About us
The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC) is an independent scientific advisory body that looks at industrial injuries benefit and how it is administered.
We give independent advice to the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland.
IIAC does not deal with industrial injuries benefit claims.
Go to Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit.
Our responsibilities
To help us to do our work, we consider published independent medical and scientific research, and information from relevant bodies. Our responsibilities are to:
- make recommendations to update the list of diseases and the occupations that cause them for which Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit can be paid
- draft papers for the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to present in Parliament, where legislative changes to the Industrial Injuries Scheme are proposed
- scrutinise proposed regulations relating to industrial injuries benefit or its administration
See also:
Our priorities
Our priorities are to:
- ensure the advice we give about the Industrial Injuries Scheme is impartial, evidence-based, effective, credible and timely
- continue the council’s work programme
Our work programme will include:
- neurodegenerative diseases in sportspeople
- ongoing work coming out of the commissioned review of respiratory diseases
- a review of women’s health and occupation
IIAC ongoing rolling programme of work
IIAC’s research working group has been considering its work programme. It has decided a review of its priorities is required. The list is now under review and a new rolling programme of work will be published early in the new year once signed off by the full Council.
Current investigations
| Topic | Source | Timescale | Status | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Firefighters | Department for Work and Pensions and Environmental Audit Committee | Current | Ongoing - response being formulated | |
| COVID-19 | Members | Current | Ongoing | |
| Neurodegenerative Brain Disease in ex-footballers | Correspondence | Current | Ongoing - initial discussions | |
| Evidence update of the relationship between occupational exposures and selected malignant and non-malignant respiratory disease | Council commissioned review | Current | On-hold due to coronavirus crisis | |
| Silica and respiratory diseases | IIAC Members | Current | Ongoing - planning to update prescription PD D1 | |
| PTSD accident claims | Department for Work and Pensions | Initial discussion | Early stage |
Completed investigations
| Topic | Source | Status | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melanoma in pilots and cabin crew | Correspondence | Completed | Command paper CP216, May 2020 |
| Coke oven workers and COPD | Completed | Position paper 45, April 2020 | |
| Osteoarthritis of the knee in professional footballers | Correspondence | Completed | Position paper 44, April 2020 |
| ANCA vasculitis & silica/asbestos exposure | Correspondence | Completed | Position paper 46, April 2020 |
| Dupuyren’s contracture - revision of prescription | Department for Work and Pensions | Completed | Information note December 2019, revised April 2020 |
| Vibrotactile testing for HAVS | Department for Work and Pensions | Completed | Recommendations to DWP |
Future topics for investigations
| Topic | Source | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Night shift work | IARC monograph | Monograph shared with members |
| Welders | IARC monograph | Not started |
| Cleaners and non-malignant respiratory disease | Member led and raised at public meeting 2019 | Not started |
| Dry cleaners | Not started | |
| Glyphosate use | Member led and raised at public meeting 2019 | Initial discussion |
| Styrene exposure | Not started | |
| Crumb rubber – used in sports pitches | Member led and raised at public meeting 2019 | Not started |
| Fibreglass and bronchiolitis | Not started | |
| Chronic kidney disease in miners linked to COPD | Raised at public meeting 2019 | Not started |
| Osteoarthritis in wider occupations and sports | Raised at public meeting 2019 | Not started |
Review of coronavirus (COVID-19) in occupation
IIAC has now published a position paper and two command papers:
- COVID-19 and occupation: IIAC position paper 48 in March 2021
- COVID-19 and Occupational Impacts (CP 740) in November 2022 making recommendations for health and social care workers
- Occupational Impact of COVID-19 (CP 1189) in the Transport and Education Sectors in November 2024
IIAC will continue to monitor the evidence as it emerges, including for long-covid.
Who we are
The council usually has 17 members, including the chair. It includes:
- independent members with relevant specialist skills
- representatives of employees
- representatives of employers
Independent members currently include doctors, scientists and a legal member.
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions decides how many members to appoint to the council. It must include equal numbers of representatives of employees and employers (Social Security Administration Act 1992, Schedule 6).
The council doesn’t have any staff of its own but DWP provides a small administrative team. The council holds an annual public meeting in a different place in the UK each year. Other council meetings are usually held in DWP offices.
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