Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the proportion of pregnant women in the workplace (a) whose employer undertakes an individual risk assessment and (b) who report that all risks were addressed during that assessment.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has a long established advice line where concerns can be raised, general enquiries answered and where appropriate, referred to policy, inspector and occupational health specialists for further advice. This includes advice on risk assessment and management for pregnant women and new mothers. Ways to contact HSE
HSE do not hold data on the number of pregnant women whose employer undertakes an individual risk assessment and who report that all risks were addressed during that assessment.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether there is a specialist Health and Safety Executive service to deliver advice to employers, employees and local authority officers on risk assessment and management for pregnant women and new mothers in the workplace.
Answered by Chloe Smith
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has a long established advice line where concerns can be raised, general enquiries answered and where appropriate, referred to policy, inspector and occupational health specialists for further advice. This includes advice on risk assessment and management for pregnant women and new mothers. Ways to contact HSE
HSE do not hold data on the number of pregnant women whose employer undertakes an individual risk assessment and who report that all risks were addressed during that assessment.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2021 to Question 63830, on Prison Officers: Menopause, what further support is being offered to menopausal staff (a) in general and (b) in respect of the fitness test.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
1. PQ 135588
The HMPPS annual fitness test policy allows for an alternative fitness test for prison officers with an underlying medical condition, injury or suffering from any specific side effects relating to the menopause.
HMPPS published a new Fitness Test policy and toolkit in November 2021 which outlines the support for employees to pass the test through the line manager, fitness testing team, establishment PE officers or referral to occupational health. The toolkit specifically gives information for staff displaying symptoms of peri menopause and menopause and the process for delaying the fitness test if required and relevant support available.
Staff presenting with menopausal symptoms at their fitness test will require a holistic approach to ensure their safety and ability to undertake the test. The occupational health clinical context in conjunction with the Fitness Test policy takes into account an individual’s needs with impartiality and their functional capacity regarding ability to take the fitness test. This Fitness Test policy must be applied in a fair and equitable manner and in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 and to ensure compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty.
2. PQ 135589
Information in relation to menopause has been added to the occupational health user guide with intranet links to the HMPPS fitness test policy and toolkit, HMPPS menopause toolkit, supporting the workplace in menopause (SWIM), championing women in the workplace group, employee assistance programme and occupational health.
The OH provider has launched a workplace wellbeing platform which offers links to the above and articles, podcasts and information on menopause in the workplace and the available support both within the workplace and external information.
Asked by: Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru - Dwyfor Meirionnydd)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 3 November 2021 to Question 63830, on Prison Officers: Menopause, what assessment she has made of the validity of the Equality Assessment for Fitness Testing in the context of further specialist medical advice.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
1. PQ 135588
The HMPPS annual fitness test policy allows for an alternative fitness test for prison officers with an underlying medical condition, injury or suffering from any specific side effects relating to the menopause.
HMPPS published a new Fitness Test policy and toolkit in November 2021 which outlines the support for employees to pass the test through the line manager, fitness testing team, establishment PE officers or referral to occupational health. The toolkit specifically gives information for staff displaying symptoms of peri menopause and menopause and the process for delaying the fitness test if required and relevant support available.
Staff presenting with menopausal symptoms at their fitness test will require a holistic approach to ensure their safety and ability to undertake the test. The occupational health clinical context in conjunction with the Fitness Test policy takes into account an individual’s needs with impartiality and their functional capacity regarding ability to take the fitness test. This Fitness Test policy must be applied in a fair and equitable manner and in accordance with the Equality Act 2010 and to ensure compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty.
2. PQ 135589
Information in relation to menopause has been added to the occupational health user guide with intranet links to the HMPPS fitness test policy and toolkit, HMPPS menopause toolkit, supporting the workplace in menopause (SWIM), championing women in the workplace group, employee assistance programme and occupational health.
The OH provider has launched a workplace wellbeing platform which offers links to the above and articles, podcasts and information on menopause in the workplace and the available support both within the workplace and external information.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2022 to Question 126706 on Treasury: Coronavirus, if he will make it his policy to require individual risk assessments for all employees at Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) before they return to the workplace following the easing of covid-19 restrictions; and how many individual risk assessments for people returning to work have been conducted by HMRC as of 2 March 2022.
Answered by Lucy Frazer - Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
Throughout the pandemic HMRC have, in line with UK and Devolved Administration Guidance, made the Health & Safety (H&S) of employees their top priority, and put in place robust control measures to deliver on that. Measures include facilitating working at home where possible and providing a range of mental health and wellbeing services for employees wherever they are based. HMRC ensured suitable ventilation and additional cleaning in their workplaces, as well as the mandation of the wearing of face coverings in their Scottish offices. For offices in the other UK nations, there was an expectation that face coverings would be worn from Summer 2021 to January 2022.
The HMRC Chief Executive gave notice on 31 January 2022 that from 28 February colleagues in England and Scotland will move to new ‘hybrid’ ways of working. As greater numbers of HMRC employees return to the workplace, the Department has put in place a ‘Return to Office Discussion Toolkit’. This gives managers and employees an opportunity to consider health, safety, and wellbeing in the context of the employees’ personal circumstances, to identify any concerns, and the right next steps and solutions. The Toolkit includes an Individual Risk Assessment, which can be used to help employees and managers understand the cumulative risk, to consider what additional controls can be put in place, and to make an informed decision about next steps. If any concerns are identified after working through the individual risk assessment, professional Occupational Health advice and welfare support is available. Completing the Individual Risk Assessment is not mandated in HMRC, which reflects the Scottish Government Guidance position that employers “should continue to conduct individual risk assessments … where necessary”. This remains the position going forward, subject to any changes in UK or Devolved Administration Government Guidance.
