Over Half of all work-related ill health is due to stress, depression, or anxiety
We all have periods of good and poor health, both physically and mentally. It’s normal for people to have challenging times and like any other work-related risk to health, risks to mental health should be included in risk assessments at work. 

Anxiety and depression are the most common mental health problems and whilst the causes can be due to difficult life events, they can also be caused by work-related issues, or a combination of both. 

Whether work is causing the health issue or aggravating it, employers have a legal responsibility to help their employees. Make it routine to check in on how people are feeling and coping at work.

- First aid at work: Guidance on regulations
This publication has a minor amendments relating to employer’s responsibilities to take account of employees’ mental health in the first-aid needs assessment.
This has been outlined in Regulation 4 ‘Duty of employer to inform employees of the arrangements made in connection with first-aid’ and it states the following:

“You may have decided it is helpful to have people trained to identify and understand mental ill health symptoms who are able to support someone who is experiencing a mental health issue.
Where this is the case, it is important that everyone is aware of the:

- People involved in your first-aid provision.
- Different types of incident to which they have the training or competence to respond”.

- Selecting a first aid training provider: A guide for employers
This guidance helps you identify and select a competent training provider to deliver your first aid training needs. It has been updated to simplify what employers should consider when selecting a training provider.

The updates do not change what is required to comply with the law.

These posters have been designed in support of HSE’s campaign to raise awareness of asbestos-related health risks. They aim to inform workers of the most common locations asbestos can be found in industrial and residential buildings.

Whether you are a worker, building owner, landlord, employer or person responsible for building maintenance, you should be aware of where asbestos is most frequently found in buildings in order to protect yourself and others.

Asbestos can be present in any building that was built or refurbished before 2000 and can be hidden within, for example:

- lagging on plant and pipework
- insulation products such as fireproof panels
- asbestos cement roofing material
- sprayed coatings on structural steel work to insulate against fire and noise

To find out more about, or purchase, your poster(s) visit:

- Industrial 'where asbestos hides' A3 poster
- Residential 'where asbestos hides' A3 poster

To support dutyholders, we recently updated our web pages for the duty to manage asbestos in buildings. This includes guidance on

- what the legal duty is and the steps required to comply with the law
- who the dutyholder is, depending on the type of building etc, and what they must do
- new templates of an asbestos management plan and an asbestos register with a site plan
- examples of how asbestos can be managed across different industries

The campaign provides dutyholders with a range of resources. You can:

- download the asbestos management plan template and the asbestos register template for your buildings
- watch our video explaining the steps to the duty to manage asbestos in buildings
- read the campaign press release
- download campaign assets to share on your channels
- answer a few simple questions to check if you have a legal duty to manage asbestos

The annual report found that across all industries, 1.8 million working people are suffering from work-related ill health and 135 workers were killed in work-related accidents during this time period.

In total, 35.2 million working days were lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury, highlighting the need to support businesses with the recruitment, retention and return of their workers from periods of sickness absence. This includes disabled workers and workers with long-term health conditions. 

- Simplify the navigation to help you easily find the information you need
- Remove outdated content and replace it with up-to-date, refreshed guidance 

The updated webpages include the following improvements:
 
Introduction to asbestos safety
A step guide explaining:

- The dangers of asbestos, where you can find it and identifying if it is present
- How to comply with the law, depending on your job role
- How employers should carry out a risk assessment
- Training and information for work involving asbestos

It also summarises how to decide if a licensed asbestos contractor must do any work.

View: Introduction to asbestos safety

Duty to manage asbestos in buildings
Guidance for the person who has a legal duty to manage asbestos in a building – the dutyholder. They must protect people from the risks of exposure to asbestos. This includes people who:

Read about: The duty to manage asbestos in buildings

A workers' guide to asbestos safety
Guidance which explains what workers and their employers must do to protect themselves and others from asbestos. 

Find out about: A workers' guide to asbestos safety

This includes videos summarising the guidance for workers.

Locations of asbestos and taking the right action  
This webpage includes an image gallery that can help you identify asbestos in typical locations and take the right action to minimise exposure.

Find out about: Locations of asbestos and taking the right action

Our guidance offers advice on how to protect workers in low temperatures.

The guidance explains how you can assess the risks to workers and put controls in place to protect them.

Our workplace temperature checklist will help you carry out a basic risk assessment.

Also, with low temperatures and less daylight, winter can make surfaces perilous. As a result, slip and trip accidents increase significantly. Take a look at our online guide to avoiding slips and trips in winter weather.

The annual report found that:

- 1.8 million working people are suffering from work-related ill health
- 35 workers were killed in work-related accidents during this time period

In total, 35.2 million working days were lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury.

HSE's statistics website provides detailed commentary on these figures and is supported by:

- A comprehensive set of tables, designed to make the data accessible to users
- Our annual, infographic-style summary booklet (.pdf)

Breathing in dusts, fumes, chemicals or gases in the workplace may cause serious long term lung damage. This includes exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) released into the air when handling sand and cutting stone, brick or tiles. 

- Since 2019, the total annual cost of poor mental health has increased by 25%, costing UK employers up to £56 billion a year

- Over half of working days lost due to ill health are due to work-related stress, depression or anxiety

- Stress, depression and anxiety’ is the number one reason for work-related illness in the UK and figures continue to rise

- Whether you’re a small business or a large corporation, the law requires all employers to prevent work-related stress to support good mental health in the workplace. In practical terms, that means doing a risk assessment and acting on it

These milestones included:

- BSR is now the building control body for building work involving HRBs
- Registration of HRBs is now mandatory
- Registers have opened for building control inspectors & building control approvers

The webinar will be hosted by Mark Wilson, HSE’s Operational Lead for Policy and Planning Gateway One (PGO). This is an excellent opportunity for participants to gain a deeper understanding of the PGO process and learn about best practice.

This includes how PGO ensures that the fire safety elements for tall residential buildings is factored early in the design process – resulting in better schemes which fully integrate thinking on fire safety. You will also be able to put your questions to Mark in the Q&A session, where he will be joined by fire engineer, Adam Monaghan, Director at Design Fire Consultants.

Site Inspections Across Great Britain Start Next Week

How dust is managed on site is a matter of life and death. Construction workers are dying and many more become chronically ill because construction dust can cause serious lung disease. Employers have a legal duty to control dust effectively and protect their workers’ lung health. 

Starting next week, HSE will be carrying out a targeted health inspection initiative focusing on the respiratory risks to construction workers from exposure to silica and wood dust.  

Running from Monday 15 May 2023 - Friday 14 July, the inspection initiative and supporting Dust Kills campaign aim to support industry by raising awareness of health issues in relation to dust exposure and the importance of effective control measures to improve the long-term health of those working in construction.  

Are you confident that you have the effective controls in place to protect yourself and your workers?