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Occupational health performance & targets

Health objectives	Status (for year 2006):
To improve processes for recording and reporting absence, and cases of occupational ill-health	Absence data reported for fifth year Data quality improved slightly
To maintain supportive return to work processes for absent employees	Formal processes established in a number of operating companies

Performance

In 2006, we continued to collect UK data on sickness absence. We are able to measure data on total absence fairly robustly. However, it is less easy to measure absence for work-related ill-health because of difficulties in defining whether illness is work-related or has more general causes and because of the practical difficulties in capturing this data from site operatives.

We will continue our efforts to record appropriate data during 2006.

Our aim is to improve the control of activities that have the potential to impact on workers health. In addition we intend to raise the standard of health monitoring in order to identify early symptoms of work related ill-health.

Absence

The following data shows some uncertainty and volatility, due to the data difficulties described above.

In the UK in 2006, from an average number of employees consisting of 20,601 (roughly comprising 62% staff and 38% operatives):

• On average each UK employee was absent for six days, similar to 2005 (ie absence for all reasons).
• 0.3% of absence was due to work related injury, 1% in 2005.
• 1% of absence was due to work related ill health, 2% in 2005.

Nature of Occupational ill-Health

• 43 cases of non-reportable occupational ill-health were recorded, 37 in 2005. These were principally stress amongst staff and musculo-skeletal disorders amongst operatives, as in previous years.
• 62 cases of Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) were diagnosed in 2006 compared to 82 in 2005.

Severity

The data below includes all absence data including work related ill health for the UK in 2006.

• Zero fatalities due to work related ill-health as in previous years.
• Zero retirements due to work related ill health, zero in 2005, and 11 early retirements due to general ill-health in 2006.
• In total 1,011 cases of long term absence of more than 20 days, 23 of those cases were due to work related illness.
• In total 1,979 cases of absence of six to 20 days, 12 of those cases were due to work related illness.
• In total 9,402 cases of short-term absence of one to five days, 12 of those cases were due to work related illness.

2007 objectives

We do not believe the data collected to date provides a sound basis for setting quantified targets. Our focus in 2007 will be to continue to manage occupational ill-health systematically and effectively.

We will also continue to develop processes for recording and reporting occupational ill-health, to establish supportive return to work processes for absent employees and to extend our approach beyond the UK.

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