Hazards news archive - January 2016-December 2016
Hazards news, 17 December 2016
Britain: New kitchen fashion is a killer
“Stone” worktops in kitchens are becoming very fashionable in Britain, yet how many people know that they are killing the workers who make or install them? TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson said he was made aware of the problem when he met with a lung consultant, who “mentioned that half of all lung transplants in Israel are due to work with engineered stone.”
TUC Stronger Unions blog. More on the UK’s inadequate exposure standard for silica. Risks 781. 17 December 2016.
Britain: Inspection blitz finds small sites are safety ‘basket cases’
Small construction sites are health and safety ‘basket cases’ with half not meeting minimum legal standards, UCATT has said. The construction union was speaking out after a report from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) chief executive to the regulator’s 7 December board meeting spelled out how an ‘intensive inspection initiative’ by HSE involved 1,840 visits to small refurbishment sites found that 49 per cent of sites did not meet safety standards, resulting in 741 legally-binding enforcement notices and 1,059 notices of contravention.
UCATT news release. HSE 7 December 2016 board meeting. Morning Star. Risks 781. 17 December 2016.
Britain: Hundreds flock to join Uber action
Hundreds of Uber drivers have joined GMB’s legal case against cab firm, with proceeding already issued in 50 cases, the union has said. Law firm Leigh Day, working with GMB to assess the claims, predicts thousands of drivers could potentially join the group action.
GMB news release. Leigh Day news release. Risks 781. 17 December 2016.
Britain: GMB slams Asos double standards
A ‘huge disparity’ in the employment conditions offered to staff at the London HQ of online retailer Asos and its Yorkshire warehouse staff has been criticised by the GMB. The union was commented after Asos announced plans to create 1,500 jobs in a London HQ “that fosters creativity” just days after GMB held a ‘catwalk of shame’ outside the Asos AGM in protest at conditions for warehouse workers in Yorkshire.
GMB news release. Asos news release. Risks 781. 17 December 2016.
Britain: Teacher’s death highlights school asbestos complacency
The government must change its ‘laissez-faire approach’ to asbestos management in schools or risk more deaths, a union coalition has warned. The Joint Union Asbestos Committee (JUAC) was commenting after a coroner investigating the death in June of retired teacher Sue Stephens ruled she died following exposure to asbestos at work.
JUAC news release. Daily Mail.
Petition to protect children and teachers from asbestos exposures in schools. Risks 781. 17 December 2016.
Britain: Airline pilot wins major legal victory on fatigue
An airline captain has accepted an apology from an airline after being sanctioned for refusing to fly due to fatigue, as well as assurances that the company remains committed to passenger safety. Captain Mike Simkins, a member of the pilots’ union BALPA, was suspended by Thomas Cook Airlines for six months and threatened with dismissal after refusing to fly his Boeing 767 with over 200 passengers while he was fatigued.
BALPA news release. Tribunal judgment. Risks 781. 17 December 2016.
Britain: Pilot fatigue ‘not taken seriously’ by airlines
Half of airline pilots report that fatigue is not taken seriously by airlines, according to the first large-scale survey of pilots’ perceptions of safety within the European aviation industry. The London School of Economics (LSE) study found 51 per cent of pilots surveyed reported that fatigue was not taken seriously by their airline, and 28 per cent of pilots felt that they had insufficient numbers of staff to carry out their work safely.
LSE news release. BALPA news release. Risks 781. 17 December 2016.
Global: Cancer all-clear for night work was ‘bad science’
An Oxford University study that concluded the classification of night work as a cause of breast cancer is no longer justified was based on ‘bad science’, top researchers have warned. Johnni Hansen, a researcher with the Danish Cancer Society, told Hazards magazine: “They base their conclusion on a poor study, but even worse is that their conclusion may hinder preventive initiatives for night workers.”
Graveyard shift: Cancer all-clear for night work based on ‘bad science’, warn scientists, Hazards magazine, number 136, December 2016.
Ruth C Travis and others. Night shift work and breast cancer incidence: Three prospective studies and meta-analysis of published studies, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, volume 108, number 12, published online 6 October 2016. Risks 781. 17 December 2016.
Britain: Cuts mean fire crews take longer to arrive
New research carried out by the BBC has shown that fire crews around the country are taking longer to arrive at house fires due to government cuts to fire and rescue services. Matt Wrack, general secretary of the FBU, said: “There is very long standing evidence that the longer it takes firefighters to get to incidents, the more likely it is that people will be injured or killed.”
BBC 5 Live investigates. FBU news release. Morning Star. Risks 781. 17 December 2016.
Britain: Exhaust exposure caused post traumatic stress
An ambulance worker who developed a psychiatric condition after she was poisoned by carbon monoxide from a faulty vehicle exhaust has been awarded £280,000 in damages by the High Court. Solo responder Diane Kennedy developed post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) aster an undetected fault on her vehicle's exhaust system caused harmful fumes to leak into the driver’s compartment.
BBC News Online. The Mirror. Risks 781. 17 December 2016.
Britain: Crossrail contractors to be prosecuted over concrete death
Crossrail contractors BAM Nuttall, Ferrovial Agroman (UK), and Kier Infrastructure are to face prosecution following the death of one worker and injuries to two others, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has announced. The charges relate to the death of Rene Tka'cik on 7 March 2014 and injuries to Terrence Hughes and Alex Vizitiu in January 2015.
HSE news release. BBC News Online. Construction Enquirer. Risks 781. 17 December 2016.
Britain: Building firm fined over trench death
Building firm Rodger Builders Ltd has been fined £30,000 after a worker was killed by falling soil in a collapsed trench. The firm admitted two criminal safety breaches followed the death of worker George Wilson, 64, on a farm near Heriot while carrying out drainage work when working alone with a mechanical excavator.
BBC News Online. ITV News. Risks 781. 17 December 2016.
Britain: Whistleblower exposes shocking site conditions
A construction company and its managing director have been prosecuted for operating an unsafe construction site during a building conversion. Bluefig Development Ltd pleaded guilty to two criminal safety breaches and was fined £42,900 with £3,781.24 costs and company director Faris Mousa was fined £40,000 with £3,658.24 costs.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 781. 17 December 2016.
Britain: Directors fined over unsafe roof work
A specialist roofing company and its two directors have been sentenced after admitting working unsafely at height on a hotel development in central Manchester during major refurbishment and extension works. Enviroply Roofing Limited was fined £13,300 with £1160.50 costs, Jake Joseph Clarke £1,100 with £1,160.50 costs and Aaron Paul Hepworth £2,100 with £1,160.50 costs.
HSE news release and work at height webpages. Risks 781. 17 December 2016.
Europe: Endocrine disruptors are an occupational risk
A new guide from the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI) evaluates research findings on the health consequences of workers being exposed to chemical substances with potentially harmful effects on the endocrine [hormonal] system. The 72-page guide is intended for union representatives and aims “to raise the awareness of union officials and political decision-makers to this largely unrecognised public and workplace health risk.”
Endocrine disruptors: an occupational risk in need of recognition, ETUI, 2016. ETUI publication alert. Risks 781. 17 December 2016.
China: Unions demand ILO action on deadly coal mines
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) should intervene to improve safety in Chinese coal mines, following the deaths of 86 coal miners in a matter of weeks, the global union IndustriALL has said. In a letter to ILO director general Guy Ryder, IndustriALL’s general secretary, Valter Sanches, said it is “imperative” the Chinese government ratifies ILO’s Convention 176 on Safety and Health in Mines and calls on the ILO to offer immediate technical assistance to China to help improve health and safety standards in the coal mines.
IndustriALL news release. Risks 781. 17 December 2016.
Qatar: Labour ‘reforms’ just new labels on old laws
Qatar’s announcement of labour law “reforms” leaves migrant workers under the total control of employers, perpetuating the system of modern slavery that underpins the huge infrastructure programme leading up to the 2022 World Cup, global union confederation ITUC has said. Sharan Burrow, ITUC general secretary, said: “Putting new labels on old laws does not remove the stain of modern slavery, and workers will continue to be forced to work under a feudal employment system.”
ITUC news release. TUC Touchstone blog. Risks 781. 17 December 2016.
Vietnam: CSR audits fail to fix the hazards
Separate investigations by the US-based Workers Rights Consortium (WRC) and Fair Labor Association (FLA) have revealed th at a major Korean factory operator in Vietnam is running a sweatshop operation. According to Garrett Brown, a leading expert on safety conditions in outsourced factory work: “The Hansae Vietnam factory has become the latest textbook example of how the clothing brands and their CSR programmes have failed to protect workers in global supply chains.”
The Pump Handle. Risks 781. 17 December 2016.
Hazards news, 10 December 2016
Britain: Compensation changes an attack on workers’ rights
Government plans to change the rules for compensation claims would make it much more difficult for workers to get the money to which they are entitled when an employer’s negligence injures them or makes them ill, the TUC has said. The union body says compensation cases classed as ‘small claims’ don’t qualify for legal costs, so even successful claimants may run up a costs bill if a solicitor is needed – but the government wants far more claims to come under the small claims system.
TUC Stronger Unions news release. MoJ news release. APIL news release. Thompsons Solicitors news release. UNISON news release. UCATT news release. Unite news release. Risks 780. 10 December 2016
Britain: Safety fears raised over government railway plans
Government plans to strip Network Rail of complete control of England's railway tracks could bring a return of the rail tragedies seen under its privately-owned predecessor Railtrack, unions have warned. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “This is the Tory government dragging the railways back to the failed and lethal Railtrack model of the private sector running infrastructure.”
DfT news release and the transport secretary’s 6 December written statement on rail reform. Unite news release. RMT news release. ASLEF news release. TSSA news release. BBC News Online. Morning Star. Construction Enquirer. Risks 780. 10 December 2016
[asbestos]Britain: ‘Glaring deficiencies’ in schools’ asbestos management
New evidence that local authorities are failing to deal adequately with the risks posed by asbestos in schools has prompted renewed calls for action from trade unions and campaigners. They were commenting after freedom of information requests to all local authorities in England and Wales revealed what the unions described as “a disturbing picture of complacency, evasion of responsibility and lack of knowledge.”
NUT news release. Responses to Lucie Stephens’ freedom of information requests. BBC News Online. Exeter Express and Echo.
JUAC webpage. Asbestos in Schools group. Risks 780. 10 December 2016
Britain: ‘Wacky Races’ plan to relax roadworks speed limit slammed
Construction union UCATT, which represents hundreds of motorway maintenance staff, has condemned government plans to allow motorists to speed up to 60mph within motorway roadworks. The union says several motorway maintenance staff die each year while working.
UCATT news release. Risks 780. 10 December 2016
Britain: Fire tragedy families finally get payouts
The families of firefighters Geoff Wicker and Brian Wembridge, killed in the Marlie Farm blaze on 3 December 2006, and seven other emergency services personnel injured in the incident have finally received compensation payments. Firefighters’ union FBU, which had condemned the decade long refusal to settle, has repeated its call for the service to make a public apology.
The Argus. Risks 780. 10 December 2016
Britain: Tory MP says safety rules could be long-term Brexit target
Britain could slash environmental and safety regulations on imported products after it leaves the European Union (EU), a Conservative MP has suggested. Jacob Rees-Mogg, floating the idea at a hearing of the Treasury Select Committee – Rees-Mogg is a member of the influential committee - said regulations that were “good enough for India” could be good enough for the UK – arguing that the UK could go “a very long way” to rolling back high EU standards.
The Independent. Risks 780. 10 December 2016
Britain: Information commissioner reopens blacklisting file
Britain’s information commissioner has reopened the file on construction industry blacklisting amid fears that the life-destroying practice is still taking place. Elizabeth Denham, who has headed the privacy watchdog ICO since July, said so concerned by the scandal, which was the subject of a multi-million pound compensation settlement this year, that she has told staff to begin “a watching brief” on the construction industry to make sure the practice has ended.
The Guardian. GMB blacklisting webpages. Risks 780. 10 December 2016
Britain: Death of fairground worker leads to conviction
A fairground company has been convicted of a criminal safety offence after an employee was run over and killed while setting up a ride. Michael O’Brien, 45, was killed on 27 April 2011, while helping set up the fun fair run by Stevens Amusements Ltd.
HSE news release. Risks 780. 10 December 2016
Britain: Auto giant Volvo fined after worker left in coma
The national truck, bus and plant division of Volvo has been fined £900,000 after one of its workers fell and suffered life-threatening head injuries. Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard how a worker was servicing a large delivery truck and repairing the driver’s access rope for the cab when he fell, striking his head and losing consciousness.
HSE news release and work at height webpages. Risks 780. 10 December 2016
Britain: London Underground fined £500,000 for 9.5m fall
London Underground has been fined £500,000 after a maintenance worker was injured in a disused station at South Kentish Town. The worker suffered several injuries, spending ten days in hospital after a 9.5m fall from a tower scaffold while cleaning a former lift shaft in September 2014.
ORR news release. BBC News Online. Construction Enquirer. Risks 780. 10 December 2016
Britain: Shipbuilder fined after fingers burst in machine
Birkenhead’s Cammell Laird shipyard has been fined £400,000 after an employee’s fingers “burst open” inside a machine. The right hand of Paul Williams, 59, was dragged into machinery as he tried to clean moving parts on a lathe.
HSE news release, machine maintenance webpages and metalworking guide. Liverpool Echo. Risks 780. 10 December 2016
Britain: Teen injured on first day at work
A Newcastle under Lyme based industrial equipment supplier has been fined after a work experience teenager was seriously injured on their first day of work. Stafford Crown Court heard how during the unloading of a heavy electrical panel from the back of a lorry at Radwell International Limited, the panel fell, trapping him on the ground across the forks of the forklift truck.
HSE news release. Risks 780. 10 December 2016
Europe: ‘Manufacture of a lie’ on endocrine disruptors
The European Commission has been accused of ‘manufacturing a lie’ to avoid tighter regulation of a group of chemicals linked to cancer, reproductive and other health effects. “This should be a science-based procedure – so evidence-based policy-making,” said Axel Singhofen, an adviser to the Greens-European Free Alliance in the European Parliament. “But what we see here is policy-based evidence-making.”
Health and Environment Alliance (HEAL) translation of 29 November 2016 article from Le Monde. Risks 780. 10 December 2016
Europe: Protest over lashing danger on the docks
Logistic companies are risking lives by getting seafarers to lash and unlash ships’ cargoes at the dock side, a job normally reserved for specially trained dock workers. Hundreds of dockworkers demonstrated in front of the offices of European logistics company Unifeeder in Aarhus, Denmark, which they say is permitting the ‘highly dangerous’ practice, which is the process of securing cargoes, in direct contravention of the dockers’ clause, a collective agreement with the global transport unions’ federation ITF.
ITF news release, dockers’ clause and lashing campaign. Risks 780. 10 December 2016
Global: Sri Lanka’s garment industry must improve conditions
The European Union must adopt a roadmap to improve labour rights and working conditions in Sri Lanka before the country can benefit from preferential access to European markets, unions and labour rights campaigns have demanded. The call from the global union for the sector, IndustriALL, together with the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), is in response to Sri Lanka new application for inclusion on the list countries benefiting from the EU’s Generalised System of Preferences (GSP+), which provides enhanced market access on the basis that the applicant is not in serious violation of a number of human rights instruments, including core International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions.
Clean Clothes Campaign news release. IndustriALL news release. More on Sri Lankan garment union safety campaigns. Risks 780. 10 December 2016
Global: LafargeHolcim challenged on rights’ violations
A 10 December global day of action by workers at the building materials multinational LafargeHolcim will, unions hope, provide a renewed focus on the company’s safety and labour rights abuses. Global unions BWI and IndustriALL say the world’s largest cement maker is increasing its use of precarious employment around the world, even though its fatality rate among these workers is higher than with direct employees.
IndustriALL news release. Risks 780. 10 December 2016
Hazards news, 3 December 2016
Britain: Action call on deadly risks to workers on the road
Refuse workers’ union GMB is calling for a crackdown on the scourge of dangerous driving its says is responsible for high death rates in the sector. GMB national officer Bert Schouwenburg commented: “Refuse collection is a vital public service provided to every single household in the country, it is also one of the most dangerous professions you can do – with more deaths per person than almost any other job”.
GMB news release. Biffa news release and video. Risks 779. 3 December 2016
Britain: Fire service cuts kill
Around 200 FBU activists have taken the union safety campaign for greater professional standards in the fire and rescue service to parliament. The 29 November lobby heard Labour’s John McDonnell say many of those firefighters who had died in the line of duty “would still be alive” if politicians had listened to FBU concerns over cuts.
FBU news release and report on the death of Stephen Hunt. Morning Star. Risks 779. 3 December 2016
Britain: Safety fears prompt new Tube union action
Growing worries about safety at work and a decline in passenger service and safety standards on London Underground are behind a vote in favour of industrial action by customer service assistants on the Tube. Their union, TSSA, says frontline staff report being on the receiving end of ‘unprecedented’ levels of verbal and physical abuse from passengers.
TSSA news release. Risks 779. 3 December 2016
Britain: RMT concern over wheel problems on Piccadilly Line
Tube union RMT has said ‘serious consideration’ should be given to closing the Piccadilly line until its antiquated and broken trains are made safe. The union also wants the London mayor and London's transport commissioner to call a summit to draw up and implement an action plan to sort wheel defects on trains.
RMT news release. Risks 779. 3 December 2016
Britain: Train drivers to walk out over driver-only plan
Rail firm Southern’s efforts to roll out driver-only trains have received a further blow with train drivers announcing nine days of strike action. Their union ASLEF said 79 per cent of drivers had voted for a walkout, with 95 per cent supporting other forms of action.
ASLEF news release and criticism of driver-only operation (DOO). Morning Star. Risks 779. 3 December 2016
Britain: Unite member gets £165,000 for asbestos cancer
A Unite member from Cambridgeshire has been awarded £165,000 in compensation after exposure to asbestos caused him to develop the incurable cancer, mesothelioma. Peter Kavanagh, regional secretary at Unite, said: “Our member worked in a variety of jobs throughout the 1960s and 70s, but in every instance his employer would disregard his health and expect him to work in close proximity with asbestos.”
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 779. 3 December 2016
Britain: Relief as government drops plan to cull company records
Controversial plans to delete more than 2.5 million Companies House public records, which could have frustrated claims for work-related disease compensation, have been abandoned by the government’s company registration agency. The plans provoked an outcry when they became public in August, with warnings that they would hamper the ability to track down white collar criminals, combat money laundering and obtain compensation for workers harmed by their jobs.
Leigh Day news release. The Guardian. Risks 779. 3 December 2016
Britain: Patients suffer as doctors face excessive stress
Gaps in rotas, poor access to basic facilities and an ever-growing workload means junior doctors are experiencing high levels of stress in their roles – with 80 per cent reporting that their job ‘sometimes’ or ‘often’ causes them excessive stress. A new report from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) presents a bleak picture of the conditions junior doctors currently face and the impact this is having on patients.
RCP news release and report, Being a junior doctor. Experiences from the front line of the NHS, December 2016. Risks 779. 3 December 2016
Britain: Union concern at ‘shocking’ public sector pressures
A new survey showing high levels of pressure and exhaustion among public sector workers exposes the impact of swingeing job cuts, the union GMB has said. The union said the findings of the CIPD/Halogen Employee Outlook survey show “unacceptable” levels of stress afflicting workers in the sector.
CIPD news release and full report. GMB news release. Risks 779. 3 December 2016
Britain: Sleep deprivation 'costs UK £40bn a year'
Sleep-deprived workers are costing the UK economy £40bn a year and face a higher risk of death, according to a new study. The calculation is based on tired employees being less productive or absent from work altogether, with research firm Rand Europe, which used data from 62,000 people, calculating the loss equated to 1.86 per cent of the country’s GDP.
Rand Europe news release and full report, Why sleep matters – The economic dosts of insufficient sleep. BBC News Online. Fatigue - a guide for health and safety representatives, TUC, July 2016 [pdf]. Risks 779. 3 December 2016
Britain: Ejector seat firm harmed its workers’ lungs
An Uxbridge manufacturer of ejector seats has been fined £800,000 after three workers developed debilitating lung conditions. The skilled CNC machine operators at Martin Baker Aircraft Company Limited developed extrinsic allergic alveolitis (EAA) after many years of exposure to metalworking fluid, used as a coolant and lubricant when machining metal.
HSE news release and metalworking webpages. Risks 779. 3 December 2016
Britain: Repeat lifts at car parts firm caused back injuries
Car component manufacturer MAHLE Powertrain Limited (MAHLE) Ltd has been fined after six workers experienced back injuries from repeatedly lifting heavy car engine parts by hand. An HSE investigation found that workers who were based on two of the company’s production lines were expected to manually lift engine components weighing between 14 and 21kg, hundreds of times during a shift.
HSE news release and guidance on musculoskeletal problems. Risks 779. 3 December 2016
Britain: Site worker severely injured in six metre fall
A Derbyshire engineering construction company has been prosecuted after a worker fell from height and suffered severe injuries. Allen and Hunt Construction Engineers Ltd of Thorpe, Derbyshire, pleaded guilty to criminal breaches of the Working at Height regulations and was fined £267,000 and ordered to pay costs of £7,750.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 779. 3 December 2016
Global: Addressing occupational violence affecting women
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has published a report putting a ‘gender lens’ on the issue of violence prevention in the workplace. The report summary says it “reviews the international literature and a selection of regulatory instruments with respect to occupational violence - work-related violence involving incidents in which a person is physically, psychologically or sexually assaulted, threatened, harassed, bullied or mobbed in circumstances relating to their work.”
Addressing occupational violence: An overview of conceptual and policy considerations viewed through a gender lens, ILO, November 2016. Risks 779. 3 December 2016
Global: Ending violence against women at work
Unions are putting the issue of violence against women at work high on their safety agenda. IndustriALL assistant general secretary Jenny Holdcroft said: “More trade unions need to adopt strong policies against violence in the workplace, which can be used to educate all their members about what is and what is not acceptable treatment of women.”
IndustriALL news release. ITUC statement and campaign for an ILO Convention to stop gender-based violence at work. ITUC gender-based violence at work campaign webpage and campaign guide. Risks 779. 3 December 2016
China: Bosses detained after dozens die in scaffold collapse
Chinese authorities have detained 13 people over the collapse of scaffolding at a power plant construction site that killed at least 74 workers in one of China's most serious industrial tragedies in years. Most of those killed had been working on the interior concrete wall of a massive circular cooling tower 70 metres up when the scaffolding collapsed on the morning of 24 November in the north-eastern city of Fengcheng.
ABC News. Risks 779. 3 December 2016
Global: Unions urge the cement industry to clean up
Widespread subcontracting and insecure work in the cement industry is leading to high numbers of fatalities and unhealthy working conditions, the global union for the construction sector, has warned. BWI’s survey of workers’ representatives in 113 cement plants from 40 countries covered issues including trade union rights, subcontracting and outsourcing, health and safety at work and climate change.
BWI news release. Risks 779. 3 December 2016
USA: Watchdog nips in with pre-Trump chemical action
In a last minute flurry of activity, the US regulator charged with ushering into effect a new chemical safety law, has named the first 10 chemicals – including asbestos – it has selected for risk evaluations. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announcement was the first major benchmark established by Congress when it passed sweeping changes earlier this year to the Toxic Substances Control Act.
EPA news release. The Pump Handle blog. Risks 779. 3 December 2016
Hazards news, 26 November 2016
Global: Unions secure independent scrutiny of Qatar sites
UK unions have welcomed a new deal that will allow union-run inspections of working conditions on Qatar’s World Cup building sites. The memorandum of understandings (MOU) between Qatar’s Supreme Committee for the 2022 event and the global construction union BWI allows the union body to inspect conditions and talk to workers, and covers up to 30,000 people involved in stadium construction and refurbishment.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Unite news release. BWI news release. Risks 778. 26 November 2016
Britain: Disability-related sickness absence is a big issue
Nearly two-thirds (65 per cent) of the union reps responding to the TUC’s 2016 Equality Audit said that disability-related sickness absence was the number one equality issue they dealt with at work. Reps told the TUC that disabled people can have higher or more frequent rates of sickness absence, but that workplace policies were not adjusted to account for this.
TUC news release. TUC Equality Audit 2016. TUC Stronger Unions blog. Risks 778. 26 November 2016
Britain: Make sure work exposure standards measure up
A new guide to occupational hygiene for union health and safety representatives has been published jointly by the TUC and the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS). The report points out that 99 per cent of work-related deaths each year are the result of occupational diseases, with injuries contributing just 1 per cent to the occupational death toll.
TUC publication notice. BOHS news release. Occupational hygiene explained: A guide for union health and safety representatives, TUC/BOHS, November 2016. Risks 778. 26 November 2016
Britain: Pilots restate warnings after drone ‘near miss’
Drone hobbyists with ‘little understanding’ of air safety could put lives at risk if action is not taken, the pilots’ union BALPA has said. The union’s warning came after it was revealed a passenger aircraft narrowly avoided a collision with a drone over central London.
BALPA news release. UK Airprox Board report. The Telegraph. BBC News Online. Risks 778. 26 November 2016
Britain: Building Council turns cold shoulder to frozen workers
The National House Building Council (NHBC) has ‘washed it hands of any responsibility’ for ensuring that workers on housing projects are protected in extreme weather, the construction union UCATT has said. Brian Rye, acting general secretary of UCATT, commented: “The NHBC cannot escape from the fact that they have clear rules on not using construction materials in cold weather but provide no such protection for workers.”
UCATT news release. Risks 778. 26 November 2016
Global: Unions condemn ‘unbelievable abuse’ by Clarkson
British TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson has been condemned for his ‘unbelievable abuse’ of an airport worker prior to a flight from Germany to the UK. Some observers have hinted that Clarkson concocted the story to gain publicity for his new TV show, which was launched later that week, with the Guardian noting: “The controversy happens to coincide with the debut of The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime on Friday.”
ITF news release. The Guardian and related story. BBC News Online. The Sun. Risks 778. 26 November 2016
Britain: Compensation changes to hurt work disease victims
Government plans to reform personal injury claims in England and Wales would take the compensation system back to the dark ages and would mean many occupational disease victims would lose out, lawyers have said. One proposal - raising the limit for cases in the small claims court for all personal injury claims from £1,000 to £5,000 – would mean most workers suffering an occupational disease would have neither the resources nor the legal support to pursue a genuine claim.
MoJ news release. APIL news release. Thompsons Solicitors news release. UNISON news release. UCATT news release. Unite news release. BBC News Online. Risks 778. 26 November 2016
Britain: Overworked delivery drivers a 'road safety risk'
Exhausted delivery drivers could pose a road safety risk over the next few weeks as thousands of staff are urged to work up to 20 days in a row to cope with the rush of online orders around Black Friday on 25 November. Government safety inspectors have been asked to investigate the possible danger arising from delivery drivers working six days a week and who have been asked if they are also willing to work Sundays.”
The Guardian. Risks 778. 26 November 2016
Britain: Judicial review of HSE fees set for May
A judicial review of the way the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) operates its controversial Fee for Intervention (FFI) scheme will be heard at the Royal Courts of Justice on 10 and 11 May 2017. Facilities outsourcing company OCS Group UK denied that it was in material breach of safety regulations, but appeals were in turn rejected by HSE’s internal team and the HSE disputes panel.
HSW magazine and earlier story. Risks 778. 26 November 2016
Britain: Council fined £250,000 for work health blunders
A council has been fined after a worker was left with permanent health damage after being diagnosed with hard arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). Thanet District Council pleaded guilty to criminal breaches of the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 and was fined £250,000 plus £18,325.84 in costs.
HSE news release and HAVS webpages. Risks 778. 26 November 2016
Britain: Court docks Scottish Power scalding fine by £550k
The £1.75m fine handed out to energy firm Scottish Power Generation (SPG) after a worker was scalded at Longannet Power Station has been reduced by £550,000 at the High Court of Justiciary, Scotland’s supreme court. David Roscoe, a plant controller at the company’s now decommissioned power station in Alloa, Scotland, was engulfed in high temperature steam and severely burned while inspecting a faulty drain valve in October 2013.
Appeal Court opinion. Dunfermline Press. Scottish Legal News. IOSH magazine. Risks 778. 26 November 2016
Britain: Global engineering firm guilty over pylon death
An international engineering company has been fined following the death of a rigger who fell 30 feet from an electricity pylon. Bilfinger Industrial Services (UK) pleaded guilty to a criminal safety breach and was fined £200,000 and ordered to pay costs of £59,320.10.
HSE news release and fall arrest equipment guide. Risks 778. 26 November 2016
Britain: Bosses done over failure to remedy ‘ticking timebomb’
The director of a Port Talbot furniture factory and three of its shareholder-managers have received suspended prison sentences for their failure to remedy serious criminal safety failings. Swansea Crown Court heard how Margam Hall Upholstery Limited was included in the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) programme of visits to woodworking premises, which the watchdog classifies as a high risk industry because of dangerous machines and hazardous substances.
HSE news release and woodworking guidance. Risks 778. 26 November 2016
Australia: Diesel exhaust linked to lung cancer in miners
Diesel exhaust exposures are causing high rates of fatal lung cancers in underground miners, according to a new study. Researchers found underground miners would have 38 extra lung cancer deaths per 1,000 males; above-ground mine workers were found to face a lower but still elevated risk of about 5.5 additional lung cancer deaths per 1,000 workers.
Susan Peters and others. Estimation of quantitative levels of diesel exhaust exposure and the health impact in the contemporary Australian mining industry, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, published online first, 15 November 2016. Work Cancer Hazards blog. Risks 778. 26 November 2016
Australia: Union action call after spate of truck deaths
A review of Australia’s federal and state road safety agencies is urgently required, following a spate of truck crashes that left six people dead in just three days, the Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) has said. TWU said low cost contracts force transport operators to skip maintenance and lower rates for drivers, forcing them to speed, drive long hours, skip breaks and overload their vehicles.
TWU news release. Resources: US NIOSH Center for Motor Vehicle Safety website and newsletter, Behind the Wheel at Work. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Foundation's Business Pulse publication. Risks 778. 26 November 2016
Bangladesh: Retail chains opt to ignore danger signs
An organisation set up by Walmart as an alternative to independent scrutiny of its supply chain in Bangladesh is giving a clean bill of health to factories that have not improved their dangerous practices since the Rana Plaza building collapse in April 2013 that killed over 1,100 people (Risks 760). An independent systematic survey of the Bangladeshi garment factories used by members of Walmart’s Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, whose members also include global retailers Gap and Target, has concluded the factories have so far failed to implement key safety renovations by their own mandated deadlines.
CCC news release and full report, Dangerous delays on worker safety, International Labor Rights Forum, Worker Rights Consortium, Clean Clothes Campaign and Maquila Solidarity Network, November 2016. The Guardian. Risks 778. 26 November 2016
Hazards news, 19 November 2016
Britain: Prison officers take action over safety
Prison officers cut short a 24-hour safety protest on 15 November after the government obtained a High Court injunction against the action. Up to 10,000 prison officers in England and Wales, who are banned by law from taking strike action, had stopped work in a ‘protest action’ about spiralling levels of violence in the under-staffed service.
POA news release. BBC News Online. Risks 777. 19 November 2016
Britain: UCATT calls for ‘humane’ action on extreme weather
Construction union UCATT is calling on the industry to introduce ‘long overdue’ health and safety guidelines on work in extreme weather. The union says construction “is blighted by the inhumanity of the industry towards the workers”.
UCATT news release. Risks 777. 19 November 2016
Britain: Fire crews condemn Bonfire Night attacks
Bonfire Night attacks on fire crews have been condemned and described as “nothing but a criminal act” by the firefighters’ union FBU. Firefighters and vehicles were targeted in incidents in south Wales, Salford, West Yorkshire and Essex, marring the 5 November celebrations; crews in Scotland also had missiles and fireworks thrown at them.
BBC News Online. Risks 777. 19 November 2016
Britain: Union exposes assault toll on shopworkers
Nearly one in ten shopworkers have been assaulted in the course of their duties, but almost a third of them did not report the incident, retail union Usdaw has found. Interim results of Usdaw’s Freedom From Fear survey show that nearly half of shopworkers have been verbally abused and a quarter have been threatened.
Usdaw news release. TUC Stronger Unions blog. Risks 777. 19 November 2016
Europe: UK pilots welcome Euro drones plan
Pilots have welcomed the announcement of improvements to European Union civil aviation safety rules to address the emerging risks posed by drones. The rules were amended and approved by the European Parliament’s transport and tourism committee last week, and will introduce EU-level requirements for drones, to ensure safety and privacy.
BALPA news release. European Parliament proposals. Risks 777. 19 November 2016
Britain: Former firefighter developed asbestos cancer
A retired member of the firefighters’ union FBU has been awarded compensation after developing the asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma. Dave Green, FBU national officer, said: “Our member dedicated 30 years of his career to the fire service, but tragically his loyalty to his job has led to him to developing this terrible condition.”
FBU news release. Risks 777. 19 November 2016
Britain: Workplace fall cost engineer his job
A Cheshire man who suffered a disabling injury to his arm in a workplace fall was made redundant before his lengthy recuperation was complete. The maintenance engineer, 50, was repairing a water tank in the barn loft of an agricultural firm, elevated 15 feet above the ground, when the injury occurred.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 777. 19 November 2016
Britain: Worker cut after manager says get on with it
A factory worker suffered a deep laceration to his finger after a manager dismissed his concerns and told him to get on with the job. The Unite member, whose name has not been released, was employed at Greys Packaging in Bristol.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 777. 19 November 2016
Britain: Heavy price to pay as work-related harm goes up
The number of workers in Great Britain suffering harm caused by their jobs has risen sharply, latest Health and Safety Executive (HSE) statistics have confirmed. HSE also reports that the ‘total costs’ bill for work-related injuries and work-related ill-health has not fallen in five years, with its costs breakdown showing that nearly 57 per cent of the cost of workplace injuries and new cases of work-related ill-health is borne by the individuals affected, compared to less than 20 per cent falling on employers, who also pay significantly less than the public purse.
HSE statistics webpages and summary statistics 2015/2016, latest cost estimates and work-related ill-health estimates. Risks 777. 19 November 2016
Britain: Amazon drivers forced to use vans as toilets
Amazon delivery drivers regularly work illegal hours, with time pressures so extreme some are forced speed and to urinate and defecate in their vans, a BBC investigation has claimed. Drivers for agencies contracted by the e-commerce giant told an undercover reporter they were expected to deliver up to 200 Amazon parcels a day.
BBC Inside Out special. BBC News Online. The Independent. Risks 777. 19 November 2016
Global: Amnesty slams UK silence on Qatar human rights
Amnesty International has criticised a UK trade minister for travelling to Qatar to seek contracts for British companies ahead of the 2022 World Cup without apparently highlighting the human rights abuses faced by migrant workers building venues for the event. Greg Hands, the junior minister at the Department for International Trade, was in Qatar for a 9 November conference in Doha called Sport is Great, billed as an opportunity “for UK companies to meet with key decision-makers and buyers actively looking to procure services to support projects in the run-up to the 2022 Fifa World Cup”.
British Embassy Doha news release. The Guardian. Amnesty International Qatar webpages. Playfair Qatar campaign. Risks 777. 19 November 2016
Britain: Chemical firm fined £3m for chemical blast death
A chemical company has been fined £3 million after worker Paul Doyley was killed in a chemical explosion and a colleague was left with irreversible lung damage. Cristal Pigment UK Ltd had deviated from the normal operating procedures, which led to the dangerous build-up of the chemical titanium tetrachloride.
HSE news release. Grimsby Telegraph. Scunthorpe Telegraph. BBC News Online. Risks 777. 19 November 2016
Britain: Window fitter fined for fatal fall
Kevin McLean, trading as South Coast Installations, has been fined after a worker suffered fatal head injuries following a fall from a ladder. Brighton Magistrates Court heard how Mark Taylor, 48, a window fitter from Southampton, was helping in the installation of uPVC windows at a three storey house when an unsecured ladder slipped sideways and he fell to the ground.
HSE news release and work at height webpages. Risks 777. 19 November 2016
Britain: Three fined after man loses life in roof fall
A company, its director, and a self-employed contractor have been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), after Terry Lewis, a retired mechanic helping out his friend, was fatally injured after falling through a roof light. Roman Lodge Asset Management Limited was fined £20,000 with £8,010.00 costs; director Jonathan Marshall was sentenced to four months imprisonment on each count, suspended for 12 months, and was ordered to pay £8,010.00 costs; and Lewis’ friend Leigh Bakewell was sentenced to six months imprisonment, suspended for 12 months, and was ordered to pay £8,610.47 costs.
HSE news release. Risks 777. 19 November 2016
USA: Killer coal mine boss set for top Trump post
US president-elect Donald Trump is reportedly close to choosing for commerce secretary a New York billionaire who waved away concerns about his seriously dangerous West Virginia mine in the run-up to a 2006 disaster that killed a dozen miners. Trump’s favoured candidate, Wilbur Ross – dubbed ‘the King of Bankruptcies’ - also engineered buyouts that cost workers their benefits and their jobs.
Coal Tattoo. The Nation. New York Times. Risks 777. 19 November 2016
Canada: Clash over action on rail worker fatigue
A major dispute is escalating between Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) and the union Teamsters Canada, over proposed new work patterns the union believes are unnecessarily inflexible and could increase fatigue risks. The issue is a high profile concern, with Canada’s Transportation Safety Board this month identifying employee fatigue as a contributing factor in 20 per cent of its rail incident investigations conducted since 1994 where human factors were identified as a primary cause.
Teamsters Canada news release. Calgary Herald. Risks 777. 19 November 2016
Global: Electronics industry urged to act on chemical safety
How far the production standards developed by the electronics industry fall short of expectations set by experts in occupational health and safety have been exposed by two key international campaign groups. The GoodElectronics Network and the International Campaign for Responsible Technology (IRCT) have launched an online Chemical Challenge Gap Analysis to chronicle the shortfall.
GoodElectronics news release and Chemical Challenge Gap Analysis. ICRT website. Risks 777. 19 November 2016
Pakistan: Shipbreaking workers demand jobs and safety
Unions are demanding the deadly Gadani shipyard in Pakistan be reopened, with appropriate safety measures, because so many livelihoods depend on it. Two weeks after the 1 November explosion and fire at the yard, 28 workers had been confirmed dead and a further 60 workers injured, most in a critical condition, with many others feared missing.
IndustriALL news release. Dawn newspaper. Risks 777. 19 November 2016
Hazards news, 12 November 2016
Britain: Tribunal fees let workplace abuse ‘flourish unchecked’
The TUC has condemned employment tribunal fees that it says have allowed bad bosses to get away with discrimination and unfair treatment. New figures published by the union body show that the number of working people challenging discrimination or unfair treatment at work has fallen by 9,000 a month since 2013, when charges of up to £1,200 came in.
TUC news release. TUC Touchstone blog. The Guardian. Morning Star. Risks 776. 12 November 2016.
Britain: BA accused of ‘downplaying’ toxic fume events
Unite has warned British Airways against downplaying harmful fume events on aircraft by reclassifying them as ‘odour events’. The union says the company’s ‘spin’ could mean the true number of fume incidents across the airline industry is ‘far higher’ than thought.
Unite news release and fume event register. CBC News. The Mirror. Risks 776. 12 November 2016.
Britain: Laing O’Rourke guilty of ‘subtle blacklisting’
The failure of a construction company to recognise an elected union safety rep and a shop steward on Europe’s largest rail infrastructure project has been branded ‘a subtle form of blacklisting’ by Unite. The union says it is angry that Laing O’Rourke is not recognising the election of shop steward Terry Wilson and health and safety rep Martyn Prue, electricians working at the Crossrail project on London’s Tottenham Court Road.
Unite news release. Risks 776. 12 November 2016.
