The Society is very concerned that a future Men’s Health Strategy will ignore workplace hazards as a cause of ill health, in much the same was as the Women’s Health Strategy for England and Scotland’s Population Health Framework have done.

“Many of the most significant drivers for early death, economic inactivity and disability among men arise as a result of preventable workplace hazards,” says BOHS President, Adrian Parris.

“Over 800,000 men have their health blighted because of lack of protection from preventable illness caused by work. While the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) enforces against the most serious breaches of workplace health standards, a joined-up approach is needed, one that involves the NHS, Occupational Health providers, the Department for Work and Pensions, as well as employers. HSE also undertakes valuable research to help reduce work-related ill health, but enforcement is only one part of the picture.”

The Society has highlighted examples in its response of how heart disease and musculoskeletal disorders impact working men and the need to act to prevent these significant causes of premature death and economic inactivity.

“We rightly focus on suicide amongst younger men, obesity and substance use as important men’s health issues. However, men’s working conditions and the hazards that they are exposed to play a major role in promoting unhealthy lifestyles. Governments have tended to focus on how the workplace can help manage pre-existing health issues, but they often ignore the hazards already present in the workplace.”

The Society is calling for a concerted strategy to ensure that workplace health protection is a top priority for government and employers. They point out that most NHS healthcare workers, including GPs, have no training whatsoever on workplace factors that cause men’s ill health, including cancers, disabling physical conditions and infections. Beyond this, occupational health provision is too often focused on addressing illness after harmful exposures have already occurred.

The Society notes that the UK’s workplace health framework was established in the 1970s, when the State was a major employer and the UK had very different industries. Today, that framework is struggling to achieve the outcomes workers need. Legal standards for worker health protection are often based on what is considered “reasonably practicable,” which can lead to variations in protection between different employers. The Society believes that a health strategy that relies too heavily on what employers are prepared to invest in health protection is flawed and needs review.

“Environmental legislation often provides stronger and clearer safeguards. Companies must meet strict environmental rules, such as ensuring construction sites avoid disrupting wildlife habitats or paying for bat surveys. By contrast, workplace health laws are less prescriptive. As a matter of law and fact, protection for species such as newts and bats can be more robust than those for workers’ health. Unlike other countries, like Finland, which has higher employment rates and lower levels of work-related ill health, UK businesses do not have a straightforward duty to prevent men or women from getting ill through the work that they do. It means a spaghetti of red tape for businesses trying to do their best, and plenty of places to hide for those who don’t want to look after their workers” says BOHS CEO, Professor Kevin Bampton.

He added, “Directly addressing the role of the workplace as a cause of illness, disability and premature death among men must be a fundamental part of any Men’s Health Strategy. It’s time to leave behind outdated workplace health approaches which saw working men as disposable, and to create a strategy that ensures every worker receives consistent, proactive protection.”

You can read the BOHS response here: Mens-Health-Response-BOHS.pdf