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WORK AND HEALTH NEWS

Britain: University radiation cancer probe begins
An occupational health specialist is to investigate a possible cancer cluster in a Manchester University building. Professor David Coggon from the Medical Research Council will carry out an independent review of health risks at the university's Rutherford Building; the deaths from cancer of five people have been linked with the building, which is where Nobel prize-winning nuclear physicist Ernest Rutherford experimented with radon and polonium in 1908.
Risks 376
Hazards news, 4 October 2008

Britain: Inquiry over mercury poisoning
An investigation is under way after workers at a West Yorkshire recycling firm were exposed to mercury. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said staff at Electrical Waste Recycling Co Ltd in Huddersfield had been put at risk of mercury poisoning.
Risks 376
Hazards news, 4 October 2008

Britain: Gloves off in vibrating tools campaign
Urgent action to protect workers from Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) is needed, with dozens of workers affected at one council alone, public sector union UNISON has said. The union was speaking out after securing £3,000 compensation for Joseph Beale, a council worker from Bridgend; a Freedom of Information request to Bridgend County Borough Council found that more than 40 staff had developed the condition working at the council.
Risks 376
Hazards news, 4 October 2008

Britain: Bonus scheme fingered in vibration case
A council roadworker who was forced out of his job aged 25 after developing two related occupational diseases has received a £262,000 compensation payout. UNISON member Adrian Bideau, now aged 28, developed Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS – also known as vibration white finger) and carpal tunnel syndrome, a painful repetitive strain injury, as a result of using vibrating tools such as breaker packs, whacker plates and saws.
Risks 376
Hazards news, 4 October 2008

Britain: Unilever doesn’t care for workers’ skin
A UK multinational with a multimillion pound trade in skin care products has been fined after trashing the skin of its own staff. Unilever was ordered to pay £28,000 in fines and costs after 25 Merseyside workers contracted dermatitis.
Risks 375
Hazards news, 27 September 2008

Britain: Boss escapes jail for silica use
A company boss whose firm used deadly silica despite the process being banned for 58 years has received a £26,000 fine but has escaped jail. Andrew Thomson, trading as Thomson Sandblast, of Great Harwood, was also ordered to pay £24,000 costs and was told that magistrates had considered a custodial sentence.
Global Unions cancer campaign • Risks 374
Hazards news, 20 September 2008

Britain: Bootful of cement causes burns
An Oxford building company has been fined £500 after one of its employees sustained burns to his legs after wet concrete poured into his Wellington boots. In addition to the fine, O'Brien & McIntyre LLP was ordered at Stratford upon Avon Magistrates' Court to pay £150 prosecution costs after pleading guilty to breaching the Control of Substance Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH).
Risks 374
Hazards news, 20 September 2008

Britain: Report calls for focus on ‘good work’
A package of policies designed to create more ‘good jobs’ is needed to create healthier, more worthwhile jobs, a new report has concluded. The Work Foundation’s ‘Good work’ report says the government cannot make serious progress towards the reduction of health inequalities unless it has policies to improve job quality for the most disadvantaged.
Work Foundation news release • ‘Good work’: Job quality in a changing economy [pdf] • Risks 374
Hazards news, 20 September 2008

USA: Second consumer popcorn lung case
A second US man may have developed ‘popcorn lung’ as a result of microwave cooking and consuming bags of popcorn. Larry Newkirk has been diagnosed with the sometimes fatal lung disease called bronchiolitis obliterans.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer • Hazards diacetyl webpages • Risks 373
Hazards, 13 September 2008

Australia: Uniforms recalled after adverse reactions
An Australian energy firm has recalled thousands of newly issued flame-retardant uniforms after hundreds of workers complained they made them sick, and high chemical levels were found. The workers’ union, ETU, also reported that strong fumes emitted when ironing the uniforms had caused some people to vomit.
Risks 373
Hazards, 13 September 2008

South Africa: Doctors fired for diagnosing work
When specialist doctors diagnosed at least 10 cases of manganese-specific chronic illnesses at a factory in Cato Ridge, the Assmang manganese company dumped them “like hot potatoes”. Evidence to a government enquiry revealed the firm then replaced them with a new team of doctors that revised the diagnoses to suggest the sick workers might be alcoholics, drug abusers or victims of Aids.
Risks 272
Hazards news, 6 September 2008

France: Missing cases could cost 1bn euros
Official French statistics massively under-estimate the extent of occupational accidents and diseases in the country, with tens of thousands of cases missed each year. An expert report submitted to the government in July estimated the cost of these unacknowledged cases to the French health insurance system was between 565 million and 1.015 billion euros a year.
Risks 272
Hazards news, 6 September 2008

Britain: TUC response to health promotion
TUC has issued guidance for safety reps on health promotion initiatives at work. It says ‘lifestyle’ initiatives introduced by employers have their role, but says most of us spend most of our waking hours at work in conditions created by the employer, so employers should first make sure that work hazards are addressed.
Promoting health at work: Guidance for safety representatives • Related information: Hazards magazine ‘futile exercise’ guide, safety reps’ checklist and work and health webpages • Risks 272
Hazards news, 6 September 2008

Global: Social injustice is a major killer
Social factors including poor working conditions are to blame for huge variations in ill-health and life expectancy around the world, an international commission has concluded. The World Health Organisation (WHO) convened commission’s report identified poor work as major contributory factor to health inequities.
Closing the gap in a generation: Health equity through action on the social determinants of health, WHO report webpages • Risks 371
Hazards news, 30 August 2008

USA: How manufacturing doubt kills workers
It happens all the time. When a study is published linking a workplace chemical to serious disease, a scientist working for the industry disputes the finding. Writing in the current issue of Hazards magazine, US academic David Michaels reveals industry has taken its lead “directly from the tobacco industry’s playbook”, employing the same tactics and the same public relations firms.
Spin cycle: Product defence – how industry money protects killer chemicals, Hazards magazine, August 2008 • Project on Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy (SKAPP)

Doubt is their product: How industry's assault on science threatens your health, David Michaels, Oxford University Press, 2008. ISBN: 978-0-19-530067-3, £14.99 (hardback) • Risks 370
Hazards news, 23 August 2008

