Workplace exposure leading to occupational illness claims the lives of some 12,000 people annually nationwide and cancers account for 8,000, according to official reports. Worldwide, work-related carcinogens claim the lives of more than 666,000 – one death every 47 seconds.
So, why can it be argued that our focus on work fatalities centres disproportionately on incidents – the falls from height, the factory fires and the accidents with machinery?
IOSH's No Time to Lose campaign, launched last November, throws a spotlight on work cancer because it is the barely visible cause of an unbearably high number of deaths. It is barely visible broadly for two reasons – the literal invisibility of the carcinogens and the latency of their effects.
We want to raise awareness and offer practical support to businesses to help them tackle this significant occupational health issue. And we are focusing on five of the top causes of occupational cancer registrations and deaths – diesel engine exhaust emissions, solar radiation, asbestos, shift work and silica.
No Time to Lose suggests solutions to tackling the five carcinogens and offers free, practical, original materials to help businesses deliver effective prevention programmes. The resources are centred principally on prevention and available on the No Time to Lose webpage.
As part of the campaign website, IOSH is also hosting an 'endorsement zone', in which companies, professional and trade bodies and other relevant organisations can demonstrate their support.
And the campaign delivers a call to action to government, business and the occupational safety and health profession. We want to see the creation of a comprehensive database of carcinogens, more research into the potential risks of new technologies and awareness training for apprentices among a package of measures.
Many employers and workers are simply unaware of the impact of carcinogenic exposures and many do not know what to do about it. This is why IOSH wants to see the issue taken more seriously across industry and in government. Our No Time to Lose campaign is working to get the cause of occupational cancer more widely understood and helping business take action.
For more information on the campaign, visit: www.notimetolose.org.uk
