Asked by: Yvonne Fovargue (Labour - Makerfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to make silicosis a notifiable disease under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) are made under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and apply to all sectors and workplaces in Great Britain.
The 2013 regulations clarified and simplified the list of reportable ill-health conditions (occupational diseases), as a result of a recommendation made by Professor Löfstedt in his report “Reclaiming health and safety for all: An independent review of health and safety legislation,” published in 2011.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) keeps the regulations, including specified injuries and reportable diseases, under review. The list of current reportable occupational diseases, including silicosis, will be considered as part of the next formal post-implementation review of RIDDOR, which is due to report in October 2023. HSE will engage with a range of stakeholders as part of the review process.
Asked by: Yvonne Fovargue (Labour - Makerfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will reduce the Workplace Exposure Limit in the UK for silica related work to 0.05 mg/m3 in line with other countries.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does not currently intend to review the Workplace Exposure Limit (WEL) of Respirable Crystalline Silica (RCS) in Great Britain. HSE contributed to the more recent European Union (EU) assessment of the limit in January 2019, where the EU reclassified RCS as a carcinogen and implemented the same occupational exposure limit as already existed in GB.
HSE will continue to monitor international developments in this area and the evidence base to consider the range of interventions that might be suitable, including any change to the exposure limit in GB.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to adopt the EU’s ‘rolling list’ of potentially toxic chemicals as part of the UK's REACH register.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Defra continues to work closely with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), Environment Agency (EA), Welsh and Scottish Governments to identify our priorities under UK REACH. To do this, we consider information from a range of sources, including reviewing action initiated under the EU.
Once we have identified priority chemical risks for GB we consider the most appropriate approach for managing them. This could include action under REACH, or action through other means, such as through the occupational health and safety regulations or the Classification, Labelling and Packaging (CLP) regulations.
Asked by: Lisa Cameron (Conservative - East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government will require workplaces to conduct risk assessments for the potential effect of working arrangements on people who are immunosuppressed.
Answered by Maggie Throup
We have made no such assessment. The Government continues to provide guidance for employers, including in the health and social care sector, to take reasonable steps to manage the risks of COVID-19 and protect staff. ‘Reducing the spread of respiratory infections, including COVID-19, in the workplace’, published on 1 April 2022, is available at the following link:
For workers who are at greater risk of serious illness from COVID-19, such as those with a weakened immune system, employers may wish to consider their specific needs, including any entitlement to a reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act 2010.
The Health and Safety Executive no longer requires every business to consider COVID-19 in its risk assessment or have specific measures in place. However, employers may still choose to continue to include COVID-19 in risk assessments. Employers should also continue to comply with the requirements for cleaning, ventilation and welfare facilities in the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 or the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 to control occupational health and safety risks. Employers have a duty to consult with employees or their representatives on health and safety matters.
Asked by: Holly Lynch (Labour - Halifax)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of requiring employers to carry out covid-19 risk assessments for their immunocompromised employees in the health and social care sector.
Answered by Maggie Throup
We have made no such assessment. The Government continues to provide guidance for employers, including in the health and social care sector, to take reasonable steps to manage the risks of COVID-19 and protect staff. ‘Reducing the spread of respiratory infections, including COVID-19, in the workplace’, published on 1 April 2022, is available at the following link:
For workers who are at greater risk of serious illness from COVID-19, such as those with a weakened immune system, employers may wish to consider their specific needs, including any entitlement to a reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act 2010.
The Health and Safety Executive no longer requires every business to consider COVID-19 in its risk assessment or have specific measures in place. However, employers may still choose to continue to include COVID-19 in risk assessments. Employers should also continue to comply with the requirements for cleaning, ventilation and welfare facilities in the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 or the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 to control occupational health and safety risks. Employers have a duty to consult with employees or their representatives on health and safety matters.
Asked by: Anthony Mangnall (Conservative - Totnes)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to extend free TB vaccinations to include all those that work with bovines.
Answered by Maggie Throup
Based on the current available evidence, there are no plans to extend free Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccinations to all those who work with bovines. BCG vaccination against tuberculosis (TB) is not usually recommended for people aged over 16 years old, unless the risk of exposure is high. BCG vaccination can be offered to veterinary staff and staff, such as abattoir workers, who handle animals or animal materials which could be infected with TB.