Britain: Private prisons need more resources too
The government must not forget private prisons when making funding available for recruitment of additional prison staff, the union Community has warned. Responding to an announcement by justice secretary Liz Truss, Community said it welcomed the fact the government has started to respond to many issues identified by its ‘Safer Justice Sector’ campaign.
Community news release. Risks 776. 12 November 2016.
Britain: Pilots back improved easyJet offer on fatigue risks
Pilots employed by easyJet have voted to accept an improved offer from the company which addresses concerns about fatigue risks. Earlier this year, members of the British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) in easyJet voted for industrial action over pilot fatigue concerns within the airline.
BALPA news release. Fatigue - a guide for health and safety representatives, TUC, July 2016 [pdf]. Tired out! Don’t take fatigue risks lying down, Hazards, number 135, 2016. Risks 776. 12 November 2016.
Britain: Worker left partially blind by chemicals
A Unite member has received a six-figure settlement after he was left partially blind in one eye after under-pressure workplace chemicals shot into his face. The 45-year-old man, whose name has not been released, works as a manufacturing technician for an unidentified chemical processing firm.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 776. 12 November 2016.
Britain: Many cancer patients face work discrimination
Almost one-fifth of people (18 per cent) diagnosed with cancer face discrimination from employers or colleagues on return to work, research by the charity Macmillan suggests. The survey of 1,009 patients, all in work when diagnosed, indicated that 15 per cent returned to work before feeling ready.
Macmillan news release. BBC News Online.
Cancer in the workplace: A workbook for union representatives, second edition, TUC, 2015. TUC guidance on occupational cancer prevention: Occupational Cancer - A Workplace Guide. Risks 776. 12 November 2016.
Britain: IARC scientists defend glyphosate cancer ranking
The World Health Organisation (WHO) agency that labelled the world’s most widely used herbicide a probable cause of cancer in humans has hit back after the agrichemical industry responded with a savage attack on its science and funding. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) panel of scientists made the evaluation on glyphosate, the chief ingredient in Monsanto’s Roundup brand, in March last year.
IARC statement. CropLife America statement. Huffington Post.
TUC glyphosate briefing. Risks 776. 12 November 2016.
Britain: MPs call for more funding for flooding response
A cross party group of MPs has said fire and rescue services in England should be given greater funding to enable them to respond effectively to flooding incidents, echoing union calls. In a report investigating flood management in England, the environment, food and rural affairs select committee warns that continued pressure on resources could undermine the fire and rescue service’s ability to deliver a high standard response.
FBU news release. Select committee news release and report.
TUC guidance on flood risks. Risks 776. 12 November 2016.
Britain: Lifejacket law 'should be prioritised' after deaths
New legislation to make it compulsory for fishermen to wear lifejackets should be prioritised, marine accident investigators have said. The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) made the ‘rare’ recommendation following the deaths of four workers in three separate incidents.
MAIB news release. BBC News Online. Risks 776. 12 November 2016.
Britain: Waste firm fined after worker buried alive in rubbish
A waste company has been fined £80,000 after a stockpile of refuse up to 30ft high collapsed on a labourer, burying him alive. Neville Watson screamed “Get me out” as colleagues and others tried to rescue him with their bare hands, but died from asphyxiation.
HSE news release and waste industry webpages. Kent Online. Risks 776. 12 November 2016.
Britain: Carpenter killed when temporary platform collapsed
Three construction companies have been fined more than £1m after a worker died and two others were badly injured at a site in London when a temporary platform collapsed. Southwark Crown Court heard how, on 29 October 2012, a carpenter and a steel-fixer had been standing on a temporary wooden platform above a stairwell opening on the 9th floor of the Putney construction site when it suddenly gave way beneath them.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 776. 12 November 2016.
Britain: Firm convicted after falling door kills two
A firm has been fined £30,000 after a door it supplied to a live music venue fell and killed the singer and the tour manager from a popular Cornish folk band as they prepared for a gig. Express Hi-Fold Doors Ltd, which designed and manufactured the door, was found guilty after a month-long trial of a criminal safety breach.
BBC News Online. Get Surrey. Risks 776. 12 November 2016.
Canada: Violence universal in health care
According to healthcare workers interviewed this year by a Canadian health care union, the health and well-being of the individuals devoted to caring for health seems to be increasingly at risk from angry, frustrated, or out of control patients. Researchers from the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU)/Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) note that every one of the 150 registered practical nurses (RPNs) from across Ontario attending a conference on violence this year reported that they have been assaulted at work.
The Bullet. Risks 776. 12 November 2016.
Japan: Ad agency raided in overwork deaths probe
Several offices of Japan's biggest advertising agency have been raided over suspicions its employees are being made to work dangerously excessive hours. The raids came after the suicide of a 24-year-old Dentsu employee the labour ministry ruled to have been ‘karoshi’, or death by overwork or ‘karojisatsu’, overwork-related suicide.
Dentsu statement. Japan Times. Adweek. BBC News Online. More on work-related suicide. Risks 776. 12 November 2016.
Thailand: Migrant rights defender wins latest court battle
Thailand’s Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by the Natural Fruit Company against dismissed criminal defamation charges against Andy Hall, the British born migrant and workers’ rights defender. But Owen Tudor, head of the British TUC’s international department, warned that Natural Fruit is still “pursuing their campaign of judicial harassment and legal intimidation, and are backing other exploitative employers who Andy’s work has exposed.”
Finnwatch news release. TUC Stronger Unions blog. Risks 776. 12 November 2016.
USA: Top hospital faces black lung class action
One of America’s most renowned medical centres - The Johns Hopkins Hospital - intentionally defrauded hundreds of sick coal miners out of compensation and health benefits while pocketing large sums from coal companies, according to a class action lawsuit filed by the families of two coal miners who died of black lung disease. The lawsuit, which also targets a long-time doctor at the Baltimore hospital, centres around a unit of radiologists who for decades provided coal companies x-ray readings that almost always said the miner didn't have black lung, helping the companies avoid paying benefits under a programme administered by the federal government.
Centre for Public Integrity. Class action lawsuit against Johns Hopkins. Risks 776. 12 November 2016.
Hazards news, 5 November 2016
Britain: Uber victory for workers
In a decision that has been welcomed by unions worldwide, a London employment tribunal has ruled that two drivers for cab-hailing firm Uber are entitled to holiday pay, paid rest breaks and at least the National Minimum Wage. The union GMB, which supported the claimants and which has been at the forefront of the campaign to expose employment conditions at Uber, described the 28 October tribunal ruling as a ‘monumental victory’.
GMB news release Leigh Day news release. ITF/ITUC news release. TUC news release. IUF news release. TUC Stronger Unions blog. BBC News Online. The Guardian. Personnel Today.
Add your name to the GMB's petition, calling on Uber to recognise the verdict, drop their appeal, and live up to their responsibility to their drivers. Risks 775. 5 November 2016
Britain: Unite to set up 'bogus self-employment' unit
Unite is to create a special ‘bogus self-employment’ unit to pursue employers who are ‘shamelessly dodging’ their responsibilities by classifying workers as self-employed. The announcement came after the union GMB won a landmark employment tribunal which ruled Uber drivers were workers rather than self-employed.
Unite news release. Risks 775. 5 November 2016
Britain: Government yes to more prison staff after talks with union
Justice secretary Liz Truss has announced a major increase in prison staffing after urgent talks the prison union POA over deteriorating safety standards in jails. The union had planned meetings outside each jail on 1 November, to highlight the link between understaffing and increasing violence and suicides in English and Welsh prisons.
POA news release. BBC News Online and related story. Risks 775. 5 November 2016
Britain: Health warning as night shift working soars
The number of UK workers who regularly work through the night has risen dramatically, according to a new analysis by the TUC. The union body, which is calling for better protection for this group of workers, found that the number of people who work night shifts increased by 275,000 (9 per cent) between 2011 and 2016 to 3,135,000.
TUC news release. TUC Stronger Unions blog. Morning Star. Risks 775. 5 November 2016
Britain: Fewer firefighters means less prevention and more deaths
A dramatic decline in the amount of fire prevention work that fire and rescue services perform is putting lives at risk, firefighters’ union FBU) has said. The union warning came as new government figures revealed that 10,000 firefighter jobs have been axed in England over the last seven years.
FBU news release. Home Office bulletin. Risks 775. 5 November 2016
Britain: Ship detained for mistreating crew
A sub-standard ship detained by UK port authorities has had its detention extended after officials discovered it was mistreating its Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian crew, withholding pay and requiring workers to buy their own protective equipment. The Malta-registered Svetlana was inspected by Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) surveyors in Cardiff, who issued the new detainable deficiency notice after it was discovered the crew had not been paid for many months.
ITF news release. Risks 775. 5 November 2016
Britain: Major site safety fears after union is snubbed
Union officials are concerned that workplace safety is being compromised on two of Scotland’s most high-profile construction projects. UCATT says employers on the two major sites have downgraded their commitment to healthy industrial relations and workplace safety by refusing to reappoint union convenors.
UCATT news release. The Scotsman. Risks 775. 5 November 2016
Britain: Six-figure settlements for asbestos cancers
The union Unite has secured two six figure settlements after members developed the aggressive asbestos cancer mesothelioma. In the first case, a former chemical worker from Middlesbrough was awarded £180,000. In a second, Unite secured £147,000 for the family of a former refinery forklift driver who died aged 72 of the same cancer.
Thompsons Solicitors news releases on the compensation settlements for the former chemical worker and the family of the forklift driver. Risks 775. 5 November 2016
Britain: Fit note system and sick pay to be reviewed
The system of sick pay and GP “fit notes” is to be reviewed by the government. A draft consultation document published by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will also examine changes to the controversial work capability assessments (WCA), with its scope including measures “encouraging employers to work with their employees with long-term health conditions to stop them from falling out of work.”
DWP news release and related webpages. The Guardian. Morning Star.
Work, health and disability: consultation. Closes 17 February 2017. Risks 775. 5 November 2016
Britain: Fracking linked to cancer-causing chemicals
Hydraulic fracturing could result in exposures to a wide range of cancer causing substances and many more that have been inadequately tested, a new analysis by Yale School of Public Health has found. The research team, publishing their findings in the journal Science of the Total Environment, said the carcinogenic chemical cocktail used in ‘fracking’ has the potential to contaminate air and water in nearby communities.
Yale School of Public Health news release. Risks 775. 5 November 2016
Britain: GMB welcomes smart solution to safety card fraud
Site union GMB has welcomed the use of new technology by the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) following a number of high profile cases of qualification card fraud. Improvements in the microchip technology used in the cards means supervisors can now use app-enabled smartphones to check on employees’ training and qualifications.
GMB news release. CSCS news release. CITB news release. Construction News. Construction Enquirer. Risks 775. 5 November 2016
Britain: Safety prosecutions of directors treble in a year
The number of company directors prosecuted for health and safety offences has more than trebled in a year. Health and Safety Executive (HSE) figures show that 46 company directors and senior managers were prosecuted by HSE in the year to 31 March 2016, compared to 15 in the previous year; 12 directors in the year to March 2016 received prison sentences for their criminal safety offences.
Clyde and Co news release. Risks 775. 5 November 2016
Britain: Workers bedded down in unsafe workplace
Two linked firms have been fined after it was discovered workers slept overnight at their premises without the necessary fire safety protection. Avon Fire and Rescue Authorities (AF&RA) took the prosecution against Litt Holdings Limited along with its wholly-owned tenant, UKS Group Limited.
Avon Fire & Rescue Service news release. Bristol Post. Risks 775. 5 November 2016
China: Coal mine confirms 33 dead after blast
All 33 miners trapped in a coal mine in China by an explosion on 31 October have been found dead, state media has reported. Rescuers worked round the clock for more than two days to reach the miners in the Jinshangou mine in the south-west Chongqing region.
BBC News Online. Aljazeera. Risks 775. 5 November 2016
Europe: Commission challenged over approval for toxin
The European Commission is facing a new legal challenge on its decision to authorise the use in paint of a chemicals that are neurotoxic and carcinogenic. ClientEarth, the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), The International Chemical Secretariat (ChemSec) and International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN), are questioning the legality of a Commission decision that permits Canadian firm Dominion Colour Corporation to supply red and yellow lead chromate pigments in the EU.
ChemSec news release and Request for internal review – lead chromate – official document. Risks 775. 5 November 2016
Pakistan: Horror death blast in Gadani shipbreaking yard
At least 16 workers have been killed and more than 50 injured after a huge blast on 1 November ripped through an oil tanker being broken for scrap in a Gadani shipbreaking yard, trapping many workers inside the vessel. Nasir Mansoor, the deputy general secretary of the National Trade Union Federation of Pakistan (NTUF) announced three days of mourning and a strike at all yards after an emergency meeting at the Gadani yard.
IndustriALL news release. The Nation. Risks 775. 5 November 2016
Vietnam: Next stop for labour rights abusers
With major producers seeing rising wage costs in China, Vietnam has become the new destination for many brands seeking cheap labour to produce their apparel, electronics and other consumer goods. Safety expert Garrett Brown points to a ‘breathless’ feature in The Economist that lauded Vietnam as ‘Asia’s next tiger’ and noted: “Seven in ten Vietnamese live in the countryside, about the same as India – and compared to only 44 per cent in China. The reservoir of rural workers should help dampen wage pressures.”
The Pump Handle. The Economist. Risks 775. 5 November 2016
Hazards news, 29 October 2016
Britain: Directors to pay for cold calls, but not for deaths?
Why is the government committed to clamping down on the directors behind cold calls, but willing to let off deadly directors scot free, the TUC has asked. TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson was commenting after the government’s announcement that it intends to make individual directors personally liable for cold calling fines – facing penalties up to £500,000 - by amending the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Department of Culture news release. The Telegraph. Money Marketing. Risks 774. 29 October 2016
Britain: TUC welcomes government u-turn on HSE board
The TUC has welcomed a government ‘u-turn’, which it says should see an additional union-backed member added to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) board. It said a decision last month to appoint a former employer and business leader to a ‘workers’ interests’ seat on the HSE board ‘caused uproar’ (Risks 767), with unions, politicians and many others roundly condemning it.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Rotten board: Cabinet minister says employer can be employees' voice on HSE board, Hazards magazine special report, September 2016. Risks 774. 29 October 2016
Britain: Scotland’s public sector faces soaring violence
Violence against Scotland’s public service workers has doubled in a decade, union research has found. UNISON’s Violence at Work Survey 2016 shows recorded violent assaults have risen from 20,000 to over 40,000 per year over the last decade, the highest level since the annual survey began in 2006.
UNISON Scotland news release and Violence at Work Survey 2016. Risks 774. 29 October 2016
Britain: Tube union in summit call after train device blown up
Rail union TSSA has called for a security summit after a controlled explosion was carried out on a suspect device on a London Underground train. TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes commented: “Once again we are reminded of the real threats now posed to public transport passengers and, in this case, our Tube and station staff. I have called for an urgent security summit with TfL [Transport for London], London Underground, unions, British Transport Police, Scotland Yard and the City Hall.”
TSSA news release and related release. BBC News Online. Metro. Risks 774. 29 October 2016
Britain: GMB condemnation as ‘dangerous’ Asos profits
Retail giant Asos has been told to respect its workforce and employ some basic fairness in the workplace, ahead of full-year results confirming a profits surge. The online fashion retailer, which has faced union criticism over working conditions at its Barnsley warehouse, announced a 37 per cent increase in underlying annual profits to £63.7m on the back of a 26 per cent increase in sales to £1.4bn.
GMB news release and Respect Asos Workers campaign. Sky News. Risks 774. 29 October 2016
Britain: Southern Rail is ‘gambling’ with safety
The TUC has accused Southern Rail of ‘gambling’ with passenger safety. The train operator is looking to downgrade the role of 375 guards, who are trained to assist elderly and disabled passengers, provide direction in emergencies, keep order and dispatch trains.
TUC news release. BBC News Online. Risks 774. 29 October 2016
Britain: Asbestos scarred plumber’s lungs
A former plumber and heating engineer has received £20,000 in damages after developing the disabling lung scarring condition asbestosis. Retired Unite member Albert Bingham, 72, was awarded a provisional settlement, meaning his case can be reopened if his health deteriorates because of his asbestos disease.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 774. 29 October 2016
Britain: Why are preventable breast cancer risks ignored?
Breast Cancer Awareness Month has provided a welcome focus on a condition that has risen sharply over the last 40 years, but campaigners are concerned the government and breast cancer charities are resolutely ignoring the host of preventable occupational and environmental causes of the condition. To address this, campaign group From Pink to Prevention has produced a new ‘toolkit’ with an interactive webpage, posters and an action guide.
Alliance for Cancer Prevention news release. From Pink to Prevention news release and toolkit. Get your MP to sign Early Day Motion 588, Breast cancer and environmental and occupational toxicants. Risks 774. 29 October 2016
Britain: Calls for prison safety action after stabbing death
Prison unions and governors have called for action after a prisoner was stabbed to death. Two others prisoners were seriously injured in the incident at London's Pentonville prison on 19 October.
POA news release. Community news release. BBC News Online. Risks 774. 29 October 2016
Britain: Testing firm fined over asphyxiation death
A Nottingham company has been fined after a worker died from carbon monoxide poisoning while using an accommodation unit. Southwark Crown Court heard that father-of-three Roman Kohut from Nottingham was carrying out pile testing for Non Destructive Testing Services Limited at a construction site in Brixton, London on 29 May 2012.
HSE news release and related guidance. Risks 774. 29 October 2016
Britain: Lying dog owner escapes jail after garage savaging
Mehmet Salih, the owner of an unsafe North London vehicle repair garage who gave a false name in a bid to avoid justice, has been given three suspended jail sentences. A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation into a guard dog attack at the premises in January 2014, which left a mechanic with ‘horrific’ injuries to his thigh, uncovered a series of serious health and safety breaches at the garage.
HSE news release and guide on motor vehicle repair. Risks 774. 29 October 2016
Britain: Recycling firm fined after worker injured in shredder
A Kent recycling company has been fined after a worker was injured whilst repairing a shredder. Maidstone Magistrates’ Court heard how, on 7 October 2013, a plant mechanic employed by Countrystyle Recycling Limited was kneeling on a conveyor belt inside the shredder when it restarted and he was thrown from the machine.
HSE news release. Kent Online. Risks 774. 29 October 2016
Britain: Council and contractors fined after roadworks tragedy
Liverpool City Council and two of its contractors have been prosecuted following two separate incidents including a fatality at roadworks on a busy city centre road. Liverpool City Council was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay £100,000 costs; Enterprise Liverpool Limited was fined £25,000 with £80,000 costs; and Tarmac Trading Limited was fined £1.3 million and ordered to pay £130,000 costs.
HSE news release. Risks 774. 29 October 2016
Europe: Coalition calls for whistleblower protection
Over 40 trade unions and civil society organisations from across Europe are calling for improved protection for workers who blow the whistle on wrongdoing, from financial misdemeanours to environmental and workplace safety abuses. “Member States have either no whistleblower protection or laws with mixed track records,” said ETUC confederal secretary Esther Lynch at the coalition’s www.whistleblowerprotection.eu launch in Brussels.
ETUC news release. ETUI news alert. Sign the whistleblower protection petition. Risks 774. 29 October 2016
Global: Samsung shareholders get quality warning
Quality assurances by Samsung in the wake of the chaotic recall of the prone-to-burn Galaxy Note 7 smart phone fail to address the company’s record on labour rights and working conditions which are at the root of the product safety problem, according to the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC). “When the workforce is afraid to speak out about real problems on the production line because of an arrogant and domineering management culture, workers and consumers alike face risks to their health and safety,” said ITUC general secretary Sharan Burrow.
ITUC news release, report, video and Petition to Samsung to end its no-union policy. Morning Star. Wall St Journal. Risks 774. 29 October 2016
Global: Russia to ‘educate’ Sri Lanka to keep asbestos
On-going pressure from the Russian government has secured a substantial delay to Sri Lanka’s proposed ban on chrysotile asbestos. A 10 October story in the Mirror Business newspaper first revealed a ban scheduled for 2018 had now been pushed back to 2024, after Russia warned the ban could damage relations between the countries.
Mirror Business. Daily FT. Ceylon Today. Risks 774. 29 October 2016
USA: California nurses win violence prevention standard
A set of trailblazing regulations to prevent workplace violence in California’s hospitals and health care facilities have gained unanimous approval from the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board. The rules were issued under 2014 legislation backed by the union California Nurses Association/National Nurses United (CAN/NNU).
CNA/NNU news release. Politico.
Risks 774. 29 October 2016
Hazards news, 22 October 2016
Britain: Pressure grows to end World Cup abuses
Football supporters across the country have made a clear statement that the game they love should not be sullied by Qatar’s callous attitude to the workers helping prepare the country to host the World Cup in 2022. The TUC noting: “It’s only by raising our voices as fans, here and round the world, that we can start to rattle the confidence of Fifa, its sponsors and Qatar itself that as the World Cup approaches all we’ll care about is football, and not the human price that was paid for it.”
TUC news release and Playfair Qatar weekend of action webpages. The Guardian. Risks 773. 22 October 2016.
Britain: Southern can’t ‘bribe’ rail staff to sell-out safety
Southern Rail cannot bribe staff to stop them striking in defence of safety, the rail union RMT has said. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said “Southern have rehashed the £2,000 bribe to our members even though the company have been told repeatedly that money is not the issue and that the safety of passengers and staff is not for sale.”
RMT news release. TUC news release. Transport Select Committee news release and report, The Future of Rail: Improving the rail passenger experience, 13 October 2016. Morning Star. Risks 773. 22 October 2016.
Britain: Union warning as government fuels school fire risk
Teachers and firefighters have warned the government it is putting fire safety in schools at risk. Teachers’ union NUT and firefighters’ union FBU have written to education secretary Justine Greening strongly criticising her department's revised policy on sprinklers in schools.
NUT news release and FBU/NUT letter to the Secretary of state for education. Risks 773. 22 October 2016.
Britain: Report supports union case for prison smoking ban
A report on smoking risks in prisons that was kept under wraps for over a year has warned of a significant passive smoking risk to prisoners and prison staff. Prison officers’ union POA says the findings lend support to its long-running campaign for the legal ban on workplace smoking to be extended to prisons.
POA news release. Reports for the government on air quality in prisons, including Prison Air Quality Medical Report by Professor John Britton, University of Nottingham. Risks 773. 22 October 2016.
Britain: ‘Crushing workloads’ drive women out of teaching
Most women teachers report suffering mental and physical health problems caused by overwork, teaching union NASUWT has warned. The union said ‘crushing workloads’, gender inequality and attacks on their pay and working conditions are threatening to drive women out of the profession.
NASUWT news release. Morning Star. Risks 773. 22 October 2016.
Britain: Union warning on deadly swing-arm barriers
Communications union CWU has issued an urgent safety alert after a postal delivery driver was seriously injured by a swing-arm barrier five years after another postal worker was killed in a similar incident. CWU national health and safety officer Dave Joyce said safety reps should encourage all drivers to identify and report to managers any unsecured swing barrier gate hazards that present a risk.
CWU news release and safety alert. Risks 773. 22 October 2016.
Britain: Tube strike ballot ‘inevitable’ over attacks on staff
Tube staff are set to vote on strike action after confirming an increase in attacks in the wake of the closure of ticket offices. Rail union TSSA is in a dispute with Transport for London (TfL) as a result of London Underground (LU) ticket office staff being relocated onto station concourses.
TSSA news release. London Evening Standard. Risks 773. 22 October 2016.
Britain: Former firefighter developed asbestos disease
A former firefighter from Merseyside has received ‘substantial’ compensation after he developed the asbestos-related condition, pleural thickening. FBU member John Ford, 85, was first exposed to asbestos in 1951 when he was employed as a labourer at a shipyard, working in boiler rooms and near pipework that was insulated with asbestos and from 1954 to 1984 he worked as a firefighter, where he was again exposed to the dangerous fibres when dealing with fires in buildings that contained asbestos.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 773. 22 October 2016.
Britain: MPs warn of ‘perfect storm’ facing occupational medicine
Occupational medicine in the UK is facing a ‘crisis’ caused by a ‘massive fall’ in the number doctors being trained in the specialism combined with a drop in the provision of workplace occupational health services, MPs have warned. A new report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health notes only 1 in 8 UK workers can access a specialist occupational physician, with the numbers of being trained in the specialism is now at “an all-time low”.
Occupational medical workforce crisis: The need for action to keep the UK workforce healthy, All-Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health, 18 October 2016. Ian Lavery MP news release. Risks 773. 22 October 2016.
Britain: Workplace stress drives cardiovascular disease
Economic globalisation may create stressful employment conditions in high-income countries, contributing to the worldwide epidemic of cardiovascular disease (CVD), a study has found. Peter Schnall and Marnie Dobson from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and Paul Landsbergis from the State University of New York (SUNY) say their study pulls together a robust body of evidence documenting the effect of the work environment, including psychosocial job stressors.
SUNY Downstate Medical Center news release. Peter Schnall, Marnie Dobson and Paul Landsbergis. Globalization, work and cardiovascular disease, International Journal of Health Services, volume 46, number 4, pages 656-692, October 2016. Risks 773. 22 October 2016.
Britain: Regulators ill-equipped to police fracking risks
Regulatory bodies including the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are ill-equipped to properly address health risks posed by fracking, according to new research. The rapid evidence assessment by Stirling University experts raises a serious question mark over government claims that regulators including HSE and the Environment Agency will be able to ensure the safety of fracking.
A rapid evidence assessment of regulation and regulatory practices involved in fracking and it public health implications, Stirling University, October 2016. Environmental Health News. Risks 773. 22 October 2016.
Britain: Star Wars firm fined £1.6m for Harrison Ford injury
A production company behind the latest Star Wars movie has been fined £1.6m after Harrison Ford broke his leg on set. Foodles Production (UK) Ltd, owned by Disney, pleaded guilty earlier this year to two criminal charges brought by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
HSE news release and Specialist report, HSL report and HSE investigation report. BBC News Online. Risks 773. 22 October 2016.
Britain: Worker killed after crane drops load
A building contractor has been fined after a worker was killed when a load fell from a tower crane during a lifting operation in Colchester. Urban Summit Construction Ltd was the principal contractor on the construction site where David Holloway, 35, sustained extensive injuries.
HSE news release and lifting operations guide. Construction Enquirer. Daily Gazette. Risks 773. 22 October 2016.
Britain: Manufacturing firm fined after crushing death
Oldham manufacturing firm R Tindall (Fabricators) Ltd has been prosecuted after a worker died after he was crushed under metal pipework. Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court heard that 53-year-old Frank Dunne was operating a side-loader forklift truck which was carrying a vacuum packed pipe bundle weighing 1.5 tonnes fell, crushing him underneath.
HSE news release and metal storage and handling guidance. Risks 773. 22 October 2016.
Britain: Union reps get an appetite for connecting by app
The TUC says a big strength of trade union courses is the opportunity it provides for union representatives from different unions, different workplaces and different backgrounds to exchange information and experiences. Outside the classroom, keeping up this mutual support can be problematic, though – which is why the TUC developed the Unionreps website and mobile app.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Unionreps - join the online community of union reps or download the app from Google Play or the App Store. Risks 773. 22 October 2016.
Global: Maersk scrapping ships at dangerous Indian shipyard
Danish industrial conglomerate Maersk has sent two ships to be recycled at a shipyard in India considered by experts to present a serious threat to the health of the shipbreaking workers. Cancer, mutilation and death caused by a lack of protective equipment threaten employees, according to research by investigative group Danwatch.
Danwatch news release. Risks 773. 22 October 2016.
USA: Goodyear fined more than $1m after plant deaths
Tyre multinational Goodyear has been fined more than $1 million for serious safety and health violations at a US plant. The action by Virginia’s health and safety regulator, VOSH, comes after four people died in incidents at the Danville plant within a year.
VOSH news release. Danville Register and Bee. WDBJ7 Channel. Risks 773. 22 October 2016.
Hazards news. 15 October 2016
Britain: Work stress at record levels, say safety reps
Stress is the top health and safety concern in UK workplaces according to a TUC study. Findings published by the TUC on 10 October - World Mental Health Day – indicate stress was at the top of the list in this year’s survey, with 7 in 10 reps (70 per cent) citing it as a problem – up 3 per cent since the last survey in 2014 when 67 per cent did so, and a higher proportion than in any previous TUC study.
TUC news release and full survey results. Morning Star. Risks 772. 15 October 2016
Britain: Union breastfeeding victory for working women
A landmark employment tribunal victory for two easyJet cabin crew will have wide implications for working women wishing to continue breastfeeding after their maternity leave ends, Unite has said. The union argued successfully that the budget airline had neglected health and safety procedures, despite claiming it was acting on safety grounds.
Unite news release. Risks 772. 15 October 2016
Britain: London mayor urged to tackle exploitative hotel work
London mayor Sadiq Khan has been urged by Unite to put his ‘economic fairness’ pledge to the top of the agenda by tackling the exploitative work practices in London’s hotel industry. The union call came ahead of the British Hospitality Association’s (BHA) ‘Big Hospitality Conversation’ event at city hall, promoting hospitality as a career choice.
Unite news release and Unethical London report. Risks 772. 15 October 2016
Britain: UNISON gives its reps a health and safety ‘High 5’
UNISON is urging its health and safety reps to give European Health and Safety Week a ‘High 5’. In the run up to the annual event, to run this year from 24-30 October, the union is keeping track of the events organised by its union branches and safety reps, from recruitment stalls to workplace safety inspections.
UNISON ‘High 5’ poster and facebook safety page. HSE Euroweek 2016 campaign website and EU-OSHA campaign. Risks 772. 15 October 2016
Britain: Safety warning on ill-fitting protective kit at sea
Ill-fitting personal protective equipment (PPE) is putting seafarers’ health and safety at risk, the union Nautilus has warned. Nautilus council member Jessica Tyson, addressing the union’s UK conference, moved a motion warning that a lot of PPE is manufactured to traditional specifications — often meaning it is not suitable for the increasing number of female seafarers - but she stressed the issue affects all seafarers.
Nautilus news release. Risks 772. 15 October 2016
Britain: Call for independent inquiry into Crossrail ‘abuses’
Construction union UCATT is calling for an urgent independent inquiry into ‘safety and workplace abuses’ on the Crossrail tunnelling contract being undertaken by contractor ATC, a consortium involving Alstom, TSO and Costain. The union says its members working on the Crossrail tunnelling contract say ATC management are employing ‘intimidatory’ working practices.
UCATT news release. Risks 772. 15 October 2016
Britain: Mersey transport bosses ignoring safety evidence
Rail union RMT is calling on Merseytravel to abandon ‘reckless’ plans for driver-only trains. RMT says since the union first wrote to Merseytravel chair Liam Robinson in March, emergencies have taken place on the railway network – one of them on Merseyrail itself – which have underlined the critical role played by guards in protecting passengers.
RMT news release. Morning Star. Risks 772. 15 October 2016
Britain: RMT forces Southern to axe dangerous media campaign
Rail union RMT has forced train company Southern to scrap a ‘Strike Back’ campaign that prompted assaults on staff and a public backlash. After Southern’s twitter page was swamped with messages critical of the company and supportive of the union, an urgent company memo instructed managers to remove and destroy immediately what RMT called ‘the offensive and incendiary posters’.
RMT news release. TUC Stronger Unions blog. Risks 772. 15 October 2016
Britain: Southern still tries to spin away is safety woes
Southern Rail – having seemed to have learnt nothing from their disastrous social media campaign – has “come back for more of a metaphorical kicking,” according to TUC’s Sharon Sukhram. Writing in TUC’s Stronger Unions blog, she points to a Southern ‘Safety in numbers’ advert published in the free Metro newspaper that “attempts to mislead the public on the safety element of the dispute with RMT.”
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Morning Star. Risks 772. 15 October 2016
Britain: Asbestos exposure harmed union rep’s lungs
A former Unite union representative has received £38,000 compensation after developing the asbestos-related condition, diffuse pleural thickening. Roy Green was exposed to asbestos throughout his career.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 772. 15 October 2016
Britain: Teachers are overworked and facing ‘burnout’
Teachers in England are suffering high rates of burnout as a result of overwork, an education thinktank has warned. Most worked an average of 48.2 hours per week, according to the new report from the Education Policy Institute (EPI) - but it found one in five works 60 hours or more - 12 hours above the limit set by working time regulations, a law introduced to protect workers from the health impact of excessive hours.
EPI news release and report. ATL news release. NASUWT news release. NUT news release. BBC News Online.
Fatigue - a guide for health and safety representatives, TUC, July 2016 [pdf]. Tired out! Don’t take fatigue risks lying down, Hazards, number 135, September 2016. Risks 772. 15 October 2016
Britain: Workers at risk from superbug-infected pigs
Pigs infected with the superbug MRSA can be freely imported into the UK due to regulatory loopholes, putting workers and consumers at risk, an investigation has found. And global food and farming trade union federation IUF told Hazards magazine: “Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) leading to the spread of MRSA and other ‘superbugs’ is a major and growing threat to the health of agricultural workers and meat processing workers.”
The Bureau of Investigative Journalism. Investigative Reporting Denmark. Risks 772. 15 October 2016
Britain: Wholesaler fined £500,000 for gate death
One of Britain's largest wholesale companies has been fined £500,000 after a delivery driver was killed by a faulty gate at a depot in Newport, south Wales. Ronald Hayward, 42, died in 2011 when he was pinned under a 660lb (300kg) steel gate that collapsed at the Blakemore Wholesale store in the city.
South Wales Argus. BBC News Online. Risks 772. 15 October 2016
Britain: Construction firm fined after worker loses both legs
A Cornish construction company has been fined after a worker had to have both legs amputated at the knee after being crushed by a dumper truck. Roger Daw, 58, was operating a fully loaded front tipping dumper on his MJL Contractors Ltd’s site in Liskey Hill, Perranporth when it overturned.
HSE news release. Risks 772. 15 October 2016
Britain: Exploding tyre seriously injures worker
A tyre maintenance company has been fined after a tyre exploded, seriously injuring a worker. Nottingham Crown Court heard an employee of Tyre Maintenance Limited was in the process of removing two split rim tyres from the vehicle, when there was a violent explosion of the inner of the two wheels on the front nearside of the vehicle.
HSE news release and information on repairing wheels and tyres. Risks 772. 15 October 2016
Europe: Unions renew action call on work strains
Europe’s unions have repeated their call for urgent action to tackle the epidemic of work-related back, shoulder, neck, elbow, hand and knee pain that results in a severe loss of quality of life for workers and millions of days off work. The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) says this number one cause of occupational sickness in Europe comes at a cost to employers, workers and health services estimated at €163 billion (£147bn) a year.
ETUC news release. EULAR news release and conference webpage. Risks 772. 15 October 2016
Global: Transport unions mark safety action week
Trade unions around the world have been involved in activities to mark the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) road and rail action week. This year’s event, which wrapped up on 9 October, marked 20 years of the safety focused ITF event, which started in 1997 as a ‘Fatigue Kills!’ global day of action for road transport workers.
ITF news release, facebook page and Action Week blog. Risks 772. 15 October 2016
Japan: Ad agency suicide ruled work-related
The suicide of a female employee of a major Japanese advertising agency has been recognised as related to her work. A labour standards inspection office in Tokyo ruled that 24-year-old Matsuri Takahashi killed herself as a result of the pressures she faced working at Dentsu Inc, one of 93 suicides or attempted suicides officially recognised as overwork-related –karojisatsu – by the Japanese authorities.
Asahi Shimbun. Japan Times. More on work-related suicide. Risks 772. 15 October 2016
Hazards news, 8 October 2016
Britain: Shamed Southern faces backlash over attack on rail union
A twitter plea from rail franchise Southern for passengers to tell RMT how they feel about ongoing strikes has backfired dramatically. The Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) company tweeted: “Time to get back on track. Tweet @RMTunion & tell them how rail strikes make you feel”; the company was instead deluged with angry tweets from rail users frustrated by the company’s mismanagement of services, many pointing out that service failures were commonplace and not strike-related.
RMT news release and related release on the Southern ‘strike back’ campaign. RMT twitter page. Southern’s twitter conversation. BBC News Online. Morning Star. Risks 771. 8 October 2016
Britain: Rail firm refuses unconditional Acas talks over safety
Southern Rail has point blank refused an offer from the rail union RMT of unconditional talks at the conciliation service Acas in an ongoing safety dispute. The union revealed the company has told Acas that it is only prepared to discuss the implementation of its existing plans and has no interest in discussing a newly defined, safety critical role for the guaranteed second member of staff on current services.
RMT news release and RMT news release on the Scotrail deal. Risks 771. 8 October 2016
Britain: Who’s protecting your occupational health?
TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson warns that occupational health provision in the UK is “appalling”, with Greece the only EU member state providing less cover. “So, unless you already know, why not ask your employer what level of occupational health they are providing, who they use, and why regular reports are not given to the joint safety committee?”
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Is my occupational health provider accredited? TUC guide for union safety reps, September 2016. Risks 771. 8 October 2016
Britain: MPs to investigate Asos working conditions
Fashion retailer Asos is to face a parliamentary probe after an approach from the union GMB. The decision came in the wake of an investigative report that revealed Asos has subjected 4,000 workers to a brutal management regime at its huge Yorkshire warehouse.
GMB news release. Buzzfeed news update and report, The real cost of Asos’s fast fashion. BBC News Online. Morning Star. Risks 771. 8 October 2016
Amazon ‘putting profits before safety’
Amazon UK Services Ltd been accused by the union CWU of putting profits before safety after it was fined £65,000 for attempting to ship dangerous goods on passenger planes. The retailer was found during sentencing at Southwark Crown Court on 23 September to have breached four UK civil aviation rules for the offence of “causing dangerous goods to be delivered for carriage in an aircraft.”
CAA news release. Ars Technica. Risks 771. 8 October 2016
Britain: Union lottery to support families of killed firefighters
The families of firefighters killed or seriously injured at work are facing hardship as well as heartbreak, the firefighters’ union FBU has said. In response, the union is launching its own Firefighters 100 Lottery to help offset the financial pressures families can face.
FBU news release. Firefighters 100 Lottery. Risks 771. 8 October 2016
Britain: Workers’ rights must be more than a soundbite
Conservative conference commitments from prime minister Theresa May and Brexit secretary David Davis to protect and improve employment rights are welcome – but must be translated into action, the TUC has said. TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady commented: “Britain's job market has proved to be a magnet for the wrong kind of bosses.”
TUC news release. IoD news release. Left Foot Forward. Video of prime minister Theresa May’s Conservative conference speech on facebook. Risks 771. 8 October 2016
Britain: Migrant domestic workers need more protection
Urgent changes are needed to the UK visa system to protect migrant workers from being used as domestic slaves, a union-affiliated campaign group has warned. Justice 4 Domestic Workers is calling for a better deal for foreign workers, who are employed mainly as nannies or maids in private homes.
BBC News Online. BBC1 Inside Out. Justice for Domestic Workers UK. Risks 771. 8 October 2016
Britain: MoD gets safety reprimand over soldier death
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has been issued with a Crown Censure by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after a soldier died when he was shot in the neck on a training exercise. Fusilier Dean Griffiths, 21, whose partner was expecting their first child, received a fatal bullet wound to the neck on 14 September 2011 during a ‘live’ training exercise at Lydd Ranges military firing range in Kent.
HSE news release. Risks 771. 8 October 2016
Britain: Two Tesco firms fined after worker’s roof fall
Supermarket giant Tesco had faced a double blow as two of the giant retailer’s companies have been fined a total of half a million pounds after a worker plunged nine metres through a skylight roof. Andrew Burgess miraculously walked away with cuts, bruises and some muscle damage.
HSE news release. Liverpool Echo. Risks 771. 8 October 2016
Britain: Contractor seriously injured in fragile skylight plunge
A London exhibition venue firm and a building contractor have been fined for criminal safety failings after a specialist contractor fell 5.5 metres through a fragile skylight. The Business Design Centre Limited pleaded guilty to two criminal safety offences and was fined £300,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,925.56; James Murphy pleaded guilty to a criminal safety breach and was fined £4,000 and also ordered to pay costs of £2,925.56.
