Hazards, issue 90, April-June 2005

contents

6-7 No real convictions Top company bosses have been getting away with murder for decades. A corporate manslaughter law was supposed to change all that. But the draft bill has been nobbled so the directors of blue chip companies who kill at work need not fear for their liberty or their livelihood. more

8-9 Escape from jail Some bosses will serve time for serious safety offences – but it will continue to be those running small firms rather than their better resourced and better renumerated blue chip counterparts, none of whom have ever faced imprisonment for safety offences. order

10-17 News in brief HSE given more teeth and a larger role. Bosses have nothing to fear. Jail – when an HSE inspector is the victim. Businessmen behaving badly. NHS staff get rough treatment. Blitz reveals site lawlessness. Industry sets low standards. Work smoking ban would save thousands. Enforced “binge working” blighting Britain. Computer go-slow stops strains. Overwork causes car smashes. News from the sick workplace. Plight of asbestos cancer victims ignored. Metalworking fluids linked to breast cancer. Cancer patients failed by ignorant employers. Shameless insurers appeal asbestos verdict. order

Centrepages Some compensation Workers lose billions in wages each year as a result of occupational injuries and diseases. Only 1 in 10 sees any compensation. Simon Pickvance outlines what’s available from a system that provides consolation for some, frustration for most and proper compensation to no-one suffering as a result of their job. more

20-21 Fight for life South Africa has a rich supply of minerals and metals – which means it has plenty of extremely hazardous jobs. Hlokoza Motau of the metalworkers’ union NUMSA, explains how the union fights hazards and apartheid’s deadly legacy. more

22-23 At the sharp end Local union campaigns can be good for union organisation and good for safety. Two recent examples show that there are always employers willing to take dangerous liberties – and demonstrate the unbeatable protection offered by trade unions. Plus latest news on the tiny band of Worker Safety Advisers. order

24-25 What’s in store for you? What do you call a company that wants lorries to be “sweatshops on wheels,” that hushes up workers’ injuries and that is done for using children in dangerous jobs? Wal-Mart – the world’s largest retailer. Plus latest union busting news from the UK and a Hazards compensation update.

26-31 What the unions say FBU exposes “dangerously high” risks. Bar staff choice of fines and threats. Body mapping is a winner. Women’s work, women’s safety. Hazards Questionnaire. Britain’s unpaid overtime scandal. TGWU drives working time watch. Prospect sows the seeds of safety. Events. Strains flourish in lawless workplaces. Steel yourself for Bloody Pocket Syndrome. Truckies driven to speed. TUC acts on tsunami “asbestos aid”. Healthy developments on global agreements. order

32-34 Resources Publications, online resources and news from HSE. Hazards conference details. order

Back cover Union brand safety – it’s the best! The latest Hazards safety rep poster. more