Role of the Occupational Health Function, and How It Contributes to Corporate Objectives - Essay Example

Order 174065 'You have been asked by the Executive Board to produce a report clearly explaining the role of the occupational health function, and how it contributes to corporate objectives. Show how you would do this.' The Problem The first task is to determine the extent of the problem. Work-related ill health accounts for some 28 million working days lost a year in Great Britain, either through illnesses or injury sustained on the job, or through sickness absences due to illness, injury or other causes outside the job. In Britain, according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), lost earnings that individual workers and their dependents suffer as a result of health and safety failures alone total between 3.7 and 6.4 billion pounds (HSE, 2000) The total figures, provided by the HSE for 1995/96 are (not including state benefits and compensation paid through employers' liability insurance). About 60% of these costs are caused by ill health and 40% by injuries. The costs of human pain grief and suffering, though difficult to assesses, are estimated by the HSE to have been between 6.3 and 10.2 trillion pounds in 1995/96. Again, some 60% of these are caused by ill health and 40% by injuries. Finally, sick pay that employers pay to workers with occupational illnesses and injuries is high and growing every year as the medical system becomes increasingly bogged down in high pharmaceutical costs. In 1996, the total cost to British industry of suck pay was 1.2 trillion pounds. As in most countries of the world, employees in small-scale industries are especially susceptible to workplace hazards (WHO). These are industries which tend not to require trade skills, and tend most not to be subject to, or at least tend not to conform to occupational health-and-safety provisions. Workplace health hazards tend to differ from the hasards found in the non-work environment. In our general lives, we are susceptible to multiple factors that can negatively affect our health - unsafe housing, a polluted environment, poor diet, little exercise, economic stress, and the everyday challenges of modern life. In the workplace, there are additional stressors, including the hazards of indoor confinement, often in a toxic physical and/or emotional environment. The following summary of major workplace hazards has been extracted from the Global strategy on occupational health for all, which was adopted by the World Health Assembly in 1996 (WHO 1997). Mechanical hazards are a common source of injury, through the mechanism of unshielded machinery, unsafe structures, dangerous tools. In Europe, about 10 million occupational accidents happen every year (some of them commuting accidents). The HSE holds the position that safer working practices, better safety systems and changes management practices can reduce accident rates, even in high-risk industries, by 50% or more within relatively short time periods of time. Heavy physical workloads and other forms of ergonomically poor working conditions are the norm for about 30% of the workforce in developed countries, especially lifting and moving heavy items, and making numerous repetitive manual tasks. Workers most exposed to heavy physical stress include miners, farmers, lumberjacks, fishermen, construction workers, storage workers and healthcare personnel. Repetitive stress and static muscular load-bearing are also common among many industrial and service occupations and can lead to injuries and musculoskeletal disorders. Other physical hazards in the workplace include noise, intense vibrations, smells, heat, and radiation, which can all affect health adversely. Every industry has its history of specific occupational hasards. Up to one third of workforce in developed countries (and as much as 80% of in developing countries) are exposed to such hazards. Especially high-risk sectors include manufacturing and construction, where all workers are really at risk, and injury levels tend to be high. Noise-induced hearing loss is one of the most prevalent negative occupational health effects throughout the world. Chemicals make up an area of risk on their own. About 100000 different chemical products are in use in worksites today, and the number is growing. All industries that process chemicals and metals are included, and most are in the manufacture of consumer goods. The production of synthetic textiles, plastics, paper, metals and electronic appliances all use large amounts of highly toxic materials. Reproductive hazards in the workplace include hundreds of chemicals known to be carcinogenic. Reported adverse effects include infertility in both sexes, spontaneous abortion, fetal cancers and fetal death, Psychological stress has become more prevalent over the past twenty years, and this is reflected in the workplace, where stress caused by time and work pressures has risen to epidemic proportions. Monotonous work, often requiring concentration; irregular working hours and shift-work; the growing number of jobs that are inherently at risk of violence - police or prison work or military work, for example; and isolated jobs, sometimes with excessive responsibility, also have adverse mental health effects. These stressors cause intense emotional problems, with personal symptoms such as sleep disturbance, depression, hypertension (and related heart disease or diabetes), and psycho-somatic disorders of the skin and respiratory system. This category of work-related illness is by far the biggest in Britain. For example, up to half of all work-related absence in the education sector is stress-related. According to the HSE (2006), stess has to be tackled if significant improvements in attendance and productivity are to be made. A Strategy A major survey of sickness absence trends has demonstrated a clear link between addressing sickness absence and improved business performance (HSE,2006). And it is widely accepted, at least in theory, the prevention is better than cure. The HSE has been charged by the government to support health in the workplace. As a focal point for information and education on the health of employees in all sectors, the HSE provides information on various sources of information, guidance and assistance in maintain healthy and safe workplaces, and working towards decreased illness- and injury-related costs. According to them (HSE, 2006), a "very straightforward approach can be taken to effective managment of occupational health to help deliver reductions in sickness absence." This straightforward approach has five elements, which are as follows: a) Sustained leadership from managers at the top level. b) A good occupational health service. c) Training and supportf or line managers, 15d) Regular, supportive contact with those who are absent due to sickness. e) Systsmes for data a) Sustained leadership Recently the importance of good planning, human resource development and organisational relations has been creeping back into the high priority lists of business that have for many years been entranced by marketing and cost-cutting. A new, more intelligent and strategic form of business is coming of age, the 'learning organisation'. As we move into the knowledge-based economy, with growth in the use of information technology at work, changes in union structures, working conditions and work time scheduling, the workplace has been transformed. Increased female participation has changed the requirements of employees for worksite safety. Safety from sexual harassment (by men and by women) has become a huge issue. Sparks (2001) points out how job insecurity, longer work-hours, control at work and managerial style are also primary determinants of health in the workplace. In order to improve the poor record of so many businesses in this domain, sustained leadership, itself based on a real commitment to greater productivity through better health is required. New budgetary philosophies are required that acknowledge in financial terms the benefits of a healthier environment, and better working conditions, are required. And they are forthcoming in many sectors. Green business is flourishing in Germany and is growing in Britain: healthy workers and non-toxic conditions of productions are becoming more widely acknowledged. b) An occupational health service Health and safety standards have of course been legislated for various sectors, and these already prevent millions of injuries and illnesses. But they rarely go as far as they might. In the education sector, where stress levels can be so high, HSE'sStress Management Standards serve to help organisations look at the underlying causes of workplace stress, focusing on high prevalence areas, where prevention is likely to yield the highest return, in terms of the reduction of sickness absence. Good occupational health services are central to the effective management of workplace health. They can 15protect and promote the workforce, and help to create a healthier workplace. Many companies are acutely aware how they can also protect and enhance the company image and reputation as a good employer, and this can translate into profits. Early intervention can assist staff in being timely and help prevent health-related absenteeism; the development of opportunities for people to recover from illness while at work has been applied with good effect, causing effective absence management and increased percentages of staff returning to work earlier after taking leave. 15 The statutory requirement to have access to 'competent' occupational health advice as part of a job is believed to have been extremely positive (HSE 2006). c) Training and Support for Managers The HSE (2000) provides extensive training and educational materials on occupational health to employers large and small. It supports many programs, and disseminates information on what works and when. For example, one project entitled 'Regulation Advice' has helped small and medium sized businesses think about risk assessment and comply with the regulations relating to Food Safety and Health and Safety Laws. Training, advice and consultancy advice through visits and by telephone are made available, at cost or subsidized. One goal of this project was to improve standards of food hygiene without resorting to enforcement measures. The project team has no enforcement responsibility and is entirely separate from regulatory agencies. Anopther HSE project was titled 'Continuous Improvement' and its goal was to raise the profile of health and safety in businesses. Its main service was to build commitment and morale during the combining of two manufacturing operations on the same site. Management, employee and TU safety representatives (T&GWU and Amicus) were involved, as well as members of the health and safety professions. They worked together on priority issues; structuring the annual health and safety business plan; and reviewing ongoing progress. These projects do not set themselves to create any speedy solutions to the very real problems they faced, rather seeking convergence with other business objectives; and high levels of staff engagement and ownership. This is the approach of the 'learning organization.' Strategic, intelligent creation of lasting solutions to perennial problems. d) Tracking Systems are needed to support better absence management. -- systems for recording up-to-date and accurate sickness absence data that operate in real time, and allow sickness to be broken down by area and cause on a regular basis. This may seem obvious; how else, after all, shall the Board know what the problems are and the extent to which they are being solved as occupational health procedures are strengthened Yet in the US, where lip service is widely paid to healthy workplace measures, there has been very little interest in investing in the data systems to measure effectiveness. Katzman (1989) reports a national survey of firms sponsoring health-promotion activities which was conducted to determine the extent to which firms were actually conducting financial analyses in order to determine whether their health-promotion programs were generating benefits that justified continued program funding. The results showed that although the concept of corporate health-promotion programs is popular, there is very little concern on the part of the sponsoring firms for measuring the effectiveness of their programs, particularly from a financial perspective. As Katzman points out, this suggests a vulnerability, as far as those programs are concerned. If such program costs cannot be justified on some quantifiable basis, the possibility of their cancellation seems rather likely if it becomes necessary to reduce expenditures. Indicators are a critical aspect of data collection and management, and in the US, the Council of State and