Disease and reduction programmes - beyond FIT3 2009-2010

Representatives of the Environmental Health Departments in Warwickshire and Coventry, together with the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) local Inspectors and Partnership Manager, meet regularly to progress the accident and disease reduction programmes previously known as FIT3.

Strategic Programme

The strategic programme has been designed by HSE, Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS) and local authorities to deliver the Health and Safety Commissions Public Service Agreement (PSA) target on reducing work related ill health, injury and days lost.

Government funding is dependent on delivery.

The projects are:

Slips and Trips:
Reducing slips/trips in food/drink manufacture, food retail, hotels/catering, care homes

Objectives:
Reduce the incidence of slips and trips major injuries by 5%.

Outputs:

Determine take up of messages from the “Shattered Lives” campaign, taking enforcement action where compliance with standards is poor.
In care homes, determine take up of messages from the nationwide series of roadshows on slips and MSD, taking enforcement action where compliance poor.
Promote the slips/trips e-learning tool.

Noise in the music and entertainment industry:
Promotion of ‘Sound Advice’ (industry-led guidance) with a range of duty holders (e.g. nightclubs, pubs etc).

Objectives:

Increased awareness of risks associated with noise in specific premises; implementation of effective controls.
Recognition of importance of worker involvement.

Outputs:
Raised level of awareness of proportionate and appropriate actions; Intervention plans, awareness raising, visits etc.

Asbestos Duty To Manage (DTM)

Objectives:

Reduced exposure of workers in high-risk groups, including maintenance workers (and associated trainees/apprentices) and licensed workers.
Continued raising of awareness of the risks and the need for training in high-risk groups

Outputs

Proactive visits on asbestos duty to manage (DTM) under Reg 4 of the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2006, supported by enforcement action where appropriate (joint visits with HSE to be encouraged).
Vocational college interventions aimed at young people entering high-risk trades – e.g. joiners, carpenters, plumbers, electricians

Asthma in small bakeries, supermarket bakeries and catering businesses

Supermarket bakeries

Objectives:

Compliance with new supermarket benchmark standard.
Raised awareness of compliant behaviour and lower rates of exposure.
Improvements in design, application, checking, maintenance and testing of local exhaust ventilation ( LEV ) systems (where appropriate).

Outputs:

Check compliance and offer good practice advice – continue work laid out under LOPP.
Lower rates of exposure (closer to WEL ) (measured by enforcement and visit reports)
Promotion and enforcement in 09/10 of supermarket benchmark.

Small Bakeries/catering

Objectives:

Raised awareness of compliant behaviour and lower rates of exposure [Note: a pocket card of non-verbal messages will be available from May which may be distributed during health and safety/food safety inspections and could provide a focus for activity].
Improvements in design, application, checking, maintenance and testing of local exhaust ventilation (LEV) systems (where appropriate)

Outputs:

Check compliance and offer good practice advice.
Lower rates of exposure (closer to WEL) (measured by enforcement and visit reports)

Violence at work

Objectives:

Increased awareness and improved management of work-related violence in retail and hospitality businesses and other high street premises.
Promoting the online toolkit for managing work-related violence in licensed and retail premises.

Outputs:

Continuation of work started in 08/09 to raise awareness of the toolkit with duty holders, with follow-up work where appropriate. Also to seek engagement with LAAs and other partnerships where possible.

Improving management of health and safety in care homes

Objective:

Improved H&S outcomes – better identification and management of risks to employees (and public) to reduce injury and ill health incidence; link with slips and trips initiative (s).
Continued engagement with Corporate Social Care Providers

Outputs:

Follow up interventions to care homes following 08/09 workshops.
Ongoing liaison to continue where lead arrangements have been established.

Loading and Unloading (logical successor to Moving Goods Safely):
Inspection and awareness raising of activities in land around loading bays

Objectives:

Reduction of incidents occurring in and around loading bays arising from loading/unloading related activity

Outputs:

Joint and individual inspection and planning of and attendance at awareness raising events aimed at this outcome

Construction Engagement

Objectives:

Increased awareness of CDM duties among construction clients subject to LA enforcement.
Improved standards of compliance with Workplace Regulations in newly-constructed or refurbished workplaces subject to LA enforcement.

Outputs:

Provision of information on CDM 2007 to Planning /Building Control (BC) applicants where workplace is subject to LA enforcement
Introduction of suitable scheme to identify Planning applications and/or BC submissions involving significant construction work in workplaces for which they are/will be the Enforcing Authority for normal health & safety matters.
Identification of examples where the Workplace Regs 1992 have not been adequately addressed in workplaces constructed/refurbished since April 2007.

Vulnerable Workers (Political Imperative)

Objectives:
To reduce and minimise the level of risk, injury and ill health experienced by migrant workers

Outputs:

LA participation and enforcement action in intelligence-led investigations of complaints for example to deal with sub standard accommodation on HSE enforced sites and investigation of accidents and complaints to migrant workers at LA enforced premises.
Promote key messages to employers and migrant workers.
Appropriate sharing of intelligence with other agencies and non-governmental agencies.

Musculoskeletal Disorders

Objectives:

To continue to target areas with high risk of handling injuries and consequent ill health.
To raise awareness of ULDs and promote use of the tool for assessing repetitive injuries.
Reduction in manual handling injuries in health and social care, tyre handling etc.

Ouputs: Matters of evident concern when visiting businesses highlighted on Fit3 Street and local initiatives if wished.

Stress at Work

Objectives: reduction in the incidence of ill heath due to work related stress through preventive management action, as well as other health and safety risks.

Outputs:

Consolidation of work carried out in 2007/08 and 2008/09 to encourage dutyholders in the financial services sector to implement the Management Standards or an equivalent approach.
Follow-up visits to financial services organisations to assess progress with stress management approaches.
Promote the new stress at work website.

Skin Diseases

Objectives:

Reduced incidence in target industries through changed behaviours achieved by
embedding established controls and practices.
Making sure established simple control measures are understood and implemented i.e. elimination, prevention (e.g. through use of tools, correct glove selection/use), skin checks, hand-care regime.

Outputs

Visits to check/raise compliance with standards to prevent dermatitis at priority premises (i.e. hairdressing, food/catering, cleaning, healthcare). To include follow-up visits to higher risk/lower compliance premises.).
To integrate dermatitis into food safety inspections.

References: