The Workplace Health Expert Committee (WHEC) provide independent, authoritative, impartial and timely expertise on workplace health.

WHEC will provide independent expert opinion to the Health and Safety Executive, on: 

• New and emerging workplace health issues;
• New and emerging evidence relating to existing workplace health issues;
• The quality and relevance of the evidence base on workplace health issues.

WHEC is a scientific and medical expert committee whose purpose is to consider the evidence linking workplace hazards to ill health. Working under the leadership of an independent expert Chair, it considers chemical and physical hazards, and human, behavioural or organisational factors in the workplace (for example shift work) leading to physiological and psychological ill health. It does not consider wellbeing, sickness absence management or rehabilitation as these issues are dealt with elsewhere in government. Nor is it able to consider individual cases of ill health.

WHEC will assess the evidence base concerning health issues within its remit and will seek to effectively and appropriately communicate the resultant health risk.