Disability confident companies will reduce health and safety costs in their business by ensuring that they comply with legislation, reduce risks to disabled colleagues and, crucially, by limiting avoidable disabilities caused at work.

• In the UK in 2003/04 2.2 million people suffered from ill health which they thought was work related - 75% of this was musculoskeletal disorders and stress. 30 million days were lost due to workplace related ill health and nine million lost days due to injury. [i]
• Musculoskeletal disorders cost employers more than €24.5 billion in Germany. [ii]

50% of Occupational health professionals said that they had not hired a disabled person on health and safety grounds. Despite European guidance that clearly states that disabled people rarely present an additional health and safety risk, Article 7(2) of the European Directive 2000/78 allows member states to adopt health and safety legislation which are an exception to the principle of equal treatment for disabled people. Employers often fail to make well informed decisions based on well-substantiated evidence and the measures used to counteract potential health and safety risks are often irrational and disproportionate.

Making it possible for disabled workers to do the job safely and providing health and safety measures such as training or special equipment that are accessible is usually a requirement of both health and safety and anti-discrimination legislation. Genuine conflicts, where complying with one makes it impossible to comply with the other, are rare. [iii]

European Agency for Safety and Health at Work

Sources

1. [i] Health and Safety Executive 2003/04.
2. [ii] Thiehoff R, Economic significance of work disability caused by musculoskeletal disorders. Orthopade 2002; 31 (10) 949 - 956).
3. [iii] "Ensuring the health and safety of workers with disabilities." ISSN 1681 2123