In 23rd January 2019, Dr Dave Rogers made a presentation on “Working in Africa - Some Practical Considerations, Observations and Opportunities”, to the British Occupational Hygiene Society regional meeting in London. Here is a link to the slides. slidelink
HSE releases 2016/17 workplace ill health statistics on 1 November 2017
The HSE has issued the latest health and safety statistics for 2016/17 ( http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/index.htm ). The numbers have not changed much over the last year, and ill health from work remains a major issue. Today in the United Kingdom, 1.3 million working people are suffering from a work-related illness. Companies need to be pro-active in preventing workplace ill health now and in the future. Occupational hygienists remain at the forefront in helping companies to address workplace ill health, by controlling exposures to workplace hazards with effective interventions.
Dr Rogers now a Chartered Fellow of the Faculty of Occupational Hygiene
On 6 April 2017, Dr Rogers became a Chartered Fellow of the Faculty of Occupational Hygiene (British Occupational Hygiene Society), which recognises his professional practice and experience.
New HSE statistics released on 2 November 2016
The HSE has issued the latest health and safety statistics for 2015/16 ( http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/index.htm ). Ill health from work remains a major issue. Today in the United Kingdom, 1.3 million working people are suffering from a work-related illness. Companies need to be pro-active in preventing workplace ill health now and in the future. Occupational hygienists are at the forefront in helping companies to address workplace ill health, by controlling exposures to workplace hazards with effective interventions.
More travel in 2015
Another busy year. 2015 saw project work both in the UK and internationally, including Eastern Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Already in 2016 five countries have been visited with further travel planned later in the year.
It has been great to meet new people in the global HSE world and also to play some part in their career development, either through the running of training courses or just by working alongside them during their daily activities. I am always impressed to see young professionals with keenness to learn and with a professional approach - the HSE profession is in good hands for the future.
Updated Website after a busy few months
Things have been busy over the last few months, with some interesting strategic management projects in the energy sector, some challenging occupational hygiene projects across several sectors, as well as the development of training courses for Eastern Europe and for the oil and gas sector. These courses will start to be delivered from the start of 2015.
As well, there is clearly an increasing global interest in occupational hygiene, as seen by the numbers of examinations and assessments that we are receiving for marking from the BOHS.
The latest statistics from the HSE have been provided on the home page. It is worth repeating what the HSE say: “Ill health accounts for 43% of the health and safety incidents, 84% of the related sickness absence and over 99% of the work-related deaths each year”. We will need more occupational hygienists to make a dent in these shocking and preventable statistics. The professional bodies are doing their best and both the BOHS and IOSH have implemented significant campaigns to raise the awareness of these facts and to encourage employers and the media to take seriously occupational health and occupational hygiene.
In a world where the media does not let 'elf n safety' get in the way of a good story, this is the chance for the occupational hygiene profession to make a real and lasting difference.
IARC Report Prioritises Agents and Exposures for Cancer Risk Evaluation - some old favourites and new ones
IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) have published a report which sets out their priorities for publishing monographs on cancer risks from workplace exposures to various agents. The report can be found at http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Publications/internrep/14-002.pdf .
The report lists more than 50 recommended agents and exposures. The list includes some old favourites (e.g. pesticides, styrene, welding fumes, metal working fluids, methanol, ethyl acrylate and talc), some new ones (e.g. multi-walled carbon nanotubes) and some more general lifestyle and dietary agents at work (e.g. coffee, physical inactivity, obesity, job stress, red meat and processed meat, salt, shiftwork).
Looks like plenty of topics to keep occupational hygienists and occupational health specialists busy over the next few years!
W501 Measurement of Hazardous Substances Training Delivered
During the week of 19th May 2014, Dr Dave Rogers delivered training for the W501 (Measurement of Hazardous Substances) international module overseen by the Occupational Hygiene Training Association (OHTA). This training was carried out for Gully Howard Technical in Portsmouth (http://www.ghtechnical.com/ ).
The next training delivery by Dr Rogers will be during the week of 9th June 2014 when he will deliver the W506 (Ergonomics Essentials) international module to a full course.