Britain: Trust fined for ‘appalling mismanagement’
‘An appalling catalogue of mismanagement’ at Boston's Pilgrim Hospital has resulted in a hospital Trust paying out £18,500 in safety fines. Boston Magistrates’ Court was told how necessary safety measures relating to the use of glutaraldehyde, a chemical used to develop film in x-ray machines, had not been in place.
HSE news release and COSHH webpages • Risks 370
Hazards news, 23 August 2008

Britain: Work asthma caused mental problems
Electrical engineer Mark Lawrence has been awarded £100,000 – more than six times the original offer - after he developed occupational asthma which led to a psychiatric disorder. The Unite member was working for Lydmet Limited, now Federal Mogul Camshafts Limited, when he experienced shortness of breath at work in April 2001.
Risks 370
Hazards news, 23 August 2008

Australia: Sedentary work leads to weight gain
Another study has confirmed sedentary occupations carry a significant risk of workers gaining weight than other occupations. The study from the University of North Carolina found only vigorous exercise was significantly associated with non-weight gain - the study comes after recent Australian research added to the growing evidence that shift work negatively impacts on health, revealing shift workers are more likely to smoke and to become overweight.
Risks 369
Hazards news, 16 August 2008

Finland: Union call for ban on creosote poles
A Finnish union is calling for the use of creosote-impregnated wooden electricity poles to be stopped on health grounds. The Electrical Workers’ Union says safer alternatives should be used instead.
Trade Union News from Finland • Risks 368
Hazards news, 9 August 2008

Europe: Union blast on reprotoxins
The European Trade Union Confederation has criticised a European Commission u-turn on substances that are toxic for reproduction. The union body says these reprotoxins should have been brought into the directive that protects workers from carcinogens and mutagens, which is currently up for revision, but is dismayed the Commission has instead changed tack and dropped any mention of reprotoxins from its proposals.
ETUI-REHS news briefing and ETUC note [pdf] • Risks 368
Hazards news, 9 August 2008

USA: Perils of the new pesticides
The US-based Center for Public Integrity has used official government data to expose the ‘Perils of the new pesticides.’ The free online resource is based on a review of 10 years’ worth of adverse-reaction reports filed with the Environmental Protection Agency by pesticide manufacturers.
CPI Perils of the new pesticides website • Risks 368
Hazards news, 9 August 2008

USA: Prison labour exposed to deadly toxins
US federal health officials have found staff and inmates had no protection against exposure to high levels of lead and cadmium in a prison industry computer recycling plant. The amount of health damage or risk could not be assessed because the Elkton Federal Correctional Institution in eastern Ohio did not conduct medical monitoring or industrial hygiene surveillance.
Full NIOSH report [pdf] • AFGE statement [pdf] • Risks 367
Hazards news, 2 August 2008

Peru: Chinese owner in mine disease denial
Workers in a Chinese owned mine in Peru are developing deadly dust diseases – but the Chinese metal giant is denying the cases exist. The workers at Shougang Corp’s iron ore mine in Peru have pneumoconiosis, a debilitating and potentially fatal lung scarring caused by dust inhalation.
Risks 367
Hazards news, 2 August 2008

Britain: Usdaw’s hot work warning
Retail and food union Usdaw has issued a seasonal warning on the health risks posed by hot work. The union alert spells out the legal position and the health effects of work in excessive temperatures - sweating, irritability, nausea, headaches, dizziness, fainting, muscle cramps, extra strain on the heart and ultimately heat stroke.
Usdaw alert and temperature at work guidance • Risks 367
Hazards news, 2 August 2008

Britain: Campaigners reject work health blueprint
A government approved strategy on work and health is destined to fail, health and safety campaigners have warned. Delegates to the July National Hazards Conference approved unanimously a statement highly critical of Dame Carol Black’s ‘Working for a healthier tomorrow’ report, launched in March.
Hazards Campaign statement and conference motion • Workplace health czar website • Risks 367
Hazards news, 2 August 2008

Britain: Overweight firefighter gets his job back
A firefighter sacked for being overweight has been reinstated after a campaign by his union, FBU. Talks between the union and Grampian Fire and Rescue Service brokered by mediator Acas also averted a possible strike.
Risks 367
Hazards news, 2 August 2008

USA: Secret Bush rule to protect toxins
The Bush administration has been caught trying to introduce secretly an eleventh-hour rule that would make it harder to set new safety standards limiting workers’ exposure to chemicals. The Labor Department has refused to discuss or disclose the proposal, which has spurred anger and condemnation from unions, Democrats in Congress and public health scientists.
Washington Post and related earlier coverage • AFL-CIO Now • Requirements for DOL Agencies' Assessment of Occupational Health Risks. Action: Proposed Rulemaking. Department of Labor, RI 1290-AA23 [pdf] • Risks 366
Hazards news, 26 July 2008

Holland: Solvent repro hazards prompt review
The Dutch government has ordered a review of workplace solvent health effects after new studies added to evidence of a significant reproductive risk in exposed workers. The Dutch State Secretary for Social Affairs has asked the Health Council of the Netherlands to investigate the issue.
ETUI-HESA news report • Occupational exposure to organic solvents: effects on human reproduction, Health Council of the Netherlands, 2008 [pdf] • Risks 366
Hazards news, 26 July 2008

Britain: Government plans in need of rehabilitation
Government efforts to get the long-term sick off benefits and back to work risk being undermined by low levels of rehabilitation support in the workplace, according to a survey. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s (CIPD) Annual Absence Management Survey 2008 found over a third (36 per cent) of employers offer no rehabilitation support.
Risks 366
Hazards news, 26 July 2008

Britain: Physiotherapists want work fitness role
Physios’ union CSP has welcomed a government decision to pilot an NHS-based Fit for Work service. Commenting on the decision, revealed in the DWP welfare reform green paper, chief executive Phil Gray said: “Physiotherapists are ideally placed to provide the advice and treatment that will keep people in work and help people return to work, reducing sickness absenteeism and increasing productivity.”
Risks 366
Hazards news, 26 July 2008

