Author Archives: renieshaw

Cutting sickness absence and presenteeism – making workplaces healthier

Posted on May 15, 2012 by renieshaw

The financial and operational effects of sickness absence are considerable, especially for small organisations. According to the most recent independent review of sickness absence*, sickness absence costs the economy around £15 billion a year. There are direct and indirect costs … Continue reading →

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Deaf Awareness Week – how to support deaf employees and those with partial/developing hearing loss

Posted on May 10, 2012 by renieshaw

This week (7-13 May) is Deaf Awareness Week. According to figures from Action on Hearing Loss, one in six of the population of the UK suffer from some form of hearing loss of which approximately one third are below retirement … Continue reading →

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Ten reasons to call the Adviceline

Posted on May 8, 2012 by renieshaw

Interactions with our Adviceline service (i.e. calls to our occupational health nurses, questions asked online, etc.) are at an all-time high. So what particular issues are users of our service facing that make them turn to us? We’ve listed ten … Continue reading →

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Depression at work

Posted on May 4, 2012 by renieshaw

Last week (April 22-28) was Depression Awareness Week, which helped raise the profile of depression through events held across the UK. A person who is depressed will experience a combination of a wide range of possible symptoms continuously over a … Continue reading →

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Health impacts of shift work

Posted on May 1, 2012 by renieshaw

A significant amount of research has been done into the health effects of disrupted sleep-wake cycles (experienced by shift workers), which are associated with various health conditions, including: heart disease; bone fractures; cancer; diabetes; obesity. People who do shift work … Continue reading →

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World Day for Safety and Health at Work (28 April) casts spotlight on occupational safety and health (OSH) in ‘green’ jobs

Posted on April 26, 2012 by renieshaw

The International Labour Organization (ILO) celebrates the World Day for Safety and Health at Work on the 28 April each year to promote the prevention of occupational accidents and diseases globally. It is an awareness-raising campaign intended to focus international … Continue reading →

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HIV and discrimination in the workplace

Posted on April 19, 2012 by renieshaw

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) weakens the body’s immune system and can progress to AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), which interferes with the immune system and makes sufferers susceptible to infections. Although HIV cannot be cured, it can be effectively treated … Continue reading →

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Work-related asthma – new guidance for doctors when diagnosing patients

Posted on April 17, 2012 by renieshaw

New guidance published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine at the end of last month has called on doctors to explore the potential job-related causes of asthma when diagnosing patients. The guidance also recommends that doctors seek consent from sufferers … Continue reading →

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Evaluation of pilot stage of occupational health (OH) Adviceline services – Part 2: Adviceline services get rave reviews!

Posted on April 11, 2012 by renieshaw

The data used to evaluate the performance of the Adviceline services (see Part 1 of this blog (posted on 28 March) for more detail on the service) was collected in a number of ways through: a telephone survey of employers … Continue reading →

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Changes to reporting injuries under RIDDOR (as of 6 April 2012)

Posted on April 4, 2012 by renieshaw

RIDDOR (Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995) puts duties on employers, the self-employed and people in control of work premises to report: serious workplace accidents; occupational diseases; specified dangerous occurrences (near misses). Currently, timescales set out for … Continue reading →

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