How to Record an Industrial Diseases Video for Your Health and Safety System

Step 1: Set the Scene and Context

Your Industrial Diseases video needs to demonstrate that you have comprehensive arrangements for identifying, preventing, and managing the risk of industrial diseases across your organisation. You have a legal duty to identify instances where your operations may impact workforce health, conduct risk assessments, and implement appropriate controls and surveillance measures.

Why Industrial Disease Prevention Matters for Your Health and Safety System

Industrial diseases can develop over time through repeated exposure, making them particularly insidious—by the time symptoms appear, significant harm may have already occurred. Your video should establish why proactive management of industrial disease risks is critical.

Understanding Industrial Diseases

Explain on camera what industrial diseases are and why they matter:

"Industrial diseases result from exposure to substances or work practices in the workplace and go on to cause immediate or delayed health problems for the person exposed to them. Unlike acute injuries that happen suddenly, many industrial diseases develop gradually through repeated exposure, which is why prevention and early detection are so important."

Examples of Industrial Diseases

Provide context by listing common industrial diseases:

"Examples of industrial diseases include musculoskeletal disorders from poor manual handling, occupational deafness from unprotected exposure to high noise levels, vibration white finger from prolonged use of vibrating handheld tools, carpal tunnel syndrome and repetitive strain injury, allergic rhinitis from non-infectious particles, dermatitis, silicosis, and occupational asthma. Our arrangements address all potential causes of industrial disease in our workplace."

Legal Duties

Emphasise your legal obligations:

"We have a legal duty to identify instances where our operations may impact on the health of our workforce, conduct risk assessments, monitor for signs and symptoms, and implement controls. We also have duties under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations to report any incidences of industrial diseases amongst our employees to the enforcing authorities."

Setting Up Your Recording Location

Choose a location that reflects the seriousness of industrial disease prevention. Consider recording in an area where you can reference specific hazards, near your health surveillance records, or in a training area. Having examples of risk assessments, surveillance documentation, or protective measures available will help illustrate your arrangements.

Step 2: Plan What to Record vs Write

Your industrial disease arrangements include elements that work well on video and others better suited to written documentation. Planning this split ensures your video is engaging while maintaining complete records.

What Works Best on Video

Explanation of Industrial Disease Risks

Record yourself explaining the types of industrial diseases relevant to your workplace:

"Let me explain the industrial disease risks we have identified in our operations. Based on our activities, employees could potentially be exposed to [specific hazards]. Without proper controls, these exposures could lead to [specific conditions]. That is why we have comprehensive arrangements in place."

Risk Assessment Approach

Demonstrate how you identify and assess industrial disease risks:

"By conducting risk assessments, we can identify control measures to reduce risk to our workforce. I am going to show you how we assess tasks and processes for potential industrial disease risks and what controls we implement."

Health Surveillance Overview

Explain your health surveillance arrangements:

"Where identified as required, health surveillance checks enable us to monitor exposure where possible and implement measures to reduce the effect of any exposure as much as is reasonably practicable. Let me explain how our surveillance programme works."

Training and Awareness

Demonstrate how you inform employees about risks:

"All employees are to be made aware of these types of hazards and the precautions to be adopted. We provide training to reduce the risk of industrial injuries and diseases. Here is what our training covers..."

Personal Hygiene Emphasis

Highlight the importance of personal hygiene:

"We encourage staff to maintain a high level of personal hygiene, which is one of the best measures to avoid many industrial diseases, particularly when it comes to skin conditions such as dermatitis."

What Works Best as Written Documentation

Risk Assessment Records

Keep detailed written assessments of industrial disease risks, including hazard identification, exposure assessment, control measures, and review dates.

Health Surveillance Records

Maintain confidential records of health surveillance activities, findings, and any follow-up actions for individual employees.

Training Records

Document training provided to employees on industrial disease hazards, precautions, and symptoms to watch for.

