Current Projects

Since 2002 our Trustees have committed in excess of £940,000 to fund 16 high impact projects based on robust evidence, ten of which have been completed.

Links to brief summaries of some of our current projects are below. Please click on each title for the business case and fuller details if available. We are also at an advanced stage of discussions with a leading research team on a business-centric project on rehabilitation

Health and performance at work:
Systematic Evidence Review: evaluating the impact of back, neck and upper limb pain on work performance and absence

This systematic evidence review  “Evaluating the impact of back, neck and upper limb pain on work performance and absence” will interrogate the database referred to on our “Performance at Work” page in order to:

  • Summarise the evidence on the overall impact of back, neck and upper limb pain on work performance and absence.
  • Assess the separate impacts of back, neck and upper limb pain on work performance and absence.
  • Describe the range of outcome measures, used to assess work performance for people with these conditions.
  • Evaluate the measures found in terms of their reliability and validity.

This work is expected to start in June.  It will probably take 12 months to complete.

Ageing, work and health: an investigation of working women's experience of the menopause

This research aims to identify

  1. the extent and nature of the problems that the menopause presents for women at work
  2. how this can be improved through design and management of work

Deliverables:

  • evidence based recommendations for management and occupational health advisers to inform policy, best practice and a work environment that will be conducive to the health and productivity of women working through the menopause
  • identification of the factors that would help women working through the menopause stay in work, thus reducing staff turnover
  • advice leaflets for older women working through the menopause and for their employers
  • scientific report on work related concerns of older women workers, and their effects on health, motivation and performance

BOHRF is seeking expressions of interest in contributing towards the total project funding of £48,500.

Identification of prognostic factors for people diagnosed with occupational contact dermatitis

Occupational contact dermatitis (OCD) accounts for 1 in 5 of all occupational diseases reported in the UK. The main objectives of this research of international relevance are to

  • determine why OCD is so often persistent (up to 70% of sufferers still have the condition after six months, even after exposure to the cause has ceased)
  • determine the risk factors that cause persistence so that control of exposure to risk can be improved
  • identify particular sensitisers with worst outcome to enable focussed preventative measures to deal with "worst case" allergens
  • develop and validate a skin exposure questionnaire to aid assessment of skin exposure to irritants and allergens over time
  • identify differences in prognosis for those with irritant versus allergic contact dermatitis

The deliverables are designed to help risk assessment and improved control of risk through:

  • a skin exposure questionnaire to aid assessment of skin exposure to irritants and allergens over time
  • report on, inter alia, risk factors for persistent post-occupational dermatitis; differences in prognosis for those with irritant versus allergic contact dermatitis; prognosis for different allergens

The wellbeing of mobile personnel

Investigating the ergonomic, psychosocial and organisational factors for remote and isolated workers

This innovative research addresses an issue of increasing significance to many employers - the wellbeing of employees who are mostly away from office/work base. The work is designed to provide:

  • Policy recommendations based on evidence for remote/isolated workers
  • Issues that reduce their wellbeing; enabling better risk management
  • Identification of benefits of remote working; enabling better performance

It is relevant to management employees, sales representatives, field engineers, drivers.

Increasing numbers of employers are adopting a business model based on mobile/remote workers. The wellbeing, and thus performance, of such workers is a major gap in research. This work aims to fill that gap and provide employers with an evidence base for effective risk management of mobile/remote workers.

Blackberrys, mobile phones and other technology enable more employees to work remotely from office/work base.

Deliverables of this research include

  • Literature review of research on remote and isolated workers
  • Field interviews to establish concerns to mobile workers
  • The procedural/operational/ergonomic/psychosocial factors relevant to the wellbeing of these workers

Occupational asthma

Evidence based guidance being co-funded by BOHRF is designed to be used by occupational health professionals and allied colleagues in the pre-employment assessment of people with asthma.  Asthma affects one in five working people in the UK.  The project is being led by Dr Paul Cullinan of the National Heart and Lung Institute.   This guidance should increase the probability that job applicants with asthma are employed and located more appropriately; with the expectation that they will consequently experience less work-related ill health.  Guidance should also assist employers in avoiding unfair or discriminatory practice.

Influencing GP behaviour in occupational health

This piece of work, also co-funded by BOHRF, is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the BMJ e-learning system for GP CPD in improving GP behaviour.  The team led by Dr Chris Barber is using the BOHRF evidence guidelines on occupational asthma as the vehicle for this exciting project.  The early results are extremely encouraging.  The team that wrote the evidence guidelines on occupational asthma generously agreed that the 2005 BUPA Health at Work Award could be used for this funding.

Rehabilitation and Line Manager Competencies

To the best of our understanding this is the first longitudinal research designed to identify behaviours, and to develop and validate line manager (and HR/occupational health) competencies required for supporting effective return to work and staying back in work, covering employees being rehabilitated back in work after absences due to mental health problems, back pain, heart disease, cancer.

Outputs of the longitudinal research will be:

  • Validated “return to work” behavioural and competency model
  • Identification of behaviours that contribute to failed return to work/rehabilitation
  • Guidance for health and HR professionals, line managers and employees on achievement of successful return to work and staying back in work
  • Guidance on mainstreaming the model into personal development and performance

This research is receiving funding in kind from HSE and CIPD, in addition to project funding from a number of private sector employers, NHS Employers, Scottish Executive and CIPD.

This research is expected to start in late summer/early autumn.  It will take two years to complete.

Computerised Cognitive Behavioural Therapy – its effectiveness in organisations and comparison with other CBT methods

At their meeting last month, the BOHRF Board agreed to fund a feasibility study to find out whether internet based CBT (MoodGYM which is freely available on the internet) is effective in reducing anxiety and depression; and in improving performance at work and attendance at work.  At the same time it will evaluate the user satisfaction and cost effectiveness of this approach compared with alternatives.  If the objectives of the feasibility study are achieved, then it is anticipated that BOHRF will fund the full pragmatic randomized control trial. 

Nearly three in ten of all employees will have a mental health problem of some sort in any given year.  People with anxiety and depression take 3½ times as many days off work as people with no mental disorder. 

The approach being taken by this research is innovative in that:

  • it avoids the fear of stigma that some people have
  • it avoids the risk of being “labeled” as “mentally ill” due to health centre visit when such labeling is not necessary
  • it seeks to demonstrate effectiveness within the workplace (rather than clinical setting)
  • it will compare effectiveness with treatment as usual
  • it is the first randomized control trial on cCBT in an organisational setting

New BOHRF Evidence Review: Contact Occupational Dermatitis

At their last meeting, the BOHRF Board agreed to fund this systematic evidence review.  This is believed to be the world’s first systematic review on this topic that covers all occupational sectors.  It is focused mainly on prevention.  The review is being led by Dr Paul Nicholson.  HSE is funding the position of Scientific Secretary.  The study is expected to start in September, and the launch of findings is planned for end of quarter one of 2010.

This study responds to the request from The House of Lords Select Committee Report on Allergy, for an evidence review on occupational dermatitis, of the quality of the BOHRF award winning evidence review on occupational asthma.

Last Update: 12-Aug-2008