allowed throughout the workplace.
Staff happy to go to work after a big night out
Despite their reputation for binge drinking, nearly two-thirds of staff refuse to throw a sickie even after a night out on the tiles, a survey by recruitment firm Monster has suggested. It showed little more than one-third of Britons had ever taken time off work because of a hangover, and nearly half always struggled into work no matter how hungover they were.
Asthma control survey launched by UK charity
Charity Asthma UK has launched an ‘asthma control’ to raise awareness among the UK’s 5.2 million asthma sufferers that they may be putting up with symptoms that have an unnecessary impact on their quality of life. The charity has called on people to complete a five-point questionnaire that will help them to understand how well their asthma is controlled.
No benefit in screening for depression
Screening for depression is unlikely to be an effective way to improve the mental wellbeing of the population, the British Medical Journal has said. In an editorial, it said that screening should only be considered as part of a package of enhanced care. Without this, moves to implement screening will be associated with increased costs and no benefit, it concluded.
