Shining a light on the ‘small print’ of work

The Labour Party Conference in Liverpool was an opportunity for the UK Government to start to add detail to its manifesto commitments outside of Westminster and directly to its party members, companies, charities and others. Outside of the set speeches from the Prime Minister, Chancellor and Deputy Prime Minister, there were hundreds of fringe events taking place, with discussions ranging from the impact AI will have on work, to the gig economy and levels of inactivity among the working population. There were over 50 fringes on meeting the target to build 1.5 million houses by 2029.

IOSH’s Policy and Public Affairs team attended the conference to learn more about issues the Government will be advocating in the coming years. We wanted to raise awareness of the importance of OSH in every workplace, especially ahead of the impending Employment Rights Bill, and the part OSH can play in helping those who are inactive back into work.

IOSH had an exhibition stand to speak to 20,000 delegates and the 403 Labour MPs at the Conference. The exhibition gave us the opportunity to talk with delegates and MPs about the impact of work, explaining that all work comes with an impact on our health.

The hidden costs of work

How often do you read the fine print, whether it’s buying a product or signing up for a subscription? In the workplace, there’s a similar kind of ‘small print’, containing the hidden conditions that may not be immediately obvious when you start a new job. IOSH’s Work free from small print campaign is designed to draw attention to these overlooked aspects of employment that can negatively affect workers’ health and wellbeing.

We had dozens of delegates – including several MPs – come to our stand, some of whom knew about IOSH while others were keen to find out more about what we do. Our campaign was of significant interest to them, with many delegates saying it resonated with either their own experiences or those of others.

The impact of work on people’s long-term health

In addition to highlighting our campaign, our quiz also generated lots of intrigue. The half a dozen questions – a mixture of true/false statements and multiple-choice answers – had a fair few stumped and shocked to find out the answers.

So, what were those questions? They all revolved around the impact work has on people’s long-term health and some hugely concerning figures, as follows:

• 12,000 lung disease deaths each year are estimated to be linked to past exposures at work.¹
• 1.8 million workers suffered from work-related ill health (new or long-standing) in 2022-23 (LFS).²
• Long working hours contributed to 745,000 deaths from stroke and ischemic heart disease in 2016, a 29 per cent increase since 2000.³
• Research has found that you are 38 per cent more likely to die prematurely if you sit for over 12 hours a day.⁴
• Mental health crises or conditions are often unsupported at work, unlike physical illnesses. They can even be caused by work or made worse by work. Poor mental health costs UK employers £51 billion a year. Yet for every £1 spent on supporting the mental health and wellbeing of their workforce, there is a return of nearly £5 in increased productivity.⁵

References

1. Work-related ill health and occupational disease in Great Britain, HSE
2. Work-related ill health and occupational disease in Great Britain, HSE (Quoting Labour Force Survey)
3. Long working hours increasing deaths from heart disease and stroke: WHO, ILO, 2021
4. Harvard Health Publishing, February 2024 (Quoting November 2023 issue of British Journal of Sports Medicine.)
5. Mental Health and Employers, Deloitte 2024