RIDDOR Reports

Keep records of any industrial diseases reported to the enforcing authorities, including the circumstances and follow-up actions.

Investigation Records

Document investigations into reported health issues, findings, and measures implemented to reduce further risk.

Explaining Your Documentation System on Video

You can reference your written records without reading them out in full:

"Every risk assessment, health surveillance activity, and reported issue is documented. These records allow us to track our arrangements, demonstrate compliance, and identify trends that might indicate emerging problems. I will show you how we maintain these records..."

Step 3: Explain the Core Rules and Requirements

Your video should clearly communicate the fundamental rules governing industrial disease prevention in your organisation. Walk through each requirement methodically so viewers understand their obligations.

Identifying Potential Health Impacts

Explain your duty to identify risks:

"We have a legal duty to identify instances where our operations may impact on the health of our workforce. This means systematically examining our activities, processes, and working conditions to identify anything that could cause or contribute to industrial disease."

Describe how identification works:

"We look at what substances employees are exposed to, what physical demands are placed on them, what environmental conditions they work in, and how these factors could affect their health over time. Nothing is overlooked—even seemingly minor exposures can cause problems with repeated occurrence."

Conducting Risk Assessments

Explain the risk assessment process:

"We conduct risk assessments to understand the level of risk and identify appropriate control measures. These assessments consider who is exposed, how they are exposed, how often, for how long, and what the potential consequences could be."

Describe what assessments produce:

"By conducting risk assessments, we can identify control measures to reduce risk to our workforce. The assessment tells us what controls are needed—whether that is eliminating the hazard, substituting something less harmful, engineering controls, safe systems of work, or personal protective equipment."

Implementing Health Surveillance

Explain when and why surveillance is needed:

"If identified as required through our risk assessments, health surveillance checks enable us to monitor exposure where possible. Surveillance helps us detect early signs of disease before serious harm occurs and verify that our controls are working effectively."

Describe surveillance activities:

"Health surveillance might include questionnaires about symptoms, physical examinations, biological monitoring, or specialist assessments depending on the hazards involved. The type and frequency of surveillance is determined by the nature of the risk."

Emphasise the purpose:

"Surveillance allows us to implement measures to reduce the effect of any exposure as much as is reasonably practicable. If surveillance detects early signs of a problem, we can intervene before it becomes serious."

Employee Awareness and Training

Explain your awareness requirements:

"All employees are to be made aware of these types of hazards and the precautions to be adopted. Employees cannot protect themselves from risks they do not know about, so awareness is fundamental to our approach."

Describe training provision:

"We provide training to reduce the risk of industrial injuries and diseases. This training covers what industrial diseases are relevant to their work, how they develop, what the early warning signs are, what precautions must be followed, and how to report concerns."

Personal Hygiene Practices

Emphasise personal hygiene:

"We encourage staff to have a high level of personal hygiene, which is one of the best measures to avoid many industrial diseases, particularly when it comes to skin conditions such as dermatitis."

Give practical examples:

"This includes washing hands thoroughly and regularly, using barrier creams where appropriate, changing out of contaminated clothing, showering after exposure to certain substances, and not eating or drinking in areas where hazardous substances are present."

RIDDOR Reporting Duties

Explain your reporting obligations:

"We have a legal duty under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations to report any incidences of industrial diseases amongst our employees to the enforcing authorities. This is a legal requirement, not optional."

Describe what must be reported:

"Certain industrial diseases must be reported when a doctor notifies us that an employee is suffering from them and the employee's work involves specific activities associated with that disease. We maintain awareness of which diseases are reportable and ensure reports are made promptly."

Employee Reporting Duty

Explain employee responsibilities:

"It is the duty of all employees to report incidences of industrial diseases to senior management. This is something that is encouraged—early reporting allows us to investigate and act before problems worsen."

Emphasise supportive response:

"All reported issues will be investigated thoroughly to identify a means to reduce employees' exposure to further risk. Employees should feel confident that reporting concerns will result in action, not negative consequences for them."