HSE news release and roof work webpages. Risks 771. 8 October 2016
Britain: Roofing firm fined after 7 metre fall from ladder
A King’s Lynn roofing company has been prosecuted after a worker fell seven metres from a scaffold access ladder, suffering permanent injuries to his hands. J Webber Roofing Limited pleaded guilty to a criminal breach of the Work at Height Regulations 2005 and was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay £1,582 in costs.
HSE news release and roof work guide. Risks 771. 8 October 2016
Global: Campaign against gender-based violence at work
Global trade union confederation ITUC is warning that gender-based violence is one of the most prevalent human rights violations in the world. The union body is calling for a new global standard on prevention, noting: “Trade unions are taking action to end gender-based violence at work and are campaigning for a new international labour Convention to tackle the various forms of gender-based violence that occur in the world of work,” through the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
ITUC gender-based violence at work campaign webpage. Join the campaign! Risks 771. 8 October 2016
Australia: Banned asbestos intercepted by border authorities
Border authorities in Australia have made more than a dozen interceptions of asbestos since a department shakeup last year, amid fears lax enforcement was allowing the killer substance to flood into the country from overseas. Australian Border Force has made 13 seizures of the banned building material since it was established in July last year.
WA Today. AMWU/CFMEU Asbestos Free Future campaign. Risks 771. 8 October 2016
Canada: Powder given to miners linked to brain disease
Thousands of Canadian miners deliberately exposed to aluminium dust that was supposed to protect their lungs may have developed brain and respiratory disease as a result. As many as 20,000 miners were exposed to a dust called McIntyre powder – the gold and uranium miners were told the powder would coat their lungs and prevent them from contracting deadly silicosis.
Sudbury Star. McIntyre Powder Project. Risks 771. 8 October 2016
Canada: Unions press for an asbestos ban
Asbestos is the leading cause of work-related death in Canada, prompting renewed union calls on the federal government to ban asbestos. Labour Congress (CLC) president Hassan Yussuff, speaking on 26 September, which is Mesothelioma Awareness Day in Canada, said: “This is about workers’ safety and it’s about public safety, which is why we are calling for the government to adopt a comprehensive ban on asbestos.”
CLC news release. Risks 771. 8 October 2016
Global: Samsung’s medieval practices exposed
The global reach of Samsung’s ruthless pursuit of profits impacts dangerously on the lives of its workers, a new report has charged. ‘Samsung - Modern tech medieval conditions’, published by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the global union IndustriALL, reveals how the company’s ‘corporate greed’ is causing problems from cancer to brutal working conditions and job insecurity throughout the multinational’s supply chains.
ITUC news release, report, “Samsung – Modern Tech Medieval conditions”, petition to Samsung and video, Samsung’s Secret. ITUC/Hazards Cancer Hazards website. Risks 771. 8 October 2016
Hazards news, 1 October 2016
Britain: Union group probes rare brain cancer cluster
The families of five chemical plant workmates who all died of a rare type of brain cancer have said they want answers. The cluster of glioma cases, affecting men who all worked at Staveley Chemicals in Derbyshire, was unearthed by the Chesterfield-based Trade Union Safety Team (TRUST).
Work Cancer Hazards blog. BBC Inside Out. BBC News Online. Derbyshire Times.
Contact TRUST on 01246 380 415 if you can assist its research into the Staveley Chemicals plant. Risks 770. 1 October 2016.
Britain: Fatigue concessions by easyJet after pilots vote for action
An overwhelming vote by easyJet pilots in favour of industrial action on fatigue risks has led to concessions from the company. The budget airline and pilots’ union BALPA said a set of proposals to mitigate pilot fatigue will be put to pilots in a consultative ballot.
BALPA news release. Fatigue - a guide for health and safety representatives, TUC, July 2016 [pdf]. Tired out! Don’t take fatigue risks lying down, Hazards, number 135, September 2016. Risks 770. 1 October 2016.
Britain: Crossrail builders face two-mile trek to the toilet
Crossrail workers have criticised site welfare conditions after having to walk two miles to use a toilet. Union members protested outside the Crossrail site over a range of concerns, including ‘appalling’ welfare facilities and a misfiring fingerprint recognition system.
UCATT news release. Construction Enquirer. Morning Star. Risks 770. 1 October 2016.
Britain: Watford derailment highlights safety role of train guards
Rail union RMT has welcomed a decision by a rail safety watchdog to investigate staffing lessons from a train derailment. RMT said the incident “reinforced the safety-critical role played by the guards,” with both the train’s guard and driver involved in the emergency response.
RMT news release. RAIB news release. Risks 770. 1 October 2016.
Britain: Worker suffers hernia as employer drops the ball
A maintenance engineer has received more than £6,000 in damages after suffering a hernia in his groin doing what should have been a two-person job. Unite member Paul Hodgson, 65, was disassembling pipework on top of a 10-metre high spray booth, when hefell backwards and became trapped under an eight-metre long section of pipe.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 770. 1 October 2016.
Britain: Prospect member is TUC safety rep of the year
A member of the union Prospect has been named TUC health and safety rep of the year. Helen Edwards works at Sellafield Ltd in Cumbria and is the operations division lead union safety rep and the Prospect branch health and safety officer.
TUC news release and video. Risks 770. 1 October 2016.
Britain: North Sea helicopter companies challenged over safety
North Sea helicopter operators have been urged to do more to introduce safety measures for crashes at sea. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said improvements could boost the survival chances of passengers and crew.
BBC News Online. Risks 770. 1 October 2016.
Britain: Manufacturing firm prosecuted after roof fall death
A manufacturing company has been fined after the death of a worker who fell through a factory roof skylight. Taunton Crown Court heard Samuel Wright Maxwell, 46, was employed by Cooper B-Line (CBL) at its factory in Highbridge, Somerset.
HSE news release and roof safety guide. Daily Mail. Risks 770. 1 October 2016.
Britain: Scaffolders get suspended jail terms after fall death
Two scaffolders from Cornwall have received suspended prison sentences following the death of Roger Stoddern, 47, in a seven metre fall. Business founder Colin Marshall pleaded guilty to criminal safety breaches and was given a four-month prison sentence suspended for two years; James Marshall, Colin’s son and business partner, was handed an eight-month sentence suspended for two years.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. West Briton. Risks 770. 1 October 2016.
Britain: Halliburton fined £10,000 after driver crushed
Oil giant Halliburton has been fined £10,000 after truck driver Alexander Masson was crushed and seriously injured at a Scottish yard. The company accepted liability for an ‘inherently dangerous’ unloading operation which left the man with a catalogue of injuries.
STV News. Risks 770. 1 October 2016.
Britain: BBC featured scrap firm convicted after work injury
A Bolton-based scrapyard that featured in a recent BBC documentary series has been convicted of a safety crime after an employee suffered serious facial injuries at work. Vehicle breaker The Scrappers Ltd was found guilty of a criminal safety offence and fined £30,000 and ordered to pay costs of £26,687,88.
HSE news release. Risks 770. 1 October 2016.
Britain: Is your occupational health provider accredited?
The TUC is advising safety reps to ensure occupational health services used by their employer are up to scratch. ‘Is your occupational health provider accredited?’, a new guide from the union body, notes: “If your employer uses an occupational health provider for any purpose, it is important that you and your members know that they are up to the job.”
Is my occupational health provider accredited? TUC guide for union safety reps, September 2016. Risks 770. 1 October 2016.
Bangladesh: Unions up the pressure after latest tragedy
As the death toll in Bangladesh’s latest factory tragedy rose to 34, unions applied additional pressure for government action and union involvement to keep workers in the country safe. Global union confederation ITUC said the 10 September fire at the Tampoco Foil factory showed the ‘callous disregard’ of the Bangladesh government for workers’ safety and a disregard by multinationals of the dangers in their supply chains.
TUC Stronger Unions blog and letter to the Bangladesh government. IUF news release Risks 770. 1 October 2016.
China: ‘Illegal’ coal mining caused deadly explosion
Chinese authorities have blamed illegal mining activities for a gas explosion at a coal mine that killed 19 people and left one other miner missing. The explosion on the morning of 27 September occurred at a small coal mine when 20 miners were working underground in the city of Shizuishan, in the northwestern region of Ningxia, China’s official press agency Xinhua reported.
South China Morning Post. Risks 770. 1 October 2016.
Global: Supply chains are still full of sweatshops
In the early 1990s, sports apparel giant Nike became the ‘poster child’ for sweatshops in its global supply chain – child labour, forced labour, wage theft, confiscation of migrant workers’ passports, sexual harassment of women workers and unsafe and unhealthy working conditions – and today it is far more pervasive. Health and safety rights campaigner Garrett Brown concludes that “relentless pressure from workers, consumers, stakeholders and governments is required to improve working conditions that are illegal, immoral and just plain unacceptable.”
The Pump Handle blog. Risks 770. 1 October 2016.
Global: ITF condemns Thai pursuit of rights researcher
The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) has condemned the sentencing of labour rights researcher Andy Hall to three years’ imprisonment, suspended for two years, by the Bangkok Criminal Court on 20 September. The British national was sued by the Thai Company Natural Fruit on charges of defamation and computer crimes, over his claims about the company in a 2013 report by Finnwatch, a Helsinki-based civil society organisation. ITF news release. Risks 770. 1 October 2016.
Hazards news, 24 September 2016
Britain: Official safety inspections increasingly rare, survey finds
Nearly half of UK workplaces have never had a health and safety inspection – including more than 80 per cent of construction workplaces – according to a new TUC survey of health and safety reps. The union body’s biennial survey, which analysed responses from over 1,000 safety reps, found manufacturing is the only sector in which a majority (57 per cent) of safety reps said there had been an inspection during the past year.
TUC news release and Focus on health and safety: TUC biennial survey of safety reps 2016. Risks 679. 24 September 2016.
Britain: Union slams ‘wilful neglect’ of safety inspections
The ‘astonishing’ lack of official safety inspections on building sites exposes the government’s ‘wilful neglect’ of workplace safety, the construction union UCATT has said. UCATT acting general secretary, Brian Rye, said: “What is the point of the HSE if they don’t inspect?”
UCATT news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 679. 24 September 2016.
Britain: TUC says union safety reps rock!
Union safety reps are increasingly the only health and safety protection workers can rely on, the TUC has said. TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson said the union body’s biennial survey findings show “despite all the attacks on unions from both the government and many employers, trade union health and safety representatives are still doing an amazing job.” Adding: “Over threequarters of them have managed to get themselves trained, despite the pressures of work and the barriers that employers often put in their way… Also around 80 per cent of representatives had inspected their workplace and of these who had, well over half had inspected three or more times in the past year.”
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Risks 679. 24 September 2016.
Britain: Sports Direct bows to pressure for independent review Sports Direct has bowed to shareholder and union pressure by agreeing to an independent review of its working practices and corporate governance. The move came after strong shareholder backing for an independent review at the Sports Direct AGM, with the company also saying a worker representative would be elected to the board by all staff “directly engaged or employed by Sports Direct”.
TUC news release. Unite news release. Sports Direct news release. The Guardian. LabourList. Risks 679. 24 September 2016.
Britain: Rail workers stand up for toilet breaks
Rail workers took ‘rock solid’ strike action on two London Underground lines in September over ‘timed’ toilet breaks. RMT members on the Hammersmith & City and Circle lines walked out for 24 hours after what their union described as a ‘flagrant disregard for agreed policies and procedures’.
RMT news release. Morning Star. London Evening Standard. More on toilet breaks. Risks 679. 24 September 2016.
Britain: Union concern as BT fines top £1m in five months
A series of criminal safety offences have seen telecommunications giant BT run up a fines bill in excess of £1 million in just five months. Dave Joyce, national safety officer with the communications union CWU, said: “Hopefully, the result of these prosecutions will have a salutary effect and underline the importance of prioritising safety both in the workplace and when working on the roads.”
CWU news release. Lincolnshire Echo. Risks 679. 24 September 2016.
Britain: Asbestos caused rail worker’s pleural thickening
A former railway worker from Luton has received compensation after asbestos exposure caused him to develop a disabling lung condition. Mick Whelan, general secretary at ASLEF, said: “Our member was never provided with any protective equipment throughout the course of his career, which left him defenceless against inhaling asbestos.”
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 679. 24 September 2016.
Britain: Labour promises action on union safety concerns
Labour’s John McDonnell has warned that the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) regulatory mission has been compromised by its new profit motive – and has said in contrast to the current government, the protection of people at work is a ‘red line’ issue for his party.
Hard labour: Labour pledges to listen and act on workplace health and safety, Hazards magazine, Number 135, 2016. Risks 679. 24 September 2016.
Britain: Artificial enzymes are ‘potent allergens’ at work
Genetically modified enzymes used to create flavourings and aromas and boost the power of cleaning products and medicines, are “potent allergens” that can immediately sensitise those occupationally exposed to them, researchers have found. A paper published online in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine warns as yet there are no commercially available diagnostic tests to monitor the potential health risk posed by these new enzymes.
Lygia T Budnik and others. Sensitising effects of genetically modified enzymes used in flavour, fragrance, detergence and pharmaceutical production: cross-sectional study, Occupational & Environmental Medicine, online first 22 September 2016. Risks 679. 24 September 2016.
Britain: Campaigners show docs how to spot asbestos diseaseDoctors in Scotland are to be given new guidance on how to diagnose asbestos-related disease in the hope of improving care for sufferers. Campaigners from Clydeside Action on Asbestos (CAA), which helps people with asbestos cancers, has developed a new initiative designed to help GPs spot the signs of related diseases including mesothelioma quicker.
Evening Times. Clydeside Action on Asbestos. Risks 679. 24 September 2016.
Britain: Manufacturer fined £1m following worker’s death
A manufacturing company based in Hemel Hampstead has been fined £1 million after a worker was crushed to death by a machine as a consequence of ‘ad hoc’ attempts to move it. Colin Reddish, 48, was involved in moving a large CNC milling machine within the company’s Grantham factory on 30 April 2015 when it overturned and killed him.
HSE news release. Risks 679. 24 September 2016.
Britain: Site firm fined £800,000 after worker injury
A Surrey construction company has been fined after a contractor was run over and suffered serious injuries on a large site in Wokingham. David Cole, a site foreman on the large housing development project, was struck by and pulled under a large bulk powder carrier on 7 December 2014.
HSE news release and construction traffic management webpages. Risks 679. 24 September 2016.
Britain: Worker blinded by exploding drum
A Kent company that supplies road safety products has been fined after a worker suffered life-threatening injuries when a drum he was working on exploded. Maidstone Crown Court heard how 41-year-old Andrew Foster, an employee of Highway Care Limited, was using a plasma cutter to cut up a drum that had previously contained a flammable substance.
HSE news release and guidance on hot work on small tanks and drums. Irwin Mitchell news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 679. 24 September 2016.
Britain: Have your say on chemical safety rules
Union safety reps should make sure the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) knows how important strong, effective chemical regulations are at work, the TUC has said. The union body wants union reps to make their views heard in an HSE review of the current chemicals regulations ahead of an 18 October deadline.
Hazardous substances in the workplace - review of regulations: Complete the HSE chemicals regulations survey. Risks 679. 24 September 2016.
Britain: Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit - a TUC guide
The TUC has published a short guide to the government’s Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit scheme, which covers both injuries and certain occupational diseases caused by work, including occupational asthma, deafness and vibration disease, and some dust diseases, strain injuries and occupational cancers. The guide is an important resource for affected workers or for safety reps advising members on compensation claims and work-related benefits – which can be clawed back if a compensation claim against the employer is successful.
TUC publication notice and Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit - a TUC guide. Risks 679. 24 September 2016.
Canada: Temp death prompts new safety call
The death of a young woman killed when a conveyor belt caught her clothing at a Toronto factory has prompted renewed union calls for better safety protection for temporary workers. Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) said too many employers treat temp agency workers as a disposable commodity, relegating to them the most precarious and dangerous work, adding an ongoing review of Ontario’s employment laws “means we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring in sweeping changes and create the employment laws Ontario workers need, including holding all employers to account.”
USW Canada news release. OFL news release. Hamilton Spectator. Risks 679. 24 September 2016.
Global: Thai court finds UK rights activist guilty
A UK activist who campaigned for the rights of migrant workers in Thailand's fruit processing industry has been found guilty of defamation and computer crimes. Andy Hall, from Lincolnshire, was given a three-year suspended jail term and fined 150,000 baht (£3,300).
Finnwatch news release and Q&A on Andy Hall’s case. BBC News Online. Risks 679. 24 September 2016.
Hazards news, 17 September 2016
Britain: TUC warns bad firms they have ‘no place to hide’
The TUC has warned companies there will be “no hiding place” if they exploit their workers. General secretary Frances O'Grady told delegates at TUC’s annual conference in Brighton that mistreatment of the workforce is becoming more widespread in the UK, warning “greedy” businesses that the TUC would “shine a light on you.”
TUC news releases on holding firms to account and the Wetherspoons zero hours move and new report, Taking the temperature of the post-Brexit economy. Unite news release. UCU news release. Office for National Statistics figures. BBC News Online. The Guardian. Risks 768. 17 September 2016.
Britain: Unions make a stand against sexist dress codes
‘Ridiculous’ dress codes imposed by some employers are both sexist and bad for women’s health, unions have warned. A motion from the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists (SCP) noted the issue of sexist dress codes had been a long-time concern to unions, with a requirement to wear high heels a particular bugbear.
TUC news release and report Working feet and footwear. SCP news release and motion 80 to the TUC conference. Risks 768. 17 September 2016.
Britain: Unions call for action to stop sexual harassment at work
Sexual harassment at work is a major under-reported problem in Britain’s workplaces, the TUC’s annual conference has heard. Delegates agreed unanimously an emergency motion calling for measures to stamp out sexual harassment at work after hearing two-thirds of young women had been directly affected.
Prospect news release. Usdaw news release. TUC guide to your rights on sexual harassment, union reps’ guide to addressing sexual harassment and report, Still just a bit of banter? Everyday Sexism Project and ‘shouting back’ platform. Risks 768. 17 September 2016.
Britain: PCS rep Lee Rock back at work after ‘sick’ sacking
A longstanding PCS activist who was fired by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in February 2013 ostensibly on the grounds of his sickness record, has returned to work following his reinstatement. A tribunal found that Lee Rock had been unfairly dismissed and upheld, in part, the claim of disability discrimination.
PCS news release. Risks 768. 17 September 2016.
Britain: ‘Lives could be lost’ at major roadworks, union warns
The collapse this month of a huge steel structure on a prestigious road building project and another incident where a mechanical roadworking machine overturned has raised serious safety concerns, the construction union UCATT has warned. The union said ‘such huge breaches of health and safety’ on the high profile £750m Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR) project ‘are deeply worrying as they threaten workers’ lives.’
UCATT news release. Aberdeen Press and Journal. Risks 768. 17 September 2016.
Britain: Former rail worker compensated for hand injury at work
A Nottinghamshire rail worker who suffered a hand injury while working on railway repairs has received a £15,000 payout in a union-backed claim. Unite member Trevor Allen, 65, was attempting to use a planing machine, which is used to shape a rail track, when he was injured.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 768. 17 September 2016.
Britain: Over six months on, final Didcot body is recovered
The last body missing in the rubble of Didcot Power Station has been removed from the site. A guard of honour was formed as the body of John Shaw, 61, was taken away early on the morning of 11 September; he is the last of four victims to be located under the rubble after the power station’s boiler house collapsed on 23 February.
Thames Valley Police update and earlier update. BBC News Online. Construction Enquirer. Risks 768. 17 September 2016.
Britain: Transocean bosses to face MPs after rig grounding
A powerful UK government committee is to hold an inquiry into the grounding of the Transocean Winner rig which hit rocks in the Western Isles in August. Representatives of Transocean could be hauled before the Transport Select Committee after it agreed to look into the incident, the move coming the day after the UK government confirmed that it would not be carrying out a risk assessment into the need for a second emergency tug to cover the west coast of Scotland.
Unite news release. BBC News Online. Energy Voice. Risks 768. 17 September 2016.
Global: Study sets the direction for container port safety
A new study could pave the way for significant improvements in the health, safety and welfare of workers in the global container port industry. The Cardiff University research, commissioned the global transport unions’ federation ITF and UK safety professionals’ organisation IOSH, identifies continuing dangers, causes for concern, and flaws in the blame-the-worker behavioural management systems commonly employed by operators.
ITF news release. Experiences of arrangements for health, safety and welfare in the global container terminal industry, full report and summary, Cardiff University, IOSH/ITF, September 2016. IOSH container terminals webpage. Risks 768. 17 September 2016.
Britain: Plan to move MPs from ‘asbestos riddled’ parliament
MPs could move out of the Houses of Parliament for six years if they back a parliamentary committee's recommendation to temporarily decant so restoration work can take place on the ‘asbestos riddled’ buildings. The Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster has recommended that MPs move into the nearby Department of Health with peers going to the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre.
Joint Committee on the Palace of Westminster news release, report summary and full report. The Independent. Leigh Day news release. Risks 768. 17 September 2016.
Britain: Security firm G4S fined £1.8m for Legionella risk
G4S Cash Solutions (UK) Limited has been fined £1.8 million for failing to protect workers from the risk of Legionnaires’ disease. Harlow Council environmental health officers inspected G4S's Harlow site in October 2013 after receiving a report that a Harlow resident had contracted Legionellosis, a pneumonia-type condition, and found a serious lack of compliance with the legally required level of water system maintenance.
Harlow Council news release. Harlow Star. HSE Legionnaires’ Disease webpages. Risks 768. 17 September 2016.
Britain: Refinery giant fined £400,000 after serious injury
Valero Energy UK Limited has been fined £400,000 following a serious injury at its Pembroke Refinery. Judge Peter Heywood sitting at Swansea Crown Court heard the access tower walkway that provided gangway access to a stationary oil tanker on 5 March 2012 had dropped 3.5 metres, causing operator David Thomas to be trapped by a slack wire rope, suffering serious leg injuries.
HSE news release and major hazards site information. BBC News Online. ITV News. Risks 768. 17 September 2016.
Britain: Firefighters’ guide to occupational cancer prevention
The firefighters’ union FBU says occupational cancer is a ‘serious threat’ for firefighters. In response, the union has produced an initial guidance document which highlights the basic principles to follow to prevent unnecessary contamination with smoke, fumes, chemicals and other hazardous substances before, during and after incidents.
FBU publication notice and initial guidance, Contaminants – protection against cancer. Risks 768. 17 September 2016.
Britain: Health and work in numbers
Public Health England has published what the TUC describes as a ‘really useful set of health and work infographics’, in collaboration with The Work Foundation. The focus of the PHE infographics is primarily on the impact of health on work, with far less emphasis given to the impact of work on health, with no mention of big work-related killers like occupational cancer and occupational lung disease.
PHE publications announcement and PHE health and work infographics. Risks 768. 17 September 2016.
Australia: Families plead for action on fly-in-fly-out deaths
Pressure on West Australia’s state government to take the mental health dangers to the army of fly-in-fly-out (FIFO) miners has escalated as family members of two workers who took their own lives presented a 4,800-signature petition demanding action. The union AMWU supported Sharon Johnson and Peter Miller when they went to the West Australia (WA) parliament to hand the petition to MP Graham Jacobs, who led the parliamentary inquiry into FIFO mental health that reported more than a year ago and that was prompted by a spate of suicides.
AMWU news release. Yahoo 7 News. Risks 768. 17 September 2016.
Bangladesh: Government and brands share factory deaths blame
The deaths of at least 31 workers in a 10 September fire at the Tampoco Foil factory in Bangladesh shows the ‘callous disregard’ of the Bangladesh government for workers’ safety, the global union confederation ITUC has charged. It added that also to blame for the tragedy was the failure of multinational companies doing business with the factory to take responsibility for the lives of workers in their supply chains.
ITUC news release. IndustriALL news release. Washington Post. Risks 768. 17 September 2016.
Pakistan: Payouts deal agreed four years after deadly fire
After four years of campaigning and protracted negotiations, an agreement has been reached to pay compensation in excess of US$5 million to the survivors and families of workers killed in Pakistan’s worst industrial disaster. On 11 September 2012, more than 250 workers lost their lives and over 50 were injured in a fire at the Ali Enterprises garment factory in Karachi; workers were burned to death trapped behind barred windows and locked doors.
IndustriALL news release. ILO news release. Risks 768. 17 September 2016.
USA: Industries queue up to defend their toxins
A new US chemical safety law has triggered an immediate response from chemical producers – a helter-skelter rush to ensure their favourites are the back of the queue for official scrutiny. The Frank R Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act for the 21st Century, passed into law in June this year, gave the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) the authority needed to evaluate and regulate the tens of thousands of commercial chemicals it oversees in the US.
Senator Barbara Boxer’s news release. The Pump Handle blog. EPA webpage. Risks 768. 17 September 2016.
Hazards news, 10 September 2016
Britain: TUC anger as employer takes HSE ‘employee’ seat
The TUC has condemned the government after it emerged a former employer and business leader had been appointed by the work and pensions secretary to a seat on the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) board that is reserved for a representative of ‘employees’ interests’. The TUC said the minister’s selection of Susan Johnson, who holds several other paid board-level appointments, upsets the statutory balance of representation between workers and employers on the HSE board.
DWP announcement. TUC news release. TUC Stronger Unions blog.
Rotten board: Cabinet minister says employer can be employees' voice on HSE board, Hazards magazine special report, September 2016. Risks 767. 10 September 2016
Britain: Sports Direct shareholder revolt backs unions on abuses
Sports Direct has been on the receiving end of a record shareholder revolt prompted by its abusive management practices. At the company’s 7 September annual meeting, more than half (53 per cent) of independent Sports Direct shareholders voted against management and called for an independent investigation into how Sports Direct treats its workers.
TUC news release and earlier news release. Sports Direct news release . BBC News Online and related story. Risks 767. 10 September 2016
Britain: Delayed retirement leads to rising ill-health job loss
Around one in eight (12 per cent) workers is forced to stop working before state pension age due to ill-health or disability, according to TUC research. ‘Postponing the pension: are we all working longer?’ finds that nearly half a million (436,000) workers who are within five years of state pension age have had to leave the workplace for medical reasons.
TUC news release and report, Postponing the pension: are we all working longer? TUC Touchstone blog. Morning Star. BBC News Online. Risks 767. 10 September 2016
Britain: UCATT vindicated on the dangers of later retirement
Repeated warning from UCATT that workers in construction trades would not be fit to do physically demanding work to a delayed retirement age have been proved correct, the union says. The union said the report confirmed ‘desk bound politicians’ are ‘spectacularly’ out of touch, ‘ignoring the fact that a lifetime of construction work cannot be sustained into old age.’
UCATT news release. Risks 767. 10 September 2016
Britain: RMT protest calls for safer Scottish trains
Members of the rail union RMT demonstrated outside the Scottish parliament on 8 September as part of the union’s ongoing ‘Safer Scottish Trains’ campaign. The union wants a government investigation into trains operating without guards, a cost-cutting practice it has evidence is unsafe.
RMT news release. RMT is asking MSPs to sign Parliamentary Motion S5M-01161 in support of the Safer Scottish Trains campaign. Risks 767. 10 September 2016
Britain: Asbestos caused fitter’s lung cancer
A Hampshire man has received £110,000 in compensation after developing lung cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. While studies suggest as many people develop lung cancer caused by asbestos as develop mesothelioma caused by the fibre, compensation settlements for lung cancer are relatively rare as it is common in the general population and less likely to be attributed to work factors.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Portsmouth News. Risks 767. 10 September 2016
Britain: Preventable slip cost plasterer his job
A plasterer who strained his back when he slipped in his work truck and had to retire as a result has received a £50,000 payout in a union-backed claim. Unite member Kenneth Berkeley, 67, who was employed as a plasterer by Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (TMO), was collecting tools from the open back of a tipper truck – supplied to him by his employer - when he slipped on its wet surface and fell, straining his back.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 767. 10 September 2016
Britain: Whistleblower slams Sellafield on nuclear safety
Parts of the Sellafield nuclear complex regularly have too few staff to operate safely and radioactive materials have been stored in degrading plastic bottles, a whistleblower has claimed. Speaking to the BBC’s Panorama documentary programme, he said parts of the facility are dangerously rundown.
BBC News Online and Panorama - Sellafield's nuclear safety failings. Risks 767. 10 September 2016
Britain: Safety body wants anti-slavery action to spread
A newly published ‘enhanced’ registry identifying what over 500 UK companies are doing to prevent slavery and human trafficking should encourage other firms to follow suit, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has said. The safety professionals’ organisation was commenting after the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre published its new registry of 540 organisations that have produced anti-slavery disclosure statements for the 2015/16 financial year, a measure required for larger firms under the UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015.
Business and Human Rights Resource Centre enhanced registry. IOSH news release. Risks 767. 10 September 2016
Britain: Chemical regulation drives safety improvements
Regulations are ‘critical drivers’ encouraging industry to substitute hazardous chemicals, a new study has found. Joel Tickner and Molly Jacobs from the Lowell Centre for Sustainable Production at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, concluded the biggest hindrances are too few staff and resources focused on substitution, ignorance on safer alternatives and limited information in the supply chains.
ECHA news release and report, Improving the identification, evaluation, adoption and development of safer alternatives: Needs and opportunities to enhance substitution efforts within the context of REACH, September 2016. University of Massachusetts, Lowell Centre for Sustainable Production and Toxics Use Reduction Institute. Risks 767. 10 September 2016
Britain: Company director jailed after worker’s death
Company director Kenneth Thelwall has been disqualified and jailed for 12 months following the death of one of his workers. Paul Williamson, who was 51, died on 29 January 2014 when a remote controlled Mobile Elevated Working Platform (MEWP) he was loading on to a truck fell from the ramps and crushed him.
HSE news release. Chester Chronicle. Risks 767. 10 September 2016
Britain: Worker left in a coma after roof fall
Construction firm Montway Ltd has been fined £144,000 after a Romanian labourer was seriously injured in a fall from a roof. Ioan Vancea fell about five metres from the partly demolished roof and sustained serious injuries including a fractured spine, and was in an induced coma for two weeks and remained in hospital for three months.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 767. 10 September 2016
Europe: Health and Safety Week, 24-30 October
European Health and Safety Week takes place in October each year and is designed to raise awareness of health and safety at work. This year the week will take place in the fourth week of October, running from Monday 24 October to Sunday 30 October.
EU-OSHA safety week website. TUC guide on health and safety and older workers. Inspection guides from the TUC and HSE.
The TUC is urging safety reps, union branches and campaigns to make submissions for the Euro-week related EU-OSHA ‘all ages’ themed Good Practice Awards ahead of a 7 October 2016 deadline. More information: HSE 2016 campaign website, including details of how to enter. EU-OSHA Good Practice Awards webpages provide more information on what the judges will be looking for. Risks 767. 10 September 2016
Australia: Victimised injured Rio Tinto secures massive award
The Australian federal court has ordered mining giant Rio Tinto to pay almost Aus$1.3m (£0.74m) in damages, compensation and interest payments to a coalminer fired after claiming compensation for a workplace injury. Michael Haylett’s victimisation settlement came in a court case backed by mining and construction union CFMEU, described by the union’s Stephen Smyth as a ‘David and Goliath’ battle against a mining giant.
CFMEU news release. Risks 767. 10 September 2016
Europe: EC favours industry lobby over public health
Regulators in Europe are continuing to put the interests of the chemical industry above the health of workers and the wider public, food and farming global union IUF has said. “These measures confirm the EU's ongoing retreat from the precautionary principle, sustainable agricultural practices (under which pesticide applications are a last resort) and a hazards-based approach to protecting worker and consumer health and the environment,” it said.
IUF news release. PAN Europe statement. Risks 767. 10 September 2016
Korea: Samsung lung cancer deaths were ‘occupational’
The lung cancer deaths of two former Samsung Electronics semiconductor factory workers have been accepted as work-related by the Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service (KCOMWEL). The campaign for Samsung victims, SHARPS, said the KCOMWEL ruling meant the Korean authorities now recognise officially eight conditions as occupationally related to semiconductor work: Leukaemia; lymphoma; aplastic anaemia; breast cancer; chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy; brain cancer; ovarian cancer; and lung cancer.
Stop Samsung blog. The Hankyoreh. Equal Times. Risks 767. 10 September 2016
Hazards news, 3 September 2016
Britain: Football fans cry foul over Qatar abuses
West Ham’s first Premier League match at their newly acquired London Olympic Stadium was used by a trade union and football supporter-backed campaign to highlight the ongoing horror of Qatar’s World Cup 2022 preparation. The 21 August day of action marked the start of many by Playfair Qatar, the TUC’s campaign with the Football Supporters’ Federation to raise awareness of the exploitation and abuse faced by workers in the Gulf state.
Morning Star. Playfair Qatar and related TUC webpages. UCATT news release. Risks 766. 3 September 2016.
Britain: Firing range death came after union ‘death trap’ warning
A soldier has been shot dead during a night-time live firing exercise at a military training area earlier branded a ‘death trap’ by the union Unite. In April, the union said that the Otterburn Army Training Estate, which covers about 93 square miles of the Southern Cheviot hills, had become unsafe as range wardens had been withdrawn.
The Herald. BBC News Online. Firing ranges are ‘death traps’ as wardens withdrawn, warns Unite, Unite news release, 19 April 2016. Risks 766. 3 September 2016.
Britain: Union challenges ministers over workload action
Government changes to the system of pupil assessment in England will drive up teachers' workload still further, making a ‘mockery’ of ministers’ claims to be taking action to address teacher well-being, NASUWT has said. Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT, said: “This is yet another example of the gulf between the Westminster government’s rhetoric which claims to be committed to tackling teacher workload, and the reality of its policies which are having the opposite impact by piling ever greater workload pressures onto an already exhausted and overburdened teaching workforce.”
NASUWT news release. Risks 766. 3 September 2016.
Britain: Fire brigade’s shift proposal ‘unsafe and unlawful’
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has again slammed fire chiefs in Cambridgeshire for attempting to introduce a ‘Victorian shift system’ that would see firefighters working 96-hour shifts. The system, known as day crew plus, would mean the hours a firefighter works in one week would double and their hourly salary would be one of the lowest in any fire service in the country.
FBU news release and video update. Risks 766. 3 September 2016.
Britain: MPs call for more protection for pregnant women
A committee of MPs has called for UK women to have far greater legal protection at work after a 'shocking' increase in workplace pregnancy discrimination over the past decade. Measures proposed by the Women and Equalities Committee include a system of individual risk assessments to be introduced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) by the end of the year and a straightforward mechanism to ‘compel’ employers to remedy any work-related health risks to the pregnant woman, the pregnancy or the baby.
House of Commons Women and Equalities Committee news release and report. TUC news release. BBC News Online. Risks 766. 3 September 2016.
Britain: Workers are victims of robbery on the high seas
An offshore supply ship’s crew, abandoned on-board ship in a Great Yarmouth dock since December, has gone without pay for several months. The trade union Nautilus, which stepped in to assist the crew, noted: “The exploitation of these crews directly undermines our own shipping industry with unfair competition.”
The Guardian. Risks 766. 3 September 2016.
Britain: Back shattered by falling granite slab
An Aberdeen memorial firm has been fined after a worker’s spine was crushed by a falling slab of granite. A&J Robertson employee, Kenneth Rennie, was left with a shattered vertebra after a large piece of rock became detached from a six tonne boulder and struck him and pinned him to the ground.
Press and Journal. Risks 766. 3 September 2016.
Britain: Pub chain fined after worker suffers burns
A national pub chain has been fined £95,000 after a staff member suffered burns while working in South Wales. Enterprise Inns plc was taken to court after the worker at the Angel Inn in Caerphilly was injured when a ‘flash over’ occurred from a gas fired cooking range on 16 July 2015.
Caerphilly County Borough Council news release. Wales Online. BBC News Online. Risks 766. 3 September 2016.
Britain: Roofing firms and director prosecuted after fall death
Two roofing companies have been fined and a director given community service after a worker fell to his death through a skylight. Cardiff Crown Court heard how 46-year-old Lance Davies, a father of seven, died after falling over seven metres through a roof light at industrial premises in Crumlin, South Wales.
HSE news release. Wales Online. Risks 766. 3 September 2016.
Canada: Union hails ‘life-saving’ armoured car ruling
Canada’s federal ministry of labour has ordered security firm Brink’s Canada Limited to change its practice requiring the driver and guard to both exit armoured vehicles at drop-offs and pick-ups, saying it puts workers in danger. The decision comes after an investigation into a continued refusal to work by an employee in Edmonton, Alberta.
Unifor news release and safe cargo campaign. Global News. Canadian Occupational Health and Safety magazine. Risks 766. 3 September 2016.
Russia: Unions and Fifa sign Russia 2018 deal
The organisers of the 2018 football World Cup have signed an agreement with unions to ensure workers preparing facilities for the event in Russia have decent and safe working conditions. Signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) are football’s global governing body Fifa, the Local Organising Committee (LOC), the Russian Construction Workers Union (RBWU) and global construction union federation BWI.
BWI news release. Fifa news release. Risks 766. 3 September 2016.
Russia: Warehouse fire kills at least 17 migrant workers
A fire at a printing warehouse in northern Moscow that killed at least 17 migrant workers on Saturday 27 August was triggered by a faulty electrical lamp, officials have said. The fire started around 7:00am in the warehouse’s first-floor loading zone and quickly climbed an elevator shaft to the fourth floor, where around 30 workers were finishing their night shift.
New York Times. Risks 766. 3 September 2016.
USA: Fair pay, safe workplaces law welcomed
After a US Senate report found in 2014 that many federal contractors had been repeatedly cited for cheating, harassing and injuring their employees, President Obama ordered federal agencies to check how well companies have complied with labour laws before awarding contracts.
US Labor Department news release and Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order. NELP news release. New York Times. Risks 766. 3 September 2016.
Hazards news, 27 August 2016
Britain: Sharp rise in fire deaths as firefighter job cuts worsen
The number of people who have died in fires in England has jumped by 15 per cent over the past year to 303, with firefighters’ union FBU calling the figures ‘a damning indictment’ of government policy. Dave Green, national officer for the FBU and a former firefighter, said: “They have slashed budgets without regard for public safety,” adding: “The long term trend of falling fire deaths is now going into reverse, with two consecutive rises in one year – the figures are released six monthly.”
FBU news release. Home Office statistics, April 2015-March 2016. BBC News Online. Risks 765. 27 August 2016.
Britain: Hotel union challenges backbreaking work
Nine out of every ten hotel housekeeping workers in London suffers from back pain caused by their job, a union survey has found. Over threequarters of the chefs surveyed by Unite reported having witnessed an injury or a near miss caused by fatigue, with the union saying its report, ‘Unethical London’, exposes the low pay and exploitative work practices that have been allowed to flourish unchecked in the multi-billion hotel industry, which employs 100,000 people in London.
Unite news release and Unethical London report. Risks 765. 27 August 2016.
Britain: Stressed-out journalists issue strike warning
Journalists on Newsquest titles in London are balloting for industrial action over inadequate staffing levels, excessive workloads, health and safety concerns, reduced quality of newspapers and poor pay. A union stress survey earlier this year covering staff in south London showed many were suffering from high workloads, job insecurity and struggling with a new production system and poor communication from the company’s senior management.
NUJ news release. Morning Star. Risks 765. 27 August 2016.
Britain: Union concern at rise in dog attack deaths
The death of a young boy in an attack by an out-of-control dog highlights the need for stronger enforcement action, the union CWU has said. According to statistics collated by CWU, Dexter Neal’s death was the UK's 34th dog attack fatality “with all but three of them occurring since 2005 which indicates the steep rise over the last decade.”
