Press Release E016:00 - 31 January 2000
Yvette Cooper announces Back in Work pilot projects
Yvette Cooper, Public Health Minister, today announced the pilot projects receiving funding from the £700,000 joint Department of Health and Health and Safety Executive 'Back in Work' initiative.
More than 330 organisations from around the country applied for funding from the Back in Work scheme which aims to address the problem of back pain in the workplace. Back pain is the largest single cause of ill health at work and sickness absence.
Ms Cooper said:"More than 11 million working days are lost each year due to back pain and this painful condition costs industry £5 billion. Through the 'Back in Work' projects, businesses and organisations will promote good practice to raise awareness and encourage people to take preventative action as well as providing early access to assessment and treatment and rehabilitation. The workplace is a key place for improving the health of the worst off in society and reducing health inequalities.
"I am delighted to announce today the 19 organisations that have been awarded funding to develop a wide range of innovative and exciting projects to combat this issue. Results from these projects will be used to develop good practice for all businesses to use to improve the health of their workers.
"The Back in Work scheme has received positive support from the TUC, CBI and individual employers throughout the country and from today companies will be able to share ideas on reducing back pain in the work place through our new website network. The National Back in Work Network website will be an excellent opportunity for people to discuss workplace heath issues on-line."
Lord Whitty, Health and Safety Minister at the Department of the Environment, Transport and Regions, added:
"As Minister responsible for the Government's drive to Revitalise Health & Safety, I fully support these pilot projects. 'Back in Work' will highlight the misery of back pain, its huge cost to society and how it can be prevented. Good employers already recognise that preventing workplace injury is only part of their wider responsibility to ensure a healthy workforce - preventing workplace ill-health is also vital.
The Health & Safety Executive estimates that workplace ill-health and accidents cost society up to £18 billion every year. I hope that these independently-evaluated projects will win over other employers and persuade them to adopt existing best practice."
Projects include staff with musculo-skeletal problems at St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council going 'back to school' to be taught relaxation, posture and exercise techniques; plus a Loughborough firm is developing a comprehensive back injury management programme to be used by large and small companies. Workers in the clothing industry have historically suffered a high level of work related back problems and through its project, the Knitting, Dyeing and Lace Industries' Joint Health and Safety Committee aims to raise awareness, develop training and risk assessment programmes to tackle the issue.
NOTES TO EDITORS
1. For more information about individual projects please contact the organisation representatives below:
| ORGANISATION | CONTACT | AMOUNT OF FUNDING (£) | TITLE &SUMMARY OF PROJECT |
| Courtaulds Textiles - National Joint Council for the Hosiery & Knitwear Industries, Nottingham | Huw Jones 0115 924 6040 | 25,000 | Taking the strain - preventing back problems in textiles |
| Groundwork, Bury | Michael Kinsella 0161 7634185 | 35,200 | Back in work in Bury - to provide education, awareness and compliance with strategy provisions to assist the business community to prevent musculo-skeletal injuries |
| Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS | Judy Green 01983 534 213 | 41,825 | Back in work on the Isle of Wight -Aim Trust for trust to support small and medium-sized enterprises establish and develop back pain good practice |
| Loughborough University | Professor Jonathan Porter 01509 223026 | 49,820 | To raise awareness among employers, medical professionals and car manufacturers of 'hidden cost' of driving back trouble |
| Morecambe Bay Authority | Professor Stephen Horsely 01539 735565 | 49,200 | Morecambe Bay Back in Health Work Project - A partnership between Health, Glaxo and local SMEs to develop good practice in management of backpain in the workplace |
