risk management - Director Magazine

ARE YOU TAKING RUNNING RISKS HEAD WITH YOUR STAFF?
INDUSTRIAL ILLNESS AND ABSENCE TRENDS
According to the Health and Safety Executive:
two million people suffered from work-related ill health in 2004/05 – 200,000 fewer
than in 2001/02
fatal injuries fell by seven per cent, or 220 deaths in 2004/05, compared with 236
the previous year
reported major injuries to employees (mostly slips and trips) were down 2.2 per cent
to 30,213
stress and musculoskeletal disorders account for around two-thirds of all
occupational ill health
one in five workers finds their work very or extremely stressful
each case of stress-related workplace ill-health results in an average of 28 days
lost employment
According to the CBI:
workplace absence cost UK plc £12.2bn in 2004 – up from £11.6bn
the direct cost of absence (paying salaries, arranging cover and lost productivity)
was £495 per employee
challenge faced by many small and medium-sized businesses is that of absence
through illness or injury.
absence costs hurt business
In hard statistical terms, industrial illness and absence trends are improving
(see box above). This is partly because companies are getting better at managing
the health and safety of their workers, motivated by the ever-more stringent
regulatory regime. It is also because fewer workers are being employed in more
dangerous industries.
Nonetheless, when you look at the cost of work-related absence and illness, it is
clear that this is an area that no employer – small or large – can afford to ignore.
The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and health insurer AXA publish one of
the best-respected surveys in this area annually. It suggests the total cost to the
economy of workplace absence was £12.2bn in 2004, and the figure is rising.
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