Under these current criteria in the Green Book, a very small subset of farmers may be eligible for the BCG vaccination. Their eligibility for TB vaccination should be based on an individual risk assessment. Those eligible would access the vaccine through a private occupational health provider and may seek further advice from the National Farmers Union. Non-National Health Service providers can charge for this service.
Under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations (COSHH), all new employees, including farmers, should undergo a pre-employment health assessment, which should include a review of immunisation needs. The COSHH risk assessment will indicate which pathogens staff are exposed to in their workplace, such as bovine TB. Staff considered to be at risk of exposure to pathogens should be offered routine pre-exposure immunisation as appropriate. This decision should also take into account the safety and efficacy of available vaccines. Staff not considered to be at risk need not routinely be offered immunisation, although post-exposure prophylaxis may occasionally be indicated.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment his Department has made of data on female prison employees failing the prison staff fitness test.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
There are many factors which determine a person’s ability to pass a fitness test which are often not determined by age, sex or gender alone. Prison officers need to be capable of performing specific tasks to a certain standard to ensure their safety and the safety of everyone else, including prisoners and work colleagues. No adjustment to the fitness test is made based on age, sex or gender because they are not the determining factor on passing the test and fitness levels between employees of either sex or gender at all ages can vary. Adjustments are considered and may be offered on the advice of an occupational health practitioner.
From the restart of fitness testing on 26/07/2021 to 28/02/2022 there have been a total of 502 test fails:
| 1st test fails | 2nd test fails | 3rd test fails |
Male | 202 | 10 | 0 |
Female | 265 | 25 | 0 |
From the restart of fitness testing on 26/07/2021 to 28/02/2022 there have been a total of 14,488 fitness tests undertaken:
| Number of tests | % |
Male | 11,170 | 77 |
Female | 3,318 | 23 |
Staff who do not meet the annual fitness test standard will be provided with advice and support by a fitness assessor on achieving and maintaining the required fitness level to pass their fitness test. The new HMPPS policy allows employees suffering from any specific side effects related to the menopause an opportunity to postpone the test for a limited period whilst the side effects subside. The deferred test would need to be completed within a 3-6-month period of the originally scheduled test and the employee would be expected to take the test at the next opportunity. If they are still unable to take the test due to significant medical symptoms, a referral to Occupational Health (OH) should be made to advise on adjustments if appropriate and a GP referral may be required. HMPPS is commissioning further specialist medical advice to ensure the Equality Assessment for Fitness Testing remains valid, and to consider what further support can be offered to menopausal staff in general and specifically in relation to the fitness test.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prison staff who took the fitness test during the most recent period for which figures are available were (a) male, and (b) female.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
There are many factors which determine a person’s ability to pass a fitness test which are often not determined by age, sex or gender alone. Prison officers need to be capable of performing specific tasks to a certain standard to ensure their safety and the safety of everyone else, including prisoners and work colleagues. No adjustment to the fitness test is made based on age, sex or gender because they are not the determining factor on passing the test and fitness levels between employees of either sex or gender at all ages can vary. Adjustments are considered and may be offered on the advice of an occupational health practitioner.