| North East Chamber of Commerce, Newcastle-Upon-Tyne | William Midgley 0191 281 8981 | 30,000 | Back Awareness in Tyne Wear -To work with small and businesses to identify services and procedures needed to manage back pain, as a focus of health at work activity |
| NSK-RHP Europe Ltd(Loughborough) | Neil Budworth 0115 936 6509 | 40,802 | RHP Distribution Centre in Newark |
| Pearl Assurance plc, Peterborough | Nick Kendrick 01733 472 017 | 23,500 | The Best Communication of Back Care - will test various media for back care among different groups of workers |
| RGIT, Didcot,Oxon | Dr Jon Spiro 01235 434 077 | 14,380 | Back in Milton Park - will demonstrate to SMEs that a comprehensive back pain prevention service is cost-beneficial (will produce guidance) |
| Rolls Royce, Bristol | Dr Khan Sayeed 0117 979 5862 | 43,440 | Investigation of the cost-effectiveness of providing rapid access physiotherapy for employees of SMEs with back pain or neck pain |
| Royal College of Nursing | Carol Bannister 0171 647 3749 | 50,000Changing Practice - Improving Health: A London Integrated Back Injury Prevention -to reduce back pain and back injury to staff in nursing homes | |
| Salisbury Healthcare Trust | Dr Richard Ellis 01722 429 219 | 39,418 | Set up a 'Salisbury Workers Clinic' focusing on fitness and activation routines, and industrial workshop rehabilitation for severe cases. |
| SITA (GB) Limited, Bracknell,Berkshire | Christopher Gibson 01344 980 500 | 50,000 | 'Don't Bin Your Back' - To carry out a and comprehensive examination and the GMB analysis of manual handling and associated back-pain issues within the context of the waste management industry. |
| Staffordshire University | rofessor Ruth Chambers | 39,801 | Promoting the Role of the NHS in the Back in Work Initiative - to raise awareness and promote good practice amongst GP and pharmacist employers and their employees about the causes, prevention and treatment of back pain at work |
| Sun Valley Foods,Hereford | Carole Anness 01432 362 091 | 35,000 | Back in Work Project -to raise awareness promote good practice amongst GP and pharmacist employersand their employees about the causes, prevention and treatment of back pain at work |
| Newcastle City Council | Alan Shepherd 0191 232 8520 ext 5223 | 14,895 | Integrated Backcare Awareness Programme across Newcastle City Council and 20 small local contractors |
| Sandwell Healthcare | Dr Peter Verow 0121 607 3417 | 50,000 | The Early Assessment and Intervention of NHS Trust Workplace Back Pain |
| St Helen's Metropolitan Borough Council | Andrew Dempsey 01744 456 068 | 2,975 | Back School - To offer MBC employees a combination of education, pain management and an exercise package. |
| West Pennine Health Authority | Libby Sedgley 0161 455 5754 | 21,672 | Sustainable Prevention of Back Injuries in SMEs in Oldham - to identify and contact SMEs with a potential or realised back injury; produce leaflet for SMEs |
2. Back in Work was launched on May 13 last year at the Beating Back Pain conference - see press notice 1999/0283.
3. 339 outline applications for the 'Back in Work' scheme were received.. 44 projects were shortlisted.
4. The White Paper 'Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation' identifies the workplace as a key setting through which to address inequalities in health and improving the health of the local communities which provide the workforce. The Healthy Workplace Initiative (HWI) was launched to carry forward this work.
5. The Deputy Prime Minister announced a strategic appraisal of health and safety on 30 March 1999, with the aim of injecting new impetus into the health and safety agenda, 25 years on from the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974. A joint DETR/HSC consultation document, Revitalising Health and Safety, was launched on 1 July 1999. The results of the appraisal and consultation are due to be published by the DETR in its Revitalising Health and Safety Strategy Statement shortly.
6. Businesses, trade unions, voluntary and other workplace organisations are encouraged to 'Sign Up' to the initiative through the HWI web pages -http://www.ohn.gov.uk/ohn/ohn.htm - or by sending an e-mail to - signup@doh.gov.uk- those who 'Sign Up' will play a part in the programme and receive a regular newsletter keeping them in touch with developments in the HWI.
PUBLIC ENQUIRIES:Call HSE's InfoLine, tel: 0541-545500 or write to: HSE Information Centre, Broad Lane, Sheffield S3 7HQ.
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