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Occupational Health

Sector Health and Safety Performance

Reportable accident statistics 

The JIB, working closely with the ECA, monitors the number, rate and types of reportable accidents in JIB member companies.  The information shows the safety performance in the sector, along with types of accidents occurring and longer term trends.

The sector has shown an impressive reduction in the rate of accidents over the last 15 years.   

The latest statistics cover 2018. For more information please read the JIB summary report for 2018.

ECA & BESA on Occupational Health

ECA and the BESA surveyed their Members on occupational health during Q1 2016.  The working description of ‘Managing occupational health’ that was used in the survey (and with which the bulk of respondents agreed) was: 'eliminating or sufficiently controlling significant exposure to work-related physical or mental health hazards (e.g. noise, asbestos, excessive manual handling, or stress) and disease, and monitoring the effects on individuals as necessary’.

The main on-site occupational health hazards identified by respondents were manual handling (96 per cent), noise (94 per cent), and asbestos (93 per cent).

82 per cent of respondents said they managed occupational health (OH), cited a ‘moral duty’ as a key reason for doing so, while over half (51 per cent) said it also helped to show the sector was ‘a great place to work.’ Many respondents also said that managing OH led to a more productive workforce, with better staff retention (77 per cent), and less absenteeism (84 per cent). Additionally, almost 60 per cent said that OH will become more important to their business in the next five years.

Regarding mental health, of the firms who reported that they manage occupational health overall, nearly six in 10 (56 per cent) incorporate plans to tackle potential mental health issues, such as occupational stress. Around 3 in 10 respondents (31 per cent) said they found on-site mental health ‘hard to manage’, despite seeing it as a potential occupational health issue.

ECA is using the results of the survey to inform its strategy in this increasingly important area.

Occupational Health Assessments

Since January 2018, JIB members have been offered occupational health assessments (OHAs) for all operatives participating in the JIB Benefits Scheme.

This is available to members as part of the benefit credit purchase. It replaces the access to Bupa personal health assessments, which will no longer be available.

JIB - Occupational Health Assessments >

As an employer, you have a duty to ensure your employees are protected from work-based health risks. JIB membership provides enhanced occupational health support and services, to help you fulfil your business' obligations in this area.

ECA fully supports this initiative to help improve occupational health monitoring and management.


The JIB/CBH partnership exists to safeguard the work-related health of electrical operatives while they are doing their job. A work-related health check identifies and sources recommendations to protect your workers’ health. This reduces absenteeism, risk of litigation and retains skilled workers.

You will also have access to CBH’s bespoke online health check tool, CHAT (Construction Health Action Toolkit).

Health records will be kept on a central database that can be accessed securely online from any site location by your appointed Occupational Health Service Provider (OHSP).

There are also guidance materials and resources available for your use.

You can call the JIB/CBH advice line with any queries about managing your employees’ work-related health.

You will have access to CBH accredited OHSPs to carry out health checks.

Tax relief is available for all employers providing Occupational Health support to their workers. They can claim against corporation tax as a legitimate expense.

Health checks undertaken by Bupa (or similar organisations) generally focus on general health and do not target work-related health risks.

You will have access to the OHSP area on the CBH website where a list is available.

Employee health records are used to inform you that an employee has attended appropriate health checks. They also specify the type of check carried out and recommendations to protect your employee’s health if necessary.

CBH cannot give specific health advice about an individual. However, they can help with general advice. Please email jib@cbhscheme.co.uk or call 01293 586786 for guidance.

As an employer you should be undertaking health checks to identify work-related health risks that might affect your workers.

CBH provides a useful matrix, which helps employers to identify the relevant health checks regarding both the employees’ job role and related health risk.

You should then engage with a suitable Occupational Health Service Provider (OHSP) that is CBH accredited to carry out the relevant health checks.

Health data is medically confidential and can only be viewed by health professionals. As the employer, you will have a health record, which confirms the health checks that have been undertaken for your employees and the outcome regarding fitness for the task. You, the employer will not have access to your employees’ medical information, neither will the site manager.

The health checks identified by CBH are those required by law. They are part of the requirement to identify if an employee has experienced any health effects when undertaking specific work activities.

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