“Your health is your wealth” is a common remark, but what about your health in your place of work? Some people may have a poor prognosis of their health, due to the environment they work in. This is in stark contrast to safety related workplace deaths.
Hundreds of people die in Northern Ireland every year due to previous exposure at work, primarily to chemicals or dust, and thousands more people’s quality of life severely restricted due to work-related health issues.
Continual exposure to chemicals, dusts and asbestos can lead to different types of cancer, including other conditions such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). This is not a problem of the past,it is a present-day problem. Effective controls must be put in place to reduce the risk, otherwise the problem continues to persist and claim its unacceptable toll.
Martin Rafferty, a Principal Inspector with the Occupational Health and Hygiene Team within HSENI explained that “People shout about ‘Safety’ but tend to whisper about ‘Health.’ This must change. We want organisations to give the health of their employees the same priority and focus they would to safety. Poor management of health risks in the workplace ruins and costs lives. Workplace ill health is preventative.
“No one in Northern Ireland should develop ill health simply because of a job choice.” Martin continued, “Thankfully not everyone whose health has been affected by their work will result in a death. Other conditions such as noise induced hearing loss, hand arm vibration syndrome, Musculoskeletal injuries, and Asthma, to name but a few, affect thousands of people on a daily basis resulting in them being unable to work and live a normal life.What many do not realise is that every workplace has health risks. These risks need to be managed and adequately controlled.”
The cost of workplace ill health to the Northern Ireland economy runs into the hundreds of millions of pounds each year, putting additional pressure on the NHS as well as that of local businesses, due to compensation claims and downtime due to absenteeism.
Health Campaign
This year, HSENI will launch an occupational health campaign aimed at driving the health message home, raising awareness of the issue, and the impact it can have and the need for appropriate controls. To launch the campaign, HSENI have organised a two-day event at the La Mon Hotel in Belfast on 9-10 April 2025.
The “Workplace Health Conference and Exhibition” will be open to everyone to attend, and it would be of particular interest to employers, health and safety representatives, senior managers, hygienists, health professionals and anyone that has involvement in workplace health and well-being. It will cover all topics occupational health related, with particular focus on HSENI’s key priorities which include occupational lung disease, occupational cancers, musculoskeletal disorders, and stress.
With 37 esteemed speakers presenting over the two days, the conference is supported by Stormont’s Economy Minister, Caoimhe Archibald, and Health Minister, Mike Nesbitt who will both be attending and launching the event on day one.
Day Two will open with Northern Ireland’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Michael McBride addressing delegates. Other keynote speakers include Professor Siobhan O’Neill, Mental Health Champion for NI, Professor David Fishwick, Chief Medical Advisor for HSE and HSENI and Dr Robin Cordell, President of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine
The conference will host up to 350 delegates each day and will be used to launch HSENI’s new occupational health TV, radio, social media, and advertising campaign. Supporting what is planned to be a twelve-month campaign, HSENI have produced a series of posters which will be distributed to industry by inspectors throughout the course of the year. These posters cover key work-related health topics and allow the reader to scan a QR code to access updated advice and information on the HSENI webpages.