Britain: 'Work for benefits' plan criticised
Unemployed people will be forced to work for their benefits, as part of welfare reforms unveiled by work and pensions secretary James Purnell. The Welfare Green Paper includes plans to scrap incapacity benefit and make those jobless for more than two years work full-time in the community; critics says the proposals duck the issue of the availability of suitable, decent jobs, instead blaming the victims for their plight.
Hazards Campaign news release • Risks 366
Hazards news, 26 July 2008

Britain: Rolls-Royce fined for dangerous exposures
Rolls-Royce has been fined £120,000 for failing to ensure that five of its agency staff were sufficiently protected against dangerous substances. Derby Crown Court heard the workers developed ill effects, including skin rashes, bowel problems and breathing difficulties, while decommissioning a light alloy foundry at the firm's plant in Osmaston Road, Derby, between July and October 2005.
HSE COSHH webpages • Risks 366
Hazards news, 26 July 2008

Europe: ETUC wants paint stripper outlawed
Europe’s trade union confederation ETUC is calling for a blanket ban on paint strippers that contain dichloromethane. The union made its position clear as the European Parliament's (EP) Environment Committee prepares to publish its opinion on a Commission proposal to restrict the sale and use of products containing the chemical.
European Commission proposal [pdf] • Risks 364
Hazards news, 12 July 2008

Europe: Production and reproduction - the risks
A new guide from the ETUC’s safety thinktank, HESA, sets out to improve awareness of work-related reproductive hazards. ‘Production and reproduction: Stealing the health of future generations’ says potential risks include chemicals, ionising radiation, vibration, heat, biological agents and stress. Adverse effects include male and female infertility, miscarriages, birth defects and impaired child development.
Production and reproduction: Stealing the health of future generations, ISBN 978-287452126-6, 10 Euros. Order online • Risks 364
Hazards news, 12 July 2008

USA: Welding firms pay for manganese disease
US firms facing thousands of compensation claims from manganese-exposed welders with serious nervous system disease, have been paying millions to scientists who have then produced papers denying any link between the metal and “manganism”, a Parkinson’s-type condition.
Mother Jones • Risks 363
Hazards news, 5 July 2008

USA: Beryllium firm caught in spin mode
A major US firm that denied outright having used notorious industry spin doctors to block regulatory action on highly dangerous beryllium was lying, evidence suggests. Earlier this year, David Michaels and Celeste Monforton of the Project on Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy (SKAPP) published a paper, ‘Beryllium’s public relations problem: Protecting workers when there is no safe exposure level,’ criticising beryllium giant Brush Wellman for its efforts to prevent workplace safety agency OSHA and the US Department of Energy from lowering exposure limits for the highly toxic metal, linked to problems including cancer and debilitating lung and other diseases.
DefendingScience.org and documents relating to Brush Wellman • SKAPP case study: Beryllium - Science or public relations? • Risks 363
Hazards news, 5 July 2008

Britain: Get working on occupational health
TUC’s new occupational health workbook is now available free online. Over the next year, the TUC hopes that around 15,000 workplace safety reps can be trained using the new guide, 'Occupational health: Dealing with the issues'.
Occupational health: Dealing with the issues [pdf] • Risks 360
Hazards news, 14 June 2008

USA: Does popcorn poison cause Parkinson’s?
A top expert on diacetyl, the chemical responsible for an outbreak of the potentially fatal lung disease ‘popcorn lung’, now fears it could also be linked to Parkinson’s disease. David Egilman, a physician and clinical associate professor at Brown University in the US, says he is aware of two cases of Parkinson’s disease in men who were flavourists at Givaudan in Cincinnati, a large flavourings company.
The Pump Handle • Seattle Post-Intelligencer ‘Secret Ingredients’ blog • Hazards diacetyl webpages • Risks 360
Hazards news, 14 June 2008

USA: Diabetes higher in pesticide sprayers
People who spray pesticides have a higher risk of diabetes than the rest of the population, according to a new study. Scientists from the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) found that people who spent more than 100 days using chlorinated bug sprays were 20 to 200 per cent more likely to get diabetes, depending on which chemical they worked with.
NIEHS news release • MP Montgomery and others. Incident diabetes and pesticide exposure among licensed pesticide applicators: Agricultural health study, 1993-2003, American Journal of Epidemiology, volume 167, pages 1235-1246, 2008 [abstract] • Risks 360
Hazards news, 14 June 2008

Britain: Strains follow workers out of the office
More than two thirds of workers now suffer from repetitive strain injury, costing £300 million in lost working hours, a new study has found. The research from Microsoft revealed cases soared by more than 30 per cent last year because more staff than ever work both inside and outside the office.
Microsoft webpage and report, Ergonomics and repetitive strain injury [pdf] • Daily Mail • Risks 360
Hazards news, 14 June 2008

Britain: Common solvents threaten fertility
Men regularly exposed to chemicals found in paint and other common products may be more prone to fertility problems, UK research as indicated. Men such as painters and decorators, who work with a family of solvents called glycol ethers, are two-and-a-half times more likely to produce fewer “normal” sperm; the findings reinforce warnings issued in 1983 by the US authorities about reproductive hazards to both male and female workers from occupational exposure to certain glycol ethers.
Sheffield University news release • Science Daily news release • Risks 358
Hazards news, 31 May 2008

Britain: Payouts for stone dust disease
Two foundry workers who developed silicosis, one of the longest recognised occupational lung diseases, have received compensation. The Unite members, who both worked in the melting department of Federal Mogul’s Southwick factory on Wearside, have received “substantial” payouts in an out of court settlement.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Sunderland Echo • Risks 358
Hazards news, 31 May 2008

Britain: A dangerous case of compost lung
A retired council worker had half a lung removed after developing a disease caused by inhaling fungal spores released by rotting vegetation. He believes the condition may have been caused by exposure to compost.
Barnsley Chronicle • Risks 357
Hazards news, 24 May 2008

Britain: Injured then sacked by ‘cavalier’ council
A Scottish roadworker who was fired by a “cavalier” council after taking time off sick after a workplace injury has won an unfair dismissal and disability discrimination claim. GMB member James McGrath, 52, was awarded more than £25,000 compensation by an employment tribunal.
Clydebank Post • Risks 357
Hazards news, 24 May 2008

