Absenteeism

One of the major costs to UK commerce that often doesn’t show directly in the accounts is that of absenteeism. The latest estimate for the whole of the British economy is around £12 billion per year.

Although your Accounts Department may not reveal the precise cost to your operations, it would be prudent to ask the question as to what proportion of those headline figures apply to your organisation and consequently, with the right controls, how much could be added to your bottom line.

Some absenteeism may be completely unjustified on medical grounds, in which case it is an issue for Management or Personnel. My concern in this newsletter is with absenteeism that is medically justified and which is attributable in some measure to conditions or events in the workplace.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) certainly believe this to be a significant issue and, in conjunction with the Department for Work and Pension and the Department of Health, has recently launched a new initiative aimed at tackling the problem across all sectors of the economy. In fact, from the HSE’s point of view, there is little that is new in this initiative. What is different, is that all three organisations are coming together to deliver an integrated approach.

Extent of the Problem

According to the HSE’s figures, 35 million working days were lost in 2004/2005 due to injury and ill-health at work. The statistics also reveal that the largest proportion of these lost days were due to two factors:

Work Related Stress
Musculo-Skeletal Disorders

You can read the actual figures on the HSE’s website at http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics

Whilst the figures are bad news, the good news is that it’s not all that difficult to address these factors. In fact, good employers have been doing so for years and have been reaping the rewards through increased profits.

Stress

The HSE defines stress as "the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them"

Notice the emphasis on “excessive” pressure and that stress isn’t the result of the pressure itself but of the individual’s “adverse” reaction to it. In fact, different individuals often react differently to the same pressured situation. So much depends on the whole range of life experiences to which a person is exposed.

The important point, however, is that once an employee is absent and has been diagnosed as suffering from stress, we are potentially in a lose-lose situation with major cost for both the employee and the employer. Much better to invest a little up front to minimise the risk rather than pay the price of recovering the situation after the event – a case of prevention is better than cure.

You can read more about risks from stress on the HSE’s website at - http://www.hse.gov.uk/stress

Musculo Skeletal Disorders (MSDs)

Some MSDs occur suddenly – others develop over a lengthy period of time but by and large, most are the result of poor working practices. Not only so, but in most cases, working practices that minimise the risk of MSDs are also more efficient and therefore more productive.

Many MSDs, such as back injury or the many conditions that are described as Work Related Upper Limb Disorders (WRULDs) are chronic ailments – their impact on the employee and the employer can be very long lasting. As with stress, therefore, a small investment in prevention can avoid the need for a much more expensive cure.

You can find more information on MSDs by visiting the HSE’s website at http://www.hse.gov.uk/msd

Simple Solutions

As always with health and safety, whilst some aspects can be expensive, many of the most effective solutions involve very little cost.

The first step is to identify the levels of risk associated with stress, MSDs and other hazards in your workplace. That simply involves employing the services of a competent person to undertake one or more Risk Assessments. Passing on the results of the risk assessments to employees – which is a legal requirement - can be highly effective in itself. Being aware of the risks is the first step in avoiding them.

Another essential element is proper training. For example, it takes relatively little time to educate employees into correct methods of lifting and moving loads, but the results can be very effective, particularly if the training is backed up with good supervision to encourage employees to practice what they have learned - until it becomes second nature.

Sound work planning is another important factor. With a little forethought it is often possible to organise a job so as to entirely eliminate some of the risk factors and, where this is not possible, introduce inexpensive control measures to reduce risk to acceptable levels.

These are a few examples of inexpensive actions you can take to reduce the factors in your workplace that contribute to that UK total of £12 billion cost of sickness absence.

If you would like to discuss these or any other issues related to cost effective health and safety solutions, then call us now on 01744 766010.

Together, we can make a healthy difference to your balance sheet.

Contact EDP HS&E Consultants for all your health, safety and environment needs. We can check your current arrangements and advise you about any changes or improvements you need to make.

To discuss your requirements, without any obligation on your part, please gives us a call on 01744 766000 or complete the Enquiry Form on our website.

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