Seeking Competent Advice

Explain how you access expertise:

"To facilitate our duty of care, if unsure how to proceed we will take advice from competent advisors. Industrial disease prevention can involve complex medical and technical issues, and we do not hesitate to seek expert guidance when needed."

Step 4: Demonstrate or Walk Through the Process

This section guides viewers through how your industrial disease prevention arrangements work in practice. Use real examples and scenarios to bring the procedures to life.

Walking Through Risk Identification

Demonstrate how you identify industrial disease risks:

"Let me walk you through how we identify potential industrial disease risks. I am going to examine [specific work area or process]. The first step is understanding what exposures occur here."

Show the identification process:

"In this area, employees are potentially exposed to [describe exposures]. Each of these could contribute to industrial disease if not properly controlled. I document what I observe and then assess the level of risk."

Explain the systematic approach:

"We do this for every work area and process in our organisation. Nothing is assumed to be safe—we verify through systematic examination that either there are no industrial disease risks, or that appropriate controls are in place."

Walking Through Risk Assessment

Demonstrate completing an industrial disease risk assessment:

"Now let me show you how we assess an identified risk. We have identified that [specific task or process] involves exposure to [specific hazard] that could cause [specific industrial disease]."

Walk through assessment elements:

"The assessment considers who is exposed—in this case, [describe who]. It considers how often and for how long—here, employees are exposed [describe frequency and duration]. It considers what controls are already in place and whether they are adequate."

Show control measure identification:

"Based on this assessment, we have determined that the following control measures are needed: [describe controls]. These reduce the risk to an acceptable level while allowing the work to continue safely."

Walking Through Health Surveillance

Demonstrate your surveillance arrangements:

"For risks where health surveillance is required, here is how we implement it. This risk assessment identified that employees working on [specific task] need surveillance for [specific condition]."

Explain surveillance activities:

"The surveillance programme includes [describe surveillance activities]. These are conducted [describe frequency] by [describe who conducts them]. Results are recorded confidentially and reviewed to identify any concerns."

Show how findings are acted upon:

"If surveillance identifies early signs of a problem, we take immediate action. This might include reviewing and strengthening controls, modifying the employee's duties, providing additional protection, or referring for specialist medical advice."

Walking Through Training Delivery

Demonstrate how you train employees:

"Training on industrial disease risks is essential. Let me show you what our training covers for employees who [describe work activity]."

Walk through training content:

"We explain what industrial diseases could result from their work—in this case, [specific diseases]. We describe how these diseases develop, what the early warning signs are, and why this matters for their long-term health."

Show precautions being taught:

"We then cover the precautions that must be followed: [describe precautions]. We demonstrate correct procedures and check that employees understand and can apply what they have learned."

Walking Through Personal Hygiene Requirements

Demonstrate hygiene practices:

"Personal hygiene is particularly important for preventing skin conditions like dermatitis. Let me show you the hygiene facilities and practices we have in place."

Show facilities and procedures:

"Employees have access to [describe washing facilities]. They are trained to wash thoroughly [describe when—before breaks, after handling certain materials, at end of shift]. We provide [describe skin care products] and ensure they are always available."

Explain monitoring:

"We monitor that hygiene practices are followed. If we observe employees not washing properly or skipping hygiene steps, we intervene immediately. Good hygiene habits need constant reinforcement."

Walking Through RIDDOR Reporting

Demonstrate the reporting process:

"When an industrial disease must be reported under RIDDOR, here is how we handle it. A doctor has notified us that an employee has [specific reportable disease] and their work involved [relevant activity]."

Walk through reporting steps:

"We complete the RIDDOR report, which requires details of the affected employee, the disease diagnosed, and the work activities involved. The report is submitted to the enforcing authority within the required timeframe."

Explain follow-up:

"Reporting is not the end of our response—we also investigate what caused the disease, whether our controls were adequate, and what we need to do to protect other employees from the same fate."

