What is Fit3?
Fit3 stands for fit for work, fit for life, fit for tomorrow and is a three-year strategic programme developed to concentrate local authority and Health and Safety Executive (HSE) resources in areas that will most effectively bring about a reduction in work related injuries and ill health.
Statistics show that 40 million working days are lost to injury and ill health every year in the UK and the Fit3 strategic programme aims to bring about a reduction in these figures.
The Fit3 series of interventions will start in April 2006 and continue through until March 2008. By 2008, the programme aims to achieve:
3% reduction in work related fatal and major injuries;
6% reduction in work related ill health;
9% reduction in days lost due to work related injuries and ill health.
Fit3 will move away from the more traditional health and safety inspections, focussing more towards new methods of intervention and concentrating on priorities that will best deliver the targeted reduction in injury and ill health. A key element of the Fit3 campaign will be an increase in the level of project work undertaken by local authorities and the HSE. The Fit3 projects which Basingstoke & Deane Environmental Health Department will be focussing on are:
Slips & Trips
Falls From Height
Workplace Transport
Contact Dermatitis
Occupational Asthma
Asbestos Management
Stress
Manual Handling
In addition to these, we will also be working in conjunction with the HSE on a Moving Goods Safely project and a joint project involving the Royal Mail.
The strategic programme will rely on national accident data and local knowledge to determine the types of businesses that will be targeted for each of the projects.
Slips & Trips
Each year over 8,500 major injuries are caused by slipping or tripping. This makes slips and trips the single most common cause of injuries in UK workplaces. Basingstoke & Deane’s Food and Safety team will be focussing on the types of business where these accidents most commonly occur – retail, warehousing and residential care homes.
Falls from Height
Falls are the biggest killer in the workplace and about one third of these injuries are caused when using ladders and stepladders. The project will focus on the safe use and maintenance of ladders and stepladders and improving awareness of safer ways of working.
Workplace Transport
Almost 20% of workplace accidents where people have been run over by moving vehicles are attributable to 32 companies. The majority of which are supermarkets and delivery/logistics companies. The Workplace Transport project will focus on supermarkets, large retail shopping centres and warehousing premises.
Contact Dermatitis Campaign
Around 3,600 new cases of contact dermatitis occur each year in the UK. The highest rates of dermatitis occur in floristry and flower arranging, followed by hairdressers, beauticians and barbers. The campaign will aim to increase awareness of identifying the causes of dermatitis and methods of prevention.
Occupational Asthma
Nationally around 27,000 workers in the baking industry are exposed to flour dust as part of their employment and the total number of employees across various professions may be nearer to 70,000. Flour dust is one of the top causes of occupational asthma. The project will focus on reducing the incidence of occupational asthma in craft bakeries and other food establishments where flour is frequently used.
Asbestos Management
This project aims to increase compliance and effective management of asbestos containing materials. Over 3,500 people die each year due to asbestos related diseases and the project will focus on those premises which are either known or suspected to have been constructed or refurbished using asbestos containing materials.
Stress
The stress project will focus on managing stress in high-risk organisations such as the Financial Services sector. Regional training and workshops will be provided to around 100 Financial Services Organisations.
Manual Handling
Musculo-skeletal disorders (MSD’s) are the most common type of work-related illness with an estimated 1.1 million cases in 2003/2004. The Manual Handling campaign, named Backs 2006 aims to increase awareness of MSD’s and management of staff returning to work following absence due to manual handling injuries. The project Is a continuation of Backs 2005 and will consist of numerous interventions such as inspections, local publicity and presentations and seminars to local businesses.
Moving Goods Safely
The movement of goods from production to final sale or supply crosses enforcement boundaries between the HSE and local authority environmental health departments. The Moving Goods Safely project will focus on dealing with the transfer of materials and targeting the significant causes of injury and ill-health such as MSDs, workplace transport, falls and slips & trips.
For more information why not visit http://www.hse.gov.uk/aboutus/plans/hscplans/0506/fitfor.htm