Respiratory disease: Greater focus needed

The BSIF is committed to changing the current mind-set towards occupational health, and include it in the conversation on public health. To demonstrate further commitment to the HSE’s Helping Great Britain Work Well scheme that placed more priority on health than ever before, the BSIF commissioned an investigation into local county and unitary authorities to find out respective spend on work-related respiratory disease. Through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, 402 councils were contacted. 

The justification for this research comes after the Federation’s concern that the 2012 Health and Social Care Act – that gave local authorities responsibility for public health spending, supported by a ring- fenced grant and a specialist public health team – hadn’t yet recognised the impact of occupational health. The BSIF wanted to know how much is currently being spent on occupational health within these local authorities in order to understand the scale of their activities and recommend how to achieve their task. 

Of the 217 local authorities that responded to the FOI, just eight reported allocating any funding to respiratory health, and within those eight, only four stated that the funding was specifically related to in-work projects. The funding was mostly supporting employee-focussed smoking cessation programmes. The investigation showed that most councils across the UK are not investing in work-related respiratory health programmes.  

The latest HSE stats published in October 2016 highlight the very real and continuing threat of occupational respiratory diseases, and the BSIF is concerned that investment in tackling this risk is very low. In the past year, there were approximately 12,000 associated deaths due to occupational respiratory diseases, with 30,000 individuals reporting breathing or lung problems they believed were caused or exacerbated by work.  

Central government has previously prioritised other health initiatives, including preventing premature deaths within the NHS, publishing dedicated campaigns on cancer, heart disease and improving fitness, without mentioning the workplace. The Federation is committed to ensuring that the importance of occupational health is considered and that in the future all conversations on general health include occupational health.  

In addition to the call for occupational health to be highlighted as part of public health, the report identifies how local authorities, with the support of the BSIF and BSIF members, can achieve positive outcomes:

•  Local Authorities should dedicate a set amount of their budget to tackling work related respiratory disease 

•  Local Authorities should commission targeted publicity campaigns to raise awareness of the diseases

•  Local Authorities should support training in the correct use of Respiratory Protective Equipment

•  Local Authorities should ensure that all tight fitting Respiratory Protective Equipment is competently face fitted by Fit2Fit Accredited face fitters

•  Local Authorities should ensure that all personal Protective Equipment is supplied by Registered Safety Suppliers

•  Local Authorities should access the willing support of BSIF members

Alan Murray, BSIF CEO said: “More than 31 million people are now in work and the issue of workplace illness will not disappear. Occupational health is public health. Work-related respiratory illnesses are a huge threat to UK society and must start to be given the critical focus they need.”