Information is provided for employers and employees on health in the work place generally, specific health issues, healthy lifestyles and managing health risks.
This is not a full list of the help available but provides a range of useful information from Government departments, organisations and charities.
Government Advice
The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) is leading a cross Government initiative to improve the health and wellbeing of working age people. This is also supported by the Department of Health, Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Scottish Government and Welsh Assembly Government. DWP promotes and provides information on health work and wellbeing including case studies. This work follows on from reports by Dame Carol Black, Working for a Healthier Tomorrow and co-written with David Frost CBE, Health at Work - A review of sickness absence. The Government's response to the recommendations in the second report is set out in the report Fitness for Work.
HSE gives advice and guidance on employer responsibilities for managing health generally and for specific occupational health diseases in the Government Regulators Information Point (GRIP). They have recently developed new information on tackling occupational disease as well as working with the construction industry and IOSH to produce guidance on key issues in occupational health management and provision in construction activities.
The Department of Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) has been encouraging employee engagement building on the McLeod Report Engaging for success which clearly indicates employees performance, health and wellbeing improves where they are actively engaged in the operation of their organisation.
An NHS-funded service provides businesses in England with instant and free access to professional advice and information on a whole range of employee health and wellbeing at work issues - recognising that it is often small and medium-sized businesses that feel the burden of sickness absence. As well as, the Adviceline for small business helpline - 0800 0 77 88 44, there is the Health for Work Adviceline website. There are also NHS health working lives websites for Scotland and Wales.
Wider stakeholder information
Many non-profit making and charitable organisations also provide information on work and health. They include:
- Constructing Better Health, who run the national scheme to manage occupational health in the construction industry. A number of member construction companies carry out renewals work on the railway
- The Institution of Safety and Health (IOSH) provides an occupational health toolkit with information, guidance, factsheets, case studies, training materials and presentations to help with health issues
- The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, who have factsheets and information on health safety and wellbeing particularly on absence management and stress
- The Association of Railway Industry Occupational Health Practitioners provides information and advice for occupational health professionals
- Trades Union Congress - occupational cancers: a workplace guide
Some other charities provide advice on specific health issues for example on:
- mental health - Mindful Employer;
- looking after your heart - British Heart Foundation;
- back pain and work - Backcare; and
- on stress the International Stress Management Association and the British Occupational Health Research Foundation, who have done research on mental health, hand arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) and occupational asthma.
It is our policy to obtain permission to link to other websites. We are not responsible for the content or reliability of the linked websites. Listing should not be taken as backing of any kind. We cannot guarantee that these links will work all of the time and we have no control over the availability of linked pages.