Britain: TUC slams CBI’s sick response
The CBI should quit its bellyaching about sickness levels and do something to make work less sickening, the TUC has said. Commenting after the publication of employers’ organisation’s annual absence survey, TUC said the CBI should acknowledge sickness rates are falling and instead of making claims about the cost of “sickies”, should instead encourage employers to address the unhealthy workplaces and work practices that are making workers sick.
CBI news release • Scotsman • The Guardian • Risks 356
Hazards news, 17 May 2008

Bangladesh: Synthetic materials harm garment workers
Synthetic materials used in Bangladesh’s massive ready-made garment (RMG) sector are causing widespread ill-health in the industry’s workforce.
The Daily Star • Risks 355
Hazards news, 10 May 2008

Britain: Care assistants face back breaking work
Healthcare assistants need better training if they are to escape career-ending injuries, the health service union UNISON has warned. The union alert came after a UNISON member suffered a serious back injury, forcing her to give up the job she loved.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 355
Hazards news, 10 May 2008

Britain: Safety reps get well active!
The TUC is to train up thousands of workplace safety reps to target prevention efforts at the work-related health problems that affect over two million workers. A new occupational health guide from TUC intends to improve the skills and activity level of safety reps. Over the next year, the TUC hopes that around 15,000 workplace safety reps can be trained using the new educational workbook, ‘Occupational health: Dealing with the issues’.
TUC news release • Unionlearn • Risks 354
Hazards news, 3 May 2008

USA: Doctors feel push to downplay injuries
A leading group of US occupational doctors has spoken out against pressure from companies to downplay workplace injuries. “Our members feel they are being methodically pressured... to under-treat and mistreat," said Dr Robert McLellan, president of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).
Charlotte Observer • Risks 353
Hazards news, 26 April 2008

USA: Formaldehyde linked to Lou Gehrig's disease
New preliminary research suggests that exposure to the chemical formaldehyde, present in workplaces from laboratories to hospitals to MDF factories, could greatly increase a person's chances of developing Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Those who reported more than 10 years of exposure to formaldehyde were almost four times more likely to develop ALS.
Marc Weisskopf and others. Prospective study of chemical exposures and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis mortality, AAN Meeting 2008; Abstract # S25.005. AAN news release [pdf] • Risks 353
Hazards news, 26 April 2008

Britain: Tiny fine for massive brick maker
The world’s largest clay brick and tile manufacturer has received a £2,000 fine after two employees developed a classic metal fume related occupational disease. Wienerberger Ltd pleaded guilty to two breaches of the chemical control regulations COSHH following an incident in May 2007 which led to one of the employees being hospitalised with welding fume fever.
HSE news release • Risks 352
Hazards news, 19 April 2008

Britain: Experts highlight spreading cancer risks
A global epidemic of preventable industrial cancers is killing hundreds of thousands each year because governments and employers are failing to take simple and effective preventive action. Top cancer prevention experts and trade union officers and workplace reps from around the world, meeting in Scotland later this month will reveal the full extent of the problem and will call for the use of safer substances and processes and a phase out of the worst cancer-causing culprits.
Stirling University news release • Global union zero cancer campaign • Risks 351
Hazards news, 12 April 2008

Australia: Work exposures up vet miscarriage risk
Female vets run twice the risk of miscarriage as a result of exposure to anaesthetic gases and pesticides, suggests a study. Women carrying out surgery and exposed to anaesthetic gases that were not filtered out of the atmosphere, for an hour or more a week, were almost 2.5 times more likely to miscarry, those who used pesticides during the course of their work were also twice as likely to miscarry, and those who performed more than five x-rays a week were around 80 per cent more likely to miscarry than those performing fewer procedures. Maternal occupational exposures and risk of spontaneous abortion in veterinary practice Online First, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 3 April 2008, doi: 10.1136/OEM.2007.035246 [abstract] • Risks 350
Hazards news, 5 April 2008

USA: Laundry work infection risk probed
The US government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating several cases of laundry and housekeeping workers suspected of having become infected with HIV as a result of needlestick injuries at work. Between 1981 and 2006, the CDC documented two cases of laundry and housekeeping employees who were infected with HIV as a result of occupational exposure to blood and identified 13 more possible cases.
American Laundry News • Risks 349
Hazards news, 29 March 2008

Britain: Health service urged to drop allergy gloves
Medical experts are calling for action to reduce the potentially fatal risks to health service staff posed by latex. ‘Latex allergy: Occupational aspects of management’, new guidelines from the Royal College of Physicians and NHS Plus, falls short of calling for a total ban on latex gloves, with union safety experts warning the strategy might also fall foul of the COSHH regulations, which require substitution of hazardous substances were suitable, safer alternatives are available.
RCP news release • ‘Latex allergy: Occupational aspects of management’ is available on the RCP [pdf] and NHS Plus websites [pdf] • Risks 349
Hazards news, 29 March 2008

USA: Watchdogs probe diacetyl threat to cooks
A US federal investigation into the hazards facing cooks exposed to diacetyl, a sometimes deadly artificial butter flavouring, is under way in New York City restaurants. Meanwhile in Seattle, the state safety watchdog is starting a similar inquiry.
Seattle Post Intelligencer • Confectionery News • Unite Here December 2007 news release • Hazards guide to diacetyl risks • Risks 348
Hazards news, 22 March 2008

Britain: Healthy work requires good work
Unions have said all workers need good jobs as well as comprehensive occupational health support if the workforce is to become healthier. Commenting on the publication this week of Dame Carol Black’s review of health and work, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: “Ministers need to come up with practical solutions based on prevention, early access to rehabilitation, and universal occupational health coverage,” adding workers needed ‘good work’ not just any work and “this will only happen if the government clamps down hard on employers who exploit their staff through bad conditions, long hours, or stressful workloads.”
TUC news release • Risks 348
Hazards news, 22 March 2008