Walking Through Investigation of Reported Issues

Demonstrate investigating a reported health concern:

"When an employee reports a health issue that may be work-related, we investigate thoroughly. Let me walk you through our process."

Show investigation steps:

"First, we speak with the employee to understand their symptoms and concerns. We review their work history, the tasks they perform, and the exposures involved. We check our risk assessments and controls to see if they are adequate."

Demonstrate identifying improvements:

"Based on the investigation, we identify what measures are needed to reduce the employee's exposure to further risk. This might mean modifying their duties, enhancing controls, providing additional protection, or changing how the work is done."

Step 5: Highlight Common Mistakes

Understanding common errors helps viewers avoid them. For each mistake, explain what goes wrong and how to prevent it.

Mistake 1: Failing to Identify All Industrial Disease Risks

Signs this is happening: Risk assessments focus only on obvious hazards while overlooking less visible risks. Certain work areas or processes have never been assessed for industrial disease potential. Employees develop conditions that were not anticipated.

How to avoid it: Conduct systematic examination of all work activities for industrial disease risks. Consider all types of exposure—chemical, physical, biological, ergonomic. Do not assume that because something has always been done a certain way, it must be safe.

Mistake 2: Inadequate Risk Assessment

Signs this is happening: Assessments are superficial and do not properly evaluate exposure levels. Control measures are generic rather than tailored to specific risks. Assessments do not consider cumulative or long-term effects.

How to avoid it: Conduct thorough assessments that consider who is exposed, how, how often, for how long, and what the potential health effects could be. Seek expert advice for complex exposures. Update assessments when circumstances change.

Mistake 3: Not Implementing Health Surveillance When Required

Signs this is happening: Risk assessments identify hazards that require surveillance, but no surveillance programme exists. Surveillance is conducted initially but then lapses. Records show that scheduled surveillance activities are overdue.

How to avoid it: When risk assessment identifies that health surveillance is required, implement it consistently. Schedule surveillance activities and track completion. Ensure surveillance is conducted by competent persons and results are properly recorded and acted upon.

Mistake 4: Employees Unaware of Industrial Disease Risks

Signs this is happening: Employees cannot explain what industrial diseases might affect them. Training records show no coverage of industrial disease topics. Employees are not following precautions because they do not understand why they matter.

How to avoid it: Ensure all employees are made aware of industrial disease hazards relevant to their work and the precautions to be adopted. Include this in induction training and refresh regularly. Check that employees can explain the risks and precautions.

Mistake 5: Neglecting Personal Hygiene Practices

Signs this is happening: Washing facilities are inadequate or poorly maintained. Employees skip hygiene steps because they are inconvenient. Skin conditions like dermatitis are occurring despite other controls being in place.

How to avoid it: Provide adequate hygiene facilities and ensure they are always accessible and well-maintained. Train employees on the importance of personal hygiene for preventing industrial disease. Monitor compliance and reinforce good habits consistently.

Mistake 6: Failing to Meet RIDDOR Reporting Requirements

Signs this is happening: Reportable industrial diseases occur but are not reported to enforcing authorities. There is uncertainty about which diseases are reportable. Reports are made late or incompletely.

How to avoid it: Maintain awareness of which industrial diseases must be reported under RIDDOR. Establish clear procedures for receiving medical notifications and submitting reports. Ensure reports are made within required timeframes with all necessary information.

Mistake 7: Discouraging Employee Reporting

Signs this is happening: Employees are reluctant to report symptoms or health concerns. Health issues are only discovered when they become serious. There is a perception that reporting will lead to negative consequences.

How to avoid it: Actively encourage employees to report health concerns. Make it clear that reporting is welcomed and will be taken seriously. Respond supportively and constructively to all reports. Communicate what actions have been taken following reports.

Mistake 8: Not Investigating Reported Issues Thoroughly

Signs this is happening: Health concerns are noted but no investigation follows. The same types of issues recur because root causes are not identified. Employees see no benefit from reporting because nothing changes.

