Free health and safety advice for businesses

A ground-breaking £20 million pilot scheme to give free health and safety advice to smaller businesses has been announced.

Workplace Help Direct will give small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) free expert advice for the first time as well as offering support on preventing work-related ill health and getting people back to work. The help includes a free problem-solving service, which will signpost employers to specialist help, and a national free advice line.

The scheme was announced by Secretary of State Alan Johnson in the Department for Work and Pensions 5 Year Strategy. It will be run by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Alan Johnson said: "This is good news for British business and for people who need help getting back into work after ill health.

"Work-related illness and injury accounts for around 39 million working days lost every year and more than 2 million people attribute their health problems to their work. Given the right support many conditions, such as back pain, can be managed before becoming a barrier to work.

"Workplace Help Direct will play a vital role in helping people return to work quickly, reducing the burden on the NHS and lowering the chance of people ending up on incapacity benefit."

Chair of the Health and Safety Commission Bill Callaghan said:
"The people best placed to manage risks to health in the workplace are managers and their staff. They do this best by working together and Workplace Health Direct will offer the support needed to achieve this."

Workplace Health Direct pilots will provide:

• free telephone work-related health, safety and return to work advice for employers
  and workers;
• free workplace visits;
• a dedicated website;
• problem-solving advice, for example on how to assess and manage workplace risks,
  including help with returning to work;
• advice on specialist support from other professionals such as physiotherapists and ergonomists.

How it will work

In March 2005 HSE will be seeking expressions of interest from organisations to deliver the pilots in up to six regions across the country. The pilot regions will be selected this summer and will commence in early 2006. They will be delivered locally and supported by a national telephone helpline and website.