Work-related health problems are much more common than workplace injuries. There is a clear need to better understand why this happens and how to reduce the negative impacts, including personal and economic losses and costs, for both people and businesses. This is complex.
One challenge is that work-related health issues are often hard to define clearly. It can be difficult to tell whether a health problem arises from work or due to other causes affecting someone’s ability to work, or if work makes an existing health condition worse. Common workplace health issues like stress, anxiety, and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) can have many different causes.
They may include employment, workplace culture or organisational design factors that sit outside what occupational safety and health professionals might consider. We need to look at factors like how people are employed, what tasks they do and for how long, and how much autonomy and control they have over their work. This is in addition to studying typical workplace hazards and exposure data.
To help create healthier workplaces, health and safety professionals need better tools to investigate these issues. That is why this project will develop a practical toolkit for collecting data about suspected work-related adverse health events.
Project aim
The overall aim of this project is to develop a toolbox for workers in UK ports and onboard UK registered ships that can be used to record and analyse data when a suspected work-related adverse health outcome occurs, since without consistent and complete data it is unlikely that any patterns can be easily identified.
The toolbox will contain the following:
- Written good practice guidance for the use of the data collection form.
- A short animation to supplement the written good practice guidance.
- Written guidance and videos to demonstrate some of the ways the data could be analysed and further utilised to identify any emerging patterns.
- Signposting to other relevant resources to ensure those who are analysing the data are competent enough to do so in a meaningful manner.
Meet the team
Professor David Walters
Ethical approval
This project was granted ethical approval by Southampton Solent University on 29 January 2025. Application reference number 001519.
Get involved
Between February and May 2025 a series of workshops will be held with individuals who are involved in the recording, collection or analysis of health data in either of the two identified industries.
These workshops will consist of between 3 and 5 individuals and will be hosted both online and at East Part Terrace Campus, Southampton Solent University. If you would like to participate in the project, please contact: helen.devereux@solent.ac.uk
Please continue to check this page for further updates to the project.
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This research is funded by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health.
