BOHS

BOHS announces Asbestos 2020- preliminary programme released

The British Occupational Hygiene Society, the Chartered Society for Worker Health Protection, and the Faculty of Asbestos Assessment and Management (FAAM) invites all asbestos professionals to Asbestos 2020 Virtual Conference taking place on 18 and 19 November. The event will bring together researchers, academics, practitioners and regulators, through various plenary

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BOHS Autumn Focus on Asbestos

The Chartered Society for Worker Health Protection, BOHS will be specifically highlighting asbestos awareness over the course of the autumn. This increased focus has been announced when the organisation continues to set the standard with asbestos qualifications as well as lead the way on an international scale with the continued

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Latest Issue
Issue 325 : Feb 2025

BOHS

BOHS responds to the latest HSE statistics calling for a “Sustainable Workplace Health Strategies”

The British Occupational Hygiene Society, a scientific charity and chartered body for worker health protection has responded to the publication of the latest statistics on Health and Safety Executive with a call for a radical overhaul of the UK’s approach to Occupational Health, calling instead for a “Sustainable Workplace Health Strategies” for each of the UK’s nations. The figures released by Great Britain’s regulator highlight the loss of over £10.6 billion to British industry, almost 40 million days lost to illness and 12,000 deaths a year from work-related lung disease alone. The Society is particularly concerned that despite years of effort to address respiratory illness, the decline in the number of deaths over the last decade has not been significant. Indeed, it points out that deaths from Interstitial Lung Disease are actually on the increase. The figures, which were compiled from data that was collected before the COVID-19 crisis, lead the Society to be extremely worried that the current virus may be sharpening and deepening the impact of long-term health exposure, based on research by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. That research, released early in the pandemic, highlighted a number of diseases with strong occupational links to poorer outcomes for COVID-19 patients. The Society is calling for a rethink of the current approach that invests heavily in trying to treat occupational illness and disproportionately focuses on safety. Instead, the Society believes that prevention of health risk as part of national strategies for “Sustainable Workplace Health” is required. In every other environment, we have come to understand that prevention, long-term thinking and sustainability are key to effective measures. However, within the workplace, we are still thinking in a short-term way. It simply does not make sense to carry on with an investment in occupational health that ignores the vital importance of preventing risks to health in the first place.  For example, in construction we think about the carbon footprint of building materials and even the welfare on site, yet we still plan to build in a way that generates cancer-causing construction dusts and then have to deal with the consequences. The figures speak for themselves. says the Society’s President Kelvin Williams. “There is so much focus on the immediate hazards that we miss the big dangers that are looming for us in the future and the huge opportunity we have to enable people to age well, not to be dependent on sickness benefits and work without fear.” The Society calls for a national dialogue and government focus on: Designing out health risks at work; Focusing research on prevention and control of workplace health hazards; Using an understanding of human factors and their role in helping people manage their own health protection at work; Targeting enhanced occupational health services to those who need it most; Embedding occupational hygiene and occupational medicine in mainstream healthcare training and education; Working with healthcare to develop a whole life strategy for managing occupational health & occupational hygiene exposures. “People would be surprised that in the 21st century, we are still missing obvious opportunities to curb the risk of being exposed to common hazards. We can so easily avoid so many cruel illnesses that will rob thousands of the loved ones and cost the country billions in benefits, healthcare costs and lost work, says BOHS CEO Kevin Bampton. “At a time where the country’s finances are likely to be stretched for decades because of the cost of COVID-19, we need to be planning to avoid a continuing legacy of avoidable ill-health. The measures don’t need to cost employers or the government more. It just requires a different mindset. We find the case for sustainability in every aspect of our lives. It’s time it was a central feature of our Workplace Health Strategies across the UK’s nations.” BOHS is relaunching its industry partnership campaign on respiratory illness, Breathe Freely. Over the next six months, it is releasing new training and educational materials to raise awareness of health risks in construction and manufacturing and will be releasing a White Paper, early in the New Year, outlining the case for Sustainable Workplace Health. The Society’s intention is to influence government and industry to plan for a healthy future for all workers. “For many people, the workplace is the environment where we spend most of our waking lives. Lockdown has highlighted that how and where we work can be different,” comments Mr Williams who has led much of the Society’s response to coronavirus. “COVID-19 has demonstrated that this is the place in our lives where our exposure to health hazards can be most effectively regulated. It does not take a great amount of imagination to envisage UK becoming the global leader in Sustainable Workplace Health Technology and Practice, based on what we have achieved over the period of the pandemic. That would be a worthwhile legacy of this painful time in our history.”

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BOHS announces Asbestos 2020- preliminary programme released

The British Occupational Hygiene Society, the Chartered Society for Worker Health Protection, and the Faculty of Asbestos Assessment and Management (FAAM) invites all asbestos professionals to Asbestos 2020 Virtual Conference taking place on 18 and 19 November. The event will bring together researchers, academics, practitioners and regulators, through various plenary talks and technical sessions with a programme that will include UK and international speakers, dealing with scientific topics covering key areas regarding the assessment, control and management of asbestos. This year’s exciting programme includes: -Sessions on Control limit for work with Asbestos and Fibres v mineral fragments -A session on Current Research including site observations and measurement of the efficacy of current 4 stage clearances, EM v PCM counting of fibres in air and analysis of marble for its asbestos content -A Focus on survey session – from the client, consultant and regulator’s perspective -A Focus on technology session, including a review of current best practice for adopting remote auditing procedures -A Mock Trial– a day in court experience not to be missed –Myth busting, solving myths around Asbestos. If you want to see your myth busted, you can send it to conferences@bohs.org You don’t need to be a FAAM or BOHS member to attend Asbestos 2020 but members are eligible for a discounted rate. You can see the full programme and book your place here.

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BOHS Autumn Focus on Asbestos

The Chartered Society for Worker Health Protection, BOHS will be specifically highlighting asbestos awareness over the course of the autumn. This increased focus has been announced when the organisation continues to set the standard with asbestos qualifications as well as lead the way on an international scale with the continued protection against asbestos. BOHS will be launching their new faculty for asbestos professionals this autumn, which will be called the Faculty of Asbestos Assessment and Management, FAAM. This faculty is expected to launch on the 11th October 2017, coinciding with the first BOHS asbestos roadshows. This travelling programme of shows will be taking place across October and November. The asbestos roadshows are being held by BOHS in partnership with HSE, and it is thought that the information on offer at these events will be of great benefit for professionals working with asbestos as well as those with a responsibility to manage the risk associated with the product. The roadshows are seen as a vital source of information for individuals or companies who want and need to keep up to date with the latest developments in the industry. The asbestos roadshows also offer vital information about the duty to manage and the HSE asbestos analyst inspection programme. There will be a full agenda released in regards to the roadshow closer to the event dates however there are a range of items expected to be included such as an overview of FAAM, the presence of asbestos in soils, the Dutyholder Guide, sentencing guidelines and the HSE Analyst Inspection programme. Each year, it has been recorded that around 5000 workers are killed each year, with 20 tradesmen dying each week because of a previous exposure. Therefore, it is important that the continued management of asbestos detection, removal and protection in construction and other industries is maintained.  

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