Britain: Work plan won’t work without resources
There are concerns about the ability of a resource-challenged NHS to take on the new role outlined in this week’s ‘Working for a healthier tomorrow’ blueprint. David Coats, associate director of policy at The Work Foundation, said: “Most GPs have little understanding of the relationship between work and health and limited expertise in occupational health,” adding: “GPs may be under-resourced and ill-equipped to take on the responsibilities envisaged in Dame Carol’s proposals.”
BMA news release • IOSH news release • HSC news release • HSE Health Work and Wellbeing webpages • Hazards work and health webpages • Risks 348
Hazards news, 22 March 2008

Britain: Rethink urged over work and health
There is a need for an urgent and comprehensive reform of Britain’s approach to health and work, a government-initiated review has concluded. Launching ‘Working for a healthier tomorrow’, national director for health and work Dame Carol Black said the report’s proposals focus on keeping people healthy at work, and also on helping them return to work if they get ill.
Health Work and Wellbeing news release, ‘Working for a healthier tomorrow’ report [pdf] and summary of evidence submitted [pdf] • The Guardian • BBC News Online report and Q&A on the report • Risks 348
Hazards news, 22 March 2008

Britain: Warning on new incapacity test
Vulnerable workers could lose out as a result of changes to the current incapacity test, the government has been warned. The union GMB and safety professionals’ organisation IOSH issued separate alerts after chancellor Alastair Darling announced the new rules in his March 2008 Budget.
GMB news release • IOSH news release • Risks 348
Hazards news, 22 March 2008

Britain: Latex payout but no job for young nurse
A young nurse who had to give up the profession after developing a potentially deadly latex allergy has received a six figure payout. UNISON member Tanya Dodd, 25, was a trainee nurse at Scarborough General Hospital when she developed type 1 latex allergy from gloves she wore routinely as part of her job.
UNISON news release • BBC News Online • Risks 348
Hazards news, 22 March 2008

Global: New chemicals health monitor
The Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) has launched a new Chemicals Health Monitor website - an online source of information about chemicals and related diseases. HEAL says the new resource “provides a comprehensive compilation of recent information and evidence” about the links between chemical contaminants and ill-health.
HEAL news release • Chemicals Health Monitor website • Risks 347
Hazards news, 15 March 2008

Britain: Lead exposure still a problem
The number of workers under medical surveillance for lead exposure rose last year. In 2006/07, 8,697 workers were monitored for blood levels of the metal, which can cause serious occupational health problems including cancer, anaemia, kidney and brain damage in chronically exposed workers.
HSE lead statistics • Risks 347
Hazards news, 15 March 2008

Britain: Government busy doing nothing on diacetyl
In an 11 March written answer to a parliamentary question from Liberal Democrat MP Mike Hancock on diacetyl risks in the UK, DWP parliamentary under-secretary of state Anne McGuire replied: “No research has been commissioned by the government or the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). However, the Health and Safety Executive accepted the evidence from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in the United States of America as the basis for alerting the food industry to the potential inhalation risks to workers from diacetyl in 2004” - a reported UK case resulted from workplace diacetyl exposures in 2005.
Food: Industrial health and safety, Hansard written answer, 11 March 2008
Hazards news, 15 March 2008

Britain: HSE issues low key diacetyl warning
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has put out a low key, two-paragraph, warning about the risk from diacetyl, a food flavouring that is widely used in the UK and that has been linked to hundreds of cases of serious occupational lung disease in the US.
HSE diacetyl alert • I can't believe it's not deadly: Food flavour wrecks lungs, Hazards magazine diacetyl feature and resources • NIOSH flavourings topic page • Risks 347
Hazards news, 15 March 2008

Holland: Roadside workers face brain peril
Half an hour of sniffing diesel fumes in a busy city street is enough to induce a "stress response" in the brain and could cause lasting problems, according to a new study. Scientists have known nanoparticles – which include particulate matter in diesel exhaust fumes - reach the brain when inhaled, but this is the first time they have been shown to affect how we process information.
Bjoern Cruts, Ludo van Etten, Hakan Tornqvist, Anders Blomberg, Thomas Sandstrom, Nicholas L Mills, Paul JA Borm. Exposure to diesel exhaust induces changes in EEG in human volunteers, Particle and Fibre Toxicology, volume 5, number 4, 2008 [abstract and full paper (provisional pdf)] • Risks 347
Hazards news, 15 March 2008

Britain: Study links radiation to heart disease
A study of nearly 65,000 UK nuclear industry workers over more than 60 years has found a possible link between high radiation exposure and heart disease.
Dave McGeoghegan, Keith Binks, Michael Gillies, Steve Jones, and Steve Whaley. The non-cancer mortality experience of male workers at British Nuclear Fuels plc, 1946–2005, International Journal of Epidemiology Advance Access, published online on 4 March 2008 [full paper and abstract] • Risks 346
Hazards news, 8 March 2008

Britain: UNISON warning on well note move
There must be more investigation into the concept of well notes before they are introduced as an alternative to sicknotes, public sector union UNISON has said. UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said the union welcomed the government’s recognition that more needs to be done to get people on long term sick back into work, but added: “Staff go on long term sick leave for many reasons, often due to the work they do itself.”
UNISON news release • Risks 346
Hazards news, 8 March 2008

Britain: Injured firefighters go to court
Firefighters have started legal moves to challenge new government pension rules that are leaving badly injured and disabled firefighters sacked and without a pension. Their union, FBU, described the treatment of workers suffering injuries or occupational diseases as “totally unacceptable.”
FBU news release • Risks 346
Hazards news, 8 March 2008

Britain: Lung destroying disease reaches the UK
A union organisation has repeated its call for global action on a lung-destroying occupational disease which has affected hundreds in the USA, after it was revealed the first case had been identified in the UK. Global foodworkers’ union federation IUF said regulatory action and medical surveillance of food workers exposed to the flavouring ingredient diacetyl, the cause of bronchiolitis obliterans, have so far elicited no response by health and safety agencies in Europe.
IUF news release • Irwin Mitchell solicitors news release • I can’t believe it’s not deadly: Food flavour wrecks lungs, Hazards magazine, Number 101, January-March 2008 • Risks 345
Hazards news, 1 March 2008

