ARCHIVE - January 2002

Corporate health and safety crime at work


more Huck/Konopacki labor cartoons

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Workplace deaths and accidents must stop, say unions New Zealand Updated: 31 January 2002

"Our workplace death and accident record is out of control and worsening by the day," said Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson. "The argument for changing our workplace health and safety law grows stronger by the day." See: Newsroom Rising accident rates: New Zealand Herald

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Workplace deaths and accidents must stop, say unions New Zealand Updated: 31 January 2002

"Our workplace death and accident record is out of control and worsening by the day," said Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson. "The argument for changing our workplace health and safety law grows stronger by the day." See: Newsroom Rising accident rates: New Zealand Herald

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New campaign to crack down on deaths at work Britain Updated: 30 January 2002

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has joined with the Campaign for Corporate Accountability (CCA) to launch a new campaign to improve workplace safety standards by getting tougher on law enforcement and corporate accountability. See: Risks 39 Who dies where? Preview the Hazards/TUC/CCA deaths map of Britain See:BBC News Online And a BBC News Online update

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Airport set for strikes over security Britain Updated: 30 January 2002

More than 1,000 T&G union members at Manchester airport are to begin a series of strikes over proposed changes to airport security, which they say could compromise safety. See: The Guardian

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Rail smash victims set to receive £1m compensation Britain Updated: 30 January 2002

Damages totalling £1million plus have been agreed in the case of 18 postal workers involved in a fatal rail crash. Sorter John Thomson died instantly and 17 of his colleagues were injured when the Post Office train they were travelling on collided with a de-reailed freight carriage. See: CWU news release

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ABB hikes asbestos liabilities Switzerland/ Sweden/ USA Updated: 30 January 2002

Swiss-Swedish engineering group ABB has almost doubled the amount of money it is setting aside against liabilities relating to asbestos. Combustion Engineering, an ABB US subsidiary, now faces some 94,000 compensation claims in relation to asbestos in products supplied until the mid-1970s. See: BBC News Online

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Sacking sparks post strike threat Britain Updated: 29 January 2002

Postal workers are planning a strike ballot in support of a sacked colleague. John Newton lost his job just after after allegedly putting up a poster in protest at the handling of an anthrax scare in the Falmouth sorting office. See: BBC News Online

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Don't make excuses for unsafe employers New Zealand Updated: 29 January 2002

"Business New Zealand is putting up a smokescreen for poor employers in trying to paint employers as victims of a punitive OSH system," Council of Trade Unions president Ross Wilson said. See: Newsroom

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Safety row erupts over SWT strike Britain Updated: 28 January 2002

The Rail Maritime and Transport Union (RMT) has expressed safety concerns because managers substituting for striking railway guards have received just two days training instead of the usual eight weeks. The union action follows disciplinary action against RMT activist Greg Tucker, who was demoted from his job as a driver following a safety-related incident. See: ITV News

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US company cheats UK asbestos victims Britain Updated: 28 January 2002

US company Federal Mogul, which, owes millions to people dying of asbestos disease in the UK, is likely to scale down compensation payouts. Bereaved relative Lydia Garner said: "We have heard that they have £200m worth of orders so they're not exactly hard up - they're just using this as a loophole to get out of paying." See: BBC News Online

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Rail safety crews "in danger" Britain Updated: 27 January 2002

Railway maintenance workers are being exposed to unacceptable risks while vital modernisation work is carried out, the head of Railtrack's independent safety arm has warned. See: BBC News Online

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BP fined £1m for safety breaches Britain Updated: 26 January 2002

BP has been fined £1 million for safety breaches at its Grangemouth plant. The court heard how a steam pipe close to a main road exploded, injuring a woman out walking her dog. Three days later a leak of flammable gas in another part of the plant caused a major fire that led to five BP workers "running for their lives." See: Risks 38

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Insurers refuse asbestos claims Britain Updated: 26 January 2002

The insurance company Royal and Sun Alliance is refusing to pay compensation to victims of asbestos dust who worked in the Clyde shipyards. The company has denied claims that the law was broken when it issued insurance certificates to asbestos manufacturer Turner and Newall that excluded asbestos disease. See: Risks 38

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Inspectors allege "inhuman" treatment of crew USA/Global Updated: 24 January 2002

Two ITF inspectors today reported "inhuman" conditions on the cargo ship Ismael Express in Port Canaveral. They boarded the vessel early this morning to investigate reports that the crew had no food and had not been paid for three months. They described "slave working conditions." See: ITF news

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Union seeks an audit of mine safety South Africa Updated: 24 January 2002

