What we know
What information do we have about the Eastern Board area?
What is the result of this on our health locally?
Policies
What is happening in the Eastern Board area?
References

In general, having a job is better for your health than having no job. But the social organization of work, management styles and social relationships in the workplace all matter for health. Evidence shows that stress at work plays an important role in contributing to the large social status differences in health, sickness absence and premature death. Several European workplace studies show that health suffers when people have little opportunity to use their skills and low decision-making authority.

Having little control of one's work is particularly strongly related to an increased risk of low back pain, sickness absence and cardiovascular disease. These risks have been found to be independent of the psychological characteristics of the people studied. In short, they seem to be related to the work environment.

Studies have also examined the role of work demands. Some show an interaction between demands and control. Jobs with both high demand and low control carry special risk. Some evidence indicates that social support in the workplace may be protective.

Further, receiving inadequate rewards for the effort put into work has been found to be associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Rewards can take the form of money, status and self-esteem. Current changes in the labour market may change the opportunity structure, and make it harder for people to get appropriate rewards.

These results show that the psychosocial environment at work is an important determinant of health and contributor to the social gradient in ill health.

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The link between health and lack of meaningful employment has been illustrated with the 2001 Census figures which show that in the Eastern Board area, of those people who describe themselves as having a long standing illness, 30% are unemployed and 46% economically inactive.

The 2001 Northern Ireland Health and Social Well-being Survey contained a section on mental health. It focussed on levels of stress or worry and possible mental health problems. Comparing stress levels between different socio-economic groups, it was found that few differences existed between groups for those suffering from a great deal of stress. One exception, however, was between professional/managerial and the partly skilled, where the partly skilled had the highest level of stress (14%) and professional/managerial had the lowest (10%).

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Every year in Northern Ireland some 70,000 people suffer some sort of work-related health problem, which prevents them doing their normal jobs. Many of these people will be out of work for very long periods and some will never return to the workplace. The costs to society, employers and individuals are enormous – estimated to be in the region of £330 million per year. The impact on the lives of those individuals and their families, through loss of earnings, self esteem and social contact, however, cannot be measured in purely economic terms.

Northern Ireland has experienced dramatic changes in the work place as it has evolved from a manufacturing economy to one based on service industries. As a result of the manufacturing industries such as shipbuilding and flax mills, there is a long history of specific work related diseases such as asbestosis. The move towards service industries has brought about major changes in the skills needed by the workforce. As new industries and working patterns have developed, the risks associated with them have also changed.

Asbestos was extensively used for lagging boilers, ship bulkheads and around heating plants in larger buildings. For many years it was considered a safe material ideal for fire prevention and insulation. It is no longer used today but a legacy of poor health remains among workers in certain industries. Unfortunately there is no effective cure for this condition. Each year around 60 men die directly from asbestos related disease in Northern Ireland, mostly in the Eastern Board area.

Industrial deafness has resulted in a large number of claims by employees such as riveters. Hopefully, now that the damaging effects of noise have been recognised this will no longer be a major problem in larger industries.

Byssinosis is a disease caused by dust that may affect the lungs of linen and cotton workers. At one time it was felt this disease would force the closure of the Northern Ireland linen industry. With good exhaust ventilation and dust suppression this problem has been largely eliminated from linen mills and so byssinosis is no longer a major problem.

The construction industry continues to be the most dangerous major land-based activity in Northern Ireland. It is possible to reduce risks with good supervision, training and comprehensive health and safety planning.

The increased use of computers has resulted in the emergence of repetitive strain injury through the use of keyboards. The use of visual display units and poor workstation ergonomics are also a factor in office-based employment.

Increasing evidence has been emerging about the health effects of passive smoking. Most larger businesses encourage a smoke free workplace. Workers in pubs, clubs and places of entertainment are especially vulnerable to passive smoking. Loud music may also permanently damage the hearing of staff who are subjected to prolonged exposure.

Farm accidents continue to be a major influence on the number of people who die from work related accidents. Lifting and handling, falls, large farm animals and the use of machinery and power tools present a major health issue to farm workers. Farm workers are exposed to a range of highly toxic chemicals, which require them to take appropriate precautions, for example, wearing personal protective clothing.

Stress has become a significant factor of work related ill health. Stress means both the pressures on a person and the way they react to them, and so it is both cause and effect. Some level of stress is normal or even needed. However, people are said to be suffering from stress when the pressures of life and work become too much for them and seem beyond their ability to cope with. The sources of stress at work can result from the physical environment, the job itself or the organisation. Stress can lead to psychological, behavioural and physical symptoms in the individual. As well as the damaging effects on individuals there are also implications for employers, including high levels of absenteeism, accidents, errors, high staff turnover; poor time keeping, productivity, decision-making, social climate, industrial relations, quality of care and low levels of motivation.

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