20 August 2004 - Problem of Public Sector Absences Highlighted on New HSE Website Area
The Health
and Safety Executive (HSE) have produced a new area within their website to
highlight the problem of public sector absenteeism.
HSE figures show that over 5 million workers belong to the public sector,
about 18% of the total workforce within Britain.
The civil service has estimated costs of almost £306 million due to the
financial and operational burdens incurred in absenteeism's.
Figures shown by the HSE, state that averaging the number of working days of
sickness absences per worker, per year, totals 9.8 days, which is an
increase from 2001, where the figure was 9.2.
This amounts to 4,903,705 days of absence through sickness, which
corresponds to the 4.3% of working days lost.
Pledges from the Government to reduce the levels of sickness absences within
the civil service were 20% in 2001 and 30% in 2003 against baseline of 1998,
which was supported by each department who signed up to target specific
areas.
Within the HSE website, this new page focuses on all central Government
departments and their agencies throughout England, Scotland and Wales and
includes:
-
the National Health Service and subsidiary care organisations
-
the independent health care sector
-
local government
-
fire, police, defence, and education services.
The new area of the HSE web site can be found by clicking this link: Public Services website
Article by Alexandra Johnston