CWU news release. BBC News Online. ITV News. Risks 765. 27 August 2016.
Britain: Unions stress safety priority for the Night Tube
As the first phase of the night train roll out commenced on the London Tube system last weekend, rail unions stressed that safety must be a top priority. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “RMT will be maintaining a policy of ‘extreme vigilance’ with our reps monitoring issues like safety, security and the impact on staff of running services round the clock,” and ASLEF said it “will be watching closely to ensure that staffing and policing levels are adequate to ensure a safe environment for the traveling public and all those working hard to deliver the service.”
RMT news release. ASLEF news release. Risks 765. 27 August 2016.
Britain: MP attacks government asbestos inaction
A Labour MP has accused the government of failing to protect children and teachers from “an asbestos timebomb” in our schools. Leeds West MP Rachel Reeves said as the new chair of the Asbestos in Schools (AiS) group she would “be pressing the new education secretary, Justine Greening, to do more to deal with the threat that a report from the all-party parliamentary group on occupational health and safety described as the ‘timebomb in our schools’.”
Labourlist. Teaching Times. Risks 765. 27 August 2016.
USA: Work is a pain in the neck – official
Work factors are a major pain in the neck, a study has found, but has highlighted the prevention measures that could put the problem behind us. Working with academics, investigators at the US government’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) confirmed the link between neck pain and specific psychosocial and organisational risks in the workplace.
NIOSH Research Rounds, volume 2, issue 2, August 2016.
Haiou Yang and others. Workplace psychosocial and organizational factors for neck pain in workers in the United States, American Journal of Industrial Medicine, volume 59, issue 7, pages 549-560, July 2016.
NIOSH resources: Persistent pain in the neck! What resources help you prevent MSDs in the workplace? Risks 765. 27 August 2016.
Britain: Samaritans warning on site worker suicides
Suicide is the overlooked construction worker killer, the Samaritans has warned. The mental health group told a seminar hosted by three building engineering bodies that more attention needs to be paid to depression and stress in the industry.
BESA news release. More on work-related suicides. Risks 765. 27 August 2016.
Britain: Balfour sets aside £25m for higher safety fines
Balfour Beatty has set aside up to £25 million to cover potential health and safety fines under new sentencing guidelines. The firm’s latest half yearly results said it had allocated “a £25 million charge relating to revised legal guidelines and settlements,” adding: “This largely relates to a reassessment of potential liabilities on historical health and safety breaches following new sentencing guidelines introduced earlier this year.”
Construction Enquirer. Risks 765. 27 August 2016.
Britain: Bulgarian contractor handed £0.5m safety crime fine
A Bulgarian construction firm has been handed a £500,000 fine after a member of the public reported unsafe working practices during the construction of an adventure course in Markeaton Park, Derby. Derby Magistrates’ Court heard how the whistleblower noticed work at height being carried out from a pallet on the forks of a telehandler at the site in Markeaton Park, where a high ropes adventure course was being constructed by Bulgarian firm Walltopia.
HSE news release and work at height webpages. Construction Enquirer. Risks 765. 27 August 2016.
Britain: Distillery blaze left 21-year-old worker engulfed in flames
A distillery in the West Midlands has been fined after a young employee with only six months’ experience on the job was engulfed in flames in a fire that destroyed a warehouse and its contents. Wolverhampton Crown Court heard how highly flammable ethyl acetate was being transferred from a bulk storage tank into an intermediate bulk container when the 21-year-old Alcohol Limited employee was engulfed in flames.
HSE news release. Express and Star. Risks 765. 27 August 2016.
Britain: Blacklisting, bullying and blowing the whistle, 16-17 September, London
The University of Greenwich, London is to host a 16-17 September conference on ‘Blacklisting, bullying and blowing the whistle’. The event has been organised by the university’s Work & Employment Research Unit (WERU) in conjunction with the Blacklist Support Group. Speakers include top academics, campaigners, employment and human rights lawyers, union officers and activists and shadow chancellor John McDonnell.
Further information on Blacklisting, bullying and blowing the whistle, Friday/Saturday 16-17 September 2016, University of Greenwich, London. Conference programme. Risks 765. 27 August 2016.
Britain: IER safety conferences in London and Liverpool, October
The Institute of Employment Rights is organising ‘health and safety update’ conferences, in Liverpool on 4 October and London on 18 October. IER notes “those attending will hear contributions covering such issues as the nature of HSE’s new strategy for workplace health and safety, how post-2010 governments have acted to reduce workplace inspections, worker experiences of pursuing claims for compensation, recent legislative changes, how other European countries approach the issue of health and safety inspection as well as workplace inspection, and developments in the construction industry relating to worker engagement and mental health.”
IER health and safety update conferences. Liverpool: 9.30am-3.30pm, Tuesday 4 October 2016, Jack Jones House, Unite NW Office, Liverpool. London: 9.30am-3.30pm, Tuesday 18 October 2016, Unite head office, London. Risks 765. 27 August 2016.
Canada: Good safety management is good management
There is no trade-off between excelling in safety or production management – in fact they are ‘complementary’, a Canadian study has found. Researchers Emile Tompa and Lynda Robson from the Toronto-based Institute for Work and Health (IWH) found organisations that focus on both operations and occupational health and safety (OHS) through ‘joint management system’ (JMS) practices achieving the same operational outcomes - better cost, quality, delivery and flexibility outcomes - as organisations that emphasise operations over safety.
IWH news release. At Work, Issue 85, IWH, Summer 2016. Risks 765. 27 August 2016.
USA: Firefighters run high traumatic stress and cancer risks
US firefighters are more at risk for cancer and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) than the general population, according to union research. The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) report points to research by the Warrior Research Institute in Austin, Texas, that president Harold Schaitberger said in a statement. “New advanced protocols are needed to help prevent PTSD and cancer from taking hold, and more elected officials need to step up and support laws that help firefighters afflicted with these hidden hazards.”
IAFF news release and cancer awareness and prevention resource. Omaha World-Herald. Risks 765. 27 August 2016.
USA: Enforcement crackdown on poultry plants
America’s notoriously hazardous poultry firms have been given food for thought after two high profile penalties on top brands and the launch of a new official health and safety enforcement campaign. Workplace safety advocates were quick to praise the decision by safety regulator OSHA to crack down on the poultry industry, but warned it was only workers in unionised firms that felt confident to raise their safety concerns with inspectors.
OSHA news release. IWJ news release. NELP statement. Payday Report. Risks 765. 27 August 2016.
Hazards news, 20 August 2016
Britain: It’s all about the dress – and whether it’s safe
The TUC is investigating gender-related problems associated with workplace dress codes and personal protective equipment (PPE). The TUC probe comes after reports of blatant sexism related to work clothing, including stipulations to wear high heels or lose your pay and the provision of ill-fitting, unsuitable PPE for women workers.
Women, dress codes and personal protective equipment – email case studies to the TUC health and safety department by 9 September. Risks 764. 20 August 2016
Britain: Sexual harassment is widespread and damaging at work
More than half (52 per cent) of women - and nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) of women aged 18-24 years old - report experiencing sexual harassment at work, according to a TUC-backed research. TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Let’s be clear – sexual harassment is undermining, humiliating and can have a huge effect on mental health.”
TUC news release, guide to your rights on sexual harassment, union reps’ guide to addressing sexual harassment and report, Still just a bit of banter?
Everyday Sexism Project and ‘shouting back’ platform. Risks 764. 20 August 2016
Britain: Firms should be prepared for a heatwave, says TUC
Staff working outdoors must be properly protected from the sun and the heat, the TUC has told employers. ‘Cool it’, published by the union body, says that staff working outside in high temperatures are at risk of sunstroke, sunburn and even skin cancer, adding working in hot weather can also lead to dehydration, tiredness, muscle cramps, rashes, fainting, and – in the most severe cases – loss of consciousness.
TUC news release, report on temperature and outdoor work and summer heat guidance. Risks 764. 20 August 2016
Britain: Workers face double jeopardy at Sports Direct
Skinflint retail giant Sports Direct has nearly twice the injury rate of the sector overall, according to a letter from a shareholders’ group. The 15 August letter came the same day the union Unite announced it had secured an estimated £1 million back pay from the firm for non-payment of the minimum wage.
Trade Union Share Owners letter, 15 August 2016. Sports Direct 2016 Annual Report. Unite news release. TUC news release. TUC Stronger Unions blog. Morning Star. Sky News. Risks 764. 20 August 2016
Britain: Site giant’s new safety strategy is fatally flawed says union
Construction union UCATT has warned that Laing O’Rourke’s new safety policy could ‘wreck’ the UK’s construction safety regime. The union says the construction giant’s newly imposed ‘Safety differently’ policy, imported from its Australian operations, focuses entirely on preventing fatalities, while neglecting actions that may cause minor injuries.
UCATT news release. Construction Enquirer. Laing O’Rourke health and safety strategy. Safety Differently. Risks 764. 20 August 2016
Britain: Dog attack tragedy shows need for more enforcement
The death of a Huddersfield man in an attack by a dangerous dog shows that more official resources need to be marshalled to combat the problem, CWU has said. The communication workers’ union, which represents postal and telecom workers whose work regularly takes them to people’s homes, made the call after Huddersfield resident David Ellam, 52, died from injuries sustained while trying to protect his own Yorkshire Terrier from an out-of-control larger dog.
CWU news release and Bite Back campaign. BBC News Online. Risks 764. 20 August 2016
Britain: Luton hospital staff rally against sick leave attack
Staff at Luton and Dunstable Hospital Trust rallied outside their workplace last week against proposed changes to their sick leave policy. The union members say that while the trust has one of the best sick leave records in the region, employers want to cut the number of times workers can be off sick before they are brought into a sickness capability meeting.
UNISON news release. Luton on Sunday. Risks 764. 20 August 2016
Britain: Oil rig rescue highlights need to reinstate rescue vessels
The grounding of a 17,000-tonne oil drilling rig carrying 280 tonnes of diesel highlights the need to reinstate axed Emergency Towing Vessels (ETV), the union Nautilus has said. The union was speaking after the Orkney-based Herakles – Britain’s only remaining ETV, operated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) - was deployed to assist the Transocean Winner rig which ran aground on the Western Isles of Scotland on 10 August after breaking from its tug in heavy seas
Nautilus news release. BBC News Online. The Herald. The Guardian. Risks 764. 20 August 2016
Britain: HSE will investigate possible UK asbestos imports
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is to launch a formal investigation into the possibility of illegal asbestos imports to the UK. The move came after UK unions and asbestos victims’ and campaign groups told the regulator illegal imports into Australia by Yuanda Australia PTY Ltd were only exposed as a result of union vigilance, and queried whether Yuanda UK could have obtained asbestos-containing materials for use in the major UK construction projects with which it is involved.
IBAS news report. Risks 764. 20 August 2016
Britain: Be mindful it’s not the answer to bad jobs
Practicing mindfulness meditation on a regular basis will not make you any more likely to eat healthily, exercise or quit smoking, new research has indicated. Researchers from the universities of Edinburgh and Gothenburg found that despite being seen as one of the ultimate ways to relax and being promoted as a work-stress busting solution, regular mindfulness courses do not help humans unwind any more than sitting in front of the TV.
Yonas Alem and others. Mind, behaviour and health: A randomised experiment, Social Science Research Network, IZA Discussion Paper No. 10019, July 2016. HSE stress management standards. Mindfulness at work. Daily Mail. Risks 764. 20 August 2016
Britain: Shiftworkers are at higher risk of infections
People are more susceptible to infection at certain times of the day as our body clock affects the ability of viruses to replicate and spread between cells, suggests new research from the University of Cambridge. The findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), may help explain why shiftworkers, whose body clocks are routinely disrupted, are more prone to health problems, including infections and chronic diseases like diabetes.
Cambridge University news release. Rachel S Edgar and others. Cell autonomous regulation of herpes and influenza virus infection by the circadian clock, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, e-pub 15 August 2016. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1601895113. BBC News Online. The Guardian. Risks 764. 20 August 2016
Britain: Safety criminal adds job blackmail to its bad behaviour
The TUC has condemned a pipe manufacturer prosecuted for damaging the health of its workers for linking staff redundancies to the resulting safety penalties and personal injury compensation costs. Commenting on the action by Newport-based Asset International Ltd, TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson said: “This is a cynical and unfortunately familiar ruse,” adding: “Employers should not add job blackmail to their safety crimes – management created the health and safety risks, and management should carry the can.”
South Wales Argus. Risks 764. 20 August 2016
Britain: Skip firm boss convicted of manslaughter
The owner of a West Midlands waste firm has been found guilty of manslaughter and given a suspended jail term four years after an employee died in an eight-foot fall from a skip. Jagpal Singh, 24, suffered head injuries in the incident at Bilston Skips in in Willenhall on 28 June 2012.
CPS news release. Birmingham Mail. Express and Star. ITV News. Risks 764. 20 August 2016
Britain: Small fines after security guard is killed by site hut fumes
Two security companies have been handed small fines after a security guard died from carbon monoxide poisoning on a construction site. Javaid Iqbal, a 29-year-old father of three, was employed by London-based KK Security Services Ltd on a site in Leigh, Wigan; KK Security was subcontracted by Veritas Security (Southern) Ltd, a Southampton-based company, despite it being written into the contract from the client that no subcontracting would take place.
HSE news release and lone workers toolbox. Construction Enquirer. Risks 764. 20 August 2016
Britain: Herbal medicine firm fined after cleaning chemicals death
A herbal medicine company has been fined £45,000 after a cleaner died from inhaling toxic fumes while working at a Rutland factory. Karl Brader was employed by Herbs in a Bottle Limited in Essendine, is believed to have been killed by chlorine gas, produced when common cleaning chemicals are mixed with bleach.
HSE news release and COSHH toolbox. Lincolnshire Echo. Leicester Mercury. Risks 764. 20 August 2016
Britain: Get the credit you deserve for your ‘union effect’
Doing preventive work on health and safety at work so good it should get an award? The UK-wing of the European Campaign on Healthy Workplaces for all Ages is seeking entries for its Good Practice Awards (GPA) on this year’s ‘ageing workforce’ theme.
The TUC is urging safety reps, union branches and campaigns to get their submissions in ahead of the 7 October 2016 deadline. HSE 2016 campaign website, including links on to how to get involved in the campaign or how to enter the Good Practice Awards. EU-OSHA Good Practice Awards webpages provide more information on what the judges will be looking for. Risks 764. 20 August 2016
China: Power plant explosion leaves over 20 dead
At least 21 workers have died and a number have been critically injured after a broken steam pipe caused a huge explosion at a power plant in central China's Hubei province. The blast on 11 August occurred at Madian Gangue Power Generation Co Ltd in Dangyang City as workers were testing thermo-power facilities.
Shanghai Daily. Asian Times. Risks 764. 20 August 2016
Sri Lanka: Garment workers pay high price for cheap clothes
Garment workers toiling behind the electrified fences of Sri Lanka’s free trade zones are paying a high price for making the cheap clothes sold on the UK high street. UK-based charity War on Want investigated conditions in the factories, said “despite the rhetoric from local and foreign clothing brands on their commitment to workers’ rights, the stark reality for women like Disna remains long hours, poverty pay and scant regard for safety.”
War on Want news release and Love Fashion Hate Sweatshops campaign. Risks 764. 20 August 2016
USA: Whopping lies by coal industry on the cost of new rules
The US coal industry’s ‘wild exaggerations’ about the anticipated costs of a proposed tighter coal dust exposure standard have been exposed, five years after the law took effect. George Washington University academic Celeste Monforton described the industry estimates as ‘a doozy’ in a world of industry costs hiking replete with doozies.
The Pump Handle. Risks 764. 20 August 2016
Hazards news, 13 August 2016
Britain: Racist abuse is a trade union issue
The TUC has called upon employers to combat the rising tide of racist abuse that has been reported following the EU referendum. According to a new TUC report, the UK has seen a major spike in reports of racist and xenophobic incidents since the referendum, with the National Police Chiefs’ Council reporting a 57 per cent increase in hate crime in the days following the referendum.
TUC guide. TUC Blog. TUC action plan. Risks 763. 13 August 2016
Britain: Guard proposals threaten safety
The TUC has supported a strike on Southern Trains which aims to protect the safety of passengers and staff. The five day stoppage, by RMT rail members, is against Southern Rail’s plan to increase the number of trains without a safety-trained guard on board.
TUC press release. Risks 763. 13 August 2016
Britain: Rail safety campaign launched
Rail union RMT has launched the new phase of a Scottish rail safety campaign. The union is seeking to make the public and political case against any extension of Driver Only Operation in Scotland, making the positive case for "Safer Scottish Trains". RMT news release. TUC blog. Risks 763. 13 August 2016
Britain: Records changes threatens compensation
The TUC has expressed concern over proposed changes to the way that company records will be kept on the grounds that it could have a negative effect on compensation claims. Proposals are being considered to reduce the amount of time the records of dissolved companies are retained, from 20 years to just six – but these records are often used to trace companies which have gone out of business, where former employees develop an occupational disease many years after they were exposed.
The Guardian. TUC blog. Risks 763. 13 August 2016
Britain: MP backs TUC on workplace heat
A senior opposition MP has called on the government to do more to prevent workers having to work in excessive heat. Rosie Winterton, MP for Doncaster Central and shadow Chief Whip, wrote in her local paper that “I think it is time for this government to look at reviewing all the evidence to see whether more should be done.”
Doncaster Free Press. TUC briefing on temperature. TUC news release. Risks 763. 13 August 2016
Britain: Serial site offender fined
A South Wales construction company has been fined £100,000 for running an unsafe timber-frame construction site. J G Hale Construction Ltd of Neath had already been served seven prohibition or improvement notices for fire safety issues dating back to 2012.
HSE press release. BSC report. HSE enforcement database. Risks 763. 13 August 2016
Britain: Two fines in one week for Network Rail
Rail infrastructure operator Network Rail has been hit with two fines in a week after workers were injured due to failures in electrical safety. On 4 August, they pleaded guilty at Blackfriars Crown Court to the offence of not complying with an electrical cabinet safety order, and a few days earlier the company had been fined £130,000 after a worker was electrocuted while working on track in North Ayrshire.
ORR press release. BBC News Online. Risks 763. 13 August 2016
Britain: Crane hire company loses its licence
Baldwins Crane Hire, a major supplier of mobile cranes to the construction industry, is to lose its licence to operate heavy goods vehicles due to safety and maintenance concerns, including the falsification of driver records. An investigation into the company found drivers faking rest breaks in order to ensure cranes would be on site ready to work on time.
Construction Enquirer. BBC News Online. Risks 763. 13 August 2016
Britain: Company puts family and workers at risk
A home improvement company has been fined after removing asbestos material from a domestic property unsafely and without a licence. St Albans Magistrates’ Court heard how Ace of Hearts Home Improvement Limited (AOH) removed asbestos containing materials (ACM) from a domestic property in St Albans.
HSE press release. TUC asbestos eradication guide. Risks 763. 13 August 2016
Britain: Door collapse almost kills worker
A Worcestershire-based manufacturer has been fined after a worker nearly lost his life when a door collapsed and pinned him to a baler. Essential Supply Products Limited of Enigma Business Park in Malvern pleaded guilty at Hereford Magistrates’ Court to breaching Section 2(1) Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 and was fined £20,000 and ordered to pay £2,714.10 in costs.
SHP. Risks 763. 13 August 2016
Brazil: Olympics safety record under spotlight
Although there has been much media attention to the possible dangers to athletes posed by Zika and the high levels of pollution in some of the swimming arenas, less has been said about the appalling legacy that had led to the deaths and injuries of workers during construction of the various Rio Olympic facilities or Games-related projects between January 2013 and March 2016.
The Guardian. Risks 763. 13 August 2016
India: New compensation system agreed
The Indian lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha, has passed a bill that it claims will lead to higher compensation in cases of industrial injuries as well as providing for hefty penalties where there is any violation by the employers. The Employees Compensation (Amendment) Act 2016 was passed without opposition after the government said it was committed to ensure protection of jobs, wages, social security and fair wages to workers.
New Indian Express. Risks 763. 13 August 2016
Indonesia: Union centre calls for greater enforcement
The Indonesian Trade Union Rights Center (TURC), an NGO which supports workers’ rights, has called for greater enforcement of the law following a fire at the construction site of the 27-story Swiss-Belhotel in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta,, which killed two workers and injured 12 other people.
Jakarta Post. Risks 763. 13 August 2016
Pakistan: Action needed over high power industry death toll
Demonstrations have been held in Pakistan to demand action over the high level of workplace deaths amongst electricity supply workers in the country. The All Pakistan Wapda Hydro Electric Workers Union (CBA) led a march through Lahore to demand the provision of safety equipment in the workplace.
Labourwatch. Risks 763. 13 August 2016
Hazards news, 6 August 2016
Britain: Finding way to defend safety after Brexit
The possibility of the UK soon turning its back on the proven protection provided by EU health and safety regulations could mean workers will need an alternative set of rules to protect them, the TUC has indicated. The union body says the expected flurry of new trade agreements needs to go beyond previous deals, which included the ‘core’ International Labour Organisation (ILO) standards on freedom of association, freedom from forced labour, child labour, and freedom from discrimination, but did not include safety protections.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Risks 762. 6 August 2016
Britain: Long-term sick docked sick pay in bus pay dispute
Weymouth bus drivers suffering from cancer and serious heart conditions have been told they will have their sick pay docked on strike days as long as a dispute over ‘poverty pay’ continues. Unite, which represents the more than 110 drivers based at Weymouth and Bridport and employed by First Hampshire & Dorset Ltd, said the decision was illegal and counter to ‘humanity and common decency’.
Unite news release. Risks 762. 6 August 2016
Britain: BBC audio exposes rail firm’s dangerous dirty tricks
Rail staff employed by Govia Thameslink are being abused and assaulted by enraged passengers as a result of the company’s ‘lies and abuse’ to cover up their own gross mismanagement of train services, the union RMT has said. As proof, the union points to a ‘shocking’ BBC audio recording of staff “being spat at, punched and threatened with stabbing due to a constant barrage of company lies about the reasons for the constant chaos across the franchise.”
RMT news release. Risks 762. 6 August 2016
Unions demand action on prison safety crisis
Prison unions are calling for urgent action over alarming new figures they say expose the true scale of the safety crisis in prisons in England and Wales. The unions say latest Ministry of Justice figures released show that prison staff are increasingly the victims of the safety and staffing crisis.
‘Safety in Custody’ report. POA news release. Community news release. Risks 762. 6 August 2016
Britain: Leaving machine unguarded was a costly mistake
A Yorkshire factory worker has been awarded £16,000 in damages after an unguarded machine inflicted a deep laceration on the ring finger on his dominant hand. Unite member Kenneth Powell, 60, was operating an Altendorf saw, used to cut blocks of paper, in at the unidentified factory when the incident happened.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 762. 6 August 2016
Britain: Send the new prime minister a safety reminder
Campaigners are reminding Theresa May that the effective regulation and strict enforcement of workplace safety is a life-saving necessity, not a burden on business. The grassroots Hazards Campaign wants the new prime minister deluged with old-style postcards and their e-card equivalents carrying this message.
Hazards Campaign news release on the postcard campaign. Sign up to receive Hazards Campaign updates.
Send an -e-postcard to prime minister Theresa May. Print copies are available from the Hazards Campaign, and can be ordered in bulk by unions. Risks 762. 6 August 2016
Britain: Shadow chancellor stands up for safety
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has backed safety campaigners at the National Hazards Conference. He said: “Working people earn this country’s wealth and run our public services; these are essential tasks for which no-one should pay with their life.” Hazards Campaign news release on John McDonnell’s speech. Risks 762. 6 August 2016
Britain: Safety body calls for anti-slavery 'race to the top'
The UK government has the opportunity to lead a ‘race to the top’ in tackling modern slavery, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has said. The safety body was commenting as the prime minister Theresa May marked the first anniversary of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 with the announcement of a new UK cabinet taskforce to tackle the “sickening and inhuman crimes.”
IOSH news release. PM Theresa May news release and Sunday Telegraph article. Risks 762. 6 August 2016
Britain: Study finds sedentary work is deadly
Desk-bound workers who do low amounts of exercise face a greatly elevated risk of an early death, a new study has found. A team of international experts found sitting for at least eight hours a day could increase the risk of premature death by up to 60 per cent.
Ulf Ekelund and others. Does physical activity attenuate, or even eliminate, the detrimental association of sitting time with mortality? A harmonised meta-analysis of data from more than 1 million men and women, The Lancet, published online 27 July, 2016. The Lancet physical activity series.
The Guardian and accompanying article. Sydney Morning Herald.
Workplace well-being programmes: A guide for safety reps, TUC, December 2015.
Hard to swallow: TUC warns that firms and government have an unhealthy preoccupation with your lifestyle, Hazards, number 133, December 2015. Risks 762. 6 August 2016
Britain: Questions raised over asbestos import risk
A campaign group is investigating whether banned asbestos-containing materials could have been imported illegally into the UK by a Chinese-owned building materials multinational linked to asbestos material imported to Australia. The International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS) said: “It Yuanda Australia imported asbestos-containing building materials, it is not unreasonable to suspect that Yuanda UK Co Ltd could have done likewise.”
IBAS news release. ACTU news release. CFMEU news release. Risks 762. 6 August 2016
Britain: Toxic gas kills medicinal herbs worker
A medicinal herbal manufacturing company has been fined after a worker died from exposure to a toxic gas. Leicester Crown Court heard Karl Brader, 50, was working for Herbs in a Bottle Limited and was using cleaning chemicals to clean a changing room when he was exposed to a toxic gas – thought to be chlorine - and died at the scene.
HSE news release and COSHH webpages. Risks 762. 6 August 2016
Britain: Scottish Hydro fined for electrocution of worker
A power company has admitted health and safety failings after the electrocution of a worker on a power line in the Highlands. Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission plc was fined £133,000 for a criminal safety breach related to the ‘avoidable’ death of Gareth Aitken.
COPFS news release. STV News. Daily Record. Construction Enquirer. Risks 762. 6 August 2016
Britain: Firm missed ten chances to save worker’s life
A Bradford factory that employed a worker who fell more than five metres to his death through a fragile skylight “missed ten opportunities to save his life.” Richard Perry suffered fatal head injuries when he landed on a concrete floor at Whiteghyll Plastics in June 2014.
HSE news release. Telegraph and Argus. BBC News Online. Risks 762. 6 August 2016
Britain: Steel giant fined £1.98m for safety crimes
Tata Steel has been fined almost £2 million after two workers suffered serious injuries at one of its plants. A 26-year-old lost the middle and ring fingers on his left hand while trying to clear a blockage on machinery at the company's site in Corby, Northamptonshire, in September 2014, and a 52-year-old lost part of his little finger when his hand was caught in a lathe at the same plant in February 2015, Northampton Crown Court heard.
HSE news release and work equipment webpages. Boston Standard. Risks 762. 6 August 2016
Britain: Producers of Star Wars plead guilty-ish
A film production company has admitted criminal health and safety breaches over an incident two years ago in which Hollywood star Harrison Ford was crushed by a hydraulic door on the set of the Millennium Falcon spaceship while filming the most recent Star Wars movie. But Foodles Production (UK) Ltd, part of Disney, has said while it admits its guilt, it will contest the extent of the risk.
HSE news release. The Guardian. Risks 762. 6 August 2016
Britain: STUC women’s health and safety toolkit
The STUC says working women’s health and safety at work is a ‘major priority’ for its women’s committee, and is behind its decision to produce a tailored health and safety toolkit. The Scottish union body said its new women’s health and safety toolkit, which includes a series of checklists and detailed information on a wide-range of topics, was produced with the help of its affiliates.
STUC Women’s health and safety toolkit. Risks 762. 6 August 2016
Brazil: Workers pay tribute to Rio Olympics victims
Construction workers in Brazil have paid tribute to colleagues killed in the rush to complete facilities for this month’s Olympics. The ceremony, ‘Lives lost at the worksites of the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro: Tribute to Workers’, was organised by the global site unions’ federation Building and Wood Workers’ International (BWI) and held in Rio on 28 July.
BWI news release. Risks 762. 6 August 2016
China: Benzene cancer victims speak out
Workers employed by Chinese electronics giant Johnson Electric have spoken out after developing blood cancers they say are caused by chemical exposures at work. Three employees or former employees of Huaseng Motor (Guangdong) Limited in Shenzhen, a subsidiary of Johnson Electric, believe they contracted leukaemia due to prolonged exposure to hazardous chemicals including the potent human carcinogen benzene.
HKCTU news report. Risks 762. 6 August 2016
Global: Car giants linked to child mica miners
Some of the world’s biggest car makers including Vauxhall, BMW, Volkswagen and Audi are launching investigations into their paint supply chains after the Guardian linked their suppliers to illegal mines in India, where child labour and debt bondage are widespread. Children as young as 10 work at mines producing mica, a mineral that creates the shimmer in the car paint used on millions of vehicles around the world.
The Guardian. Risks 762. 6 August 2016
Hazards news, 30 July 2016
Britain: Union calls for action on abuse at Sports Direct
Unite’s campaign for urgent action to remedy ‘industrial scale abuse’ at Sport Direct has been given added impetus after a committee of MPs identified a disregard for health and safety law among a catalogue of exploitative practices at the company’s vast Shirebrook warehouse. The 22 July report, published by the influential House of Common’s Business Select Committee, follows months of campaigning by Unite and others to shine a spotlight on the endemic bad practices at the retail warehouse.
Unite news release. House of Commons Business Select Committee report, 22 July 2016. Morning Star. The Guardian. The Independent. Risks 761. 30 July 2016
Britain: Unions seek City support for Sports Direct review
Trade unions are seeking the support of City investors for a resolution to be put to Sports Direct’s annual general meeting calling for a fully independent review of working practices at the embattled retailer. Investors have become increasingly alarmed about how Sports Direct is run, particularly after financial performance suffered.
IoD news release. The Guardian. Risks 761. 30 July 2016
Britain: Sports Direct pays out to injured lorry driver
A Sports Direct HGV driver who suffered a jarring injury to his left shoulder when he was struck by a falling cage at work has received £12,500 in damages. Unite member Stuart Valente needed intermittent spells off work for the rest of the year, during which time he had an operation to repair the tendon and ease the pain in his shoulder.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 761. 30 July 2016
Britain: School reprimanded after union exposes asbestos blunders
A Worcester school has received an official reprimand after the union UNISON raised concerns about dangerous work with asbestos. Two 18-year-old workers were seen knocking asbestos down from the roof of a small outbuilding at Christopher Whitehead Language College during the October half term in 2013.
Worcester News. Updated guide for safety reps on asbestos in schools, JUAC, July 2016. Risks 761. 30 July 2016
Britain: North Sea workers strike overs hours and pay
Almost 400 members of the offshore unions Unite and RMT working for Wood Group across eight Shell oil and gas platforms in the North Sea have taken strike action for the first time in a generation in a dispute over an erosion of their terms and conditions of employment. The first 24-hour stoppage took place on 26 July, with a series of other stoppages planned over the coming weeks.
Unite Scotland news release. IndustriALL news release. TUC news release. Risks 761. 30 July 2016
Britain: Emergency tug reprieved after union campaign
Seafarers’ union Nautilus has welcomed a UK government decision to reprieve the last remaining emergency towing vessel (ETV), based in Orkney. The union described the decision to provide a further five years’ funding for the vessel as ‘a long-overdue victory for common sense’ and urged the government to reconsider the provision of other ETVs around the UK coast.
Nautilus news release. Risks 761. 30 July 2016
Britain: Musicians to check safety performance
Live performance risk assessments take time and bring their own set of stresses, the Musicians’ Union (MU) has said. But it hopes a new, free online tool, the Online Interactive Risk Assessment (OiRA), will take the worry out of risk.
Musicians’ Union news release. OiRA online health and safety risk assessment tool. Risks 761. 30 July 2016
Britain: Brexit schedule is key to work well-being and safety
Two safety bodies are urging the government to publish a schedule for exit negotiations so that employers can develop plans that will assure the safety, health and well-being of their workforce in the short to medium term. The British Safety Council (BSC) and the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM) have written a joint letter to prime minister Theresa May, warning: “Uncertainty over the future work status of EU nationals in the UK is already causing anxiety and stress, which could adversely impact on the mental health of affected individuals.”
BSC news release. Risks 761. 30 July 2016
Britain: Recycling plant dead to be flown home
The bodies of five African workers who died after a wall collapsed on them at a Midlands recycling plant are to be flown to their home countries for their funerals. The men - four were from Gambia and one from Senegal - died at the Hawkeswood Metal recycling plant at Nechells in Birmingham on 7 July.
Birmingham Mail. Morning Star. Risks 761. 30 July 2016
Britain: Protective coatings firm fined for horror death
An Angus firm has been fined £120,000 over the death of a worker killed when he became attached “like velcro” to a spinning pipe in a metal spraying booth. Andy Fraser, 26, died when he became attached to a pipe spinning at between 50 and 80 rpm inside an aluminium spray coating machine at Gemini Corrosion Services Ltd in Montrose.
HSE news release. Arbroath Herald. Risks 761. 30 July 2016
Britain: Essex school fined over disturbed asbestos
An Essex school has been fined after poorly-planned and managed refurbishment and maintenance activities exposed school staff and others to asbestos. Chelmsford Crown Court heard that managers at The Boswells School, Chelmsford, decided to convert an old boiler room at the school into a cleaning store, however during the course of this work asbestos residue on the walls was disturbed and caretakers swept contaminated debris from floors.
HSE news release and asbestos webpages. Essex Chronicle. Risks 761. 30 July 2016
Britain: Plastics firm fined for toxic styrene exposures
A manufacturing company has been fined for criminal health and safety failures that exposed workers to a highly toxic chemical for almost two years after the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) first told it to act. South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court heard how South Shields-based Templetown Canopies Limited used styrene in their production of fibre glass door and window canopies.
HSE news release and plastics webpages. Risks 761. 30 July 2016
Global: Union provides HIV well-being app for seafarers
Seafarers can now access up-to-date information and guidance about HIV/AIDS on their mobile devices, thanks to a new well-being app launched by the global transport workers’ union federation ITF. ITF says it plan to add other well-being topics to the app.
ITF news release and free ITF wellbeing app. Risks 761. 30 July 2016
Australia: Firm liquidated to escape work death fine
The operators of an Australian recycling company have sought to escape penalties for the death of an employee by shutting down the business and resurrecting it under another name. Australian Box Recycling [AB Recycling] - listed as a cardboard recycler for major high street retailers - was found guilty of grave safety violations that led to the 2014 death of worker Steve Bower, after a slew of deadly defects in the construction and configuration of a four-metre-high box-stacking lift caused it to come crashing down under a 240kg load, crushing Mr Bower to death at a Melbourne warehouse.
WorkSafe news release. Sydney Morning Herald. Risks 761. 30 July 2016
USA: New York nail salon workers win protection
All nail salons in New York State will be required to have ventilation systems to protect manicurists and others from the potentially dangerous health effects of chemicals used in nail products, the state’s governor has announced. The new rule is among the most sweeping changes in the state’s initiative, more than a year long, to make the industry safer and more equitable for workers, many of whom say they suffer ill-health effects as a result of their jobs.
Governor Andrew M Cuomo news release. NY Healthy Nail Salons Coalition news release. New York Times. Risks 761. 30 July 2016
USA: Illnesses blamed on toxic coal ash exposures
Dozens of lawsuits are pending in the US as a result of a December 2008 dam collapse in Tennessee which saw workers exposed to clouds of toxic coal ash. An army of clean-up workers were drafted in after a dyke failure unleashed a billion gallons of ash from a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) power plant 36 miles south-west of Knoxville.
Center for Public Integrity investigative report. Risks 761. 30 July 2016
Hazards news, 23 July 2016
Britain: Don’t leave sweltering workers hot under the collar
The TUC is calling on employers to temporarily relax workplace dress codes so staff can work through the heatwave as comfortably as possible. TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Working in sweltering conditions can be unbearable and dangerous.”
TUC news release and temperature at work guide. Usdaw news release.
Get your MP to sign the Early Day Motion calling for a maximum workplace temperature. Risks 760. 23 July 2016
Britain: Safety reps can help inform HSE’s science strategy
The Health and Safety Executive is reviewing its workplace health science strategy and is seeking input from union safety reps. The safety regulator says the review aims to improve how it anticipates new challenges through ‘foresight research’ and identifies risks and measures to address them.
Union safety reps interested in participating, should contact Beverley Bishop at HSE before the end of July. Risks 760. 23 July 2016
Britain: MoD scraps ‘despised’ performance management system
The Ministry of Defence has agreed to end the use of a performance management system that civil service union PCS says is ‘despised’ by staff. New permanent secretary Stephen Lovegrove has made an agreement with the Cabinet Office to end performance management reviews in the department, including forced rankings where employees are individually ranked best to worst.
PCS news release. Tell your MP to back the PCS campaign for a fair management system. Risks 760. 23 July 2016
Britain: Union acts on firefighter mental health concerns
Firefighters’ union FBU is taking action to protect the mental health of its members after a report warned that shockingly high numbers had contemplated suicide. Mental health charity Mind reported this year that 30 per cent of firefighters have contemplated taking their own lives.
FBU news release and guide, Mental health in the workplace – an initial guide for reps. Risks 760. 23 July 2016
Britain: Musicians to find out the score on health risks
The Musicians’ Union is backing an initiative to provide performers with advice on work-related health problems. The union says a programme of ‘Musicians’ Insights’ will raise awareness of key health issues for musicians and workshops will give self-help tips and expert guidance.
Musicians’ Union news release. Help Musicians UK. British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM). Risks 760. 23 July 2016
Britain: Unite is closing the net on blacklisters
This year’s multimillion pound compensation payout from the major site firms behind the construction industry blacklisting scandal, wrapped in a public apology, was not the end of the matter, the union Unite has said. Assistant general secretary Gail Cartmail was commenting as new ‘fight back’ guidance, ‘Closing the net: Combatting contemporary blacklisting’, was launched at Unite’s policy conference.
Morning Star. Unite blacklisting webpages. Risks 760. 23 July 2016
Britain: ScotRail to face more union safety action
The rail union RMT is stepping up its dispute with Scotrail over the firm’s plans for driver only operation (DOO) and driver controlled operation (DCO), moves that would mean the loss of the crucial safety back up provided by guards. RMT says it has attempted repeatedly to resolved the issue in talks at ACAS, but accuses the company of trying to ‘pick and choose issues and divide and rule the workforce.’
RMT news release. Risks 760. 23 July 2016
Britain: Official report supports union warnings on rail dangers
Union warnings about the growing threat to life and limb on railway platforms have been confirmed in an official safety report. Rail union RMT said the annual safety report from the Rail Standards and Safety Board (RSSB) exposes ‘the nonsense of government and train company plans to axe guards and station staff.’
RMT news release. RSSB news release and Annual Safety Performance Report 2015/16. Risks 760. 23 July 2016
Britain: Swarf ripped open man’s thumb
A Hinckley factory worker has received more than £21,000 in compensation after lacerating his thumb on a piece of metal. The 27-year-old Unite member was operating a machine used to cut sections of metal when a piece of swarf wrapped around his hand and ripped through the glove, causing a deep cut to his right thumb that damaged his tendons and nerves. and financial strain that the injury put our member through for them to do that.”
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 760. 23 July 2016
Britain: New ministerial team for workplace safety
The reshuffle following the replacement of David Cameron as prime minister by Theresa May has resulted in the appointment of an entirely new ministerial team responsible for workplace health and safety. Damian Green replaces Stephen Crabb as secretary of state at the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Penny Mordaunt becomes ‘minister of state for disabled people, work and health’.
DWP news release. HSE news release. Risks 760. 23 July 2016
Britain: Search for bodies resumes after Didcot demolition
Search efforts for three men killed in the Didcot power station collapse have resumed after the remainder of the building was demolished. A remote demolition brought down the remaining part of the boilerhouse on 17 July, in an operation using remote-controlled robots. Ken Cresswell, 57, and John Shaw, 61, and Chris Huxtable, 34, were trapped under rubble on 23 February.