From the restart of fitness testing on 26/07/2021 to 28/02/2022 there have been a total of 502 test fails:
| 1st test fails | 2nd test fails | 3rd test fails |
Male | 202 | 10 | 0 |
Female | 265 | 25 | 0 |
From the restart of fitness testing on 26/07/2021 to 28/02/2022 there have been a total of 14,488 fitness tests undertaken:
| Number of tests | % |
Male | 11,170 | 77 |
Female | 3,318 | 23 |
Staff who do not meet the annual fitness test standard will be provided with advice and support by a fitness assessor on achieving and maintaining the required fitness level to pass their fitness test. The new HMPPS policy allows employees suffering from any specific side effects related to the menopause an opportunity to postpone the test for a limited period whilst the side effects subside. The deferred test would need to be completed within a 3-6-month period of the originally scheduled test and the employee would be expected to take the test at the next opportunity. If they are still unable to take the test due to significant medical symptoms, a referral to Occupational Health (OH) should be made to advise on adjustments if appropriate and a GP referral may be required. HMPPS is commissioning further specialist medical advice to ensure the Equality Assessment for Fitness Testing remains valid, and to consider what further support can be offered to menopausal staff in general and specifically in relation to the fitness test.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of prison staff who failed the prison staff fitness test on the (a) first, (b) second and (c) third attempt during the most recent period for which figures are available were (i) male and (ii) female.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
There are many factors which determine a person’s ability to pass a fitness test which are often not determined by age, sex or gender alone. Prison officers need to be capable of performing specific tasks to a certain standard to ensure their safety and the safety of everyone else, including prisoners and work colleagues. No adjustment to the fitness test is made based on age, sex or gender because they are not the determining factor on passing the test and fitness levels between employees of either sex or gender at all ages can vary. Adjustments are considered and may be offered on the advice of an occupational health practitioner.
From the restart of fitness testing on 26/07/2021 to 28/02/2022 there have been a total of 502 test fails:
| 1st test fails | 2nd test fails | 3rd test fails |
Male | 202 | 10 | 0 |
Female | 265 | 25 | 0 |
From the restart of fitness testing on 26/07/2021 to 28/02/2022 there have been a total of 14,488 fitness tests undertaken:
| Number of tests | % |
Male | 11,170 | 77 |
Female | 3,318 | 23 |
Staff who do not meet the annual fitness test standard will be provided with advice and support by a fitness assessor on achieving and maintaining the required fitness level to pass their fitness test. The new HMPPS policy allows employees suffering from any specific side effects related to the menopause an opportunity to postpone the test for a limited period whilst the side effects subside. The deferred test would need to be completed within a 3-6-month period of the originally scheduled test and the employee would be expected to take the test at the next opportunity. If they are still unable to take the test due to significant medical symptoms, a referral to Occupational Health (OH) should be made to advise on adjustments if appropriate and a GP referral may be required. HMPPS is commissioning further specialist medical advice to ensure the Equality Assessment for Fitness Testing remains valid, and to consider what further support can be offered to menopausal staff in general and specifically in relation to the fitness test.
Asked by: Justin Madders (Labour - Ellesmere Port and Neston)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent equality analysis his Department has made of the HMPPS staff fitness test.
Answered by Tom Pursglove - Minister of State (Minister for Legal Migration and Delivery)
There are many factors which determine a person’s ability to pass a fitness test which are often not determined by age, sex or gender alone. Prison officers need to be capable of performing specific tasks to a certain standard to ensure their safety and the safety of everyone else, including prisoners and work colleagues. No adjustment to the fitness test is made based on age, sex or gender because they are not the determining factor on passing the test and fitness levels between employees of either sex or gender at all ages can vary. Adjustments are considered and may be offered on the advice of an occupational health practitioner.
From the restart of fitness testing on 26/07/2021 to 28/02/2022 there have been a total of 502 test fails:
| 1st test fails | 2nd test fails | 3rd test fails |
Male | 202 | 10 | 0 |
Female | 265 | 25 | 0 |
From the restart of fitness testing on 26/07/2021 to 28/02/2022 there have been a total of 14,488 fitness tests undertaken:
| Number of tests | % |
Male | 11,170 | 77 |
Female | 3,318 | 23 |
Staff who do not meet the annual fitness test standard will be provided with advice and support by a fitness assessor on achieving and maintaining the required fitness level to pass their fitness test. The new HMPPS policy allows employees suffering from any specific side effects related to the menopause an opportunity to postpone the test for a limited period whilst the side effects subside. The deferred test would need to be completed within a 3-6-month period of the originally scheduled test and the employee would be expected to take the test at the next opportunity. If they are still unable to take the test due to significant medical symptoms, a referral to Occupational Health (OH) should be made to advise on adjustments if appropriate and a GP referral may be required. HMPPS is commissioning further specialist medical advice to ensure the Equality Assessment for Fitness Testing remains valid, and to consider what further support can be offered to menopausal staff in general and specifically in relation to the fitness test.