2006 Peter Isaac Award goes underground!

A British Occupational Hygiene Society product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jan 22, 2007

Dr Olivia Carlton, FRCP, FFOM, and head of occupational health at Transport for London (TfL), is the 2006 winner of its 'Working for a Healthier Workplace - The Peter Isaac Award'.

BOHS is announcing that Dr Olivia Carlton, FRCP, FFOM, and head of occupational health at Transport for London (TfL), is the 2006 winner of its 'Working for a Healthier Workplace - The Peter Isaac Award', for her role in developing and leading London Underground's 'Health Improvement Plan'.

The Peter Isaac Award recognises outstanding contributions to the reduction of ill-health at work.

The five year health improvement plan for London Underground was launched in 2004/5 and is now in its third year.

Its aims focus on how to reduce lost working days due to back pain, and stress, anxiety and depression.

Three key strands so far of the work on back pain have been the development of 'Working Back' guides for employees and managers, the introduction of a back exercise class which has a large educational component and a work focus, and workplace assessments to identify specific needs.

Already sickness absence due to back pain has decreased, those who are referred for physiotherapy and the exercise class within six weeks of being off sick return to work on average three weeks sooner than those referred later, and employees report marked reductions in pain and disability.

A consultation period to identify the key issues leading to stress, anxiety and depression has led to the introduction of a number of initiatives, including: 'hot spots' work using a facilitator with training in mental health issues to coach managers and encourage teams to find their own solutions, and the setting up of stress reduction groups, led by trained counsellors, to encourage participants to develop the skills and resilience to take greater control over their lives.

Sickness absence due to stress, anxiety and depression has decreased in most working groups, and the sickness absence (for all causes) of those who attend the stress reduction groups has been found to reduce by 30% in the following year compared to the year before the intervention.

Dr Olivia Carlton is an occupational physician, and has worked for TfL (formerly London Transport) for seventeen years.

She advises TfL, and in particular London Underground's Board, on occupational health policy and strategy.

She heads up TfL's multidisciplinary occupational health team which includes medical and nursing advisers, a counselling and trauma service, a drug and alcohol assessment and treatment service and a physiotherapy service.

Integrating the physical, mental and social aspects of good occupational health management has been a focus for this team for some considerable time.

She has held the position of Registrar of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine since May 2002.

The Peter Isaac Award was initiated to mark BOHS's golden jubilee in 2003, and is so named in honour of Peter Isaac, a founder and first Secretary of the Society.

Olivia will receive GBP1,000 to be used to subsidise attendance at any 2007 health and safety conference, plus a specially engraved Trophy for the year and a framed Certificate signed by the President to keep, presented at the BOHS Annual Conference Dinner in April 2007.

Also included is complimentary attendance at the Conference, and free BOHS membership for one year.