HSE and OH

HSE and OH

HSE says the legal duty to provide occupational health support for staff is outlined in laws including the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations. It had issued a legally binding improvement notice after finding the council had an inadequate management system and provisions in place to deal effectively with occupational health risks. The council appealed against the improvement notice at the employment tribunal in September 2006, but this upheld HSE's action.

Dundee City Council has since put into force a comprehensive action plan. HSE inspector David Steven said: “Following the Dundee Council decision other local authorities across Scotland can be in no doubt about their duty to provide health monitoring and provision for their staff on an ongoing basis. The appropriate use of occupational health expertise and resources is necessary to comply with statutory duties but will also help employers meet non-statutory principles such as reducing work related sickness absence.”

HSE says it has worked with other councils to introduce “a proactive approach to managing occupational health.” It points to South Lanarkshire Council, which had worked with trade unions to introduce a sickness absence approach which is not punitive, but which includes free physiotherapy for employees whether attending or absent from work, access to a comprehensive occupational health team and an employee support officer who deals with all absences due to psychological illness.

Pamela Forsyth, a personnel adviser at the council, said: “At a time when many organisations have taken a negative, punitive approach to managing employee absence, we have adopted a new, all encompassing and innovative approach, based around the themes of promotion of health and wellbeing; preventative support and assistance; work life balance; and support and assistance during absence.

“As a result we have one of the lowest absence rates of all Scottish local authorities. Our approach has huge potential for replication in other organisations.”