HSE publishes Annual Science Review 2021

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published its Annual Science Review for 2021, focusing on the ways science and evidence is being used to prevent death, injury and ill-health in Great Britain’s workplaces.

The review illustrates how HSE’s scientific evidence has been supporting the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including:

• work to support the rapid increase in supply of suitable personal protective equipment (PPE) to the NHS front line
• biosafety training in relation to COVID-19, including workers handling bulk quantities of live virus for vaccine research
• enabling additional hand sanitisers to reach the market quickly
• developing an understanding of transmission through computational fluid dynamics simulations
• supporting and informing the Scientific Advice to Government in Emergencies (SAGE) response to COVID-19

The review also highlights the range of studies HSE scientists are working on to support healthy and safe work in Great Britain, including:

• the safe introduction of hydrogen technologies and supporting the UK target to achieve net-zero emissions
• assessing the evidence for safe levels of exposure to toxicological hazards
• the evidence supporting a campaign that reduced the risk of Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks

Source: HSE, 28 April 2021