Thames Valley Police news release. BBC News Online. Risks 760. 23 July 2016
Britain: Worker crushed to death by a tonne of floor tiles
A Manchester company has been fined £40,000 after a tonne of stone floor tiles fell from a forklift, killing an employee. Soran Aziz, 27, died after the incident in October 2010 at Stone Superstore Ltd warehouse in Gorton.
Manchester City Council news release. Manchester Evening News. Risks 760. 23 July 2016.
Britain: Engineering worker suffers life changing injuries
A Hull engineering firm has been fined for criminal safety breaches after a marine hatch and frame weighing more than 500kg fell forward, seriously injuring an employee and narrowly missing another person. The marine door fell onto Point Engineering (Hull) Ltd welder and fabricator Richard Blake, 63, a welder and fabricator at the company, trapping his pelvis and legs.
HSE news release. Hull Daily Mail. Risks 760. 23 July 2016
Britain: Hazards 2016 conference programme
The Hazards 2016 conference programme has been announced, listing plenaries, workshops and campaign themes. Speakers includes union specialists, top experts, Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell and major global figures Sanjiv Pandita and Omana George on international safety campaigning.
National Hazards Conference, 29-31 July, Keele University. Full programme. Risks 760. 23 July 2016
Global: Journal tackles safety of ‘informal workers’
A health and safety journal that looks to solve problems, not just record them, has taken on the thorny issue of health and safety for ‘informal workers’. New Solutions is a highly practical, union-supported resource with an international focus.
New Solutions. Special Issue: Health and Safety for Informal Workers, volume 26, number 2, August 2016. Related information: ITUC on union organising and informal workers. Risks 760. 23 July 2016
Canada: Toronto Star suicide prompts investigation
Top Canadian newspaper the Toronto Star will conduct an “independent facilitation process review” of the newsroom’s culture, after journalists’ union Unifor called for an independent investigation in the wake of reporter Raveena Aulakh’s suicide and the events surrounding her death. The union described the newsroom as a ‘poisonous workplace’ rife with harassment and bullying.
Canoe.com. Winnipeg Free Press. More on work-related suicides. Risks 760. 23 July 2016
Bangladesh: Multiple murder charges for Rana Plaza
A court in Bangladesh has formally charged 38 people with murder in connection with the 2013 collapse of the Rana Plaza building which killed over 1,100 people in the country’s worst industrial disaster. A total of 41 defendants face charges over the collapse of the complex, which housed five garment factories supplying global brands.
The Guardian. Risks 760. 23 July 2016
Italy: Olivetti bosses get jail for asbestos manslaughter
Leading Italian businessman and media mogul Carlo De Benedetti has been convicted in connection to asbestos-related deaths at a company he led more than two decades ago. The 81-year-old was one of 16 defendants in a case concerning Olivetti, a typewriters and computers company where 13 employees died between the late 1970s and the early 1990s after being exposed to asbestos.
Europe Online. The Local. Risks 760. 23 July 2016
Global: Asbestos industry’s fight to the death
The global asbestos industry is engaged in a well-resourced defence of its deadly product. As well as promoting chrysotile asbestos in ‘scientific’ and public relations presentations in Africa, Asia and Latin America, a key target for the campaign is the United Nations (UN), warned Laurie Kazan Allen, who heads up the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS).
IBAS news report. RightOnCanada. Risks 760. 23 July 2016
Hazards news, 16 July 2016
Britain: Mesothelioma stats show need for asbestos action
A single type of asbestos cancer has killed over 2,500 people for three consecutive years, latest official statistics show. The TUC, calling for government action on the release of mortality figures for the cancer mesothelioma, said although most people have probably never heard of mesothelioma the new figures for 2014 show that “for the third year running, the number of deaths from mesothelioma has been over 2,500 and this level is likely to continue for at least the rest of the decade.”
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Mesothelioma in Great Britain: Mesothelioma mortality in Great Britain 1968 to 2014, HSE, July 2016 and HSE mesothelioma webpages. Risks 759. 16 July 2016.
Britain: Unions can wake up employers to fatigue risks
Union safety reps can play a crucial role in preventing work-related fatigue, the TUC has said. The union body said as well as an increased risk of injury at work, fatigue caused by too demanding work hours and patterns can increase the risk of a range of potentially serious health conditions including digestive and mental health problems.
Fatigue - a guide for health and safety representatives, TUC, July 2016 [pdf]. Risks 759. 16 July 2016.
Britain: Scotland’s college staff near stress breaking point
A UNISON Scotland survey has revealed more than four out of five college support workers have experienced stress at work, with one in five becoming so sick they were unable to work. Support staff from 17 colleges participated in the survey which revealed ‘shocking’ levels of stress and bullying in Scotland’s colleges, the union said.
UNISON Scotland news release and report, Learning the hard way. Risks 759. 16 July 2016.
Britain: Animal feed giant faces strike vote in contract row
Nearly 50 workers at Suffolk animal feed firm A B Agriculture Ltd (AB Agri) are voting on industrial action, in a dispute over the imposition of longer hours and worse terms and conditions. Unite says the ballot of its members at the Bury St Edmunds firm has been prompted by the unilateral imposition of a ‘draconian’ workplace agreement. Unite news release. Risks 759. 16 July 2016.
Britain: Manchester firefighters fight ‘family wrecking’ shifts
The chair of Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority is facing calls to quit after firefighters’ union FBU passed unanimously a vote of no confidence in his leadership. The union says the position of councillor David Acton is untenable after the authority approved plans to put firefighters on ‘family unfriendly’ 12-hour shifts, a move the union said was “universally unpopular” and would “cause mayhem for those with caring responsibilities.”
FBU news release and letter to David Acton calling for his resignation. Risks 759. 16 July 2016.
Britain: Film exposes dangers from fire service cuts
A new film from the firefighters’ union FBU has warned of the threat posed to the service’s lifesaving work by government cuts. It says the public “are no longer safe” - and identifies some of the deaths it believes have been caused by the cuts.
FBU news release and film. Sign the Save our fire and rescue services petition. Risks 759. 16 July 2016.
Britain: Latest statistics confirm upturn in work fatalities
Official figures have revealed the number of people killed at work has increased again. Provisional workplace fatality figures released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) indicate that 144 people were killed while at work in 2015/2016 – up from 142 in 2014/2015, and 136 in 2013/14.
HSE news release and statistics webpages. Statistics on fatal injuries in the workplace in Great Britain 2016, HSE, July 2016. UCATT news release. Risks 759. 16 July 2016.
Britain: Five die in recycling plant tragedy
Five recycling workers have died in a 7 July wall collapse at a recycling plant in Birmingham. The men, originally from Gambia, died when a 15ft wall of concrete and scrap metal fell on them as they worked at Hawkeswood Metal in the Nechells part of the city.
West Midlands Police news release. UCATT news release. BBC News Online. HSE record of previous Hawkeswood prosecution. Risks 759. 16 July 2016.
Britain: Alarm bells as work tragedies strike
An upturn in workplace fatalities and a third workplace multiple fatality in 12 months suggest the government is prioritising business profits over human lives, the Hazards Campaign has charged. The broad-based workers’ safety campaign was commenting after latest official figures published the day before five workers died in a Birmingham recycling yard showed the number of workplace fatalities had increase by 6 per cent since 2013/14.
Hazards Campaign statement. Risks 759. 16 July 2016.
Britain: Family fury at death in ships’ graveyard
A grieving family have hit out at a businessman after his firm was fined £45,000 over the death of a worker, saying: ‘It’s just change to him’. Paul Hudghton, a 50-year-old self-employed scrap worker, died at Tipner scrapyard in Portsmouth when Diverse Ventures Ltd launched an ‘ad hoc’ plan to right a crane on a barge that had slewed out to sea.
HSE news release. Portsmouth News. Risks 759. 16 July 2016.
Britain: Construction safety fines hit £8m since February
New sentencing guidelines introduced in February have seen a spate of large fines take the total penalties handed to construction firms hit £8m in six months. The February guidance from the Sentencing Council instructed courts to consider the size of a company when it comes to imposing fines for criminal safety offences.
BLM news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 759. 16 July 2016.
Britain: Demolition worker crushed by excavator on school site
A construction company has been fined after a worker suffered crush injuries when he was hit and then run over by an excavator. Complete Demolition Ltd was prosecuted by The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after an investigation found arrangements for ensuring pedestrians and vehicles were separated were inadequate.
HSE news release. Risks 759. 16 July 2016.
Britain: Car giant fined over asbestos contamination
One of the world’s biggest motor manufacturers has been fined after asbestos boarding panels contaminated a work site. General Motors UK Ltd was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after work being undertaken at its Ellesmere Port site in 2014, exposed contractors to asbestos.
HSE news release. Risks 759. 16 July 2016.
Britain: Who knew machines could hurt you?
Two prosecutions in two days demonstrate how workers continue to be injured in entirely predictable and preventable incidents involving workplace machinery. An employee of Sheffield firm Special Machined Products Limited (SMPL) became entangled with a rotating metal bar being used to prevent materials being ejected from the lathe he was operating and an employee of Chepstow-based Reid Lifting Limited had the index finger of his gloved left hand pulled into a milling machine.
HSE news releases on the Sheffield and Chepstow prosecutions. Risks 759. 16 July 2016.
Bangladesh: Justice at last for Tazreen fire victims
More than three years after over 100 workers died in the Tazreen Fashion factory fire in Bangladesh, compensation payments to the victims have finally been completed. The Tazreen Claims Administration Trust says a total of US$2.17 million has now been paid to the families of 112 dead and missing workers, and to 174 people injured in the fire on 24 November 2012.
IndustriALL news release. Clean Clothes Campaign news release. Tazreen Claims Administration Trust. Risks 759. 16 July 2016.
Botswana: Union calls for urgent action at deadly mine
The deaths of 15 mineworkers at Bamangwato Concessions Ltd (BCL) mine in Botswana in separate incidents over a five year period has prompted renewed union calls for urgent action. But they say despite numerous appeals to government to improve safety at the state-owned mine, conditions are in fact deteriorating. IndustriALL news release. Risks 759. 16 July 2016.
France: Report confirms night work harm
Working night shifts leads to sleep and metabolic disorders, and some serious diseases, according to a study by the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES).
ETUI news report. Risks 759. 16 July 2016.
Pakistan: Six deaths at World Bank-funded dam
Six workers have been killed and least 20 others severely injured in a major incident at the Tarbela Extension Project, a dam development in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The largely World Bank-backed project is controlled by the Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), with the Chinese multinational construction company Sino Hydro Group as the main contractor.
BWI news release. World Bank Tarbela Dam Project webpages. The Nation. Risks 759. 16 July 2016.
Hazards news, 9 June 2016
Britain: BBC faces action over ‘reckless’ shift plans
Staff at BBC World News are taking industrial action over ‘reckless and self-defeating’ rota changes that require them to work significantly more hours. NUJ members voted by 96.5 per cent, on a strong turnout, for the action, which kicked off on 7 July with a 24-hour walkout.
NUJ news release and petition to preserve the BBC News Channel and BBC World News. Risks 758. 9 July 2016
Britain: Postal union slams 'unacceptable' dog attacks
The number of dog attacks on postal workers in the UK is at an “unacceptable” level, post workers’ union CWU said. The union was speaking out as new Royal Mail survey, launched at the start of the CWU-backed Dog Awareness Week, revealed there were more than 2,600 attacks on postal workers across the country in the last year.
CWU news release and dog awareness poster. Royal Mail news release and Dog awareness guidance. BBC News Online. Risks 758. 9 July 2016
Britain: Outrage at claim axing rail guards is dangerous but OK
Passengers will face greater safety risks on trains if plans go ahead to remove guards, a rail safety watchdog has warned. But the Railway Safety Standards Board (RSSB), which is financed by train companies, has been criticised by rail union RMT after concluding driver-only operation of trains should go ahead anyway.
RMT news release. RSSB news release. Morning Star. Risks 758. 9 July 2016
Britain: Forklift injury followed ignored near-misses
A Unite member who suffered multiple fractures to his foot after being hit and then run over by a forklift truck at work has received £35,000 in damages. Paul Winter, who works for a magazine printing company whose name has not been disclosed, was collecting new reels to insert into large printers when the incident occurred.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 758. 9 July 2016
Britain: New union calls for asbestos removal from schools
Calls for the government to remove asbestos from all schools and colleges have been stepped up following the death of a teacher. Kevin Courtney, acting general secretary of the teaching union NUT, said: “Yet another teacher’s life has been tragically cut short by this dreadful, and entirely preventable, disease.”
NUT news release. Times Education Supplement (TES). JUAC website. Risks 758. 9 July 2016
Britain: Events nationwide to remember asbestos cancer victims
Campaigners marked Action Mesothelioma Day on 1 July with high profile events nationwide. The event, which focuses attention on the toll claimed by asbestos, Britain’s biggest industrial killer, is now in its tenth year.
Action Mesothelioma Day and events listing. ITV News. Video of AMD 2016 presentation by NUT’s Sarah Lyons. Thompsons Solicitors news release. Mesothelioma UK. Risks 758. 9 July 2016
Britain: Artists want blacklister out of the picture
Scottish artists are demanding that Glasgow School of Art end its contract with a major building firm that was involved in the construction industry blacklisting scandal. The call from the Scottish Artists Union came after Kier Construction was appointed as the main contractor for the restoration of the Mackintosh Building at the Glasgow School of Art (GSA).
The Herald. Risks 758. 9 July 2016
Britain: Government is only listening to business
The government has excluded unions from its discussions on Britain’s post-EU future. Business secretary Sajid Javid invited employers’ group CBI and other business lobbyists to the economic summit but snubbed the TUC and unions.
Business secretary speech. UK government cross-department news release. Morning Star. City AM. Risks 758. 9 July 2016
Britain: Thinktank warns that UK workers are poorly protected
The UK workforce is too insecure, has many second class employment rights and is not protected by adequate labour and safety enforcement systems, a new report has concluded. ‘Manifesto for Labour Law’ published by the Institute of Employment Rights (IER) in response to Labour’s Workplace 2020 consultation, is authored by 15 leading labour lawyers and academics.
Online preview of Manifesto for Labour Law, Institute of Employment Rights, 2016. Morning Star. Risks 758. 9 July 2016
Britain: Aquarium worker ‘scarred for life’ by fish disease
A Sheffield man was left permanently scarred by a rare illness described by experts as ‘TB for fish’. The fish technician, who wishes to remain anonymous, was diagnosed with ‘fish tank granuloma’ around a year into his work cleaning tanks and looking after fish for Dronfield-based JMC Aquatics.
Irwin Mitchell Solicitors news release. Derbyshire Times. Risks 758. 9 July 2016
Britain: Overheated hospital lab led to fainting injuries
A medic who fainted in a stifling NHS laboratory and suffered a debilitating foot injury has won an undisclosed compensation payout in the courts. Helen Stidwill suffers chronic pain after collapsing in the lab at King’s College Hospital, London, in March 2009.
Croydon Guardian. Croydon Advertiser. TUC temperature at work guide. Risks 758. 9 July 2016
Britain: Worker killed after 8m fall through roof
Two companies based in Northamptonshire have been fined after a worker died following a fall through a roof. Northampton Crown Court heard A-Lift Crane Hire Limited had been hired by Premier Roofing Systems Limited to provide them with a crane to lift roofing sheets onto a factory roof at Virani Foods Limited, but A-Lift Crane Hire Limited employee Peter Smith fell eight metres through an unprotected skylight.
HSE news release and work at height guide. Construction Enquirer. The Construction Index. Risks 758. 9 July 2016
Britain: Firm’s repeat refusals to act ends in a fine
A coach company in Wrexham has been fined £90,000 after it failed repeatedly to comply with legal notices to get its lifting equipment examined. GHA Coaches Limited pleaded guilty to a criminal breach of the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER) and failing to comply with an improvement notice and was fined £90,000 plus costs of £3,068.
HSE news release, LOLER examinations webpage and lifting equipment guide. Risks 758. 9 July 2016
Global: Need to know the latest news on work cancers
Work Cancer Hazards, an occupational cancer website run by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), the Alliance for Cancer Prevention and Hazards magazine provides news on latest campaigning, research, scandals and compensation developments on what is the biggest workplace killer. The upgraded resource at www.cancerhazards.org now has a facility to sign-up for email updates.
Sign-up for Work Cancer Hazards updates. Risks 758. 9 July 2016
Global: WHO guide to the public health impact of chemicals
Chemical exposures are causing a public health catastrophe claiming over a million lives worldwide each year, a World Health Organisation (WHO) report has concluded. ‘The public health impact of chemicals: knowns and unknowns’, produced by the UN body’s International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS), estimates that 1.3 million lives and 43 million disability-adjusted life-years were lost in 2012 due to exposures to selected chemicals.
The public health impact of chemicals: knowns and unknowns, WHO, 2016. International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS). Risks 758. 9 July 2016
Global: Poor Nepalis dying for work in Afghanistan
On 20 June, a suicide bomber killed 13 Nepalese and two Indian contractors who helped secure the Canadian Embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, striking the guards’ commuter bus just after it had picked them up at their residence compound. Laxman Basnet, the Nepal-based general secretary of the South Asian Regional Trade Union Council, said “there are no job opportunities in Nepal,” adding people have become inured to deaths from violence or after years of toiling abroad.
New York Times. CBC News. Toronto Star. Risks 758. 9 July 2016
USA: Workers walk off unsafe $875m site
Four non-union site workers walked off of a multimillion-dollar residential project being constructed in Long Island City after claiming their employers were exploiting them with low pay and unsafe working conditions. Alex Xande, Yuriy Olefirenko, Ivica Juric-Marijanivoc and Marjan Pejkovic all walked off the site last month and joined the union Steamfitters Local 638.
QNS News. Risks 758. 9 July 2016
USA: Discounted fines leave workers at increased risk
Routine discounting of health and safety fines by the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is leaving workers in sometimes deadly peril, a new expert report has concluded. The Center for Progressive Reform (CPR) said when OSHA issues penalties, companies can contest them, during which time they aren't legally required to correct the violations that put workers in danger, leading the agency to agree to substantially reduced fines in exchange for a promise to fix the hazard “promptly.”
CPR news release and full report, OSHA's discount on danger: OSHA should revise its informal settlement policies to maximize the deterrent value of citations, CPR, 30 June 2016. The Hill. Risks 758. 9 July 2016
Hazards news, 2 July 2016
Britain: Don't cut a single workers' right!
BAfter the UK voted last week by 52 per cent to 48 per cent to leave the European Union, the TUC is warning that the vital rights at work from EU-driven laws must be protected. Prior to the 23 June referendum vote, the TUC had warned that the official Leave campaign had workers’ rights in their crosshairs and had pointed out workplace safety, employment rights and working hours protections were all at risk.
TUC news release, Stronger Unions blog and Don't cut a single workers' right when making new UK laws petition. Risks 757. 2 July 2016
Britain: Where now on health and safety rights?
The TUC has warned that health and safety rights could be under threat after the 23 June referendum vote in favour of UK leaving the European Union (EU). TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson, writing in the TUC’s Stronger Unions blog, notes: “There is a real and serious danger that the final outcome could mean that we will lose much of the protection that EU membership has given us, but much will depend on the outcome of the negotiations that are will take place between Britain and the EU.”
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Risks 757. 2 July 2016
Britain: Usdaw calls for an end to post referendum abuse
The shopworkers’ trade union has expressed deep concern about reports of threats and abuse against migrant workers and people from minority ethnic groups has called for “calm and respect.” Usdaw general secretary John Hannett said: “It is deeply disturbing that some people have taken the vote to leave the EU as a green light to abuse others who they believe don’t have the right to be in the country,” adding: “Usdaw reps have for many years been providing support for members who face violence, threats and abuse and they will continue do so in this challenging period after the referendum.”
Usdaw news release. Risks 757. 2 July 2016
Britain: Women report protective equipment is a bad fit
Women are being forced to use ill-fitting personal protective equipment at work causing discomfort and putting their safety at risk, according to a Prospect survey. Just 29 per cent of the women who took part in the union study reported that the PPE they wear at work was designed for women.
Prospect news release. TUC Touchstone blog. Risks 757. 2 July 2016
Britain: Cuts leave council staff at breaking point
Local government workers are experiencing unprecedented pressure and stress in the workplace – and government cuts are to blame, the union UNISON has found. Its report – ‘Under pressure, underfunded and undervalued’ - is based on a survey of more than 2,000 local authority staff, including teaching assistants, social workers, librarians and carers who look after people in their own homes.
UNISON news release. Morning Star. Risks 757. 2 July 2016
Britain: Stressed union activists need support
Public service union UNISON is to explore ways of supporting activists and reps in stressful situations, after concerns were raised by delegates to its national conference. The conference agreed that the UNISON executive should investigate the possibility of a telephone support service for activists, and should provide training and produce a handbook for activists on how to deal with stressful situations and how they can support branch colleagues.
UNISON news release. Risks 757. 2 July 2016
Britain: Teaching union to start workload strikes
Teaching union NUT says its members in England are to strike over an erosion of working conditions and spiralling workload. Teachers will walk out first on 5 July, after 91 per cent of those who voted backed the action.
NUT news release and related release. BBC News Online. Risks 757. 2 July 2016
Britain: Legal win will protect prison officers
Prisoners can now be prosecuted for attacks on prison workers, after a union-backed High Court case. In a landmark victory for the prison officers’ union POA, the court ruled last week that it is important to be able to prosecute prisoners for acts of violence committed against prison officers while serving time in prison, as a way of protecting prison officers and prisoners.
Thompsons Solicitors news release.
TUC violence at work guidance. Hit list: TUC violence and abuse reporting form, Hazards magazine. Risks 757. 2 July 2016
Britain: Fire chief slammed over ‘unlawful’ shifts plan
Cambridgeshire’s fire chief has been accused of peddling an ‘unlawful’ shift system that could see firefighters work 96-hour shifts. Day Crewing Plus, described by firefighters’ union FBU as a ‘Victorian era shift system’, would see firefighters spend four days and nights working on a station.
FBU news release. Risks 757. 2 July 2016
Britain: Fall leaving accountancy exam adds up to a payout
A finance officer has received an undisclosed payout after fracturing her right foot in a fall, which led to her developing deep vein thrombosis. The Unite member had just finished an accountancy exam at a college in Cornwall and was leaving the exam hall.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 757. 2 July 2016
Britain: Union secures improvements after car worker injury
Terence Deen, 61, a production worker at a car manufacturer in Castle Bromwich, Birmingham, has been awarded almost £12,000 in damages after he suffered a crush injury and lacerations to his left leg. Unite safety reps stepped in after the incident and ensured safer work practices were introduced.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 757. 2 July 2016
Britain: Plant test cheats website proved hard to kill
A website selling answers to crucial tests taken as part of construction’s plant operator skills card scheme is still operating despite determined attempts to shut it down. Trade publication Construction Enquirer says the website is undermining the Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS) which covers thousands of machinery operators across the industry
Construction Enquirer. Risks 757. 2 July 2016
Britain: Site firm to use drones to make sites safer
Costain is to use drones to keep workers ‘out of hazardous environments’. The construction giant, which was one of eight major firms that in May agreed a massive compensation payout for their involvement in the covert blacklisting of union and safety activists (Risks 750), is working with operators of the spy-in-the-sky ‘unmanned aerial vehicles’ (UAVs) to develop “innovative and intelligent solutions to its customers’ challenges.”
Costain news release. Risks 757. 2 July 2016
Britain: Worker killed by falling frozen fish boxes
A Plymouth company has been fined £500,000 after an employee suffered fatal injuries when a stack of boxes of frozen fish fell on him. Tomas Suchy, 22, an employee of Interfish Limited, was helping to clear up a fallen stack of frozen fish boxes in a -25 Celsius cold store room at a factory when another fall of stock weighing about 1 tonne struck him.
HSE news release and storage guidance. North Devon Journal. Risks 757. 2 July 2016
Britain: Quad bikes helmets call after teen injured
An agriculture safety chief has urged farmers not to ignore simple life-saving advice to wear helmets when riding quad bikes. Rick Brunt, the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) head of agriculture, made the call after details of an horrific incident, when a teenager suffered a serious head wound, emerged in court proceedings.
HSE news release and ATV safety guidance. Risks 757. 2 July 2016
Canada: Unions win work cancer evidence breakthrough
The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled 7-1 that workers made ill by hazardous substances at work don’t need to prove their case with scientific certainty in order to collect workers’ compensation. In its judgment in the case brought by three health union members, the Supreme Court ruled: “While the record on which that decision was based did not include confirmatory expert evidence, the Tribunal nonetheless relied upon other evidence which, viewed reasonably, was capable of supporting its finding of a causal link between the workers’ breast cancers and workplace conditions.”
HSA news release. Supreme Court of Canada judgment, 24 June 2016 [pdf]. I-Politics. Risks 757. 2 July 2016
Canada: Asbestos-related cancers cost billions
A first-ever estimate of the toll of asbestos-related cancers on Canadian society pegs the cost of new cases at $1.7-billion (£1bn) per year in Canada, and notes this is probably an under-estimate. The economic burden of lung cancer and mesothelioma from work-related asbestos exposure in Canada amounts to an average of Can$818,000 (£471,000) per case, according to a team led by health economist and senior scientist Dr Emile Tompa at the Toronto-based Institute for Work & Health.
The Globe and Mail. Risks 757. 2 July 2016
India: Lightning strikes leave 93 people dead
At least 93 people have been killed and more than 20 injured by lightning strikes in the Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Most of the people who died were working on farms during torrential rains on 21 June, reports said.
The Guardian. BBC News Online. The Atlantic. Ronald J Holle. Lightning-caused Deaths and Injuries Related to Agriculture, conference paper, April 2016. Risks 757. 2 July 2016
USA: 'Slow Down Law' passes after garbage worker killed
New York State has become the latest in the US to introduce a ‘slow down’ law to protect garbage workers. ‘Slow down’ laws already exists in 11 states: Virginia, Indiana, West Virginia, Florida, Wisconsin, Georgia, Michigan, Alabama, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Illinois, and have been introduced over the last decade in response to distracted driving that has led to sometimes fatal incidents for collection workers.
Press and Sun Bulletin. Risks 757. 2 July 2016
Hazards news, 25 June 2016
Britain: Mapping out the union route to better safety
In a unionised workplace, one of the first things that you should consider is mapping the organisational and safety landscape, the TUC has said. The union body’s head of safety, Hugh Robertson, says mapping can identify the workplace union’s strengths and weaknesses and the hazards hurting the people doing the job, leaving the union better equipped to organise for safer, healthier work.
Get mapping, Hugh Robertson, Hazards, number 134, June 2016. Health and safety and organising - A guide for reps, TUC, 2016, available in pdf and e-book versions.
Also see Strength in numbers, Hugh Robertson, Hazards, number 133, March 2016. Risks 756. 25 June 2016
Britain: Union urges workers to speak up after mine death
Workers concerned about safety issues at a north-east England mine where a man lost his life should be confident to report them, Unite has said. John Anderson, 56, died in the early hours of 17 June following an “unprecedented” gas blow out at the Boulby potash mine owned by ICL UK.
Tom Blenkinsop MP statement. The Gazette and related story. BBC News Online. Risks 756. 25 June 2016
Britain: Unite slams public cash bonanza for blacklisters
Companies guilty of blacklisting workers because of their union and safety activities have enjoyed a share in a £1.5 billion of Scottish taxpayers’ money, a union has revealed. Unite Scotland revealed the cash bonanza enjoyed by blacklisters ahead of presenting evidence to the United Nations (UN) in Geneva on 15 June.
Unite news release. TUC Stronger Unions blog on the UK government’s isolation at the ILO. Risks 756. 25 June 2016
Britain: Teaching assistants face violence and threats routinely
Teaching assistants are routinely facing threats and violence from pupils and their parents, according to a new report from the union UNISON. School support staff blame shoddy disciplinary policies, staffing cuts and a lack of training for the abuse.
UNISON news release. UNISON guide: Managing Difficult Behaviour in Schools. Morning Star. Risks 756. 25 June 2016
Britain: Scots secondary teachers vote to take industrial action
Secondary teachers in Scotland are set to take industrial action over their ‘excessive’ workload. Members of the teaching union EIS voted overwhelmingly for a work to rule.
EIS news release. BBC News Online. Risks 756. 25 June 2016
Britain: Blunder exposes ScotRail's motives in safety dispute
Documents made public in error by ScotRail expose the union-bashing motive behind its dangerous plans for driver only operation (DOO) on the network, the rail union RMT has said. The cache of documents were included inadvertently as attachments to an email sent by Scotrail managing director Phil Verster.
RMT news release and copies of the inadvertently released Scotrail documents. Morning Star. Risks 756. 25 June 2016
Britain: Dossier exposes safety risks of axing train guards
The threat to safety on rail services from axing rail guards has been exposed in a new report from the union RMT. ‘Role of the guard – A dossier on the dangers of driver-only operation’, highlights ‘a catalogue of incidents’ where safety has been compromised on driver only operation (DOO) services as well as incidents where the presence of the guard has averted potential disaster.
RMT news release and RMT dossier. Risks 756. 25 June 2016
Britain: Rail union calls for MPs probe over Southern services
The rail union RMT has called for a parliamentary inquiry after leaked documents revealed “that Rail Minister's officials are ordering GTR rail cancellations.” The revelation, coming as guards on the Southern rail system took industrial action over jobs and safety, “confirms suspicions that the chaos on the GTR franchise is being deliberately orchestrated as part of a policy to blame the staff and bulldoze through cuts to jobs and safety,” RMT said.
RMT news release. Risks 756. 25 June 2016
Global: Long working hours hurt women most
Women who put in long hours for the bulk of their careers are at greater risk of life-threatening illnesses, including heart disease and cancer. Work weeks that averaged 60 hours or more over three decades may triple the risk of diabetes, cancer, heart trouble and arthritis for women, a 30-year study by researchers from Ohio State University has found.
Allard E Dembe and Xiaoxi Yao. Chronic disease risks from exposure to long-hour work schedules over a 32-year period, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, online ahead of print, June 2016.
OSU news release. TUC Touchstone blog. Science Daily. New York Daily News. Risks 756. 25 June 2016
Britain: MPs expose injustice of employment tribunal fees
Workers who have suffered mistreatment at the hands of their employers are being “priced out” of access to justice, MPs have concluded. A report by the Commons justice committee has revealed a “precipitous drop” of 67 per cent in the number of employment tribunal cases after new fees were set in 2013.
Justice Select Committee news release. UNISON news release. Thompsons Solicitors news release. Morning Star. Risks 756. 25 June 2016
Britain: HMRC under fire over compensation cases backlog
Tax officials are breaching the human rights of bereaved spouses and the terminally ill by making them wait more than a year for essential employment records in work-related disease compensation claims. Lawyers say an average time of 383 days to retrieve historic work histories by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is denying claimants the right to pursue firms over sometimes terminal occupational diseases.
Irwin Mitchell Solicitors news release. Daily Mail. Risks 756. 25 June 2016
Britain: Glasgow University ‘silenced’ fracking safety critic
The University of Glasgow has been accused of trying to silence one of its prominent professors after he questioned the safety of fracking. David Smythe, an emeritus professor of geophysics and a leading critic of the fracking industry, has had his university email address cancelled, and his access to scientific journals cut off.
The Ferret. David Smythe’s online discussion paper. The Extreme Energy Initiative, Human Rights Consortium, University of London. Risks 756. 25 June 2016
Britain: Firm fined £32,000 after driver was crushed to death
A haulage company with a turnover of over £2 million has been fined £32,000 after a horrific incident in which a driver was crushed to death when he was trapped between a runaway lorry cab and the back of a trailer. Immingham firm John Somerscales Ltd admitted failing to ensure the safety at work of its employees, including Graham Pearson, while they were uncoupling trailers at North Killingholme on or before 11 June 2013.
Grimsby Telegraph. Risks 756. 25 June 2016
Britain: Apprentice needed skin grafts after touching power line
A Scottish stonemasonry company been fined after an apprentice stonemason was seriously injured from contact with an overhead power line. Perth Sheriff Court heard how 20-year-old apprentice Rodd McFarlane was working for T&M Stonemasonry when he came into contact with overhead 240 volt electricity power lines.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 756. 25 June 2016
Britain: Firm and safety consultant fined over dermatitis case
A Hereford rubber sealant manufacturer and its safety adviser have been fined after a worker contracted allergic contact dermatitis. Hereford Magistrates’ Court heard how the TRP Polymer Solutions Limited employee contracted the skin disease after being exposed to sensitising ingredients in rubber compounds.
HSE news release and chemical safety webpages. Risks 756. 25 June 2016
Britain: Action Mesothelioma Day, 1 July 2016
Now in its 10th year, Action Mesothelioma Day (AMD) is held on the first Friday in July, this year falling on Friday 1 July. Events to mark AMD 2016 have been organised nationwide by asbestos victims support groups.
Action Mesothelioma Day, 1 July 2016 events listing. Risks 756. 25 June 2016
Australia: Tougher controls needed 'to prevent black lung'
Tougher coal dust monitoring standards in Australian mines are urgently needed to prevent miners from developing black lung, medical experts have warned. A clinical focus on the condition, published in the latest edition of Medical Journal of Australia and written by experts in chronic lung disease, warned Australian coal dust exposure limits are not meeting international standards and should be more stringent to eradicate black lung, or coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP).
Graeme R Zosky and others. Coal workers’ pneumoconiosis: an Australian perspective, Medical Journal of Australia, volume 204, number 11, pages 414-418, June 2016. Channel 9 News. Risks 756. 25 June 2016
Europe: Proposals on endocrine disruptors criticised
Groups advocating for greater control over endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) – a range of common substances linked to cancer, reproductive and other adverse health effects – have said European Commission (EC) proposals “will do nothing to protect human health.” The proposed criteria on EDCs were announced on 16 June by EC Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis, after three years of intense debate and industry lobbying which stalled progress.
Alliance for Cancer Prevention statement. EDC Free Europe Coalition statement. ChemSec news release. European Commission proposals, and full communication and related documentation. Risks 756. 25 June 2016
New Zealand: Unions welcome asbestos ban move
Unions have welcomed what they say is a long overdue move by the New Zealand government to ban imports of almost all asbestos-containing products. Sam Huggard, secretary of the national union federation CTU, said: “We are pleased that the changes we have been calling for, have now been, mostly, actioned.”
New Zealand government announcement. NZCTU news release. 7 News. Risks 756. 25 June 2016
Zimbabwe: No interest in operating asbestos mines
The Zimbabwe government’s hope that asbestos mining could be revived in the country have not been realised because there is little interest in the deadly product. Mines and Mining Development deputy minister, Fred Moyo, said: “We are not getting investors [for SMM] and it seems to be a big problem largely because the market for asbestos is not looking good.”
Financial Gazette. Risks 756. 25 June 2016
Hazards news, 18 June 2016
Britain: Safety rep reinstated after fire alarm firing
A high profile Unite campaign for the reinstatement of a Unite safety rep fired after raising concerns about non-functioning fire alarms has been successful. David Biddle, the chief executive of CGL, Birmingham’s leading substance abuse charity, received thousands of emails calling for Alison Morris’ reinstatement.
Unite news release. Unite for our Society website. Risks 755. 18 June 2016
Britain: Vets face ‘bleak future’ as stress hits numbers
Stress and long working hours are causing a retention problem in the veterinary profession, their union has warned. The British Veterinary Union (BVU), a part of the union Unite, says nearly 10 per cent of young vets are planning to leave the job as soon as possible.
Unite news release. BVU website. Morning Star. Risks 755. 18 June 2016
Britain: HSE site inspections show further decline
The number of ‘vital, unannounced, life-saving construction inspections’ undertaken by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) declined further last year, site union UCATT has said. Official figures obtained by the union show there were 9,219 preventive HSE site inspections in 2015/16 compared to 9,656 in 2014/15, a decrease of 4 per cent. UCATT news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 755. 18 June 2016
Britain: Tube overcrowding prospect is ‘truly terrifying’
A prediction parts of the London Underground will be ‘inoperable’ within 15 years because of dangerous levels of overcrowding has been described as ‘truly terrifying’ by the rail union RMT. The union leader was commenting after Miles Ashley, London Underground's programme director for construction, told an audience of engineering researchers at Imperial College London that passengers at up to 50 stations in Zone 1 of the Tube system would face conditions akin to four people crammed into a telephone box, making the system ‘inoperable’.
RMT news release. Sunday Times. London Evening Times. Risks 755. 18 June 2016
Britain: TSSA fears for staff safety if ticket offices go
Rail staff selling tickets on concourses could be a target for muggers if rail company Govia-Thameslink Railway (GTR) goes ahead with a massive programme of ticket office closures, the union TSSA has warned. Manuel Cortes, leader of the union for rail white collar staff, said: “We want assurances on staff safety when it comes to handling cash at busy times. We don't want our members to be vulnerable to potential muggers looking for cash, particularly in the evenings.”
TSSA news release. Risks 755. 18 June 2016
Britain: Retired moulder developed serious dust disease
A former moulder has been compensated after exposure to silica dust at work caused him to develop breathing problems. The Unite member was awarded an undisclosed settlement on a provisional damages basis so that his case could be reopened if he developed another chronic silica related condition, for example the debilitating lung scarring disease silicosis.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Peterborough Today. Risks 755. 18 June 2016
Britain: Blacklist campaigner highlights injustice
Only one person has been prosecuted for their criminal culpability in the blacklisting scandal, with not a single construction director behind the illegal operation having faced charges. However, Ian Kerr, the former head of the Consulting Association – the industry financed organisation that spied on union and safety activists and provided the information to major site firms – has now been joined by award-winning human rights campaigner Dave Smith, as the focus of a prosecution. Blacklist blog. Green Party news release. Morning Star.
Road block: How blocking roads has become a great way of making employers change direction, Dave Smith, Hazards, 2016. Risks 755. 18 June 2016
Britain: MPs to investigate high heels at work
A call for it to be made illegal for a company to compel women to wear high heels at work is to be investigated by MPs. Over 140,000 people signed a petition to the government calling for the move after temp worker Nicola Thorp, 27, was sent home without pay after refusing to change into high heels.
High heels forum. Petition - Make it illegal for a company to require women to wear high heels at work. On twitter: #heelsatworkinquiry Risks 755. 18 June 2016
Britain: ‘Worst gangmaster’ to pay for modern slavery
A British company has been found liable for the first time for victims of modern slavery. In a 10 June high court judgment, Justice Supperstone found in favour of six Lithuanian men who were trafficked to the UK and employed by the Kent-based gangmaster firm DJ Houghton Chicken Catching Services Ltd.
Leigh Day and Co news release. High Court judgment, 10 June 2016. The Guardian. Risks 755. 18 June 2016
Britain: Zoo fined after tiger kills worker
A British zoo has been fined for criminal health and safety offences after one of its employees was killed by a Sumatran tiger. Sarah McClay, 24, died at South Lakes Wild Animal Park – now known as South Lakes Safari Zoo – in Dalton-in-Furness, Cumbria, after she was pounced on by the tiger on 24 May 2013. The tiger, which entered the keeper’s corridor of the zoo’s tiger house through an unlocked gate, left deep puncture wounds in Sarah McClay’s neck and body. She suffered ‘unsurvivable’ multiple injuries and was airlifted to hospital where she was formally pronounced dead (Risks 722). The zoo was fined £255,000 at Preston Crown Court. A £42,500 fine was also imposed for other health and safety law breaches relating to an incident where a zoo keeper fell from a ladder while preparing to feed big cats in July 2014. The zoo must also pay £150,000 prosecution costs over the next 10 years. The company, whose sole director David Gill founded the zoo, entered guilty pleas as a trial was about to commence. The prosecution offered no evidence against Mr Gill, 55, who had faced individual charges on the same allegations, but was formally acquitted. After the sentencing, Sarah McClay's mother Fiona, said: “We can't function yet with a member of our family missing, we have got to learn how to do that and we haven't got to that stage yet.”
