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An international campaign to tackle work-related cancer has registered its 200th supporting organisation worldwide.
No Time to Lose, run by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), has attracted backing from a wide cross-section of industries.
This support has led to the risks of exposure to cancer-causing agents in workplaces – and many ways these can be controlled – being highlighted to employees around the world.
The 200th organisation to register its support was the University of Liverpool.
Stewart Crowe, Health, Safety and Risk Manager at the university, said they are backing the drive as part of a commitment to the health and wellbeing of staff, students and their wider community.
“As an educator we actively promote a transformative learning and teaching agenda ‘for advancement of learning and ennoblement of life’,” he said, “and we recognise the benefits of taking a collaborative approach to engaging with our staff and supply chain to raise awareness levels, identify improvement performance opportunities and promote good practice.
“It is important to the university that we operate responsibly, to ensure business excellence by leading the sector in our approach to managing the university and supporting its activities not only on our campus but together within the communities in which we operate nationally and globally.”
The news of the 200th supporter comes shortly after IOSH announced that 100 organisations had signed a pledge to make specific changes to policies and practices to do what they can to prevent employees from being exposed to carcinogens.
To mark the campaign’s success and to build on it, IOSH is holding a campaign event with its supporters at The Crystal in London tomorrow evening (Wednesday 21 June).
The event will showcase case studies demonstrating how some businesses are controlling employee exposure to cancer-causing agents. It will be opened by IOSH’s Executive Director of Policy, Shelley Frost.
Ahead of the event, Shelley said: “We are delighted that our No Time to Lose campaign continues to go from strength to strength. Through our campaign supporters, employees the world over are being made aware of the risks posed by carcinogens in workplaces and controls are being put in place to prevent such exposures.
“Prevention is always better than cure. We will continue to work with our pledge organisations and others who support our drive. It is through such collaboration that we stand the best chance of preventing people from becoming seriously ill as a result of the work they do.”
No Time to Lose was launched in November 2014 after IOSH-commissioned research revealed that at least 666,000 die every year worldwide from cancer caused by work. Among the main causes are exposure to solar radiation, diesel fumes, silica dust and asbestos
Through the campaign, IOSH offers free advice and guidance to organisations on how to prevent employees from exposure to harmful agents.
For more information about the campaign and how to get involved, visit www.notimetolose.org.uk