Britain: Garage work deafened man
A Manchester man has been awarded a £6,000 compensation payout after he developed noise induced hearing loss caused by power tool and engine noise exposure whilst working as a mechanic for North Western British Road Services Limited. Terry Howarth, 51, was exposed to noise from air tools, sledge hammers, steam cleaners, air lines, grinders, engine noise and drills.
Risks 344
Hazards news, 23 February 2008

Britain: Sick workers need sick leave and support
Trade unions have called for more efforts to ensure sick workers are allowed the time and resources to recuperate properly and for decent job opportunities for those with disabilities.
Risks 344
Hazards news, 23 February 2008

Britain: Government calls for “well notes”
Health secretary Alan Johnson has said he wants to see doctors to shift away from sicknotes and instead to issue “well notes,” setting out what tasks a worker can perform instead of certificates automatically signing them off. The move has led to concern in both trade unions and the medical profession, with doctors’ leaders saying GPs should not be used to “police the system”.
Department of Health news release • NHS Employers news release • Risks 344
Hazards news, 23 February 2008

France: Gruelling work linked to early retirement
Older manual workers in France are more likely to retire early or be registered economically inactive than the workforce as a whole, with their tough jobs and poor health identified as a key reason why. French employment ministry researchers explored the link between the hardships of work and early departure from the workforce using the findings of a 2003 national health survey.
ETUI-REHS report summary • Risks 342
Hazards news, 9 February 2008

Britain: New construction site health tool
In a bid to help the construction industry tackle occupational health issues, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a new online resource, Construction Occupational Health Management Essentials (COHME). HSE says last year 1.8 million days were lost in the construction industry due to work related ill-health compared to 0.9 million days lost due to accidents.
Construction Occupational Health Management Essentials (COHME) • Risks 342
Hazards news, 9 February 2008

Britain: Strain injury leads to forced retirement
A factory worker from Port Talbot who was medically retired after suffering a repetitive strain injury (RSI) has received almost £17,000 in compensation. Unite member Barbara Newall’s job was to bag the accessories that accompanied a DVD player; this included a remote control, a battery pack, an RF cable and, in some cases, an additional RF lead - she would pack approximately 4,500 bags per day.
Thompsons Solicitors new release
RSI Action Day, Friday 29 February: Unions can order a special 'Repeat after me' RSI day poster from the Hazards Campaign • 'Repeat after me' poster • Email the Hazards Campaign for poster order details • Risks 341
Hazards news, 2 February 2008

Britain: Shiftwork linked early retirement in women
Shiftwork may increase the risk of enforced early retirement among women, suggests new research. Researchers used information from just under 8,000 male and female employees, who were part of the Danish Work Environment Cohort Study, which began in 1990, and data from the national welfare register.
Finn Tüchsen, Karl Bang Christensen, Thomas Lund, and Helene Feveile, A 15 year prospective study of shift work and disability pension, Occupational and Environmental Medicine. Published Online First: 15 January 2008. doi:10.1136/oem.2007.036525 [Abstract] • Risks 339
Hazards news, 19 January 2008

Britain: Miners hit by compensation failures
Sick miners and their families have lost out on compensation because of administrative failures, according to an official report. Legal Services Complaints Commissioner Zahida Manzoor said different awards were being made depending on a “bewildering array” of circumstances, such as support from a local MP and conduct of solicitors involved in taking claims under the government scheme for miners’ respiratory diseases and vibration white finger.
OLSCC news release [pdf] and special report [pdf] • Risks 339
Hazards news, 19 January 2008

USA: Deadly lung risk to kitchen staff
Restaurant workers could face serious health risks from exposure to the flavouring ingredient diacetyl. The chemical, an artificial butter flavouring, is a common ingredient in the margarines, shortenings and cooking oils and sprays used in commercial kitchens and has been found to cause the lung-destroying condition bronchiolitis obliterans in popcorn workers, but the risk to other groups of workers has been largely overlooked.
IUF news release • Seattle Post-Intelligencer and follow up article on union call for action • The Pump Handle • Risks 338
Hazards news,12 January 2008

USA: Farm women’s asthma risk from pesticides
A study suggests farm women who have contact with some common pesticides are at far greater risk of developing allergic asthma. Researchers at the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) found an average increase of 50 per cent in the prevalence of allergic asthma in all farm women who applied or mixed pesticides.
American Thoracic Society news release • Jane A Hoppin and others. Pesticides and atopic and nonatopic asthma among farm women in the Agricultural Health Study, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, volume 177, pages 11-18, 2008 [abstract] • Risks 338
Hazards news,12 January 2008

Britain: Five years to deafen a worker
A 40-year-old Lancashire man has been deafened by just five years of periodic exposure to excessive workplace noise. Mark Bulcock received £5,000 in damages after he lost his hearing because of the noisy machines at the sock manufacturer where he worked.
Irwin Mitchell news release • Risks 338
Hazards news,12 January 2008

Britain: More vibration, more payouts
A boilermaker from Port Talbot whose hands have been permanently damaged from regular use of vibrating tools has been paid compensation from four employers with the support of his trade union GMB. The man, aged 50, whose name has not been released, has been employed by four different companies during his working life and has been regularly exposed to excessive vibration from tools such as grinders, pistol drills, large drills, needle guns and impact wrenches.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 338
Hazards news,12 January 2008

USA: Chemicals linked to nurse ill-health
A national survey of US nurses’ exposures to chemicals, pharmaceuticals and radiation at work suggests there are links between serious health problems such as cancer, asthma, miscarriages and children’s birth defects and the duration and intensity of these exposures. The survey, released online last week by the Environmental Working Group and several other US academic, advocacy and nursing organisations, found nurses confront daily low-level but repeated exposures to mixtures of hazardous materials.
EWG news release • Nurses’ health: A survey on health and chemical exposures
Hazards news, 22 December 2007

Pakistan: Cotton pickers suffer pesticide poisoning
Pakistan's cotton-picking women are suffering pesticide poisoning symptoms ranging from mild headaches and skin allergies to cancer, a study has shown. The research by the Islamabad-based Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), found that blood samples of only 10 per cent of the female cotton pickers were clear of pesticides after the harvesting season.
Dawn • SDPI Research and News Bulletin, volume 14, number 3, 2007
Hazards news, 22 December 2007

