Constructing Better Health Scotland is calling for apprentices to undergo health checks in a move it says could save the Scottish economy more than £30m over the next decade.
A recent survey of Scottish Building Federation members found that only 27% who employ apprentices currently issue them with the checks when they join a company.
CBH Scotland estimates that the yearly cost of occupational ill health in the Scottish construction sector is £66m.
CBH chief executive, Michelle Aldous, said improving health through baseline checks for apprentices would also reap wider fiscal rewards.
“CBH Scotland has been established to work with employers to improve the long-term health and wellbeing of those working in the Scottish construction industry,” she explained.
“Our research shows that proactively managing the occupational health of new building apprentices through systematic baseline health checks could save the Scottish economy more than £30 million by 2024.”
Ms Aldous added: “These checks are easy and cost-effective to complete and will enable us to monitor and manage the occupational health of the Scottish construction workforce over time.
“At the same time, a more proactive approach to occupational health management will save industry employers and the wider economy significant sums of money in the longer term.”
Apprentice figures on the rise
The number of construction apprentices registered in Scotland increased by 11% last year compared with 2012, according to new figures from the Scottish Building Apprenticeship and Training Council.
Based on an assumed annual 4% increase in apprenticeship registrations over the next decade, CBH Scotland estimates that baseline health checks could benefit more than 14,000 additional apprentices over that period. The real-term cost savings during that period could be as much as £30m.
Constructing Better Health, which was founded in 2006, was established in Scotland this past April.
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