How to avoid it: Investigate all reported health issues thoroughly. Identify whether current controls are adequate and what improvements are needed. Implement measures to reduce exposure to further risk. Communicate outcomes to affected employees.

Mistake 9: Not Seeking Competent Advice When Needed

Signs this is happening: Complex industrial disease risks are managed without specialist input. There is uncertainty about appropriate controls or surveillance requirements. Decisions are made based on assumptions rather than expert knowledge.

How to avoid it: Recognise when issues are beyond internal expertise and seek competent advice. Use occupational health professionals, hygienists, or other specialists as appropriate. Do not guess when employee health is at stake.

Mistake 10: Treating Industrial Disease Prevention as a One-Time Exercise

Signs this is happening: Risk assessments were completed years ago and never reviewed. Changes in work activities have not prompted reassessment. No ongoing monitoring of whether controls remain effective.

How to avoid it: Review industrial disease risk assessments regularly and whenever circumstances change. Monitor the effectiveness of controls through surveillance and observation. Stay informed about new knowledge regarding industrial disease risks and update arrangements accordingly.

Step 6: Summarise the Key Takeaways

Conclude your video by reinforcing the essential elements of your industrial disease prevention arrangements. This summary helps viewers remember the key points and understand their role in making the system work.

Recording Your Summary

Bring together the main themes:

"To summarise our industrial disease prevention arrangements: We have a legal duty to identify instances where our operations may impact on the health of our workforce. We conduct risk assessments to identify these risks and determine appropriate control measures."

Cover surveillance:

"Where identified as required, health surveillance enables us to monitor exposure and detect early signs of disease. This allows us to implement measures to reduce the effect of any exposure as much as is reasonably practicable."

Emphasise awareness and training:

"All employees are made aware of industrial disease hazards and the precautions to be adopted. We provide training to reduce risk and encourage high standards of personal hygiene, which is one of the best measures against many industrial diseases, particularly skin conditions like dermatitis."

Address reporting:

"We have a legal duty under RIDDOR to report industrial diseases to the enforcing authorities. Equally important, it is the duty of all employees to report health concerns to senior management. All reported issues will be investigated thoroughly to reduce exposure to further risk."

Conclude with commitment:

"If unsure how to proceed on any matter, we take advice from competent advisors. Industrial disease prevention is too important to guess."

Final Statement

End with a clear commitment:

"Industrial diseases can cause lasting harm to health and quality of life. These arrangements ensure we identify potential risks, implement appropriate controls, monitor employee health, respond to concerns, and meet our legal obligations. By following these arrangements consistently, we protect our employees from preventable work-related illness."

Bringing It All Together

Your Industrial Diseases video should demonstrate comprehensive arrangements for preventing work-related illness across your organisation. From identifying potential risks through risk assessment, to implementing controls and surveillance, to training employees and responding to concerns, each element supports the overall goal of protecting employee health.

Remember that industrial diseases often develop gradually through repeated exposure—by the time symptoms appear, significant harm may have occurred. Your video should reflect the importance of proactive prevention and early detection.

The key elements to cover are:

• Risk identification: Recognising where your operations may impact workforce health
• Risk assessment: Evaluating exposures and identifying control measures
• Health surveillance: Monitoring exposure and detecting early signs of disease
• Employee awareness: Ensuring everyone knows the hazards and precautions
• Training: Providing knowledge and skills to reduce risk
• Personal hygiene: Encouraging practices that prevent disease, especially dermatitis
• RIDDOR reporting: Meeting legal duties to report industrial diseases
• Employee reporting: Encouraging and responding to health concerns
• Investigation: Thoroughly examining reported issues to reduce further exposure
• Competent advice: Seeking expert guidance when needed

By demonstrating each of these elements clearly, your video provides evidence of a functioning industrial disease prevention system that meets your legal obligations and protects your workforce from work-related illness.