Britain: Dawson’s driver develops diesel dermatitis
A delivery driver who developed irritant contact dermatitis when diesel splashed on his hand is to receive £1,800 compensation. Dawson Holdings plc employee William Smith, 54, was filling his work van with diesel using a hand held nozzle, when diesel blew back from the tank of the van and went directly onto his hands.
Thompsons Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 15 December 2007

Britain: Vibration permanently harms man’s hands
A 24-year-old crack tester from Doncaster who says he was forced out of his job after vibrating tools permanently damaged his hands has received a £30,000 compensation settlement. Unite member Dean Grice was employed by MSI Forks Ltd, a firm making forks for forklift trucks, and developed vibration white finger and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Thompsons Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 15 December 2007

USA: Illness lays low 11 at pork plant
Eleven workers at a pork processing plant in Austin, Minnesota, fell ill between last December and July with a neurological disorder whose cause remains unknown, state health officials have said. The condition afflicting five of the workers at Quality Pork Processors Inc has been identified as a rare disease called chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy or CIDP, which normally strikes fewer than two people per 100,000 - in this instance, it may have struck 11 out of about 100 people in a particular part of the plant, state officials said.
Minnesota Department of Health news release, webpage and factsheet [pdf]
Hazards news, 8 December 2007

Britain: Controversy over mental health measures
The government will treble the number of employment advisers in GP surgeries and pilot a new £8m advice and support service for smaller businesses as part of a new approach it says will help people with stress and other mental health conditions find and keep work. The drive to get people with mental health problems off benefits and into work has been criticised by mental health charity Mind.
DWP news release • Mind news release
Hazards news, 1 December 2007

Britain: TUC says sort out work hazards not workers
Many employers have a healthier appetite for addressing their employees’ diet, exercise and smoking habits than addressing the work-related causes of ill-health, the TUC has said. In a TUC submission to Dame Carol Black’s review of the health of the working age population, the TUC says employers’ attempts to encourage healthy living are most effective when they look at how work can contribute to or cause lifestyle problems and warns against employers moralising over lifestyle issues, like drug and alcohol use.
TUC news release and full response to the consultation
Hazards news, 1 December 2007

Britain: Inspector unearths more dust disease
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector Andrea Robbins has unearthed a second case of a stonemason suffering a potentially fatal dust disease. Silica dust levels had previously been found to be over 100 times than the current legal exposure limit.
HSE news release
Hazards news, 24 November 2007

Britain: Concerns about new work capability tests
Disability, work policy and union organisations have warned changes next year to the incapacity benefit system risk penalising and harassing the sick and those with disabilities. The TUC said returning the sick to work required cooperation, not coercion.
Mind news release • Disability Alliance news release
Hazards news, 24 November 2007

Britain: 'Tougher' work tests for disabled
New incapacity benefit tests planned for next year mean fewer sick and disabled people will qualify as being unable to work. The new work capability assessment, which will cover the entire UK, is being introduced alongside the employment support allowance - which will replace incapacity benefits for new claimants from next autumn.
DWP news release • Transformation of the Personal Capability Assessment - Technical Working Group's Phase 2 Evaluation Report
Hazards news, 24 November 2007

Britain: Workplace health project a costly flop
A multi-million pound government funded project designed to provide advice on workplace health issues to small and medium-sized firms is failing dramatically in achieving this goal, with almost 9 out of 10 calls received not workplace health-related. An Institution for Employment Studies evaluation of Workplace Health Connect’s (WHC) first 16 months in operation has found “the data demonstrates that the adviceline is primarily of interest to employers as a source of advice about safety related matters, although about 11 per cent of callers did ring with a specific health enquiry.”
Workplace Health Connect: July Progress report, HSE, published online 30 October 2007 [pdf] • Workplace Health Connect • Hazards magazine work and health webpages
Hazards news, 3 November 2007

Britain: Workers need mental health support
Family doctors need to do more to help people with mental health problems make a productive return to work, a new report has concluded.
CIPD news release
Hazards news, 17 November 2007

Britain: What you don’t know is killing us
The government’s “work is good for you” push is missing one inconvenient truth – a combination of job insecurity, punitive sick leave policies, a failure to recognise the extent of the country’s work-related health crisis and a lack of official health and safety enforcement means for many work is bad and getting worse.
Dame blast – To Hain and Black: What you don’t know is killing us, Hazards magazine, October-December 2007 • Hazards work and health webpages • Working for Health news release
Hazards news, 17 November 2007

Nicaragua/USA: US payout awarded over pesticide
A US jury has awarded a total of $3.3m (£1.58m) to six workers who claim they were left sterile by a pesticide used at a banana plantation in Nicaragua. The workers accused Dole and Standard Fruit Co and Dow Chemical Co of concealing the dangers posed by the pesticide, used in the 1970s.
BBC News Online
Hazards news, 10 November 2007

Global: IUF calls for action on lung destroyer
A global union body is demanding urgent control measures on the food flavouring diacetyl, a widely used chemical that can destroy workers’ lungs. IUF, the international federation for foodworkers’ unions, says the ingredient in artificial butter flavours has been shown to cause disabling and sometimes fatal illnesses in exposed workers.
IUF news release • Food Navigator
Hazards news, 10 November 2007

Britain: TUC dismay at rise in workplace ill-health
The TUC has expressed dismay at new official figures showing a dramatic rise in work-related ill-health. Commenting on statistics released this week by the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) which showed a 10 per cent upturn in health problems related to work, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said the figures were “very disappointing.”
TUC news release • HSC/E stats news release • HSE news release and statistics webpages
Hazards news, 3 November 2007

Britain: Planes boycott by airline staff
Some crew at a leading budget airline are refusing to fly part of the company's fleet, saying poor air quality is putting them and passengers at risk. Flybe staff raised the concerns about the company's British Aerospace 146 fleet.
BBC News Online • Metro • Toxic Free Airlines • Aerotoxic Association
Hazards news, 27 October 2007

Europe: Union dismay at EMF law delay
A European law intended to protect workers from possible health risks caused by electromagnetic fields, is to be delayed for four years. The TUC believes the MRI issue could have been dealt with without shelving what was intended solely as a workplace health and safety measure - electromagnetic radiation has been linked to high rates of breast cancer in flight attendants and to cancers and other health effects in other groups of workers, including railway staff and microchip workers.
The Guardian • BBC News Online • Trade union cancer campaign
Hazards news, 27 October 2007