Barrow Borough Council news release. The Independent. BBC News Online. North West Evening Mail. Risks 755. 18 June 2016
New Zealand: Zoo guilty after tiger kills worker
Hamilton City Council in New Zealand has pleaded guilty to safety charges relating to the death of zoo keeper Samantha Kudeweh, 43, who was mauled by a Sumatran tiger at a council-owned zoo on 20 September 2015.
Radio New Zealand. Risks 755. 18 June 2016
Britain: Death-linked firm fined after workers overcome by fumes
A food waste disposal and recycling firm has been fined £250,000 after three employees were overcome by toxic gases at an animal waste facility in Stoke-on-Trent. Driver William James, an employee of John Pointon and Sons Limited, was unloading carcasses from a truck during his night shift but was overcome by hydrogen sulphide – produced by the rotting carcasses – and a lack of oxygen, with two workers who came to his aid also affected.
HSE news release. Stoke Sentinel. Risks 755. 18 June 2016
Britain: Veolia fined £750,000 after bin lorry crushes worker
Leading environmental services firm Veolia has been fined £750,000 after a worker was crushed to death beneath the tailgate of a refuse collection vehicle. Richard Calsen, 25, suffered serious injuries and went into a cardiac arrest at welding firm John Fowler and Son at Abbey Mill near Chorley, Lancashire.
HSE news release and waste machinery webpages. Daily Mail. Sheffield Star. Risks 755. 18 June 2016
Britain: Work experience student crushed by vehicle
A motor vehicle repair company has been fined after a 27-year-old man on work experience was crushed to death by a vehicle. Muhammed Zohaib Yasin was watching another employee at Just Mercedes Limited carry out repair work on a Vauxhall Corsa.
HSE news release and vehicle safety webpages. Risks 755. 18 June 2016
Britain: BT fined £500,000 after engineer breaks his back
British Telecom plc (BT) has been convicted on criminal safety charges and fined £500,000 after an engineer fell seven metres from a loft in London, breaking his back and his ankles. The firm was criticised by the judge for trying to pass the blame to its employees.
HSE news release and fragile roofs webpages. Risks 755. 18 June 2016
Canada: Union action on chemical sensitivity
A long-running campaign on multiple chemical sensitivities (MCS) by Canadian public service union PSAC has seen the addition of a new video. In the workplace, PSAC has used human rights and disability laws to require employers to accommodate affected workers.
PSAC news release and video, Demystifying Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. Risks 755. 18 June 2016
Europe: Glyphosate reauthorisation stalled
Strong mobilisation by a coalition of citizen groups including trade unions has succeeded in temporarily blocking renewed EU authorisation of glyphosate, the world's most widely-used herbicide and the active ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup. Food and farming global union IUF said the European Commission and national governments “are manoeuvring between pressure from the agrochemical lobby, organised in the Glyphosate Task Force, and a popular insurgency which shows no signs of going away.”
IUF news release. Risks 755. 18 June 2016
Global: Welcome for ILO global supply chain action
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has set in motion a process unions hope could lead to a legal standard improving the lives of millions of workers in global supply chains. Sharan Burrow, ITUC general secretary, said: “Transparency, responsibility and accountability need to be associated with global supply chains, not unsafe, insecure low wage work.”
ITUC news release. ILO news release. Risks 755. 18 June 2016
Hazards news, 11 June 2016
Britain: Widespread under-reporting of food sector injuries
More than six out of 10 workers in the food industry have been injured at work, but many of these injuries go unreported, a survey by the bakers’ union BFAWU has found. The study found 62 per cent of respondents had been injured at work however over a fifth (21 per cent) were not reported to management.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 754. 11 June 2016.
Britain: Stressed-out midwives voice safety concerns
Midwife burn-out is leading to safety fears, according to a survey by the midwives’ union RCM. The union said over half (52 per cent) of midwives and maternity support workers (MSWs) who responded to its survey ‘strongly agreed’ or ‘agreed’ with the statement: ‘I am worried about making a mistake at work because I am exhausted.’
RCM news release. Risks 754. 11 June 2016.
Britain: Figures confirm RMT platform safety warnings
A dramatic increase in the number of passengers falling into the platform gap at London Tube stations has confirmed union warnings linking falling staffing to increasing risks. The Transport for London figures, obtained in a Freedom of Information request, show that the number of passengers falling between the train and the platform has more than trebled in ten years, with rail union RMT laying the blame on dangerous overcrowding and the axing of safety-critical station staff.
RMT news release. London Evening Standard. Risks 754. 11 June 2016.
Europe: Unite condemns ‘dangerous’ helicopter stunt
Offshore union Unite has condemned a publicity stunt by four senior offshore helicopter safety and aviation chiefs as “offensive and dangerous”. The union was commenting after trade publication Energy Voice reported that Gilles Bruniaux, vice president of aviation safety for Airbus Helicopters; Gretchen Haskins, chief executive of HeliOffshore; Duncan Trapp, vice president of safety and quality for CHC Helicopters; and Les Linklater, Step Change in Safety executive director, all raised their hands to say they would fly on Super Puma H225 helicopters and would also allow their children to fly.
Unite news release. Energy Voice. Risks 754. 11 June 2016.
Britain: Drug testers ‘play judge and jury’ at work
Companies are misusing drug tests to “play judge and jury” over workers and to intimidate their staff, GMB reps have said. Delegates at the union’s annual congress called for companies to offer “proper training and support” on substance abuse and “not just sanction after sanction.”
Morning Star. Risks 754. 11 June 2016.
Britain: Undercover police spied on rail union activists
Research by the Blacklist Support Group (BSG) has revealed that an undercover police officer masqueraded as a union activist to spy on members of the rail union RMT. Photographic evidence unearthed by BSG secretary Dave Smith shows that in October 2004 Carlo Neri was present at a union protest following the sacking of the prominent union activist Steve Hedley at the Kings Cross terminal for the Channel Tunnel Rail Link (CTRL).
RMT news release. Blacklist blog. Blacklist Support Group facebook page. Andrew Wiard photographs. Risks 754. 11 June 2016.
Britain: Asos staff blow the whistle on bullying bosses
Thousands of workers at a huge warehouse used by online retailer Asos are being subjected to a catalogue of abuse by their anti-union bosses, a Morning Star investigation has found. More than 4,000 employees of the hugely popular clothing retailer suffer regular body searches, are spied on by an increasing number of CCTV cameras, and some have been forced to urinate at water stations because toilets were a 15-minute walk away.
Morning Star. Risks 754. 11 June 2016.
USA: Stroke severity could be worse for shiftworkers
Shiftwork may increase stroke severity by interfering with the body's internal clock, with men faring worst, new research suggests. Study co-author David Earnest, of the Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, said: “A person on a shiftwork schedule, especially on rotating shifts, challenges or confuses their internal body clocks by having irregular sleep-wake patterns or meal times.”
David Earnest and others. Sex differences in the impact of shift work schedules on pathological outcomes in an animal model of ischemic stroke, Endocrinology, published online ahead of print, 2 June 2016. Medical News Today. Risks 754. 11 June 2016.
Britain: Firm fined £1 million for exploding tyre death
A Kent tyre company has been sentenced for criminal safety failings, over ten years after 21-year-old Matthew Hoare was killed when a tyre exploded. Canterbury Crown Court heard how Matthew, an employee of Sandwich-based Watling Tyre Service Limited, was repairing a puncture to the tyre of a ‘dresser loading shovel’ when it exploded on 27 January 2006.
HSE news release and tyre removal guide. Canterbury Times. Kent Online. Risks 754. 11 June 2016.
Britain: Scottish Power fined £1.75m after serious scalding
Scottish Power has been fined £1.75 million after a worker was seriously scalded at Longannet Power Station in Alloa, his injuries forcing him to give up his job. Dunfermline Sheriff Court heard how plant controller David Roscoe was engulfed by steam which escaped from a defective pipeline valve at the coal-fired power plant in October 2013.
HSE news release and work equipment webpages. Daily Record. Risks 754. 11 June 2016.
Britain: Man crushed to death in Christmas Eve tragedy
A Dumfries haulage company has been fined after the death of a man who was crushed by a failed hydraulic ramp on Christmas Eve two years ago. Ayr Sheriff Court heard how J & J Currie Limited employee Andrew Adams, 61, was delivering and offloading a vehicle from a trailer when one of the trailer hydraulic ramps failed to lower.
HSE news release and safe maintenance webpages. ITV News. Risks 754. 11 June 2016.
Britain: Worker crushed to death between two vehicles
A civil engineering and plant hire company in Derbyshire has been fined £300,000 after a worker was fatally crushed between two vehicles while refuelling. Derby Crown Court heard how 39-year-old Matthew Lambert was refuelling his road sweeper at the yard of Leedale Limited when a tipper lorry reversed into him.
HSE news release. Derby Telegraph. Ripley Today. Construction Enquirer. Risks 754. 11 June 2016.
Bangladesh: ‘Enforceability’ key to changing the garment industry
Three years after the creation of the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, the landmark agreement is making significant headway, the global union for the sector has said. IndustriALL said the collapse of Rana Plaza garment factory on 24 April 2013, killing over 1,100 and injuring thousands more, brought an end to the tolerance of voluntary, non-transparent, non-enforceable factory inspections in Bangladesh.
IndustriALL news release. Risks 754. 11 June 2016.
Europe: Unions join forces in North Sea campaign
Global unions have linked up to develop a strategy to resist the assault by employers in the North Sea on decent, safe work. Maritime and oil and gas unions affiliated to IndustriALL and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) met in Aberdeen last month to agree a joint approach.
IndustriALL news release. Risks 754. 11 June 2016.
Global: Airport workers unite for justice and safety
Airport workers united across borders on 1 June, to deliver a highly critical message about the abuse of workers in the industry. Global unions represented workers in the sector said while airlines and airports are getting richer, their workers are being paid less, worked more, and are having their job security torn away.
UNI news release and Airports United report, Record profits for airlines; airport workers under pressure. Risks 754. 11 June 2016.
Korea: Malignant lymphoma recognised by government
In what has been described as an ‘unprecedented’ ruling, authorities in South Korea have recognised malignant lymphoma (non-Hodgkin lymphoma) as an occupational disease. The Korea Workers’ Compensation and Welfare Service (KCOMWEL) decision on 1 June 2016 approved workers’ compensation to Park Hyo-soon, a former Samsung Electronics Co Ltd employee who died of the blood disorder four years ago. Work cancer hazards blog. SHARPS news report. Risks 754. 11 June 2016.
Qatar: Eleven killed in labour camp fire
The deaths of 11 workers in a Qatar labour camp fire on 1 June 2016 is yet another example of the government’s complete disregard for the migrant workers building the huge infrastructure programme in the lead-up to the 2022 World Cup, global union ITUC has said. A further 12 workers were injured in the fire, which happened in a labour camp housing workers on the Salwa tourism development, which includes a 362-room Hilton Hotels resort.
ITUC news release. BWI news release. Risks 754. 11 June 2016.
Risks * Number 753 * 4 June 2016
Britain: Safety reps are our ‘secret weapon’
Health and safety reps are unions’ secret weapon against the government’s assault on workers’ rights, the TUC’s top safety official has said. Addressing the South West TUC’s May 2016 ‘health and safety and organising’ event in Bristol, TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson said: “Health and safety is a good organising issue because it is winnable, empowers workers and sends a strong message to the employer.”
TUC news report. Health and safety and organising - A guide for reps, TUC, March 2016, pdf and e-book versions. Risks 753. 4 June 2016
Britain: Fire and rescue reforms put the public at risk
The public and workers will be put at risk by planned government ‘reforms’ to fire and rescue services in England, UNISON has warned. MPs are currently considering a Police and Crime Bill, which would allow police and crime commissioners to take responsibility for fire and rescue services, among other measures.
UNISON news release. Reform news release and Theresa May’s Reform speech. Risks 753. 4 June 2016
Britain: More fatalities linked to London fire cuts
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) is failing to meet response time targets to more than half of all emergencies in the areas where ten fire stations were closed in 2014, new research has revealed. Firefighters’ union FBU said the news comes as it emerged there have been two more fatal fires at incidents in the capital where fires crews missed their target attendance time, making a total of eight deaths since the fire stations closed.
Lancaster University news release. FBU news release. Morning Star.
Benjamin Taylor. Spatial modelling of emergency service response times, Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A (Statistics in Society), published online ahead of print, 2016. Risks 753. 4 June 2016
Britain: More dangerous cuts to Scotland’s offshore sector
Job cuts in the oil sector are jeopardising safety and could mean there will be no viable North Sea oil industry within a decade, offshore unions have said. The warning came as Shell Oil cut another 475 jobs in a move Unite Scotland described as part of an industry-wide strategy to drive down terms and conditions under the cover of the oil price drop.
Unite news release. STUC news release. Risks 753. 4 June 2016
Britain: RMT tells Southern rail bosses to stop the pot shots
Rail union RMT has demanded sight of the personal sickness, pay and perks records of the top bosses running the “basket-case, rip-off Southern Rail franchise into the ground.” The union demand came after the company admitted it had come close to releasing the personal medical records of its frontline staff, which it had claimed were partly responsible the poor performance of Southern/GTR routes.
RMT news release. ITV News. Risks 753. 4 June 2016
Britain: Thomas Cook cabin crew vote to strike
Thomas Cook Airlines cabin crew have backed strike action by three-to-one in a dispute over health and safety concerns and ‘dangerous’ changes to rest breaks. Unite said it would be entering further talks with the company at the conciliation service Acas in a bid to resolve the dispute.
Unite news release. Travel Retail Business. BBC News Online. Risks 753. 4 June 2016
Britain: Prospect calls for tighter regulation of drones
A union has called for tighter regulation of drones to avert a potential disaster. A position paper from Prospect, which has 5,000 members working in aviation safety, has highlighted the risks of the increasing use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones.
Prospect news release. Risks 753. 4 June 2016
Britain: Hero lock keeper averts another tragedy
The quick response of a resident lock keeper at Abingdon has been critical to saving lives yet again, his union GMB has said. GMB national officer Justin Bowden said: “Having a lock keeper on site has saved countless lives and has done so for many years.”
GMB news release. Risks 753. 4 June 2016
Britain: Union victory on council sick pay
Birmingham City Council has confirmed that plans to cut back the sick pay rights of staff have been removed from proposed changes to their terms and conditions. The changes challenged by the union GMB included a proposal to withdraw from a nationally agreed sickness scheme, a move that would have meant workers at the council and in schools would lose pay for the first three days of any period of sickness and would have their sick pay entitlement reduced by half.
GMB news release. Risks 753. 4 June 2016
Britain: Poor training led to serious work injuries
A Unite member from Birmingham has received damages after suffering a crush injury to his hand and the partial amputation of his thumb because he didn’t have adequate safety training at work. At the time of the incident the 53-year-old worker, whose name has not been released, was working for Markem Haulage Limited delivering cement to locations across the West Midlands.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 753. 4 June 2016
Britain: Former steel rigger get pleural thickening payout
A Unite member who developed diffuse pleural thickening as a result of exposure to asbestos at work has received an undisclosed payout. The former steel rigger, who was never provided with protective equipment or told about the dangers of working with asbestos, started to suffer from shortness of breath and panic attacks in 2011, at which point he visited his doctor who arranged for him to have a scan on his lungs.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 753. 4 June 2016
Britain: HSE ‘accelerates’ push for private work
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is recruiting a £100,000-a-year commercial director to greatly ‘accelerate’ its shift to more money-spinning private activities. The renewed focus on commercial activities will inevitably heighten concerns about HSE’s commitment to its inspection and regulatory functions, with an additional fear resources may be diverted from these already under-pressure activities.
HSE job alert and commercial director job description. HSE business plan 2016/17. Risks 753. 4 June 2016
Britain: Lone Ladbrokes staff face horrific risks
Betting firm Ladbrokes has been accused of putting “profits before lives” after one lone worker was killed and a second was raped, the Mirror has reported. Former head of health and safety Bill Bennett, who the paper says has turned whistleblower, alleged: “Ladbrokes chose to prioritise profit over the health and safety of its employees.”
The Mirror. Risks 753. 4 June 2016
Britain: BT fined for two falls on one job on one day
British Telecommunications plc has been fined after two of its employees were seriously injured in falls on the same job on the same day. CWU national safety officer Dave Joyce commented: “This is damning example of what can happen when managers fail to manage and monitor the health and safety of the workforce through careful attention to law and the company’s own health and safety standards and rules.”
HSE news release and work at height webpages. Risks 753. 4 June 2016
Britain: Road worker death prompts HSE warning to HGV drivers
Lives are being put at risk because HGV drivers are not following basic safety procedures when coupling and uncoupling vehicles, the Health and Safety Executive has warned. The workplace health and safety regulator urged drivers to apply parking brakes and use or retrofit warning alarms to avoid a repeat of an incident in January 2015 when a 20-year-old road worker died.
HSE news release and guidance of vehicle coupling. Construction Enquirer. Risks 753. 4 June 2016
Europe: New covenant on work cancer prevention
A promise by the Dutch government to take action on occupational cancer during its presidency of the European Council has resulted in a cancer covenant, committing signatories to prevent or reduce exposures to carcinogens. The covenant runs until the end of 2019, and is signed by the Dutch and Austrian governments, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), Business Europe, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work and the European Commission.
Dutch Focal Point for Safety and Health at Work news release. Commissioner Thyssen’s conference speech. Roadmap on Carcinogens. Introductory video to the Roadmap. ETUC news release. EU-OSHA news release. Risks 753. 4 June 2016
USA: Report exposes brutality of slaughterhouse jobs
The meat and poultry industry in the US remains exceptionally dangerous, despite a decline in reported injuries and illnesses over the past 10 years, according to a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. The report notes that working conditions in the industry have not improved substantially since the GAO examined the industry in 2005, with under-reporting of injuries a major problem.
Additional data needed to address continued hazards in the meat and poultry industry, GAO, 2016. NELP news release. In These Times. Risks 753. 4 June 2016
USA: Unions win safer jobs for working people
For centuries, unions have been at the forefront of fighting for and winning safer protections for working people, US union federation AFL-CIO has said: “Unions are critical in the push for stronger safety and health protections and to keep the protections workers have - making sure that profits are not put ahead of working people’s right to provide for their families and return home alive, in one piece and not burdened with lifelong illness. Unions will keep winning for working people.”
AFL-CIO Now blog. Risks 753. 4 June 2016
Hazards news, 4 June 2016
Britain: Safety reps are our ‘secret weapon’
Health and safety reps are unions’ secret weapon against the government’s assault on workers’ rights, the TUC’s top safety official has said. Addressing the South West TUC’s May 2016 ‘health and safety and organising’ event in Bristol, TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson said: “Health and safety is a good organising issue because it is winnable, empowers workers and sends a strong message to the employer.”
TUC news report. Health and safety and organising - A guide for reps, TUC, March 2016, pdf and e-book versions. Risks 752. 4 June 2016
Britain: Fire and rescue reforms put the public at risk
The public and workers will be put at risk by planned government ‘reforms’ to fire and rescue services in England, UNISON has warned. MPs are currently considering a Police and Crime Bill, which would allow police and crime commissioners to take responsibility for fire and rescue services, among other measures.
UNISON news release. Reform news release and Theresa May’s Reform speech. Risks 752. 4 June 2016
Britain: More fatalities linked to London fire cuts
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) is failing to meet response time targets to more than half of all emergencies in the areas where ten fire stations were closed in 2014, new research has revealed. Firefighters’ union FBU said the news comes as it emerged there have been two more fatal fires at incidents in the capital where fires crews missed their target attendance time, making a total of eight deaths since the fire stations closed.
Lancaster University news release. FBU news release. Morning Star.
Benjamin Taylor. Spatial modelling of emergency service response times, Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series A (Statistics in Society), published online ahead of print, 2016. Risks 752. 4 June 2016
Britain: More dangerous cuts to Scotland’s offshore sector
Job cuts in the oil sector are jeopardising safety and could mean there will be no viable North Sea oil industry within a decade, offshore unions have said. The warning came as Shell Oil cut another 475 jobs in a move Unite Scotland described as part of an industry-wide strategy to drive down terms and conditions under the cover of the oil price drop.
Unite news release. STUC news release. Risks 752. 4 June 2016
Britain: RMT tells Southern rail bosses to stop the pot shots
Rail union RMT has demanded sight of the personal sickness, pay and perks records of the top bosses running the “basket-case, rip-off Southern Rail franchise into the ground.” The union demand came after the company admitted it had come close to releasing the personal medical records of its frontline staff, which it had claimed were partly responsible the poor performance of Southern/GTR routes.
RMT news release. ITV News. Risks 752. 4 June 2016
Britain: Thomas Cook cabin crew vote to strike
Thomas Cook Airlines cabin crew have backed strike action by three-to-one in a dispute over health and safety concerns and ‘dangerous’ changes to rest breaks. Unite said it would be entering further talks with the company at the conciliation service Acas in a bid to resolve the dispute.
Unite news release. Travel Retail Business. BBC News Online. Risks 752. 4 June 2016
Britain: Prospect calls for tighter regulation of drones
A union has called for tighter regulation of drones to avert a potential disaster. A position paper from Prospect, which has 5,000 members working in aviation safety, has highlighted the risks of the increasing use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones.
Prospect news release. Risks 752. 4 June 2016
Britain: Hero lock keeper averts another tragedy
The quick response of a resident lock keeper at Abingdon has been critical to saving lives yet again, his union GMB has said. GMB national officer Justin Bowden said: “Having a lock keeper on site has saved countless lives and has done so for many years.”
GMB news release. Risks 752. 4 June 2016
Britain: Union victory on council sick pay
Birmingham City Council has confirmed that plans to cut back the sick pay rights of staff have been removed from proposed changes to their terms and conditions. The changes challenged by the union GMB included a proposal to withdraw from a nationally agreed sickness scheme, a move that would have meant workers at the council and in schools would lose pay for the first three days of any period of sickness and would have their sick pay entitlement reduced by half.
GMB news release. Risks 752. 4 June 2016
Britain: Poor training led to serious work injuries
A Unite member from Birmingham has received damages after suffering a crush injury to his hand and the partial amputation of his thumb because he didn’t have adequate safety training at work. At the time of the incident the 53-year-old worker, whose name has not been released, was working for Markem Haulage Limited delivering cement to locations across the West Midlands.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 752. 4 June 2016
Britain: Former steel rigger get pleural thickening payout
A Unite member who developed diffuse pleural thickening as a result of exposure to asbestos at work has received an undisclosed payout. The former steel rigger, who was never provided with protective equipment or told about the dangers of working with asbestos, started to suffer from shortness of breath and panic attacks in 2011, at which point he visited his doctor who arranged for him to have a scan on his lungs. Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 752. 4 June 2016
Britain: HSE ‘accelerates’ push for private work
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is recruiting a £100,000-a-year commercial director to greatly ‘accelerate’ its shift to more money-spinning private activities. The renewed focus on commercial activities will inevitably heighten concerns about HSE’s commitment to its inspection and regulatory functions, with an additional fear resources may be diverted from these already under-pressure activities.
HSE job alert and commercial director job description. HSE business plan 2016/17. Risks 752. 4 June 2016
Britain: Lone Ladbrokes staff face horrific risks
Betting firm Ladbrokes has been accused of putting “profits before lives” after one lone worker was killed and a second was raped, the Mirror has reported. Former head of health and safety Bill Bennett, who the paper says has turned whistleblower, alleged: “Ladbrokes chose to prioritise profit over the health and safety of its employees.”
The Mirror. Risks 752. 4 June 2016
Britain: BT fined for two falls on one job on one day
British Telecommunications plc has been fined after two of its employees were seriously injured in falls on the same job on the same day. CWU national safety officer Dave Joyce commented: “This is damning example of what can happen when managers fail to manage and monitor the health and safety of the workforce through careful attention to law and the company’s own health and safety standards and rules.”
HSE news release and work at height webpages. Risks 752. 4 June 2016
Britain: Road worker death prompts HSE warning to HGV drivers
Lives are being put at risk because HGV drivers are not following basic safety procedures when coupling and uncoupling vehicles, the Health and Safety Executive has warned. The workplace health and safety regulator urged drivers to apply parking brakes and use or retrofit warning alarms to avoid a repeat of an incident in January 2015 when a 20-year-old road worker died.
HSE news release and guidance of vehicle coupling. Construction Enquirer. Risks 752. 4 June 2016
Europe: New covenant on work cancer prevention
A promise by the Dutch government to take action on occupational cancer during its presidency of the European Council has resulted in a cancer covenant, committing signatories to prevent or reduce exposures to carcinogens. The covenant runs until the end of 2019, and is signed by the Dutch and Austrian governments, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), Business Europe, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work and the European Commission.
Dutch Focal Point for Safety and Health at Work news release. Commissioner Thyssen’s conference speech. Roadmap on Carcinogens. Introductory video to the Roadmap. ETUC news release. EU-OSHA news release. Risks 752. 4 June 2016
USA: Report exposes brutality of slaughterhouse jobs
The meat and poultry industry in the US remains exceptionally dangerous, despite a decline in reported injuries and illnesses over the past 10 years, according to a new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report. The report notes that working conditions in the industry have not improved substantially since the GAO examined the industry in 2005, with under-reporting of injuries a major problem.
Additional data needed to address continued hazards in the meat and poultry industry, GAO, 2016. NELP news release. In These Times. Risks 752. 4 June 2016
USA: Unions win safer jobs for working people
For centuries, unions have been at the forefront of fighting for and winning safer protections for working people, US union federation AFL-CIO has said: “Unions are critical in the push for stronger safety and health protections and to keep the protections workers have - making sure that profits are not put ahead of working people’s right to provide for their families and return home alive, in one piece and not burdened with lifelong illness. Unions will keep winning for working people.”
AFL-CIO Now blog. Risks 752. 4 June 2016
Hazards news, 28 May 2016
Britain: Time to get rid of asbestos, says TUC
It is time to get rid of asbestos for good, the TUC has said. It has published a new guide for workplace representatives on how to negotiate “to get rid of this killer dust once and for all,” adding “there is a need to ensure that all workplaces have a programme of identifying, managing and safely removing and disposing of all asbestos.”
Asbestos – a time to get rid of it. A guide for workplace union reps. Cancer hazards blog. Risks 752. 28 May 2016
Britain: Site workers call for mandatory asbestos surveys
Social housing landlords should have a “legal duty” to undertake asbestos surveys and should give the results to tenants and maintenance workers, the construction union UCATT has affirmed. A conference motion commits the union to “name, shame and publicise councils, housing associations and private contractors involved in exposing UCATT members to asbestos.”
Morning Star. Risks 752. 28 May 2016
Britain: Fire shows life-saving role of rail guards
The swift action of a train guard in evacuating passengers after an engine fire has been praised by the union RMT. It was the train guard who got passengers safely off the service, something the union says was acknowledged by Network Rail in tweets that were later deleted.
RMT news release. BBC News Online. Get Reading. Risks 752. 28 May 2016
Britain: Scotrail action threat over driver only trains
Rail union RMT is balloting guards across Scotrail for industrial action over the extension of Driver Only Operation (DOO) and Driver Controlled Operation (DCO) on the franchise. The union says it has made it clear its total opposition to any proposals for extending DOO, reducing or abolishing the safety role of the conductor and reducing or abolishing the role of the conductor in operation of train doors.
RMT news release. Dumbarton Reporter. Risks 752. 28 May 2016
Britain: Lessons must be learnt following firefighter’s death
Firefighters’ union FBU is calling for lessons to be learnt after an inquest jury concluded that Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) firefighter and FBU member Stephen Hunt, 38, died as a result of ‘unlawful killing’. Les Skarratts, FBU regional secretary in the North West, said: “There have been too many firefighter fatalities, 14 in all, from 2004 to 2013, more than double than the previous decade.”
FBU news release. Thompsons Solicitors news release. Morning Star. Manchester Evening News. Bury Times. BBC News Online. Risks 752. 28 May 2016
Britain: GMB condemns ‘CIPD’ inaction on blacklisting
Serious and possibly criminal misbehaviour by top human resources managers involved in the blacklisting of construction workers has been met with a “disappointing” response from their professional body CIPD, the union GMB has said. GMB says it wrote to CIPD chief executive Peter Cheese as long ago as 18 October 2013, listing 37 senior HR professionals and other executives from the construction industry involved in the blacklisting scandal.
GMB news release. CIPD news release. Risks 752. 28 May 2016
Britain: Pilots welcome promise of a drone safety law
The pilots’ union BALPA has welcomed the announcement in the Queen’s Speech that the government will introduce new regulations on drones in a forthcoming Modern Transport Bill. Background notes to the speech said included in the new law would be measures to “put the UK at the forefront of safe technology in the autonomous vehicles industry, such as drones, and spaceplanes.”
BALPA news release. Queen’s speech 2016 and background briefing notes. Risks 752. 28 May 2016
Britain: Dog owner fined after postal worker is maimed
An irresponsible dog owner has been fined almost £9,000 after allowing his out of control dog to bite off the tips of a Romford postwoman’s fingers. CWU member Claire Offord had only been on post deliveries for five months when on the 23 February this year her hand was seized by the dog as she pushed mail through its owner’s front door letterbox in Romford.
Union Safety website. Risks 752. 28 May 2016
Britain: Royal Mail fined after truck crushes foot
The Royal Mail Group Limited has been fined £50,000 after a worker’s foot was run over by a 4-tonne forklift truck in a warehouse. CWU said mandatory protective footwear had been ordered but hadn't been received after a mix up.
HSE news release. Risks 752. 28 May 2016
Britain: HSE discovers widespread NHS needlesticks risk
Most healthcare establishments visited in a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspection blitz were in breach of the law on needlesticks safety, with nearly half the subject of formal enforcement action. HSE found health and safety breaches in 90 per cent of organisations visited, with 83 per cent of organisations failing to fully comply with the sharps regulations
Summary report, Prevention and management of sharps injuries: Inspection of NHS organisations, HSE Sharps Inspection Initiative 2015/16 and sharps injuries webpages. UNISON news release. Safer Needles Network. Risks 752. 28 May 2016
Britain: Six figure vibration fine for pipe maker
A pipe manufacturing company based in Newport has been fined for criminal safety failings after seven reported cases of vibration-related hand arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) or carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) occurred at the firm between April 2014 and July 2015. Newport Crown Court heard that employees of Asset International Limited used vibrating tools without proper training or practical controls to reduce vibration risk.
HSE news release and vibration disease webpages. Construction Enquirer. Risks 752. 28 May 2016
Britain: Firms fined after fall from ledge
A window fitting company and the principal contractor at a construction site have been fined for criminal safety failings after a worker fell three metres while installing glazed units. Bournemouth Magistrates’ Court heard how on 4 November 2014 an employee of GFT Frames Limited (GFT) was installing glazed units in a block of flats on a construction site in Bournemouth where Parsons and Joyce Contractors Limited (P&J) was the principal contractor.
HSE news release. Risks 752. 28 May 2016
Britain: Crystal company sentenced over finger loss
A Cumbrian lead crystal manufacturer has been fined after an employee suffered a serious hand injury while using machinery. Laura Ponsford, who was 21 at the time of the incident in February last year, had the middle finger of her right hand torn off while operating a drill to widen the neck of a glass bottle at Greatdale Ltd - trading as Cumbria Crystal.
HSE news release and machinery safety guide. North-West Evening Mail. Risks 752. 28 May 2016
Europe: Chrome standard accepts 1-in-10 cancer risk
An Occupational Exposure Limit (OEL) from chromium VI proposed by the European Commission has been set at a level it knows will see 1-in-10 exposed at that level develop occupational cancer. The proposed limit of 25 micrograms per cubic metre of air (μg/m3) would “render fatal lung cancer in every tenth worker over a working-life exposure”, said the non-governmental chemical safety group ChemSec.
Cancer hazards blog. ChemSec news release. ECHA chromium VI entry. Risks 752. 28 May 2016
India: Quartz workers breathe the dust of death
For impoverished migrant workers in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, the quartz crushing industry of Godhra provides an escape from debt. It also generates clouds of white dust, crystalline silica, the cause of the incurable occupational lung disease, silicosis.
Indian Express. Risks 752. 28 May 2016
USA: Mine deaths boss now in a California prison
The boss of a deadly coal mine in West Virginia has surrendered to federal authorities at a California prison to begin serving a one-year sentence. Former Massey CEO Don Blankenship reported to the Taft federal prison north of Los Angeles, after a court flatly turned down his bid to remain free while he appeals his conviction on charges of conspiracy to violate federal mine safety standards over a more than two-year period before the April 2010 explosion that killed 29 miners.
West Virginia Gazette. Risks 752. 28 May 2016
Hazards news, 21 May 2016
Britain: Nudging in the right direction – just not here
The TUC has been openly critical of the UK government’s attachment to “nudge theory”, which it believes is part-and-parcel of David Cameron’s ineffective, ideologically driven ‘anything but rules’ agenda. But the TUC says if the UK authorities want to nudge employers into safer and healthier behaviour, the US safety regulator OSHA is showing it the way to go, with a new rule that will see the accident reports of high risk firms posted on OSHA’s website.
OSHA news release and final rule. US Department of Labor blog. TUC Stronger Unions blog. AFL-CIO statement. The Pump Handle. The Guardian. Risks 751. 21 May 2016
USA: Injury reporting rule gives employers a nudge
The US government’s safety regulator, OSHA, has introduced a new rule requiring employers in high-hazard industries to send OSHA the injury and illness data they are already required to collect, to be posted on the agency’s website. OSHA believes that public disclosure of work injury data will encourage employers to increase their efforts to prevent work-related injuries and illnesses.
OSHA news release and final rule. US Department of Labor blog. Risks 751. 21 May 2016
Britain: Brexit equals 1m more working too long
One million more employees are at high risk of being forced to work excessive hours if the UK votes to leave the EU, a TUC analysis of official figures has found. Working time protections have been targeted openly by Brexit campaigners who claim it is ‘red tape’ that should be scrapped.
TUC news release. Risks 751. 21 May 2016
Britain: Ambulance ballot on dangerous work hours
UNISON has informed the East of England Ambulance Service it is to ballot frontline ambulance staff over possible strike action concerning management’s failure to tackle the problem of excessive working hours and lack of sufficient breaks. The union is seeking a 45-minute meal break, a 20-minute additional break later in the shift, and for crews to be able to return to base at the end of their shift and only be asked to attend the highest category of calls while en route.
UNISON news release and video. Morning Star. NHE Magazine. Risks 751. 21 May 2016
Britain: Soaring site stress and mental illness
Mental health problems linked to the job is blighting the construction sector, a UCATT survey has found. The union found 64 per cent of members responding to the survey said they are suffering from stress and a ‘huge’ 76 per cent said they had at some point suffered stress at work.
UCATT news release. Risks 751. 21 May 2016
Britain: Lorry driver loses her job after arm crushing
A delivery driver who suffered a crush injury to her hand and arm when she was struck by a lorry had to give up her job as a result. Unite member Helen Waycott was in a busy depot in Hemel Hempstead when she was injured, developing complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), a debilitating condition that causes pain in areas of the body damaged by injury.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 751. 21 May 2016
Britain: Community concerns over ‘deteriorating’ prison safety
The justice services trade union, Community, has called for more government action in response to a report by MPs that concluded prison safety is ‘deteriorating’. The union, which represents the majority of private sector prison officers, is calling for contractors and the government to implement a ‘Safe Operating Solutions Charter’. Community news release. House of Commons Justice Select Committee report on prison safety, 16 May 2016 and committee news release. Risks 751. 21 May 2016
Britain: Women and protective equipment - one size doesn’t fit all
Specialists’ union Prospect and TUC are among the organisations behind a new initiative to discover issues arising from provision of personal protective equipment (PPE) to women at work. “We are keen to learn whether the provision of PPE for women has improved in recent years; to identify good practice and to highlight any continuing areas of concern,” they say.
Women’s PPE survey: Does one size fit all? The closing date is 3 June. Risks 751. 21 May 2016
Britain: First year ever without a railworker death
For the first time since the advent of rail travel a year has passed without a railway worker losing his or her life. Mick Whelan, general secretary of train drivers’ union ASLEF, said the no fatalities precedent was “fantastic news,” adding “this safety record has been achieved with the active participation of trades unions following historic disasters on the railways.”
ORR news release. ASLEF news release. Risks 751. 21 May 2016
Britain: Dressing down for high heels required firm
A firm’s decision to send home a London receptionist after she refused to wear high heels has attracted widespread criticism. TUC women’s equality officer, Scarlet Harris, commented: “From a health and safety perspective, heels are bad for feet, joints and back,” adding: “The TUC even has an excellent guide on footwear at work which states unequivocally that dress codes which require women to wear heels are sexist – it’s not often you find a health and safety guide for reps calling out sexism.”
TUC Touchstone blog. Working feet and footwear, TUC guide. More on the hazards of standing at work. Background: Linder M and Salzman CL. A history of medical scientists and high heels, International Journal of Health Services, volume 28, number 2, pages 201-225, 1998. BBC News Online and BBC News Magazine.
Sign the petition: Make it illegal for a company to require women to wear high heels at work. Risks 751. 21 May 2016
Britain: Bosses tried to ‘pervert’ justice over blacklisting role
Victims of a construction industry blacklist who have been awarded a £75m out-of-court compensation settlement are to demand a police investigation into evidence key executives tried to pervert the course of justice. Evidence disclosed before the settlement has led many of the victims to claim that there was an illegal attempt by executives at Sir Robert McAlpine to destroy evidence and cover up the involvement of key individuals when the blacklisting was discovered in 2009.
The Guardian. Red Pepper. Risks 751. 21 May 2016
Britain: Is this man really fit for work?
A partially paralysed man with part of his head missing has been told he is fit for work by the government. As a result of the Work Capability Assessment for DWP by a private contractor, Kenny Bailey has lost £156 per fortnight, and will now have to survive on £470 every four weeks, his Personal Independence Payment.
The Mirror. Risks 751. 21 May 2016
Global: Too much dust disease, too little action
The contribution of exposures to dust and fumes at work to a major lung disease killer is higher than previously estimated, top occupational health researchers have warned. They add that the idea that some exposures at work are ‘nuisance dust’ suggests widespread complacency about the occupational risks of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the bronchitis and emphysema linked to thousands of work-related deaths in the UK alone each year.
Paul D Blanc and Kjell Torén, Editorial. COPD and occupation: resetting the agenda, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, volume 73, pages 357-358, June 2016 [abstract].
Resources: TUC dust in the workplace guide [pdf]. Dust up! If you want to breathe easy at work, be a nuisance on dust, Hazards magazine. Risks 751. 21 May 2016
Britain: Plastics boss dodges jail for worker’s death
A plastics factory owner from Cambridgeshire has been fined and given a 15 month suspended jail term after a young worker died when she was crushed by printing machinery. Peterborough Crown Court heard how Zydre Groblyte, a 23-year-old agency worker from Lithuania, was working in a print room for Gordon Leach, who trades as RGE Engineering Company.
HSE news release and work equipment webpages. Cambridge News. Risks 751. 21 May 2016
Britain: Lying businessman jailed for manslaughter
A businessman who ‘exploited’ an epileptic former soldier to work on unsafe scaffolding has been jailed for 40 months for manslaughter. Anthony Minehan, 63, refused to call an ambulance when Steven Weedon, 33, plunged from a ‘considerable distance’ and sustained serious injuries at the defendant’s home in Southport on 26 March 2014.
Liverpool Echo. ITV News. BBC News Online. Risks 751. 21 May 2016
Britain: Sickness absence and disability discrimination guide
‘Sickness absence and disability discrimination’, a TUC guide for union reps, seeks to increase understanding of the law and its limitations. The guide has been updated to take account of recent legal precedents.
