Construction Occupational Health Management Essentials (COHME)

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Construction Occupational HealthManagement
Essentials(COHME)

• Sue Parkyn, Head of Occupational Health Unit, HSE
  Construction Sector

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Occupational Health

• The effect of work on health and health on work
• Managing risks to prevent work related ill health
  - informed by health surveillance and monitoring
• Ensuring that the health of workers does not
  compromise the health and safety of themselves
  and others informed by fitness for work
  information

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The scale of the problem

• 4.5 of construction workforce affected by
  illness caused by or made worse by their work
• Translates to 90,000 workers in the construction
  and building trades
• 1.8 million working days lost due to
  work-related illness (0.9 due to accidents)

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Key occupational health issues

• Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD)
• Hearing damage
• Hand arm vibration syndrome (HAVS)
• Dermatitis
• Respiratory illness asbestos related, asthma and
  silica related
• Stress

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Manage the risks not the symptoms

• Identify and control health risks before they
  cause problems
• Integrate health risk control into safety
  management systems
• Use occupational health providers intelligently
  to assist the management of risks and care of
  those affected

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Construction Occupational Health Management
Essentials

• Based on familiar staged approach to the
  management of health and safety risks
• Having arrangements in place
• Assessing health risks
• Elimination of risks
• Reduction and control of risks
• Management of remaining risk (including health
  surveillance)

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COHME content

• Aims to give all dutyholders in the construction
  industry the information they need in a way that
  seems relevant to their roles
• Clients
• Designers
• Contractors

• Information about
• MSD
• HAVS
• Noise
• Dermatitis
• Respiratory risks (inc asbestos and silica)
• Stress
• Health surveillance
• Fitness for work

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COHME additional content

• Basic information in main web pages
• Other useful information in model
• Sample assessments
• Case studies
• Links to other useful information
• Other parts of HSE website
• Other useful websites (eg CBH)

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