As part of the Toolkit and risk assessment process, HMRC have recognised that there may be some colleagues who need additional flexibility and support as part of their return to the office. Therefore, HMRC managers have the flexibility and discretion to support employees with plans that might run to a slightly longer timeframe. The ‘Supported Returns Plan Toolkit’ allows additional time to enable solutions to be put in place for the employee’s return to the office, as well as the continuation of support for them, such as additional utilities, travel expenses, and London pay easement, where applicable.
Whilst HMRC requires each manager and employee to have a Toolkit-led conversation as part of return to office planning, they do not retain records of how many individual risk assessments for people returning to work have been conducted.
Asked by: Chris Stephens (Scottish National Party - Glasgow South West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make it her policy to mandate individual risk assessments for all employees in her Department before they return to the workplace following the easing of covid-19 restrictions; and how many individual risk assessments for people returning to work have been conducted by her Department as of 21 February 2022.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
DWP has maintained its services throughout the pandemic with Jobcentres remaining open for anyone who needed face-to-face support and whom we could not help in any other way. When DWP returned to its standard opening hours within our jobcentres in April 2021, we launched a template to support one-to-one discussions between managers and colleagues about returning to the workplace. This template is a document for managers and colleagues to capture key information from these discussions, providing support for conversations about the barriers and concerns that may arise for colleagues in returning to the workplace.
The template covers a number of important considerations and topics relating to the health and safety of our colleagues, and includes reasonable and workplace adjustments, risk assessments for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic colleagues, mental health support, caring requirements, and wellbeing issues such as referrals to occupational health. The one-to-one template links to a suite of products and supporting mechanisms available to all colleagues across DWP, and has been widely publicised in various communications and channels since its launch. The one-to-one process is focussed on the individual, and was not centrally monitored.
Asked by: Lord Blunkett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the extent to which all staff within the NHS have access to occupational health services, and (2) the benefits of occupational health services to staff within the NHS.
Answered by Lord Kamall
Responsibility for the provision of occupational health services lies with National Health Service employing organisations, who have a duty of care to staff linked to the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Staff are also covered by the NHS Constitution for the right to work in healthy and safe working conditions.
The People Plan’s NHS Growing Occupational Health Programme strengthens support for occupational health as a preventative approach to health and wellbeing. Occupational health can improve attendance by addressing causes of sickness absence and support staff to return to work. The current benefits of occupational health include rapid access to evidence-based mental health interventions and tailored health and wellbeing offers for NHS staff.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether Highways England regularly monitors data on emissions from diesel engine exhausts.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
National Highways (formerly Highways England) do not specifically monitor emissions from diesel engine exhausts. However, National Highways has approximately 60 automatic air quality monitoring stations located alongside the Strategic Road Network (SRN) measuring nitrogen dioxide. Of these, 6 also measure particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5). Nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter are pollutants produced by all petrol and diesel vehicles.
Pursuant to the answer to Question 109214, National Highways own and maintain a standard within their Health Safety and Wellbeing management system, for the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH). Guidance and Procedures are also provided for Traffic Officers working in road tunnels, which are equipped with ventilation to mitigate risk associated with air quality and harmful fumes.
Pursuant to the answer to Question 109214, National Highways’ staff are assessed for operational health hazards, and safety critical medicals included as part of general health assessments every other year. An occupational hygiene assessment is due to be undertaken for National Highways Traffic Officers and Highways Inspectors over the next four months, which will assess their current, and any new, occupational health risks.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) preventative and (b) control measures he has put in place to help tackle the exposure of Highways England staff to diesel engine exhaust emissions.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
National Highways (formerly Highways England) do not specifically monitor emissions from diesel engine exhausts. However, National Highways has approximately 60 automatic air quality monitoring stations located alongside the Strategic Road Network (SRN) measuring nitrogen dioxide. Of these, 6 also measure particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5). Nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter are pollutants produced by all petrol and diesel vehicles.
Pursuant to the answer to Question 109214, National Highways own and maintain a standard within their Health Safety and Wellbeing management system, for the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH). Guidance and Procedures are also provided for Traffic Officers working in road tunnels, which are equipped with ventilation to mitigate risk associated with air quality and harmful fumes.
Pursuant to the answer to Question 109214, National Highways’ staff are assessed for operational health hazards, and safety critical medicals included as part of general health assessments every other year. An occupational hygiene assessment is due to be undertaken for National Highways Traffic Officers and Highways Inspectors over the next four months, which will assess their current, and any new, occupational health risks.
Asked by: Grahame Morris (Labour - Easington)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether the Government provides guidance for staff on the risks of exposure to diesel engine exhaust emissions to Highways England.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
National Highways (formerly Highways England) do not specifically monitor emissions from diesel engine exhausts. However, National Highways has approximately 60 automatic air quality monitoring stations located alongside the Strategic Road Network (SRN) measuring nitrogen dioxide. Of these, 6 also measure particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5). Nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter are pollutants produced by all petrol and diesel vehicles.
Pursuant to the answer to Question 109214, National Highways own and maintain a standard within their Health Safety and Wellbeing management system, for the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH). Guidance and Procedures are also provided for Traffic Officers working in road tunnels, which are equipped with ventilation to mitigate risk associated with air quality and harmful fumes.
Pursuant to the answer to Question 109214, National Highways’ staff are assessed for operational health hazards, and safety critical medicals included as part of general health assessments every other year. An occupational hygiene assessment is due to be undertaken for National Highways Traffic Officers and Highways Inspectors over the next four months, which will assess their current, and any new, occupational health risks.