n the UK, more women than men are getting ill because of their work. With a new report calling for action to address this crisis, IOSH’s Dr Karen Michell sets out the changes that must be made.
The British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) report, Uncovering the UK’s hidden crisis in women’s workplace health is, to me, another stark reminder that we live in a man’s world.
The report highlights the neglected occupational health concerns of women, who make up half the formal workforce in the UK and globally. This is, however, not something new, not something we have recently acknowledged as a concern. In 1960, Evelyn Spiro wrote: ‘More and more women are employed in American industry. It is high time that public health workers took a good look at the meaning of this phenomenon in terms of health.’* .
In a paper written more than 60 years ago, Spiro highlighted many concerns faced by women, such as lack of skills training, going home to household duties and responsibilities, lack of representation at senior levels within occupations, inadequate access to ablutions and the high rate of occupational injuries (with a noted comment that the injury rate was higher in hospitals than other occupational settings). In 1946, Swanson had written about the impact of forestry work on women workers, referring specifically to musculoskeletal disorders (due to manual labour), gastrointestinal complaints (due to lack of access to hot and nutritious food) and an increase in dysmenorrhoea (period pains) and menorrhagia (heavy bleeding) due to strenuous work.
Women in a man’s world
We know that men and women differ both physiologically and anthropometrically (regarding measurement of the human body), and despite the fact that women represent half the global workforce we continue to expect them to fit into a man’s world. There are manifold examples of how we expect women to do this, like cars being designed around male anthropometry, with crash test dummies usually designed as 70 kg males; cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) manikins designed as men, ignoring the fact women have breasts which influences hand placement for CPR in women; technology is developed around the anthropometry of men, and occupational exposure limits are based on an average 70kg male. And don’t get me started on those long queues outside female toilets in public spaces, due to a failure to consider women’s needs in the design process!
While advances have been made for women, these still haven’t gone far enough. In more recent literature, and based on anecdotal experiences, we know women are still underrepresented in higher paid jobs and executive positions yet overrepresented in lower paid, precarious work (part time and temporary employment). The cancers experienced by female fire fighters differ from those experienced by their male counterparts, while certain chemical exposures are associated with early onset menopause. Women remain largely responsible for the household duties and caring functions at home, which adds to the stressors they are experiencing.
From personal experience, in 2022, while working with a team of health professionals and advocating gender-based health risk assessments, I was told that OSH professionals were not ready for this. Well, if not now, then when? When, as occupational health and safety professionals, will we be ready to ensure that the health and wellbeing of all workers is protected and not just fifty per cent of them? What can be done now to turn this tide?
Things we can do
Many papers have recommended that politicians take responsibility for the development and enforcement of regulation designed to protect women. Currently, that political will appears to be lacking and while we wait for the politicians to see the urgency of the matter there are things that we as OSH professionals can do. Changes need to be made and some key changes that can be applied by professionals include the following:
- Where there is a lack of understanding of how men and women differ, and where the impact of this on workability is poorly understood, seek this knowledge
- A comprehensive exposure history needs to be taken which includes domestic responsibilities, such as exposure to cleaning chemicals and caring responsibilities
Gender based health risk assessments that recognize and address the gender differences need to be developed - Medical examinations should be conducted by health professionals who understand the hazards to which women are exposed and how they may impact women differently
- Provide women with PPE designed around the female form and not PPE designed for men with an adjusted size. This includes face masks and respirators to ensure adequate protection
- Research needs to be commissioned that explores safe exposure levels for women as well as men. The reproductive health messages in safety data sheets need to be improved to include clearer messaging on menopause and menstrual health.
It’s time we developed the political and professional will to acknowledge that women’s health needs require focused attention and that although women may be similar to their male counterparts in some ways, the differences need to be addressed as a priority. We have to show the professional will to close gender gaps at work and make the world of work safe for all workers.
Dr Karen Michell
IOSH Research Programmer Lead (Occupational Health)