The MWU-Solidarity union has called on the South African government to conduct a national audit of mining safety. An average of one mineworker dies in the industry every day, with goldmines particularly hazardous. See: Risks 38

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Victory for safety row worker Britain Updated: 21 January 2002

An engineering consultant who lost his job after raising concernings about the handling of asbestos has been awarded more than £40,000 compensation. See: The Scotsman

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Meat, food packing workers rally for safe conditions USA Updated: 21 January 2002

Alleging that lines move too fast and with too few workers, hundreds of labourers rallied to call on Tyson/IBP to turn its Wallula plant into a model for the nation. Teamsters Local 556, the union that represents more than 1,300 slaughterhouse workers, held the rally to highlight the twin issues of worker and food safety. See: Tri-City Herald

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Euro MPs crack down on safety fine evasion Britain Updated: 19 January 2002

UK unions have welcomed an attempt by the European Parliament to stop firms that are found guilty of breaking health and safety laws escaping their fines. MEPs backed a report on mutual recognition of fines that would prevent companies based in one EU country refusing to pay fines imposed in another. See: Risks 37

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Employers are getting it wrong on asthma, says TUC Britain Updated: 19 January 2002

Employers are paying out billions in lost staff, lower productivity and high compensation payouts because they are failing to follow the law and substitute asthma-causing substances in their workplaces. See: Risks 37

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MPs slam asbestos "spivs" and "crooks" Britain Updated: 19 January 200

MPs have labelled asbestos companies 'spivs,' 'crooks' and 'killers' using bankruptcy and other ruses to evade compensation payouts. The MPs believe companies that have negligently exposed workers to asbestos are now trying to dodge their liabilities and escape millions in compensation payouts. See: Risks 37 Meeting, 8 February, Manchester England. T&N compensation fightback

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"Illegal" claim over T&N asbestos cover Britain Updated: 18 January 2002

Lawyers acting for Scottish former shipyard workers suffering from asbestos disease say they have uncovered "illegal activity" between their employers and an insurance company. They claim the insurance firm issued certificates which left victims of the condition without insurance cover. See: BBC News Online

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Asbestos casts shadow over US corporations USA Updated: 17 January 2002

US companies and insurers are reeling under the weight of asbestos claims. See: Financial Times

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Company "smuggled" workers for asbestos job Australia Updated: 17 January 2002

Unions have threatened action against chemical giant Orica, accusing it of smuggling interstate workers on to a Melbourne site to fit asbestos gaskets banned by Victoria's Trades Hall Council. See: The Age

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Europe votes to block fine-dodging loophole European Union Updated: 17 January 2002

Euro-MPs today backed plans to block legal loopholes currently allowing companies to escape payment of fines imposed in Britain. If approved by EU governments, tighter laws would force firms in other EU countries to meet their financial obligations after safety crimes such as the Ramsgate walkway disaster and the Heathrow tunnel collapse. See: Construction News

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Five charged in dock death protest Britain Updated: 16 January 2002

Five people have been charged by police after a peaceful picket at Euromin's Shoreham docks. The protest followed the acquittal of Euromin and its general manager, James Martell, on charges of manslaughter. See: Simon Jones Memorial Campaign

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International union condemns labour abuses in Free Trade Zones Sri Lanka Updated: 16 January 2002

Anti-union practices by foreign companies operating in Sri Lanka’s Free Trade Zones have come under attack from a global union representing workers in the garment sector. The International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation (ITGLWF) has condemned abuses including sacking or transferring workers who protest at unfair conditions. See: Global Unions

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Asbestosis victims take Gefco to court in quest for justice South Africa Updated: 15 January 2002

South Africans suffering from asbestos-related diseases face an uphill struggle in their battle to obtain compensation. Attorney Richard Spoor said the difference between the successful Cape case and Gefco cases was that Cape was a group action. No provision for this kind action existed in South African law and he was obliged to bring the claims on an individual basis. See: Business Report

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Gefco faces potential lawsuit landslide South Africa Updated: 15 January 2002

The first of possibly several hundred summonses for damages against Griqualand Exploration and Finance Company (Gefco), a Gencor subsidiary, for asbestos-related illnesses was issued by the high court in Johannesburg... See: Business Report

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Migrants did dirty and dangerous work USA Updated: 11 January 2002

Contractors have plucked up to 600 illegal immigrants off street corners to scrub potentially toxic dust out of buildings near the World Trade Center — without giving the workers safety training or protective equipment. The State Attorney's office is investigating labor law violations allegedly committed by several cleaning companies near the disaster site. See: Daily News

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China lawyer fights for workers, himself: Awards for injured gain wide attention, official harassment China Updated: 11 January 2002