TUC publication notice and guide, Sickness absence and disability discrimination, 2016. 21 May 2016
Global: Unions call on EU to halt glyphosate approval
Plantation and farming unions in six African countries - Cameroon, Ethiopia, Liberia, Malawi, Nigeria and Zambia - have lent their support to the campaign to halt glyphosate reauthorisation in the European Union. In communications to EU heads of state and the relevant EU authorities, the unions have pointed to the risks from agrochemicals their members confront on a daily basis, often in situations where there is no protective clothing, no proper chemical labelling, no training and no labour inspection.
IUF news release and ban glyphosate campaign. Risks 751. 21 May 2016
South Africa: Gold miners can sue over deadly silicosis
Former gold miners in South Africa can go ahead with a class action against mining companies over health damage they believe was caused by exposure to silica at work, a court in Johannesburg has ruled. The high court decision paves the way for what would become the largest class action in South African history.
COSATU news release. BBC News Online. Risks 751. 21 May 2016
USA: Toilet breaks blocked by chicken firms
Workers in America’s poultry plants are being routinely denied bathroom breaks, research by Oxfam America has found. Its report, ‘No relief’, is based on months of research and exposes how poultry workers are forced “to urinate and defecate while standing on the line; they wear diapers [nappies] to work; they restrict intake of liquids and fluids to dangerous degrees; they endure pain and discomfort while they worry about their health and job security.”
Oxfam America news release and report, No relief: Denial of bathroom breaks in the poultry industry, May 2015. Washington Post. Bloomberg. Fox News. Risks 751. 21 May 2016
USA: Unions essential to public health
Any decline in union power is a threat to public health, according to a paper in the latest edition of the American Journal of Public Health. Mike Wright, director of health and safety with the steelworkers’ union USW, notes that as well is improving workplace health and safety, unions negotiate better working conditions and access to health care, improve pay rates and benefits, protect workers from discrimination and unfair treatment and press for measures to reduce the environmental impact of production. Michael J Wright. The decline of American unions is a threat to public health, American Journal of Public Health, volume 106, number 6, pages 968-969, June 2016. Risks 751. 21 May 2016
Hazards news, 14 May 2016
Britain: Blacklisting firms face a £75m bill
Eight of the country’s biggest construction firms have agreed to pay an estimated £50m in compensation to blacklisted workers, equating to an average payout of £65,000 to each of the 771 workers. Some of the agreed payments to workers victimised for their union and safety activities are thought to be in excess of 200,000, with the firms also stumping up an estimated £25m in costs.
Unite news release. GMB news release. UCATT news release. Construction Enquirer. The Guardian. Personnel Today. BBC News Online. Risks 750. 14 May 2016
Britain: Fearful prison officers refuse work at Wormwood Scrubs
Prison staff at Wormwood Scrubs jail staged a 6 May work refusal over health and safety concerns. The union POA said its members had “individually chosen” not to enter the prison “as they have fears for their health and safety.”
POA news release. TUC news release. The Guardian. Morning Star. Risks 750. 14 May 2016
Britain: Thomas Cook cabin crew stand up for a break
Over 1,000 Thomas Cook airlines cabin crew are being balloted for industrial action in a dispute over health and safety concerns and ‘dangerous’ changes to rest breaks. If the changes go ahead, Unite members would be allowed just a single 20 minute break during an 11 hour 59 minute duty period.
Unite news release. Risks 750. 14 May 2016
Britain: Campaign hots up to save sacked safety rep
The leader of a Birmingham drug and alcohol charity, which sacked Unite health and safety rep Alison Morris for raising concerns with her manager over fire safety, has been deluged with calls for her reinstatement. Unite says David Biddle, the chief executive of CGL, the city’s leading substance abuse charity, has received nearly 3,000 emails supporting Alison Morris’ reinstatement.
Unite news release. Morning Star. Risks 750. 14 May 2016
USA: Pesticides linked to deadly nerve disease
Exposure to pesticides could affect the chances that a person will develop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, new research has found. There is no cure for this rapidly progressive motor neuron disease, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
Feng-Chiao Su and others. Association of environmental toxins with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, JAMA Neurology, published online first, 9 May 2016.
Jacquelyn J Cragg, Merit E Cudkowicz, Marc G Weisskopf, Editorial: The role of environmental toxins in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Risk, JAMA Neurology, published online first, 9 May 2016. Risks 750. 14 May 2016
Global: Unfairness at work can be bad for your health
Employees’ experiences of fairness at work can impact on their health, according to a new study involving the University of East Anglia (UEA). The researchers investigated whether perceptions of what they call ‘procedural justice’, and found that when perceptions of fairness changed, the self-rated health of employees also changed, with those who experienced more fairness on average over the period studied reported better health.
UEA news release. Constanze Leineweber, Constanze Eib, Paraskevi Peristera, and Claudia Bernhard-Oettel. The influence of procedural justice and change in procedural justice on self-rated health trajectories: Results from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health, Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health, published online first, May 2016. Risks 750. 14 May 2016
Britain: Low wages are an occupational health hazard
Low wages should be recognised as a genuine occupational health threat, US researchers have concluded. “Workers earning low wages may be at greater risk for disease and injury than workers earning high wages,” note J Paul Leigh and Roberto De Vogli of the University of California Davis School of Medicine in an editorial in the May edition of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, adding that low wages should be considered among the psychosocial factors - such as long work hours and high job strain - identified as occupational risks to health.
J Paul Leigh and Roberto De Vogli. Editorial: Low wages as occupational health hazards, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, volume 58, issue 5, pages 444–447, May 2016. Science Daily. Low blow: Low paid work comes with high work risks, Hazards, October-December 2014. Risks 750. 14 May 2016
Britain: Sluggish HMRC is hurting work disease victims
People suffering life threatening work-related diseases including occupational cancers are facing potentially disastrous delays of a year to receive their employment records from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), a top law firm has said. Lawyers at Irwin Mitchell, who have written to HMRC urging it to speed the system up, say the backlog is denying work disease victims compensation at the time they need it and in some cases resulting in denial of compensation completely.
Irwin Mitchell news release. Risks 750. 14 May 2016
Britain: Balfour Beatty fined £2.6m for trench fatality
A construction giant has been fined £2.6 million after an employee was killed when the unshored trench he was working in collapsed on him. James Sim, 32, a sub-contractor working on behalf of Balfour Beatty Utility Solutions Limited and was laying ducting for new cable for an offshore windfarm that was being built off the coast at Heysham, Lancashire.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 750. 14 May 2016
Britain: Worker killed in ‘obviously foreseeable’ fall
A Birmingham maintenance company has been fined £100,000 after 25-year-old Edward Beggs died as a result of falling from the roof of a five-storey building. Birmingham Crown Court heard how H20 Plumbing Services Limited was contracted to carry out repairs to two motor rooms situated on the roof of a building on Hagley Road, Birmingham.
HSE news release and work at heights webpages. Risks 750. 14 May 2016
Britain: Cargo firm fined for agency worker’s injuries
A Suffolk cargo handling company has been fined £100,000 after an agency worker suffered serious injuries when a sheet of marble weighing one tonne fell on him. Ipswich Crown Court heard how an employee of Extreme Handling Limited was working at GMA Warehousing and Transport Limited’s Felixstowe site.
HSE news release and forklift webpages. Risks 750. 14 May 2016
Britain: Frozen food giant McCain fined after arm horror
Frozen food manufacturer McCain Foods, a company reporting a pre-tax profit of nearly £64m, has been fined £800,000 for its criminal safety failings after an employee nearly lost his arm in a poorly guarded machine. Peterborough Crown Court heard how the arm of the 34-year-old employee became entangled in the machinery and was almost severed.
HSE news release and machinery safety webpages. Wisbech Standard. Risks 750. 14 May 2016
Britain: Work stress conference, 19-20 November, Birmingham
The UK Work Stress Network’s 2016 conference will place from Saturday 19 November to Sunday 20 November in Rednal, Birmingham. This year’s theme is ‘Mental health in the workplace – tackling work stress in a changing working environment.’
UK Work Stress Network: Conference details and booking form. Book and pay in full before September and you’ll qualify for a 10 per cent early bird discount. Risks 750. 14 May 2016
Europe: Global union slams EC on chemical risks
Voting in the European Parliament, public opinion and credible, independent scientific research appear increasingly irrelevant to the European Commission (EC) when it comes to the protection of public health and the environment, the global farm and food union has charged. Citing the case of the pesticide glyphosate, Peter Rossman of the plough-to-plate union federation IUF said despite 100,000 workers dying each year in the EU from work-related cancers, “we are experiencing a generalised retreat from regulation.”
Social Europe. Risks 750. 14 May 2016
Europe: Unions claim ‘cancer victory’ for workers
The European Commission has announced new ‘binding occupational exposure limits’ for 13 cancer-causing substances in a move the Europe-wide union body ETUC has called a ‘cancer victory’ for workers.
ETUC news release. More on the debate about a new silica standard. Risks 750. 14 May 2016
USA: Nursing now one of riskiest jobs
Nursing now ranks as one of the riskiest jobs in the US, with the highest rate of non-fatal occupational injuries, the president of the American Nurses Association (ANA) has indicated. Writing in the US government’s ‘Safe Healthcare’ blog, Pamela F Cipriano said the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ figures reveal h ow “nurses face painful musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) from manually lifting and moving patients, they suffer from approximately half of all needlestick injuries, nearly 1 in 4 have been physically assaulted, and half have been bullied at work.”
CDC Safe Healthcare blog. Risks 750. 14 May 2016
Hazards news, 7 May 2016
Britain: UCATT slams ‘derisory’ HSE site inspections
A ‘shocking’ decline in the number of Health and Safety Executive (HSE) construction inspectors is leaving many potentially deadly sites ‘effectively unmonitored for safety’, UCATT has warned. It says “the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) monitoring of this gargantuan, vital and highly dangerous industry is done by a mere 132 individuals… it was 141 in 2011/12.”
UCATT news release. Risks 749. 7 May 2016
Britain: Unions stand up against safety attack
Attempts by Conservative ministers and unscrupulous firms to dilute or circumvent health and safety legislation must be resisted, Unite has said. Unite regional secretary for the south east Jennie Formby, speaking on 28 April – International Workers’ Memorial Day - said: “Tory ministers driven by ideology, coupled with unscrupulous bosses trying to circumvent the regulations, are putting the lives of workers at risk.”
Unite news release. ITUC news release. HSE news release.
TUC 2016 Workers’ Memorial Day activities listing. ITUC/Hazards global events listing and resources. Risks 749. 7 May 2016
Britain: Warning on dangers of changing offshore shift patterns New offshore work patterns could make the already hazardous work more dangerous and must not be imposed on workers, a coalition of unions has warned. The Offshore Co-ordinating Group (OCG) was speaking out on the publication of its report, ‘Safety critical offshore workers in the UK oil and gas sector: Hours, shifts and schedules’, commissioned from the Scottish Centre for Employment Research (SCER) at Strathclyde University.
STUC news release. Safety Critical Offshore Workers in the UK Oil and Gas Sector: Hours, Shifts and Schedules, OCG, 2016. Risks 749. 7 May 2016
Britain: Blacklisting firms pay out millions in compensation
Hundreds of workers blacklisted by Britain’s biggest construction firms in an illegal conspiracy have won compensation following a long-running lawsuit. The out of court settlement was reached by lawyers acting for the Blacklist Support Group and the unions GMB and UCATT and brings to more than 600 the number of workers who have received compensation after their names appeared on the construction industry financed and run Consulting Association blacklist.
GMB news release. UCATT news release. Blacklist blog. BWI news release. The Guardian. BBC News Online. Construction Enquirer. Morning Star. The Mirror. Blacklist Support Group facebook page. Risks 749. 7 May 2016
Britain: High Court ‘blacklisting’ trial adjourned
A High Court trial involving outstanding blacklisting compensation claims against major construction firms has been adjourned until 9 June. Unite director of legal services Howard Beckett said: “Unite still represents about 90 members whose jobs were ruined and lives turned upside down by the ‘blacklisting’ scandal.”
Unite news release. Morning Star. Risks 749. 7 May 2016
Britain: Performance management is ‘divisive and unfair’
The performance management system used across the civil service is ‘divisive, unfair and demotivating’, an extensive survey by the union PCS has revealed. The system, which has been linked to high levels of workplace stress, burnout and ill-health, ranks workers and puts a fixed percentage of lower ranked staff on a path to performance-related dismissal.
PCS news release and performance management guidance. CWU news release. Risks 749. 7 May 2016
Britain: Soaring stress levels sickening DWP staff
More sick days are lost to depression and anxiety than any other illness at the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP), new figures show, with civil service union PCS saying it highlights the pressure on staff forced to implement “cruel policies”. PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka linked the evidence of high pressure on DWP staff to government policies. The Independent. Risks 749. 7 May 2016
Britain: Warning on exodus of stressed school support staff
More than half (52 per cent) of school support staff across the UK have experienced stress, anxiety or depression as they struggle to cope with their workloads, according to a new survey by UNISON. Over two-fifths (41.5 per cent) of those who took part in the survey said they had difficulty in completing their work, and more than one in eight (13.4 per cent) said they found it impossible to manage all that was being asked of them.
UNISON news release and survey findings. Risks 749. 7 May 2016
Britain: NHS workers are being fed rubbish
Health service workers are begin compelled to eat unhealthy, poor quality food, with night shift workers particularly badly served, a survey from UNISON and the Campaign for Better Hospital Food (CBHF) has found. It discovered nurses and other health employees are being forced to survive on fast food – or on poor quality vending machine snacks - because hospitals are failing to provide proper facilities.
UNISON news release. Workplace well-being programmes: A guide for safety reps, TUC, December 2015. Other workers’ health resources. Risks 749. 7 May 2016
Britain: Lawyers confirm Brexit rights threat
A new legal opinion has confirmed that workers’ employment rights are at risk if the UK votes to leave the EU. The report says that even if the UK was to remain in the single market, but outside the EU, some rights would be at risk, including working time protections, discrimination compensation, and protections for agency workers.
TUC news release. GQ Employment Law news release. Opinion by Michael Ford QC, March 2016. EU Membership and Health and Safety, TUC, April 2016. Risks 749. 7 May 2016
Britain: Martin Temple to be new HSE chair
Martin Temple is to be the new chair of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), replacing Judith Hackitt, whose second term had ended. Hackitt, meanwhile, now holds Temple’s old job as chair of manufacturers’ lobby organisation EEF.
DWP news release. Risks 749. 7 May 2016
Britain: Site workers return after bridge tragedy
Workers returning for duty on Scotland’s Queensferry Crossing construction job fell silent to honour a colleague killed on the site on 28 April, International Workers’ Memorial Day. John Cousins was fatally injured in an incident on the under-construction bridge over the Forth.
Unite news release. UCATT news release. Daily Record. The Courier. Morning Star. Risks 749. 7 May 2016
Britain: UK prison system in crisis as violence soars
An alarming rise in violent incidents has sparked warnings the prison system is failing prisoners and staff. Figures released by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) have revealed that violence has increased in the past 12 months and, in some cases, is close to double the rates from 2010, with prisoner on staff assaults up from 3,640 in 2014 to 4,963 in 2015, an increase of 36 per cent.
Safety in Custody statistics, MoJ, 28 April 2016. POA news release. Howard League for Penal Reform news release. The Independent. Risks 749. 7 May 2016
Britain: Former teacher's death linked to asbestos
Former colleagues of a man who died from asbestos-related cancer are being urged to help with an investigation into how he came into contact with the harmful substance.
David Clegg, a former teacher and factory worker from Knottingley, was diagnosed with mesothelioma just a week before he died in February, aged 58.
Pontefract and Castleford Express. Anyone with information is being asked to contact Ian Toft at Irwin Mitchell Solicitors on 0113 218 6453. Risks 749. 7 May 2016
Britain: Dangerous demolition firm fined after tip-off
A Nottinghamshire demolition company has been fined for criminal safety failings following a call from a whistleblower to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Leicester Magistrates’ Court heard how Prodem Demolition and Asbestos Limited was removing roof tiles from a domestic property on 16 July 2015 when it was reported to the HSE for undertaking unsafe work at height.
HSE news release and demolition webpage. Risks 749. 7 May 2016
Britain: Tell CGL to reinstate safety rep Alison!
Victimised Unite health and safety representative Alison Morris was sacked after raising concerns about inoperable fire alarms at the Birmingham drug and alcohol abuse charity CGL. Unite says within days of Alison’s dismissal, the campaign for her reinstatement had seen around 1,500 emails sent to David Biddle, CEO of CGL, but adds: “We will continue the fight to get Alison's dismissal overturned but need your support to strengthen our voice.”
Send an email to CGL’s David Biddle and show your support for safety rep Alison. Risks 749. 7 May 2016
Australia: ‘Regulatory capture’ allows return of fatal disease
A federal government inquiry into the re-emergence of work-related black lung disease in Australia has called for company doctors and government safety inspectors to be trained to avoid ‘regulatory capture’. A ‘perfect storm’ of regulatory failure, indifference from the mining industry, poor dust control and patchy health monitoring is responsible for the re-emergence of black lung disease among Queensland coalminers, the inquiry found.
Black Lung: "It has buggered my life". The Guardian. Labour Herald. CFMEU Make black lung history campaign. Risks 749. 7 May 2016
Global: The price of your cup of tea
A damning report on the working and living conditions of India's tea workers has been published by the global food and farming union IUF and the Global Network for the Right to Food and Nutrition. ‘A Life without dignity - the price of your cup of tea’ is the outcome of a fact-finding mission led by the IUF and involving members of the network.
IUF news release. A Life without dignity - the price of your cup of tea, IUF, May 2016. Risks 749. 7 May 2016
Japan: Bus driver’s suicide was work-related
The Nagoya High Court in Japan has overturned a lower court decision and recognised the suicide of a Nagoya City bus driver as work-related, caused by heavy workloads and “power harassment”. The court ruled Yamada Akira, who was 37 at the time of his death, suffered from a nervous breakdown due to verbal abuse from a manager and lengthy police interviews around the same time regarding a minor accident over which the manager made him turn himself into the police.
Japan Press. More on work-related suicide. Risks 749. 7 May 2016
Norway: Helicopter tragedy is a ‘wake-up call’
The 29 April helicopter crash that killed 13 people on their way back from an oil platform off Norway’s west coast has heightened concerns over whether the industry’s deepest cost cuts in 15 years are undermining safety. While the cause of the crash of the CHC Group Ltd helicopter on Norway’s North Sea coast is still unknown, the accident is a “wake-up call,” said Leif Sande, the leader of the Industry Energy, the biggest oil union in the country.
Energy Voice. BBC News Online. The Guardian. Risks 749. 7 May 2016
Hazards news, 30 April 2016
Britain: All you need to know about Hazards at Work
The new edition of the TUC’s best-selling guide to health and safety at work is now available. The union body says: “It explains the way unions organise to improve health, safety and welfare, how the law has changed in recent years and gives full details of the key legal provisions and how they are enforced.”
TUC Hazards at Work publication briefing, printable order form or order online from the TUC publications shop. Risks 748. 30 April 2016.
Britain: Brexit could put millions at risk at work
Leaving the EU could put millions of people in the UK at increased risk of work-related injury and ill-health, a TUC report has concluded. ‘EU membership and health and safety’, published on 28 April to coincide with International Workers’ Memorial Day, finds that EU legislation has helped stop illnesses and injuries at work, and saved lives.
TUC news release and report, EU Membership and Health and Safety.
International Workers’ Memorial Day worldwide activities. Risks 748. 30 April 2016.
Britain: Union warning on conditions on Shell oil platforms
Offshore workers employed by a contractor on Shell’s North Sea platforms are demanding the withdrawal of proposals to cut their terms and conditions. Unite is to meet with the Wood Group’s management team to press home offshore workers’ opposition to further cuts which it says could jeopardise safety.
Unite news release. Socialist Worker. Risks 748. 30 April 2016.
Britain: Charity fires safety rep for raising ‘fire alarm’ alert
A union health and safety rep working for CGL, a leading drug and alcohol abuse charity, has been sacked after pointing out fire hazards that could have cost colleagues’ lives, her union Unite has said. Alison Morris, a drugs referral team leader, was summarily dismissed earlier this month from her Reach Out Recovery job, following her joint inspection with a fire brigade officer that found non-operational fire alarms in the building.
Unite news release. Risks 748. 30 April 2016.
Britain: Warnings as fire deaths rise sharply
Fire chiefs have joined the firefighters’ union FBU to raise concerns about the deadly impact of fire service cuts. Reacting to new official figures showing a 21 per cent rise in fire deaths over the past year, FBU general secretary Matt Wrack said: “We are now witnessing the tragic results of such wrong-headed cuts to the fire and rescue service.”
FBU news release. The Guardian. Risks 748. 30 April 2016.
Europe: Nautilus action call on shipping’s ‘rotten underbelly’
Seafarers’ union Nautilus has called for a further crackdown on substandard shipping in European waters following a UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) report on the loss of a cement carrier and its eight crew off Scotland in January 2015. MAIB concluded that the capsize of the Cyprus-flagged Cemfjord in ‘extraordinarily violent sea conditions’ was the ‘predictable’ result of poor passage planning and commercial pressures.
Nautilus news release. MAIB news release. BBC News Online. Risks 748. 30 April 2016.
Britain: Campaigning successes gets UNISON rep a top award
A UNISON rep who has helped address safety problems at work, in Scotland and across the UK and Europe has won a top award from the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC). Glasgow City UNISON health and safety officer Scott Donohoe is the recipient of this year’s STUC Frank Maguire Award for Health and Safety.
STUC news release. Risks 748. 30 April 2016.
Britain: Two firms fined over two occupational diseases
Two Derbyshire-based construction firms have been fined for criminal safety offences as a result of separate investigations into reported cases of occupational diseases. Derby Crown Court heard how employees at Sandvik Mining and Construction Limited and Sandvik Construction Mobile Crushers and Screeners Limited were regularly exposed to hand arm vibration that led to separate reported cases of carpal tunnel syndrome and hand-arm vibration syndrome.
HSE news release. Risks 748. 30 April 2016.
Britain: Explosives to be used in Didcot demolition
Explosives are to be used to demolish the remaining section of the collapsed Didcot Power Station. Four workers were killed and five injured in the collapse on 23 February, with one body recovered from the site. RWE Npower said it knew controlled explosions at the site would be distressing for the missing workers' families.
Construction Enquirer. BBC News Online. Risks 748. 30 April 2016.
Britain: Explosion at car seat maker injures worker
A vehicle seat manufacturing company based in Ebbw Vale has been fined after a worker was injured from an explosion. Cwmbran Magistrates’ Court heard how an operator at Sears Manufacturing Company (Europe) Limited suffered burns to his head and hands when a highly flammable release agent used in the manufacturing process ignited, causing an explosion.
HSE news release and fire and explosion webpages. Wales Online. Risks 748. 30 April 2016.
Britain: Teenage apprentice loses finger on rotary press
The owner of a Leamington Spa business that manufactures specialist adhesive tape for industrial applications has been fined after a teenage apprentice lost his finger on a rotary die press. James Fussell, trading as Tecman Speciality Materials, pleaded guilty to a criminal breach of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 and was fined £6,000 with £1,754 costs.
HSE news release and work equipment webpages. Risks 748. 30 April 2016.
Britain: Site worker seriously injured in fall through void
A construction company based in Derbyshire has been fined after a worker was seriously injured when he fell 4.5 metres through a void. Edinburgh Sheriff Court heard the injured worker, who was employed by a sub-contractor working for Bowmer and Kirkland Limited, dislodged an unsecured wooden board that had been placed over the void and exposed the opening of the two-by-one metre hole.
HSE news release and work at height webpages. Risks 748. 30 April 2016.
Asia: Justice call three years after factory collapse
On 24 April, workers in Bangladesh and Pakistan remembered the dead and demanded improved factory safety, and punishment to those responsible for a garment factory tragedy in Bangladesh three years ago. Affiliates of the global union federation IndustriALL formed a human chain and organised a press conference in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka to mark the anniversary.
IndustriALL news release. ITUC news release. TUC news release. Bangladesh Accord. Risks 748. 30 April 2016.
]Europe: Anger at EC inaction on nanomaterials
The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) says the decision by the European Commission to set up an EU Observatory for nanomaterials, instead of a Register, fails to protect workers from health risks and does not contribute in any way to the traceability of nanomaterials, and the transparency and accountability of industry. “Workers have a right to know what they are handling and being exposed to,” said Esther Lynch, ETUC confederal secretary.
ETUC news release. Risks 748. 30 April 2016.
Global: Seafood workers face ‘barbaric’ conditions
International union bodies have joined forces to increase pressure on seafood companies to stop the “barbaric” treatment of their workers. At a meeting coinciding with the Brussels Seafood Expo Global, which brings together more than 2,000 fish and aquaculture companies, the unions said ‘concrete measures’ must be introduced to protect workers producing seafood imported into the European Union.
ITF news release. Risks 748. 30 April 2016.
Global: One worker killed every 15 seconds
The global union federation ITUC has warned negligent employers of the consequences of putting workers’ lives at risk. Commenting on the eve of International Workers’ Memorial Day on 28 April, ITUC general secretary Sharan Burrow said: “Over 2 million workers die needlessly every year because their workplaces are dusty, dirty and dangerous.”
ITUC news release. Risks 748. 30 April 2016.
Hazards news, 23 April 2016
Britain: Have you experienced sexual harassment at work?
Recent TUC polling indicates that sexual harassment is still rife in many workplaces. As part of its project on sexual harassment in the workplace, the TUC would now like to hear about your experiences of sexual harassment. It has prepared a short online survey where you can describe your experience. The information you share will be treated in confidence and the survey can be completed anonymously.
TUC news alert. Take the survey now. Risks 747. 23 April 2016
Britain: Unite launches lead exposure register
Concerns over exposure to lead at work have led the union Unite to create an exposure register to track members who may have been at risk from the potent nerve poison, which is also linked to kidney and brain damage and cancer. The union says information in this Lead Exposure Register will be used to assist in pursuing personal injury claims for affected workers, to identify members who were employed by the same company or at the same site and may have been exposed and to trace witnesses who can assist with claims.
Unite news release. Risks 747. 23 April 2016
Britain: Court of Appeal backs unions on sick absence
Civil service unions have recorded a major victory on sickness absence. A Court of Appeal ruling released on 15 April has confirmed that the Department for Transport (DfT) is unable to change contractual sickness absence rules without the agreement of unions.
Prospect news release. PCS news release. The appeal court judgment in full. Risks 747. 23 April 2016
Britain: Call for drone safety action after Heathrow incident
Unions have called for urgent action on drone safety following reports one may have collided with an airliner as it came in to land at Heathrow airport. The unions were speaking out after a police investigation was launched into a reported incident on 17 April where a passenger plane approaching Heathrow Airport and carrying 132 passengers and five crew flew into what is believed to have been a drone.
Prospect news release. BALPA blog. BBC News Online. London Evening Standard. Risks 747. 23 April 2016
Britain: Dangerous school closures a ‘national scandal’
The closure of 17 Edinburgh schools because of serious safety concerns makes a review of public private partnerships (PPP) and private finance initiative (PFI) projects unavoidable, the union Unite has said. The action at the 10-year-old schools was prompted after workers attending to structural issues at one Edinburgh primary found “further serious defects.”
Unite news release. EIS news release. Morning Star. Risks 747. 23 April 2016
Britain: Tackling prison fight cost worker her job
A former prison worker has been awarded £140,000 after a six-year legal battle with the prison service following an injury that ended her career. While working at a London young offender’s institute, the POA member had been restraining a prisoner after a fight had broken out.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 747. 23 April 2016
Britain: Prison carpenter developed work-related lung cancer
A POA member from County Durham has received compensation of £220,832 after contracting asbestos-related lung cancer. The retired carpenter, whose name has not been released, was employed in various prisons between 1963 and 1995 where he carried out maintenance work on prison buildings.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Northern Echo. Risks 747. 23 April 2016
Britain: Chemicals can hurt wherever you work
You don’t have to work in the chemical industry to be harmed by chemicals at work, two 59-year-old Unite members have found to their cost. One was sprayed with bromine and suffered serious burns, the other exposed to a concrete-curing chemical which aggravated childhood asthma, which had not affected his health since he was 10-years-old.
Thompsons Solicitors news releases on the acid burns and chemical fumes settlements. Risks 747. 23 April 2016
Britain: Better pay can fix mental health problems
A new study has found that low-paid workers who received the national minimum wage in April 1999 reported a decline in symptoms of depression for at least 22 months afterwards. The researchers discovered that receiving the national minimum wage was equivalent to the effect of taking antidepressants.
University of Oxford news release. Aaron Reeves, Martin McKee, Johan Mackenbach, Margaret Whitehead and David Stuckler. Introduction of a national minimum wage reduced depressive symptoms in low-wage workers: a quasi-natural experiment in the UK, Health Economics, published online ahead of print, April 2016. Risks 747. 23 April 2016
Global: Good ventilation needed for desktop 3D printers
A new study shows that desktop 3D printers release produce airborne nanoparticles that should be controlled to avoid hazardous exposures. A study by the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) and the University of Helsinki had confirmed nanoparticles are emitted into the air when printers are used.
FIOH news release. Risks 747. 23 April 2016
Britain: Firm fined after forklift truck operator killed
North Yorkshire steel fabrication company Severfield (UK) Limited has been fined after a forklift truck operator was killed when the truck he was operating overturned. Teesside Crown Court heard 27-year-old Kelvin McGibbon was not wearing a seatbelt and suffered crush injuries that proved fatal.
HSE news release and forklift webpages. Construction Enquirer. ITV News. York Press. Risks 747. 23 April 2016
Britain: Three companies fined after two incidents
Two injuries in three months at the Haverhill site of the Jan Cavelle Furniture Company have led to the firm and two safety consultancies being fined for criminal health and safety failings. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incidents which occurred on 28 February 2014 and 2 June 2014 found that both were the result of unsafe working practices.
HSE news release and lifting operations webpages. Risks 747. 23 April 2016
Britain: HSE finds dangerous pit behind front door
A London construction company has been fined after inspectors found a deep unprotected pit had been excavated immediately behind the only entrance to a site. Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard how RS Construction UK (London) Limited was working at a site when a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector found there was an excavation directly behind the front door, which was the only way in or out of the site.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 747. 23 April 2016
Global: Union targets mine safety for 28 April
To mark International Workers’ Memorial Day on 28 April, the global mining union IndustriALL, will be tweeting for mine safety. It says: “On this day, mourn the dead, but fight for the living: tell your government to make mining safer by ratifying ILO Convention 176.”
INdustriALL Thunderclap for mine safety: Tweet ‘Mourn the dead, fight for the living: it's time to ratify ILO #C176 on #MineSafety #IWMD16 http://thndr.me/Nw6RC0’.
TUC 2016 Workers’ Memorial Day activities listing. Add your 28 April event to the TUC. .
For UK Workers’ Memorial Day resources including ribbons, car stickers and free posters, contact the Greater Manchester Hazards Centre by email or phone 0161 636 7557.
ITUC/Hazards global events listing and resources, including new posters in English, French and Spanish. For tweeters, use the #iwmd16
Risks 747. 23 April 2016
Australia: Deaths expose folly of trucking safety move
A weekend that saw 18 deaths involving trucks on Australia’s roads has exposed the folly of government plans to abolish a tribunal created to lift the pressure on truckers to drive unsafely, the transport union TWU has said. TWU national secretary Tony Sheldon said: “We know that a deadly cycle is at play in transport with major retailers and manufacturers squeezing transport operators and drivers with low cost contracts to the point that our roads are not safe.”
TWU news release and safe rates campaign. Sydney Morning Herald. Risks 747. 23 April 2016
Global: Tribunal attack is an ‘attack on road safety’
The Australian government’s plan to abolish the country’s Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal (RSRT) if re-elected is “an attack on safety”, the global transport unions’ federation ITF has said. ITF general secretary Steve Cotton stated: “To stretch belief even further this decision comes at a time when the Safe Rates model – of safe and fair pay and conditions across the transport supply chain – that was born in Australia is being studied and imitated around the world.”
ITF news release and webpage on the safe rates model. The Conversation. The Guardian. Risks 747. 23 April 2016
Global: Deadly LafargeHolcim must talk about safety
International trade unions have launch an online petition calling on building products giant LafargeHolcim to respect workers’ rights and improve its poor health and safety record. The unions say around 70 workers die each year toiling for LafargeHolcim, 90 per cent of whom are employed indirectly.
IndustriALL news release. BWI news release.
Send the message to LafargeHolcim’s CEO to demand now that LafargeHolcim respect workers’ rights! Risks 747. 23 April 2016
Global: H&M told to deliver ‘safety conscious’ fashion
Labour rights groups in Europe, Bangladesh and North America are calling on high street fashion multinational H&M to deliver a ‘safety conscious’ clothing line. The Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC), International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF), and United Students Against Sweatshops are urging consumers to participate in a global day of action on 3 May, with activities running through the preceding week and spanning International Workers’ Memorial Day on 28 April.
H&M broken promises website. Clean Clothes Campaign website. 23 April 2016
Hazards news, 16 April 2016
Global: Voluntary standards don’t stand up
Plans for a certifiable international standard on health and safety are well underway. But the International Organisation for Standardisation’s (ISO) proposed ISO 45001 standard, currently being rushed to completion, is a potentially unhealthy alternative to binding and enforceable laws, the European trade union research body ETUI has concluded.
A new ISO standard for occupational health and safety management systems: is this the right approach?, ETUI briefing, 2016. TUC Stronger Unions blog. Risks 746. 16 April 2016
Britain: ‘Blacklisting mastermind’ refuses to give evidence
The alleged architect of the construction blacklisting scandal, Cullum McAlpine, has declined to give evidence when the case comes before the High Court next month. Unite condemned the decision by the top director of Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd as ‘a further gross insult’ to the thousands of construction workers who have lost their jobs because of the covert activities of two industry backed organisations, the Consulting Association and its predecessor, the Services Group of the Economic League.
Unite news release. Risks 746. 16 April 2016
Britain: Warning on ‘dangerous’ plans to axe marine offices
Shipping union RMT has warned that the Maritime & Coastguard Agency’s plans for the phased closure of Marine Offices at Tyne and Plymouth, Beverley, Harwich and Orpington and Norwich are a ‘dangerous’ move that could put seafarers at risk. The union said the offices provide “essential administrative and technical support” which could be jeopardised by these and other planned changes, including outsourcing database, survey and inspection work.
RMT news release. The MCA consultation document. Risks 746. 16 April 2016
Britain: Concern over recovery of missing Didcot workers
Unite has expressed ‘increasing concern’ over the time it is taking to locate and recover the bodies of three missing men following the collapse of Didcot power station on 23 February. The union said members across the industry were questioning whether the recovery team has had enough resources to complete the recovery in a safe and timely manner.
Unite news release. Risks 746. 16 April 2016
Britain: Six years in jail for building boss after fatal fall
Construction boss Allan Thomson has been jailed for six years after being convicted of gross negligence manslaughter. Two of his employees fell through a roof they were repairing in separate incidents on the same day, with the man who died, 42-year-old Scott Harrower, having also survived a near miss the previous day.
GMP news release. Construction Enquirer. Littleborough Local. Rochdale Online. Risks 746. 16 April 2016
Britain: Contractor jailed over trench death
A self-employed contractor has been jailed after employee Hywel Glyndwr Richards, 54, was killed when the trench he was working in collapsed. William Ryan was found guilty at Swansea Crown Court of a criminal safety breach and given a six month custodial sentence.
HSE news release and excavation webpages. Risks 746. 16 April 2016
Global: BP gets tax windfall after deadly blast settlement
In the six years since BP's Deepwater Horizon disaster killed 11 workers and poured millions of gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico, there has been a clamour for justice. But the 4 April historic $20 billion (£14bn) settlement against the oil giant has not turned out to be the harsh punishment many hoped for - the settlement's terms are so generous to the UK-based multinational that it amounts to a tax break worth billions.
US PIRG statement. Common Dreams. Forbes. International Business Times. The Guardian. Wall Street Journal. Risks 746. 16 April 2016
Britain: Private eye tracks down dangerous demolition firm
A dangerous demolition contractor the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) had to track down using a private detective has been given a suspended jail term. Scot Ian Richardson trading as Aztec Demolition was found guilty of a series of criminal health and safety offences, given a four month suspended jail term and 200 hours community service and ordered to pay costs of £1,200.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 746. 16 April 2016
Britain: Worker suffers chemical burns at electropolishing firm
An electropolishing company based in Hampshire has been fined after a worker suffered chemical burns. Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court heard how Keith Brown, a 51-year-old worker at Poligrat (UK) Limited, was told by his manager to dispose of waste cleaning chemicals at their Aldershot site.
HSE news release and COSHH toolbox. Risks 746. 16 April 2016
Global: Study links many jobs to non-Hodgkin lymphoma
New research has identified a wide range of occupations associated with a risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a group of related cancers affecting the body’s immune system. The study concluded: “This pooled analysis supports a role for textile-, hairdressing-, and farming-related exposures in the development of NHL,” adding: “Additional occupations associated with NHL or NHL subtypes include cleaners, painters, printers, and wood workers.”
Andrea ‘t Mannetje and others. Occupation and risk of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and Its subtypes: A pooled analysis from the InterLymph Consortium, Environmental Health Perspectives, April 2016. ETUI alert. Risks 746. 16 April 2016
Global: Greenpeace puts its chemical detox research online
A campaign by environmental group Greenpeace “for a toxic-free future where hazardous chemicals are no longer produced, used and dumped into our environment” was behind its decision to create a large and growing ‘chemical detox’ database. The two year project has resulted in a database already including entries on over 17,000 substances.
Greenpeace blog. Greenpeace Detox Campaign Chemical Investigation database and executive summary. Risks 746. 16 April 2016
Global: 28 April – campaigning here, there, everywhere
International Workers’ Memorial Day is less than two weeks away, and is once again set to be the biggest event ever on the health and safety calendar. New resources for the ‘Strong Laws - Strong Enforcement - Strong Unions’ themed event, including new posters in English, French and Spanish versions, can be downloaded from the ITUC/Hazards 28april.org website.
TUC 2016 Workers’ Memorial Day activities listing. Add your 28 April event to the TUC . For UK Workers’ Memorial Day resources including ribbons and car stickers, contact the Greater Manchester Hazards Centre by email or phone 0161 636 7557.
ITUC/Hazards global events listing and resources, including new posters in English, French and Spanish. For tweeters, use the #iwmd16 Risks 746. 16 April 2016
Australia: Outrage at plan to axe road safety watchdog
The Australian Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) has condemned an announcement by the country’s premier, Malcolm Turnbull, that he intends to abolish the Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal brought in to ensure truckers receive “safe rates” for their work in the notoriously deadly industry. “Malcolm Turnbull is defunding and abolishing independent judicial investigations into holding banks, oil companies, retailers, manufacturers and ports and wharves to account for unsafe, economic pressure on their transport supply chains,” said TWU national secretary Tony Sheldon.
TWU news release. The Guardian. Risks 746. 16 April 2016
Australia: Fears over asbestos in imported building materials
Concerns have been raised about asbestos being imported into Australia in cheap building materials, with more than 50 sites thought to be affected. While the importation of any materials containing asbestos has been banned in Australia for the past decade, investigations carried out by the Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency (ASEA) have led to the monitoring of buildings across several states, amid concerns that cheap imported materials from China have contained the carcinogenic substance.
ASEA evidence. Supply Management. Risks 746. 16 April 2016
France: Some glyphosate weedkillers to be banned
France's health and safety agency has decided to ban weedkillers that combine the chemicals glyphosate and tallowamine because of concerns over possible health risks. The ANSES agency has sent a letter to manufacturers informing them that it intends to withdraw the authorisation for such products, said Francoise Weber, the watchdog’s deputy director-general.
