Occupational Health

 

In June 2000, the Government launched Revitalising Health & Safety and Securing Health Together. At the heart of the initiatives were a number of targets:

  • To reduce the number of working days lost per 100,000 workers from work-related injury and ill health by 30% by 2010
  • To reduce the incidence of fatal and major injury accidents by 10% by 2010
  • To reduce the incidence rate of cases of work-related ill health by 20% by 2010
  • To achieve half the improvements under each target by 2004

In response to these initiatives, the electricity iIndustry committed to the Government’s headline targets and also agreed a range of Industry-wide collective targets related to specific issues. Theses were enshrined into the SAFELEC 2010 document produced by ENA on behalf of the member companies. Progress against these targets is monitored on an annual basis.

Against this background, ENA's Safety, Health & Environment Committee agreed to establish a stand-alone committee to focus on health and wellbeing issues. In so doing, this provided the opportunity to identify and share good practice and drive forward improvement in the critical areas of health and wellbeing.

The principles of the Occupational Health committee are to:

a) Protect and improve the health and well-being of the ENA member companies’ employees and influence conditions for indirect workers in our supply chains and contractor partnerships.

b) Build on the work already undertaken by those organisations and individuals in the electricity industry who have helped to build and launch the SAFELEC 2010 initiatives. This will be done by promoting ENA member companies as exemplar employers, striving for best practice in all activities, whilst being open about the stages reached in progress toward compliance on specific issues.

c) Include Line Managers, Contract Managers, Employees and their Representatives in our pursuit of improvements in managerial capacity, workforce awareness and workplace conditions.

d) Harmonise the aspirations of all stakeholders whilst recognising that there are sometimes competing drivers.

Too much work-related ill health, injury and poor wellbeing is still suffered in the electricity industry. Despite significant success in reducing such events, much remains to be done.

Most work-related ill health is avoidable. Such avoidance requires the application of managerial skill, involvement with employees, access to competent persons, financial investment, training, and auditing. However, there is also a need for open relationships with Regulators such as the Health & Safety Executive, and the sharing of resource, knowledge and experience among ENA members, for the benefit of all.

The main purpose is to collectively address current, occupational health and wellbeing issues, share, learn and promote good practice and to develop an overall strategic view with regard to the management of occupational health and wellbeing within the electricity industry.

The Committee has identified 3 priority risks:

  • Stress
  • Musculo-skeletal disorders
  • Vibration

Membership of the committee is achieved via a balance of safety, occupational health and HR professionals from ENA member companies.

Click here to access the musculo-skeletal and vibration case studies