Officials in the South China boomtown of Shenzhen are trying to close the practice of a lawyer who has won nationwide attention for winning large awards on behalf of workers maimed in factories. See: ITGLWF news release See: Baltimore Sun

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Minister backs asbestos company’s deadly game Britain Updated: 11 January 2002

A UK government minister has blamed the US compensation system for an asbestos compensation crisis that could see UK workers robbed of asbestos disease payouts – but she offered no proposals or support to the UK's beleaguered victims. See: Hazards news update Also: House of Commons adjournment debate, 10 January 2002

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Justices put federal anti-bias law further out of reach for injured workers USA Updated: 11 January 2002

The US Supreme Court has made it harder for millions of workers with painful wrist injuries, bad backs or similar impairments to qualify for protection as disabled people under the federal anti-discrimination law. See: Los Angeles Times, USA Today and Washington Post

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Minister removes Environment Agency safety champion Britain Updated: 10 January 2002

Environment minister Michael Meacher has clashed with Environment Agency workplace health and safety champion Alan Dalton after refusing to renew his contract as an Agency director. See: Construction News

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Phillips Petroleum pays over $2.1m for deadly safety violations USA Updated: 10 January 2002

Phillips Petroleum is to pay over $2.1m following safety violations that killed one worker and injured 69 in a September 2000 explosion. See: OSHA news release See: Risks 36

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London Underground fined for "sacrificing safety" Britain Updated: 10 January 2002

London Underground has been fined £225,000 after a judge accused the company of sacrificing safety in order to keep the trains running at all costs. He condemned the firm after track workers were repeatedly forced to risk death at night from electrocution and passing trains. See: Ananova Also: BBC and Risks 36

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Life before profit Britain Updated: 10 January 2002

The Simon Jones Memorial Campaign (see past reports below), in association with Rebel Alliance and Schnews, has organised a rally in Brighton, UK to stop corporate killers. Date: 21 January 2002. For further details email the Simon Jones Memorial Campaign

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Why the delay on safety crimes? Britain Updated: 9 January 2002

Over a thousand people have died at work since Labour first promised a corporate manslaughter law in the UK. As work deaths rise, the government continues to stall. See: UCATT Building Worker

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Global Union Calls for Release of Chowdhury campaigner Bangladesh/ Global Updated: 8 January 2002

The Bangladesh authorities have been asked to release a trade union leader arrested for campaigning in support of the victims of the Chowdhury factory fire, which killed 51 workers over a year ago. See: ITGLWF news release

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Work still the home of death and injury Australia Updated: 7 January 2002

Minister urges industry to "redouble" prevention efforts as workplace deaths and injuries in the Australian State of Victoria continue to claim "an unacceptable workplace toll." See: The Age

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Dock worker wins asbestos fight right Britain Updated: 5 January 2002

A dockyard worker has won the right to sue for damages over alleged exposure to asbestos despite bringing his action too late. John Pope, 60, a former shipwright at Rosyth Naval Dockyard, worked alongside his brother, already dead from the asbestos cancer mesothelioma. See: The Scotsman

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Legal shame of “irresponsible” Thames Trains Britain Updated: 5 January 2002

A company facing prosecution for the criminal safety law breaches that contributed to 31 deaths in the Paddington rail disaster and whose role has already been condemned by an independent enquiry, says it intends to sue the government’s safety watchdog for failing to stop its safety abuses. See: Risks 35

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Bush billions for safety’s contract criminals USA Updated: 5 January 2002

Two days after Christmas the White House announced the rejection of regulations that would have barred companies that repeatedly violate environmental and workplace standards from receiving government contracts. See: Risks 35 See: San Francisco Chronicle

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Airline union rep suspended for raising safety concerns USA Updated: 5 January 2002

A Midwest Express flight attendant has filed a lawsuit claiming the airline improperly suspended her for protesting about a rule requiring flight attendants to check for bombs on airplanes. See: Risks 35

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Police investigate nuclear "guinea pig" claim Britain Updated: 1 January 2002

British police are investigating a complaint that military personnel were intentionally exposed by the government to deadly levels of radiation during nuclear tests on Pacific islands in the 1950s. See: Reuters Planetark

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Monsanto hid decades of pollution USA Updated: 1 January 2002

Monsanto documents -- many emblazoned with warnings such as "CONFIDENTIAL: Read and Destroy" - hid decades of massive PCB pollution, but the company decided"there is little object in going to expensive extremes in limiting discharges." In 1975, a company study found that PCBs caused tumors in rats. They ordered its conclusion changed from "slightly tumorigenic" to "does not appear to be carcinogenic." See: The Washington Post

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