Territorial Employees (CSTE) has sponsored a panel of state and federal occupational health professionals to create a set of fourteen "Occupational Health Indicators" (OHIs) that could be used to measure the baseline health of working populations and changes that take place over time (CSTE 2005). The OHIs are listed below. - Employment Demographics Profile - Indicator #1:Non-fatal injuries and illnesses reported by employers - Indicator #2:Work-related hospitalizations - Indicator #3:Fatal work-related injuries - Indicator #4:Amputations reported by employers - Indicator #5:Amputations identified in state workers' compensation systems - Indicator #6:Hospitalizations for work-related burns - Indicator #7:Musculoskeletal disorders reported by employers - Indicator #8:Carpal tunnel syndrome cases in state compensation systems - Indicator #9:Pneumoconiosis hospitalizations - Indicator #10:Pneumoconiosis mortality - Indicator #11:Reported work-related pesticide poisonings - Indicator #12:Incidence of malignant mesothelioma - Indicator #13:Elevated blood lead levels among adults - Indicator #14:Workers in industries with high risk for occupational morbidity Case Studies Rolls Royce (2007) reports a set of stringent occupational health related objectives and targets for the reduction in occupational disease and work related ill health. Health promotion campaigns are delivered at major locations worldwide and these have included a 'Posture Awareness' week, an 'International Heart' week and an 'Occupational Disease Awareness' campaign. Training courses on stress prevention and occupational health for managers are provided by half-day in-house courses. Health promotion campaigns delivered during 2004 included prostate cancer awareness 'Go with the flow', a travel health week and a low back pain awareness week 'Back in Work'. The Company has been recognised as a 'Beacon of Excellence' for its stress prevention programme. The Rolls-Royce Occupational Health professionals continue to exert an influence in standard setting at the pre-consultation phase of legislation with external bodies such as the Health and Safety Executive, Department of Trade and Industry, and Engineering Employers Federation. Rolls-Royce considers both individual and community health to be important and supports research in a range of its own work-related injury areas, with the results being published in peer reviewed medical journals. Nokia (2006) has developed a global occupational health service in order to allow for better control and management of occupational health-related issues. Area managers share local occupational health resources, and this regional co-operation enables widespread best practice sharing strategies. During 2006, Nokia carried out internal occupational health assessments at their production sites in India, South Korea, and China. Although some improvements are still needed, many of the recommendations made during previous assessments (2004 and 2005) had been undertaken. At all of the currently reassessed sites, detailed action plans have been created and are currently under implementation at the local level. Balfour Kilpatrick has developed a smoking cessation campaign, a healthy eating programme, organizes charity fun runs and sponsored walks, and has recently introduced a new Alcohol & Drugs policy. The Alcohol & Drugs Policy, which introduces the requirement for random screening was introduced via presentations and the issue of booklets to all employees. Health promotion activities - under the banner of a 'Work Positive Workplace' - have been implemented in accordance with Scotland's Health at Work (SHAW) scheme, which is administered by NHS Scotland. Although no similar scheme operates in the rest of the UK, the 'Work Positive'approach to health promotionis appliedacross business units. Stress Awareness was one of the focal points for the company during 2004. A Stress Awareness campaign included posters and pocket cards with stress avoidance tips and counseling contact details. The company's counseling services have been successful and additional counselors will be trained during 2005. Conclusion In answer to the essay question, these are the areas of concern to be presented to the Executive Board, each accompanied (as far as possible within the limits of the budget and available data) with specific costs as they relate to this organization tasks. There are cost-benefit studies that support the investment required for good occupational health but they are few, and cover only a few sectors. Boards and senior management are being encouraged to take on faith what appear to be sound recommendations that a healthy workforce pays. In human and psychological terms, it almost certainly does; in terms of reductions in absenteeism, it probably does. But in terms of productivity and profits, the argument is less well defined. This is why investment in occupational health systems needs to include tracking systems that can provide decision-makers with the data they need to justify maintaining their investments. References CSTE (2003) Occupational Health Indicators. Available at: http://www.cste.org/ecomm/ecomm.asp Gerry J, Scholes K (2002) Exploring Corporate Strategy. 5th edn. Prentice Hall HSE (2000) Costs to Britain of Workplace Accidents and Work-Related Ill Health. Health and Safety Executive,1995/96 HSE (2006) Healthy Workplace, Healthy Workforce, Better Business Delivery. Health and Safety Executive. Health and Safety Commission (2000) Securing Health Together a long term occupational health strategy for England and Wales. MISC 225 HSE Books, Sudbury UK (free publication).. Katzman, M.S. and Smith K.J.Occupational health-promotion programs: evaluation efforts and measured cost savings. Health Values 1989 Mar-Apr;13(2):3-10. Kotler P, Armstrong G (1991) Principles of Marketing. 5th edn. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V.A. and Berry, L.L. (1985) A Conceptual Model of Service Quality and Its Implications for Future Research. Journal of Marketing, Vol. 49, No. 4, pp. 41-50 Rolls Royce (2007). Annual Health and Safety Report. Available at: http://www.rolls-royce.com/community/health_safety/health.jsp Sparks K et al. (2001) Well-being and occupational health in the 21st century workplace. Journal of occupational and organisational psychology, 74, 489 - 509 WHO (1997) Health and Environment in Sustainable Development. Rome: World Health Organization. Read More