Workplace Expert Health Committee (WHEC): review paper
and seminar
Assessment of the strength of evidence underpinning the
International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) reclassification
of welding fume as carcinogenic to humans
IARC reviewed the data on the carcinogenicity of welding fume.
HSE requested the opinion of WHEC on the strength of the evidence,
particularly on whether a distinction should be made between fumes
from different types of metal or different processes.
WHEC concluded that all welding fumes cause lung cancer and
possibly kidney cancer, and that it is not possible to identify
specific welding processes or base metals that give rise to this
risk.
Read the full evidence review paper: Assessment of the strength of evidence
underpinning the IARC reclassification of welding WHEC-11a
(PDF)
Can't view the video? view it here on YouTube
Workplace Expert Health Committee (WHEC): review paper and
seminar
Evaluating interventions in work-related ill health and
disease. October 2022
The prevention of disease and ill health caused by adverse
factors at work will often require interventions to reduce the
level of exposure to harm. Evaluating the effectiveness of
interventions is essential to enable confidence that they have had
the desired effect, to understand any benefits gained and whether
they have caused any unintended harm. Interventions and their
evaluation are more straightforward where a single agent (e.g.
asbestos) is responsible for one or more clearly defined outcomes
(e.g. mesothelioma or lung cancer), but are more complex in
circumstances where ill health is the outcome of multiple possible
environmental factors in and outside work. This seminar outlines
intervention principles to address such complexity and the research
that underpins it.
Read the full evidence review paper: Evaluating interventions in work-related ill health
and disease. Evidence review paper. WHEC-17 (PDF)
Can't view the video? View it here on YouTube
Workplace Expert Health Committee (WHEC): report and
seminar
The likely prevalence of occupational noise induced hearing
loss across British industry
Around 1 in 5 of British workers are exposed to noise that could
damage hearing.
We know little about the current prevalence of occupational
noise induced hearing loss in Britain.
Much has changed in British workplaces since the late 1990s,
particularly in relation to better noise control measures in
workplaces and more extensive use of hearing protectors by workers.
However, there are also new sources of noise, including the use of
telephone headsets in call centers and other situations and in-ear
devices used by the police.
HSE approached WHEC to help identify sources of data that could
inform future actions. HSE would like to have a better
understanding of the likely prevalence (both current and future) of
occupational NIHL across British industry.
Read the report: The likely prevalence of occupational noise induced
hearing loss across British industry - WHEC-19 (2023) (PDF)
Speakers:
John Cherrie is Emeritus Professor of Human Health at Heriot
Watt University and former Research Director at the Institute of
Occupational Medicine in Edinburgh. He has been an exposure
scientist since 1979, in a wide range of research and teaching.
John is a member of the WHEC and the Industrial Injuries Advisory
Council. He has carried out several research projects to estimate
the prevalence of workplace morbidity and mortality.
Dr Paul Litchfield is Independent Chief Medical Adviser to ITV
& Compass Group and visiting Professor to Coventry University.
Watch the WHEC Seminar Occupational noise induced hearing loss.
seminar on YouTube
Can't view the video? View it here on YouTube
Work-related suicide: WHEC evidence review
Following communication with HSE, WHEC was asked to consider the
occupational factors that may contribute to the risk of
suicide.
The review found that:
· Suicide risk varies strongly between occupational groups in
the UK, with the highest risk found amongst workers in low skilled,
and some skilled, positions
· In the UK, there are no systematic methods of taking an
overview of employee suicides in an organisation or workplace. It
would be beneficial to establish a way of recording relevant
data
· In instances of suicide where work factors appear important,
coroners may have a role to play through their Reports to Prevent
Future Deaths. HSE should build on their existing Memorandum of
Understanding with the Chief Coroner of England and Wales to
explore how this could be optimised; and develop a
similar understanding with the Procurator Fiscal's Office in
Scotland
WHEC concluded that:
"While there are clear differences in risks of suicide between
occupational groups in the UK, current means to identify high risk
organisations and workplaces are weak."
Read the full evidence review paper: Work-related suicide WHEC-18 (2022)
(PDF)
This video is a recording of a November 2022 seminar presented
by HSE's Workplace Health Expert Committee on evidence about
work-related suicide. It is introduced by Prof. Andrew Curran HSE's
Chief Scientific Adviser. WHEC Seminar - Work Related Suicide: An
Evidence Review (youtube.com)
Can't view the video? View it here on YouTube