Britain: Grass cutting caused vibration injury
A council gardener has developed debilitating vibration white finger (VWF) as a result of cutting grass with strimmers and mowers. GMB member Robert Llewellyn received £3,000 compensation from Cardiff County Council.
Thompsons Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 27 October 2007

Europe: ETUC goes on the strains offensive
Unions in Europe are being urged to join “a massive offensive” against workplace strain injuries. John Monks, ETUC general secretary, said: “We want to launch a mass trade union offensive focused on work organisation to stem these rapidly-spreading work-related illnesses.”
ETUC news release [pdf] • Conference papers
Hazards news, 20 October 2007

Britain: ‘Work while you’re sick’ is hurting firms
Pressure to stagger into work when sick is hurting workers and damaging productivity, commitment levels and motivation, according to research from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). Its ‘Quality of Working Life’ found 1 in 3 managers believe a culture of not taking time off work for sickness exists in their organisation.
CMI news release • Quality of Working Life report, executive summary
Hazards news, 20 October 2007

Britain: Business says business is bad to workers
A top business organisation has urged companies to put the health of the nation’s workforce on to the boardroom agenda, after its research revealed “apathy” on the issue was damaging both workers’ health and productivity. Business in the Community (BITC) said its research has revealed that a third of workers (31 per cent) feel their health is neglected at work, while six in 10 (62 per cent) “don’t believe bosses consider staff as assets worth investing in.”
BITC news release
Hazards news, 20 October 2007

Britain: How unhealthy are the nation’s workers?
The government has launched what it claims is the first ever review of the health of the working-age population. Dame Carol Black, the government’s national director for health and work, launched the “call for evidence”; the intention is to identify the action “government, business and the medical profession should take to improve the health of working age people and help more people who develop health problems to remain in or quickly return to work.”
DWP news release • Call for evidence: deadline for responses 7 November 2007
Why bad work is not a good idea. Safety reps’ guide to occupational health services
Hazards news, 20 October 2007

USA: Work linked to deadly autoimmune diseases
Occupational exposures in farming and industry may be linked to higher death rates from systemic autoimmune diseases, a new study has found. The conditions involve the immune system attacking the body's own tissues, damaging organs. Science Daily.
LS Gold and others. Systemic autoimmune disease mortality and occupational exposures, Arthritis & Rheumatism, volume 56, issue 10, pages 3189–3201, 2007 [abstract] • More on the diseases linked to work, including the Hazards detective
Hazards news, 13 October 2007

Britain: Stonemason develops deadly silica disease
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned quarrying companies and stonemasons of the risk from the potentially fatal disease silicosis, if adequate measures to monitor and prevent exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) are not in place. The alert came after a quarry owner was fined for breaches of the COSHH chemical control regulations and the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) – he had failed to notify the HSE of a reportable work disease, silicosis.
HSE news release
Hazards news, 13 October 2007

Global: Work stress linked to heart risk
People who go back to a stressful job after a heart attack are more prone to a second attack than those whose work is not stressful. Canadian researchers followed over 1,000 patients returning to work and found those with job strain were twice as likely to fall ill.
JAMA news release • Corine Aboa-Éboulé and others. Job strain and risk of acute recurrent coronary heart disease events, Journal of the American Medical Association, volume 298, number 14, pages 1652-1660, 2007 [abstract] • Hazards worked to death webpages
Hazards news, 13 October 2007

Europe: Getting to grips with strain injuries
Three simple letters - MSD – identify the leading cause of occupational illness in Europe, according the European trade union safety thinktank, REHS. Its new guide to musculoskeletal disorders – MSDs – provides a “summary of the current scientific knowledge of this complex group of pathologies, examines the connection between MSD and changes in the organisation of work and proposes ideas for a necessary trade union mobilisation against this exploding health problem.”
Musculoskeletal disorders. An ill-understood pandemic. Further details and online order form
Hazards news, 6 October 2007

Britain: Liverpool council workers poorly protected
Workers at Liverpool City Council are not being provided the legally required level of occupational health support, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has said. HSE has issued the local authority with an improvement notice requiring it to improve occupational health services for its 19,000 staff or face legal action.
Liverpool Daily Post • Hazards guide to occupational health services
Hazards news, 6 October 2007

Britain: Health and safety and disability equality
The Health and Safety Executive says it new ‘health and safety for disabled people and their employers’ web resource “promotes good practice in disability equality at work and health and safety risk assessment.” HSE says the microsite provides: An introduction to disability discrimination and health and safety law; advice for people doing health and safety risk assessments; advice for disabled people; and links to further sources of information, including grants.
HSE safety and disability equality microsite
Hazards news, 29 September 2007

Britain: Airline cabins to be tested for fumes
Pilots’ union BALPA has welcomed a government decision to test the cabins of commercial jets for toxic fumes. The move comes after a government-backed report called for an investigation into whether pilots are being disorientated by poor quality air.
Statement from BALPA to the Committee on Toxicity [pdf] • Committee on Toxicity update paper [pdf] and webpages
Hazards news, 29 September 2007

Britain: Six figure payout for dental nurse allergy
A dental nurse who had to pack in work after developing occupational dermatitis has received a £200,000 payout. The 50-year-old UNISON member, who has not been named, worked for the Central Manchester Primary Care Trust and developed the debilitating skin condition as a result of using latex gloves between 1980 and 2004.
Thompsons Solicitors news release
Hazards news, 29 September 2007

Global: Psychosocial risks and work-related stress
The World Health Organisation’s global occupational health network (GOHNET) has in its latest newsletter turned its attention to psychosocial risks and work-related stress. The document concentrates on countries in economic transition and newly industrialised and developing countries, but has a great deal of useful information for anyone interested in these topics anywhere.
WHO occupational health webpages • Addressing psychosocial risks and work-related stress in countries in economic transition, in newly industrialized countries, and in developing countries, GOHNET Newsletter [pdf]
Hazards news, 22 September 2007