Health support inaccessible to half of UK workers

Health support inaccessible to half of UK workers

Around 47% of UK workers do not have access to ‘essential’ support such as routine health checks and vaccinations according to a new report.

More than 10 million people in the UK are estimated to work in a business that does not provide access to these basic health interventions.

The report found that people working in lower paid industries such as agriculture and hospitality were disproportionately likely to lack access to workplace health support. These sectors were also found to be the most detrimental to workers’ health.

The Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) published these findings in response to the Employment Rights Bill announced in July’s King’s Speech. The bill includes measures such as establishing a Fair Work Agency to uphold employment rights, ensuring rights are in place from the first day of employment, and a greater move towards flexible working.

The bill will return to commons for a second reading on 28 October. However a recent government impact report warned that implementing it would cost UK businesses up to £5 billion per year.

While the RSPH considers the bill to be ‘a step in the right direction’, its report calls for further action to reinforce the ‘right to a healthy workplace’.

Suggested changes include:

  • A mandatory Health and Work Standard, detailing a minimum level of support that employees should be entitled to
  • Sick pay from the first day of employment, with employers encouraged to pay a living wage during sick leave
  • Health improvement training for human resources staff
  • Incentivisation for employers to make short-term investments in occupational health to reap increased productivity in the long term
  • Governmental data collection and monitoring around occupational health.

‘Our workplaces are exacerbating health inequalities’

The RSPH said that an emphasis on building healthier workplaces would reduce the economic cost of ill-health, currently estimated at around £100 billion.

William Roberts, chief executive of the RSPH, described this as a ‘critical time for our nation’s health’. He said: ‘Millions of people are leaving the workforce due to ill health. It costs us tens of billions every year. It also puts an additional strain on our health service leaving people languishing on waiting lists.

‘The Employments Rights Bill is a big step in the right direction, but we need to go further and quicker. We spend a great deal of our adult lives in and around the workplace. We need to think about how we use our workplaces to build health, keep people well, and prevent people being signed off sick. 

‘As it stands, our workplaces are exacerbating health inequalities. This means that millions of people that would most benefit from workplace health support are missing out.’

‘Epidemic’ of long working hours

In September, a survey found that half of UK workers regularly put in two or more unpaid hours per week. Four in 10 (41%) of respondents also said they regularly work one or more unpaid hours per day. One quarter (24%) often work more than the legal maximum of 48 hours each week.

The survey of 1,000 UK workers was conducted by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH).

Ruth Wilkinson is head of policy and public affairs at IOSH. She said: ‘As the world of work transforms, we must keep the safety, health and wellbeing of workers high on everyone’s list of priorities, embedded into core business practice and culture if enterprise, economies and societies are to thrive.’

IOSH described this as an ‘epidemic’ of long working hours and urged the government to ensure ‘greater awareness and transparency’ in employment contracts. It also called for the government to review and update frameworks relating to occupational health and safety, with attention to new ways of working.

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