AgWeek. Sign the IUF/PAN letter to Vytenis Andriukaitis, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety; Donald Tusk, President of the European Council; and Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament. Risks 746. 16 April 2016
USA: Judgment day for reckless executives
On 6 April, a US Federal District Court judge, Irene C Berger, sentenced Donald L Blankenship, a former chief executive of the Massey Energy Company once known as the “King of Coal,” to one year in jail, with imprisonment to begin regardless of a pending appeal, and payment of a $250,000 fine. Rena Steinzor, a professor in the school of law at the University of Maryland, said the judge’s decision “sets a remarkable precedent: The first CEO ever to be convicted of conspiring to violate industrial safety standards will soon take his place in prison.”
New York Times op-ed by Rena Steinzor and related news report. The Pump Handle. Risks 746. 16 April 2016
Hazards news, 9 April 2016
Britain: HSE to be half the watchdog it used to be
The UK’s health and safety watchdog is not the regulator, enforcer or guide it used to be – and things could be about to get a lot worse, the TUC has warned. TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson said: “In 2009/10, before the coalition government came to power, the HSE received £231 million from the government,” but added: “In 2019/20 it will receive £123 million.”
TUC Stronger Unions blog. HSE business plan 2016/17 and Helping Great Britain work well strategy. Risks 745. 9 April 2016
Britain: Safety laws could be at risk from Brexit
Years of uncertainty for workers and employers could be the result of a UK vote to leave the European Union, a top labour law expert has warned. The independent legal opinion, commissioned by the TUC from Michael Ford QC of Old Square Chambers, notes that rights that would be most at risk of being diluted or scrapped after Brexit are health and safety protections.
TUC news release and independent legal opinion. Risks 745. 9 April 2016
Britain: Report slams schools asbestos ‘scandal’
Decades of failing to deal with deadly asbestos in schools is a national “scandal” threatening the health of former, current and future schoolchildren, a wide-ranging investigation has found. The Joint Union Asbestos Committee (JUAC) said case histories it identified underlined “systematic failings” in the way asbestos in school premises was dealt with by successive governments.
Yorkshire Post. IBAS news report. Morning Star. Risks 745. 9 April 2016
Britain: Usdaw scoops top safety campaign award
Shopworkers’ trade union Usdaw has won a top award from the Suzy Lamplugh Trust for its Freedom from Fear campaign, recognising the union’s achievements in improving personal safety. The Trust’s National Personal Safety Awards recognise the work being done across the UK to keep people safe from violence and aggression and highlight best practice in the field.
Usdaw news release. Suzy Lamplugh Trust. Risks 745. 9 April 2016
Britain: 'Never again' say FBU, as firefighter inquest opens
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has said the needless deaths of firefighters in the line of duty has to stop. The union was speaking out on 4 April, as the inquest into the death of Manchester firefighter Stephen Hunt opened. Stephen, who was based at Philips Park fire station in Manchester, was killed fighting a fire in Manchester city centre on 13 July 2013.
FBU news release. Risks 745. 9 April 2016
Britain: Teachers warn of action over excessive workload
Teachers are threatening strike action in their campaign against excessive workload.
The National Union of Teachers' annual conference called for “sustained strike action” to back schools challenging a long hours culture.
NUT news release. BBC News Online. Risks 745. 9 April 2016
Britain: Workload is behind the teaching crisis
Workload is the key driver of the teacher shortage crisis, putting people off becoming teachers and compelling enthusiastic teachers to leave, according to a new survey by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL). The union’s survey last month of 876 education staff asked what they thought might stop people from wanting to become teachers; 93 per cent cited workload and 91 per cent said poor work/life balance.
ATL news release. Morning Star. Risks 745. 9 April 2016
Britain: Teachers ‘on brink of drugs and self-harm’
Many teachers are on the brink of turning to medication, alcohol and self-harm to deal with increased stress at work, teachers’ union NASUWT has revealed. More than 20 per cent of members reported increased use of alcohol and caffeine to deal with work-related pressures, the union’s survey found.
NASUWT news release. Morning Star. Risks 745. 9 April 2016
Britain: Maintenance worker developed disabling lung disease
The family of a West Yorkshire maintenance worker who developed a disabling lung condition after working with asbestos has received compensation from the NHS. Unite member Jack Coleman from Cleckheaton worked as a plumber at Leeds General Infirmary from 1980 until 2004, where he repaired pipework lagged with asbestos in the hospital.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Telegraph and Argus. Risks 745. 9 April 2016
Britain: Family of engineer appeal for asbestos help
The family of a BECTU member Patrick Smith is urging anyone who has worked at aerial transmission sites in the UK to come forward with information about the working conditions. Patrick worked as a technical engineer between 1977 and 2014 at locations including Wenvoe, Wood Norton, Daventry, Sutton Coldfield, Wooferton, Washford, Ascension Island, Droitwich and Bressay.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Anyone who may have any relevant information should contact Jackie Wood at Thompsons on 0207 290 0031. Risks 745. 9 April 2016
Britain: Keyboard use led to RSI and job loss
A Unite member has been awarded £30,000 in damages after developing a repetitive strain injury (RSI) from excessive use of a computer keyboard. The 31-year-old woman, whose name has not been released, suffered a strain injury to her right wrist while working as an administrator at an unnamed charity, where she would spend up to eight hours a day entering data onto a computer.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 745. 9 April 2016
Britain: Action call on pregnancy discrimination ‘disgrace’
The TUC has demanded immediate government action after a report revealed over threequarters of working mothers had experienced pregnancy discrimination. The union body’s call came in response to a report published by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), which also revealed “4 per cent of mothers reported they left their job as a result of health and safety risks which were not resolved; if scaled up to the general population this could affect 21,000 mothers a year.”
EHRC news release. TUC news release. Risks 745. 9 April 2016
Britain: Police Scotland told to act on asbestos
Police Scotland has been told to take ‘remedial action’ over the presence of asbestos in some of its buildings. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) served the force with an improvement notice following inspections at four sites in Glasgow earlier this year.
The Herald. BBC News Online. Risks 745. 9 April 2016
Global: Tell FIFA to stop World Cup exploitation
Amnesty International has exposed exploitation of migrant workers building the Khalifa International Stadium, a ground slated to host a football World Cup semi-final in 2022. ‘The ugly side of the beautiful game’, a report from the human rights organisation, says that despite promising to improve protections, Qatar has failed to adequately reform its exploitative migrant labour system.
Amnesty news release, report and online action call on FIFA and its sponsors to take a tougher line in making Qatar act now. TUC Stronger Unions blog. GMB news release. Risks 745. 9 April 2016
Britain: Hazards conference, Keele, 29-31 July 2016
Book your place now the national Hazards conference, the country’s biggest annual gathering of grassroots safety and union reps. The theme this year for the Hazards Campaign-organised event is ‘Building resistance to support safety reps’.
Hazards conference 2016: Booking form. Risks 745. 9 April 2016
Bangladesh: Worker dies, guards fire on protesters
Seven people, including a 16-year-old boy, were injured after guards at a shipbreaking company in Bangladesh opened fire on people protesting against the death of a worker. Mohammad Sumon was killed instantly when a truck transporting scrap steel from the Kabir Steel yard in Chittagong, ran him over on the morning on 28 March 2016.
IndustriALL news release. Risks 745. 9 April 2016
Europe: Worker participation makes work safer
Firms across Europe are far less likely to undertake risk assessments where there is an absence of effective worker participation, a survey has found. The findings come in the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) second European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks (ESENER-2), which also found the most commonly reported reason for addressing occupational health and safety issues was to fulfil legal obligations, reported by 85 per cent of establishments.
EU-OSHA news release. Risks 745. 9 April 2016
Europe: Ban glyphosate, get off the pesticide treadmill
Campaigners have said the European Commission must be stopped from proceeding with the renewed authorisation in the European Union of the toxic herbicide glyphosate, the active ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup and the world's most widely-used herbicide. The demand from the global food and farming union IUF and Pesticide Action Network (PAN) International, comes as renewed authorisation is being pushed through despite an International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) warning last year that glyphosate is probably carcinogenic to humans and other evidence of the impact of glyphosate on food and health.
IUF news alert. Sign the IUF/PAN letter to Vytenis Andriukaitis, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety; Donald Tusk, President of the European Council; and Martin Schulz, President of the European Parliament. Risks 745. 9 April 2016
New Zealand: Meat giant Talleys ‘more dangerous than ever’
Unions have obtained the full accident records of the New Zealand meat processor Talleys/AFFCO group of companies, and say the records show a further increase over the previous year's ‘horrific’ number of workers maimed and injured at the workplace. Workers’ compensation claims for injury at work were paid to 1,773 workers throughout the Talleys Group of Companies in 2015, an increase of 220 workers from 2014.
IUF news release. Risks 745. 9 April 2016
Hazards news, 2 April 2016
Britain: Hey, safety reps, what’s it like out there?
The TUC wants to hear from union health and safety reps about the hazards, safety organisation and related issues in their workplaces. The union body says its latest - eleventh - TUC survey of health and safety reps “is designed to provide the TUC and individual unions with information about who health and safety reps are, and what their experiences and needs are.
TUC news alert. Take the TUC Safety Reps’ Survey 2016 now! The closing date for responses is 1 July 2016. Risks 744. 2 April 2016
Britain: Nudge theory isn’t evidence-based or the best option
The ‘nudge’ theory embraced by the government in a bid to change the population’s behaviour by stealth isn’t evidence-based and isn’t a satisfactory alternative to proper rights and properly enforced legislation, the TUC has warned. The union body was responding to a leader in New Scientist magazine that noted: “Nudge is an example of what is possible when you apply science to policymaking,” but cautioned “the well-intentioned politicians who want to use them should always remember: never let nudge turn to shove.”
New Scientist leader, 12 March 2016 and Hugh Robertson’s response, New Scientist, 2 April 2016. Behavioural Insights Team. Risks 744. 2 April 2016
Britain: EU has been good for you at work
European Union regulations work and have made a “substantial” contribution to the health and safety of the UK workforce, a TUC briefing has concluded. Arguing the UK should be part of a revitalised “European process”, ‘Health and safety: What Brexit would mean’ notes it is ‘certainly likely’ the protection this has delivered could be undermined if the UK was to leave the EU.
TUC report and pdf version, Health and safety: What Brexit would mean. TUC briefing on issues around the EU referendum. Risks 744. 2 April 2016
Britain: Government imposes profits before safety rule
The government is instructing its safety regulator to put company profits before safety, the construction union UCATT has charged. UCATT says the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) “is being told by the Tory government to prioritise company profits over the health and safety of construction workers” and points to an “immoral and venal” revised Enforcement Policy Statement (EPS) presenting to the March 2016 meeting of HSE’s board.
UCATT news release. HSE paper on the EPS changes and the revised EPS. Risks 744. 2 April 2016
Britain: UCATT to meet minister over ‘failure’ HSE
Construction union UCATT has secured a meeting with the government safety minister after raising concerns about a “malaise” at the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE), whose performance is “just not good enough.” The commitment from the minister came after the Labour MP for Jarrow, Stephen Hepburn, secured a 23 March parliamentary debate on “the alarmingly low number of prosecutions” following a construction fatality.
UCATT news release. Hansard, 23 March 2016. Risks 744. 2 April 2016
Britain: RMT calls for Night Tube safety assurances
London Underground union RMT called for reassurances on the Night Tube safety case, as a summer start date for the project was announced. The union said it has yet to see a full safety case, despite plans for services to come into operation from July or August.
RMT news release. London Evening Standard. TFL Night Tube webpages. Risks 744. 2 April 2016
Britain: Ashley called to account for Sports Direct abuses
A showdown is brewing between billionaire Sports Direct founder Mike Ashley, and MPs investigating mistreatment of workers in his sportswear empire. The House of Commons business (BIS) select committee has been trying to arrange a date for Ashley to give evidence on allegations of widespread abuses at the firm but, reports Unite regional officer Luke Primarolo, Ashley hasn’t been co-operative, so the committee has taken the unusual step of formally summonsing him to appear on 7 June.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Unite Sports Direct campaign. Risks 744. 2 April 2016
Britain: Stiffer sentences for attack dog owners
Pet owners convicted of dangerous dogs offences will face harsher punishment under new sentencing guidelines in England and Wales. The guidelines, which will come into force from July and were introduced after a high profile campaign by the union CWU, reflect 2014 changes to the law that increased maximum sentences.
Sentencing Council guideline. CWU news release and Bite-Back campaign. BBC News Online. Risks 744. 2 April 2016
Britain: Head blow led to hearing damage
A factory worker who suffered a bang on the head a work developed a permanent and debilitating hearing condition as a result. Unite member Paul Kelly, 54, was working on a factory production line when the incident occurred.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 744. 2 April 2016
Global: On silica, US does what HSE says can’t be done
The US government has gone where the UK had refused to go, introducing new rules to sharply reduce workplace exposures to silica. The 24 March 2016 move by the US Labor Department means the US will halve the occupational exposure standard from the level it currently shares with the UK, 0.1mg/m3, to 0.05mg/m3 - HSE has argued the lower level now being introduced in the US is neither achievable nor practically measurable, issues raised in extensive US government hearings on the draft standard and dismissed comprehensively over two years ago.
Department of Labor news release and US final silica rule website. Finalised rule on the Federal Register. National COSH statement. APHA statement. NELP statement. Public Citizen news release. New York Times. National Public Radio. Risks 744. 2 April 2016
Britain: Funds for new asbestos diseases research centre
A new £5 million centre is to spearhead research on the deadly asbestos cancer mesothelioma. The initiative was included in Chancellor George Osborne’s March budget. Budget 2016. IBAS news report. The Chronicle. Risks 744. 2 April 2016
Britain: New scandal hits site safety tests
A new scandal has hit a safety competence scheme in the construction sector. The Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS) is relied on by contractors to prove that operators are qualified to drive machines including excavators and dumper trucks, but trade magazine Construction Enquirer has discovered candidates can now simply buy the answers to the key CPCS theory test online for less than £10. Construction Enquirer. Risks 744. 2 April 2016
Britain: Syngenta fined £200,000 for toxic pesticide release
Chemical giant Syngenta has been fined £200,000 after tonnes of a potentially deadly weedkiller was released from a defective vessel at its Huddersfield plant. Kevin Slack, prosecuting, said when a worker moved a handle he was immediately sprayed with paraquat dichloride (PDC) on his face and upper body - he told the court ingesting one or two teaspoons of paraquat dichloride could be fatal.
HSE news release. The Examiner. Risks 744. 2 April 2016
Britain: Firm fined 10 years after deadly crane collapse
Falcon Crane Hire has been fined £750,000 following a south London crane collapse that killed the driver and a member of the public nearly 10 years ago. Charges against 71-year-old Douglas Genge, managing director of Falcon Crane Hire Limited, were dropped in February.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. London Evening Standard. Risks 744. 2 April 2016
Global: International Workers Memorial Day, 28 April
Health and safety should be a priority every day, in every workplace. But on 28 April unions and safety campaigners ensure the wider public, regulators and policy makers hear clearly that ‘Strong laws, strong enforcement and strong unions’ are the key to keeping workplaces safe and healthy year round, every year.
TUC news release. TUC 2016 Workers’ Memorial Day activities listing. Add your 28 April event to the TUC . For tweeters, use the #iwmd16
ITUC/Hazards global events listing and resources. For Workers’ Memorial Day resources including ribbons and car stickers, contact the Greater Manchester Hazards Centre by email or phone 0161 636 7557. Risks 744. 2 April 2016
Canada: Union says 2016 is ‘the year of safety’
Canada’s public sector union CUPE has designated 2016 the ‘Year of Health and Safety’. Launching the initiative, CUPE national president Mark Hancock said: “CUPE is renewing our commitment to achieving safer workplaces – for our members and for all workers, in Canada and around the globe.”
CUPE news release and Year of Health and Safety webpages. Risks 744. 2 April 2016
Europe: From outrage to action on work cancers
Few realise it, but Europe faces over 100,000 occupational cancer deaths a year, the equivalent of a passenger jet crash every day. Calling on unions to mobilise around the issue, ETUI researcher Laurent Vogel: “We can sum up in four words why 100,000 work-related cancer deaths are not a political priority; inequality, visibility, power and freedom.”
ETUI occupational cancers webpages. The editorial will appear in the forthcoming issue of ETUI’s health and safety magazine, Hesamag. Risks 744. 2 April 2016
Europe: Time to ban glyphosate, says IUF
A move to approve the continued use of the toxic herbicide glyphosate in Europe has become the topic of a high profile tussle involving member states, citizens groups, environmental campaigners and unions. Global food and farming union federation IUF said “additional pressure is needed to ensure that the European Commission does not cut a deal with the corporate agrochemical giants which would keep Europe locked into the deadly spiral of increasing pesticide applications for another fifteen years.”
IUF briefing. ENVI news release. Risks 744. 2 April 2016
Hazards news, 19 March 2016
Britain: Safety reps make unions bigger and better
New guidance to help recruit more union members and encourage more existing union members to become health and safety reps has been launched by the TUC. The new TUC guide, published in partnership with Hazards magazine, notes that health and safety is a good way of recruiting members as concerns about workplace safety are one of the main reasons that people join a trade union. BTUC news release and Health and Safety and Organising guide in e-book and pdf formats. Strength in numbers, Hazards, number 133, March 2016. Risks 743. 19 March 2016
Britain: TUC renews safety warning on government plans
As the government’s Trade Union Bill continues its progress through parliament, the TUC has reiterated its warning about the dangers of restricting access to facility time for trade union safety representatives in the public sector. TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson explained: “Health and safety reps’ functions are extremely variable and they may find that, if an unusual situation arises such as a fatality or the introduction of new safety systems, they are limited to an inappropriate, and potentially unlawful, cap.”
TUC Stronger Unions blog and report on the union effect and the benefits of paid time off for union reps. TUC guide to the Trade Union Bill.
Sign the petition against the Bill. Risks 743. 19 March 2016
Britain: Blacklisted workers occupy Skanska HQ
Union safety activists who were blacklisted by major construction firms for their safety and union activities occupied the lobby of Skanska’s Hertfordshire head office on 14 March. Police were called to the peaceful demonstration which lasted several hours, and which stopped only when the protesters voted to end the action.
Morning Star. Construction Enquirer. Risks 743. 19 March 2016
Britain: Helicopter tragedy must spur more improvements
Unions have said lessons from the 2013 North Sea helicopter crash that claimed four lives must lead to further safety improvements. The unions were commenting on the publication of the final Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) report into the incident where a CHC Super Puma plunged into the sea on its approach to Sumburgh in August 2013.
BALPA news release. AAIB report. BBC News Online. Risks 743. 19 March 2016
Britain: Pilots call for an end to mental health stigma
UK pilots’ union BALPA has said pilots must not be discouraged from revealing any mental health problems as this could lead to more incidents like the March 2015 Germanwings crash that killed all 150 people onboard. The union was commenting on the publication of the final report by the French crash investigation agency, the Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses (BEA), which found that neither Germanwings or its parent company Lufthansa could have done anything to stop Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot who crashed the passenger plane into the Alps.
BALPA news release. IFALPA statement. The Guardian. BBC News Online. Risks 743. 19 March 2016
Britain: Toxic cabin air legal cases rise sharply
The number of legal cases against UK airlines on behalf of cabin crew exposed to ‘toxic cabin air’ has increased dramatically. Unite says concern has been mounting over ‘fume events’ and exposure to contaminated aircraft cabin air, with the number of legal cases being pursued the union increasing from 17 to 61 in recent months.
Unite news release. Risks 743. 19 March 2016
Britain: UCATT slams delay in site death convictions
Construction union UCATT has condemned the ‘shocking and inordinate’ amount of time it takes to secure a criminal conviction following the workplace death of a British construction worker. It says latest official figures show that it takes 1,267 days - almost three-and-a-half years - for a firm responsible for the death of a construction worker to be convicted.
UCATT news release. Risks 743. 19 March 2016
Britain: FBU wants a supportive firefighter fitness system
Firefighters’ union FBU is looking to train fire service employees as personal fitness trainers in an effort to support firefighters to remain fit enough to do their physically demanding job. The move to provide FBU ‘personal training apprenticeships’ has attracted interest from more than threequarters of fire and rescue services in England, the union said.
FBU news release. National Joint Council for Local Authority Fire and Rescue Services guidance, March 2016. Risks 743. 19 March 2016
Britain: Under threat Tube staff saved woman’s life
Staff cuts on the London Underground system are putting lives at risk, a rail union has warned after investigators confirmed that a woman dragged along a platform was only saved by the intervention of under-threat ‘safety critical’ Tube workers. Rail union RMT said the loss of “nearly 1,000 safety-critical station staff” has damaged the ability of staff to prevent fatalities — and hit out at Tube bosses for floating the idea of driverless trains.
RAIB news release. Morning Star. Risks 743. 19 March 2016
Global: Industry funded studies deliver dangerously biased results
Occupational and environmental health studies with industry funding are more than four times as likely to report negative results, an analysis of hundreds of scientific papers has found. Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health also identified a ‘dose-response’ effect, meaning the greater the industry backing the greater the likelihood the study would find nothing to worry about.
Lee Friedman and Michael Friedman. Financial Conflicts of Interest and Study Results in Environmental and Occupational Health Research, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, volume 58, issue 3, pages 238–247, March 2016 [abstract]. Risks 743. 19 March 2016
Britain: Britain’s big role in promoting asbestos
UK-based scientists are playing a prominent role in promoting the continued use of asbestos around the world, according to a new investigative report. ‘Friendly fibre?’ notes that Britain has is home to some of the industry’s more turned-to experts, who have shown a ‘remarkable willingness’ to defend chrysotile, the most common and last remaining form of asbestos in commercial use.
Friendly fibre? How the asbestos industry turns to British scientists, Hazards, number 133, March 2016. Risks 743. 19 March 2016
Britain: Gas engineer put tenants at asbestos risk
A gas engineer removed potentially dangerous asbestos material during a gas boiler replacement putting himself and others at risk from exposure to asbestos fibres. Brian Hockin, 58, was removing an old warm air heating system at a residential property in Wrafton when he disturbed asbestos insulation board that surrounded the warm air boiler, ignoring concerns raised by tenants.
HSE news release and asbestos webpages. Risks 743. 19 March 2016
Global: New ITUC Workers’ Memorial Day guide
An ITUC brochure for use around International Workers’ Memorial Day on 28 April is available in English, French and Spanish editions. The guide spells out the reasons behind the three pronged theme for this year’s global activities – strong laws, strong enforcement and strong unions.
28 April 2016: Mobilising for strong laws, strong enforcement and strong unions, ITUC, English language edition. Risks 743. 19 March 2016
Europe: Unions call for an end to work cancers
Unions are warning that occupational cancer kills 100,000 people every year in the European Union (EU) and are calling for an end to this preventable waste of life. Europe-wide union federation ETUC says occupational cancer is the most common work-related cause of death, with between 8 and 16 per cent of all cancers in Europe the result of exposures at work.
ETUC news release. ETUI news report and publication alert.
Carcinogens that should be subject to binding limits on workers’ exposure, ETUI report no.136, March 2016. Stop cancer at work infographic. Risks 743. 19 March 2016
India: Unilever settles with poisoned workers
A 15-year struggle to secure compensation for hundreds of mercury poisoned former employees of Hindustan Unilever in India has ended in victory. The settlement between the company, part of the UK-headquartered multinational Unilever, and 591 former mercury workers from its thermometer factory in Kodaikanal was described by activists as an ‘unprecedented victory’ in a campaign that has attracted international support.
Hindustan Unilever news release. Kodaikanal campaign news release. Risks 743. 19 March 2016
Korea: Winter Olympics workers at risk
At least two chronically overworked workers have died at construction sites for the Winter Olympic Games to be held in 2018 in Pyeongchang, South Korea. “This is not a good start to ensuring that Sochi, Russia is not repeated in Pyeongchang,” said Ambet Yuson, general secretary of global construction union federation BWI.
BWI news release Risks 743. 19 March 2016
Japan: Fukushima’s desperate 'decontamination troops'
The ashes of half a dozen unidentified labourers ended up at a Buddhist temple in a town just north of the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant. They were simply labelled ‘decontamination troops’, employed in Japan's massive clean-up campaign to make Fukushima liveable again five years after the area was contaminated with radiation. Japan Times. ABC News. Greenpeace news release. WHO ‘five years on’ questions and answers. Risks 743. 19 March 2016
Hazards news, 12 March 2016
Britain: Don’t treat women like skivers, period
The decision by a Bristol company to implement a ‘period policy’, including the option for women to take time off has been met with a note of caution from the TUC. TUC women’s equality officer Scarlet Harris said: “Instead of menstrual leave policies, how about employers and government stop perpetuating the myth that workers on sick leave are workshy skivers?”
TUC Touchstone blog. The Guardian. The Independent. Risks 742. 12 March 2016
Britain: Big drop in HSE site inspections
There has been a dramatic decline in the number of inspections the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) undertakes on construction sites, the union UCATT has revealed.
The union said its Freedom of Information request had discovered the total number of HSE construction site inspections had fallen from 10,577 in 2012/13 to 9,656 in 2014/15, a reduction of 8.7 per cent.
UCATT news release. The Herald. Construction Enquirer. HSE strategy webpages. Risks 742. 12 March 2016
Britain: Health and safety leaves your branch stronger
International Workers’ Memorial Day is the ‘perfect chance’ to reinvigorate union health and safety work – and possibly your union branch with it, the public sector union UNISON has said. Encouraging its safety reps to get active around the 28 April event, the union cites the example of its Pembrokeshire County branch, which used UNISON safety campaign materials to up the profile of the issue and in the process recruited 16 more health and safety reps, a new branch health and safety officer and saw safety reps planning more inspections and local health and safety training.
UNISON news report. TUC 2016 Workers’ Memorial Day activities listing. Add your 28 April event to the TUC . For tweeters, use the #iwmd16
ITUC/Hazards global events listing. For Workers’ Memorial Day resources including ribbons and car stickers, contact the Greater Manchester Hazards Centre by email or phone 0161 636 7557 Risks 742. 12 March 2016
Britain: Big settlement follows devastating injury
A foundry worker has received a £1.6 million settlement after his left leg was crushed by a falling metal component, resulting in an amputation above the knee. The 58-year-old Unite member, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: “I hope my case will reinforce the importance of health and safety reps in the workplace and will reduce the chances of a similar accident happening to others in the future.”
Unite news release. Risks 742. 12 March 2016
Britain: NHS staff need time to get healthy
A move by NHS England to improve the health of its 1.3 million staff by offering more support has received a qualified welcome from unions. They were responding after Simon Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England, said from April hospitals and other providers of NHS care will for the first time be able to earn a share of a national incentive fund worth £600m improve the support they offer to frontline health staff to stay healthy.
UNISON news release. CSP news release. NHS England news release. Risks 742. 12 March 2016
Britain: Nuclear sub workers exposed to radiation
Twenty workers at the Faslane nuclear submarine base were exposed to radiation in breach of safety rules, according to an investigation by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). A series of radiation blunders on Trident submarines docked at the Clyde naval port has been revealed in heavily redacted MoD documents obtained by the Nuclear Information Service, a campaign group opposed to nuclear weapons.
The Ferret. BBC News Online. Risks 742. 12 March 2016
Britain: HSE criticised for occupational hygiene stance
The Health and Safety Executive’s developing approach to occupational hygiene – the measurement of exposures to chemicals, dust and other exposures at work – has come in for scathing criticism. Hans Kromhout, based at Utrecht University’s Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, said he was ‘amazed’ to hear an HSE presentation on ‘hygiene without numbers’, noting: “‘Hygiene Without Numbers’ comes with a price and we all know who will have to pick up the bill.”
Hans Kromhout. Commentary: Hygiene without numbers, Annals of Occupational Hygiene, published online ahead of print, 2016. doi:10.1093/annhyg/mev096 Risks 742. 12 March 2016
Britain: Firm fined £120,000 after coal depot tragedy
A Motherwell firm has been fined for criminal safety offences after long-serving depot supervisor Margaret Corcoran, 66, was knocked down and killed by a truck at its Mossend coal depot. Investigators found Fergusson Distribution had no system in place to separate pedestrians and vehicles while staff “routinely” went into the yard where the tragedy occurred.
Motherwell Times. Risks 742. 12 March 2016
Britain: Ten year wait for justice after son’s death
A mother whose son was killed in a crane collapse in Battersea, south London, has spoken of her agonising wait for justice after a trial date was set for 10 years after the tragedy occurred. Michael Alexa, 23, and Jonathan Cloke, 37, both died when a crane collapsed at a Barratt Homes development on 26 September 2006.
Wandsworth Guardian. Risks 742. 12 March 2016
Britain: Aldi fined for smoke shelter blunder
Retail chain Aldi has been fined £100,000 for criminal health and safety offences after an unsecured smoking shelter was blown into a group of employees on a break. One employee was injured in the incident in October 2014 at the Aldi Stores Distribution Centre in Darlington.
Environmental Health News (EHN). Risks 742. 12 March 2016
Britain: Asda lorry crushed store worker
A Dundee warehouse worker who was crushed by an Asda lorry has receive a compensation payout from the retail giant. David Scott, 69, was working at the Milton of Craigie superstore in Mid Craigie on 25 November 2014 when he was injured.
The Courier. Risks 742. 12 March 2016
Britain: TUC puts safety campaigner on video
The TUC’s YouTube channel is a great resource for union activists – and a new video includes a useful example of union safety at work. The short clip features Pauline, a paramedic and a GMB union rep for the Ambulance Service, who was able to redesign the ambulances her members were using, creating a safer environment where staff can now take better care of their patients.
Video clip on the TUC YouTube channel. Risks 742. 12 March 2016
New Zealand: Meat firm fined, then dismisses workers
The District Court in New Zealand has ruled that Talleys/AFFCO – a meat giant the global union federation IUF describes as a “serial rights abuser” - failed to meet its statutory obligations to provide a safe workplace. The court ruling came after an experienced night cleaner was impaled through the head by a meat hook and dragged along the line at the company's Rangiuru plant.
IUF news report. New Zealand Herald. Risks 742. 12 March 2016
South Africa: Gold miners win landmark silicosis scheme
Former South African gold miners and relatives of deceased ex-miners have reached a landmark settlement in their long-running legal battle against Anglo American South Africa Ltd and AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. The 4,365 claimants sued the mining companies for the dust-related lung diseases, silicosis and silico-tuberculosis, which they claim resulted from working in unsafe, dusty conditions in the mines.
Leigh Day Solicitors. Risks 742. 12 March 2016
USA: Uranium workers dying of neglect
The towns of Grants and Church Rock in New Mexico were ground zero for US uranium mining from the mid-1950s until the early 1980s. But years, sometimes decades, after labouring in the mines and mills, workers developed the hallmark diseases associated with uranium exposure.
In These Times. Risks 742. 12 March 2016
USA: Health workers crumbling under the weight
In the United States, where two-thirds of adults are classified as overweight or obese, larger patients are increasingly the norm, and the healthcare industry has evolved in many ways to accommodate them, from developing sturdier medical equipment to building heavier-duty hospital beds. The sector has been much slower, however, to tackle other, subtler ways obesity weighs on the healthcare system, such as the toll of physically handling larger patients, despite the vast medical and financial benefits of doing so, nurses and other medical experts say.
International Business Times. Risks 742. 12 March 2016
Hazards news, 5 March 2016
Britain: Safety reps have it all to play for
The TUC has said it is crucial the government’s Trade Union Bill faces a robust challenge – not least because it could make work a far more dangerous place. Hugh Robertson, the union body’s head of safety, said the proposed measures would allow the government to restrict the time given to trade union health and safety representatives in the public sector, allow inexperienced and inadequately trained agency workers to substitute for skilled, safety savvy workers during strikes, and restrict the ability of workers to strike over safety issues.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Risks 741. 5 March 2016
Britain: Brexit could put safety rights at risk
The TUC has warned that workplace employment and safety rights underpinned by EU rules would be at risk if the UK votes to leave in the June referendum. ‘UK employment rights and the EU’ says decisions on which rights to keep – and which to amend or drop altogether – would be left to the government as it reviewed all UK laws linked to the EU.
TUC news release and full report, UK Employment Rights and the EU: an assessment of the impact of membership of the European Union on employment rights in the UK. TUC Stronger Unions blog. The Herald. Risks 741. 5 March 2016
Britain: UNISON to continue fight over tribunal fees
UNISON has welcomed a decision by the UK’s top court that means its fight can continue against imposition of ‘punitive’ fees to take a case to tribunal. The Supreme Court has granted the union permission to continue its legal challenge.
UNISON news release. Risks 741. 5 March 2016
Britain: Drone near-misses prompt new union action call
Pilots are calling for research into what would happen if a drone hit an airliner, after 23 near-misses around UK airports in a six month period last year. Steve Landells, BALPA’s flight safety specialist, said there was a large amount of data on the effects of bird strikes on planes, but he said specific drone research was needed because “birds don't have a big lump of lithium battery in them.”
BBC News Online. Risks 741. 5 March 2016
Britain: Unions steps up safety fight for rail ticket offices
Rail union RMT is targeting train operator Govia in a new phase in its fight over rail ticket office closures, a plan the union says will make the rail system more unsafe. RMT general secretary Mick Cash warned the company was looking to shed safety-critical staff cross at dozens of stations.
RMT news release. Risks 741. 5 March 2016
Britain: Supreme Court ‘landmark’ case on prison work
The Supreme Court has backed a prison employee’s right to claim damages from the Ministry of Justice after she was seriously injured when an inmate dropped a 25kg bag of rice on her. The landmark case, brought by the prison officers’ union POA, will change the legal definition of ‘employee’ and the law around vicarious liability.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 741. 5 March 2016
Britain: Why health and safety requires ‘cooperation’
Unions should remember that health and safety has lots of ‘special’ features that make it good for members and good for organising, a union safety specialist has said. Sarah Page, the national safety officer with the union Prospect, said it was worth considering “how unions achieve health and safety ‘voice’ at work.”
Prospect safety blog. Risks 741. 5 March 2016
Britain: Four believed dead in power station tragedy
A worker has been killed in a building collapse at Didcot power station and three others are “highly unlikely” to be found alive, Thames Valley Police has said. The Birmingham-based Coleman Group was awarded the contract to dismantle the Didcot A coal and gas-fired station, which collapsed while its workers were preparing the structure for demolition.
Thames Valley Police update. UCATT news release. HSE statement. Morning Star. The Guardian. Construction Enquirer. Coleman Group news release. Risks 741. 5 March 2016
Britain: Equality watchdog criticises sickness benefits cut
Conservative proposals to cut disability benefit by £30 a week have been attacked by the government's equalities watchdog. The Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHCR) said the cuts to the Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) will “exacerbate, rather than reduce, existing inequalities”, in addition to disproportionately affecting disabled people.
The Independent. Risks 741. 5 March 2016
Britain: Waste firm fined £200,000 after worker tragedy
Derbyshire waste firm Rainbow Waste Management Limited has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after a worker was crushed by the bucket of a motorised loading shovel. On 7 June 2013, Ashley Morris, known as Will, sustained fatal injuries to his head and spine when the bucket of the loading shovel he was operating crushed him.
HSE news release and transport checklist. Derby Telegraph. Risks 741. 5 March 2016
Britain: MoD gets ticking off over squaddie training deaths
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is to receive a formal reprimand over the deaths of three soldiers on a training exercise in the Brecon Beacons in July 2013. A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation found a failure to plan, assess and manage risks associated with climatic illness during the training, this resulting in the deaths of the three men and heat illness suffered by 10 other on the training march.
HSE news release. Risks 741. 5 March 2016
Britain: TUC health and safety and organising guide
The TUC says an effective union needs two things: the first is a strong membership within the workplace; the second is high membership involvement. By encouraging members to participate, much more can be achieved than if members expect the union to ‘sort things out’.
TUC publication alert. Health and safety and organising - A guide for reps, TUC, March 2016, pdf and e-book versions. Risks 741. 5 March 2016
Britain: HSE strategy document out
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published its safety strategy for the next five years. The document, which repeats the same ‘six strategy themes’ announced in December 2015 ahead of the series of seven HSE ‘conversations’ around the country, does not include details of any concrete policy initiatives, targets or outcome measures. Helping Britain Work Well 2016, HSE strategy document, February 2016. Risks 741. 5 March 2016
Australia: Unions to build ‘safety army’
Unions in the Australian state of Victoria as setting out to build a ‘union safety army’ – and will be starting by meeting potential union members before they ever set foot in a workplace. Launching the new trade union safety network, Luke Hilakari, secretary of the Victorian Trades Hall Council (VTHC), said: “We want to build this OHS safety army,” identifying this as the union body’s ‘key performance indicator’ for the year.
Safety at work blog. We are union campaign and OHS webpages. Risks 741. 5 March 2016
Europe: Better regulation – no, it really isn’t
A union campaign exploding the dangerous flaws in the ‘better regulation’ strategy in operation in Europe has been launched. The campaign slogan adopted by UNI Europa, the European services workers’ union, is ‘Better regulation – It really isn’t.’
UNI Europe news release and Better regulation – It really isn’t campaign. Risks 741. 5 March 2016
Global: Seafarers get Zika virus guidance
The global transport unions’ federation ITF has issued a new guide “to help seafarers around the world to protect themselves from the Zika virus.” ITF maritime coordinator Jacqueline Smith said: “The reality for seafarers is that if they’re going to be able to take any precautions against contracting the virus – things like sleeping under mosquito nets, using repellent, wearing light covering clothing, covering water containers – they need to prepare in advance, before they are at sea for a number or weeks or even months.”
ITF news release and Zika virus guidelines. Risks 741. 5 March 2016
Russia: Mine tragedy kills 36 workers
Explosions in a Russian coal mine have killed 36 workers, including rescue personnel. On 25 February, two explosions at the Severnaya coalmine in Vorkuta, believed to have been caused by methane gas, rocked the mine leaving four dead and 26 missing, and a further explosion on 28 February killed six rescue workers.
IndustriALL news report. Tass news agency. ABC News. Risks 741. 5 March 2016
Hazards news, 27 February 2016
Britain: Unions are a live-saving, money-saving success
For every £1 spent on paid time off for public sector union reps to represent their members, taxpayers get at least £2.31 back in savings, according to a new study published by the TUC. The safety contribution is even more stunning - half of these savings come from the union success in reducing work-related injuries and ill-health.
TUC news release and full report, The benefits of paid time off for trade union representatives, TUC, February 2016.
The Union Effect: How unions make a difference on health and safety, TUC, February 2016. Risks 740. 27 February 2016
Britain: Unions defend absence management ruling
Civil service unions have defended in the appeal court a 2015 High Court ruling that said the Department for Transport (DfT) broke employees’ contracts by introducing new, more punitive, sickness absence policies without reaching agreement with unions. Prospect, the FDA and PCS were at the Court of Appeal on 16 February to defend the judgment, which held that the sickness absence policies applied to employees in the central Department for Transport and its agencies are contractual.
Prospect news release. Risks 740. 27 February 2016
]Britain: Union wins ‘livesaving’ action on asbestos in housing
Action is being taken to protect tenants and maintenance workers in Wales against the danger of asbestos, after discussions between the union UCATT and the Welsh government. As a result of the talks, communities minister Lesley Griffiths has written to every local authority and registered social landlord in Wales calling on them to ensure contractors are fully informed of asbestos in a property before starting maintenance work.
UCATT news release. Free Press. Risks 740. 27 February 2016
Britain: Union veteran puts rail asbestos risks on record
People across York probably breathed in deadly asbestos dust from the former York rail carriageworks in the late 1950s and 60s, a former union leader has warned. Former Unite (TGWU) rep and branch secretary Paul Cooper, 72, who worked at the factory in the city from 1959 until it closed in 1996 and has long campaigned about employees' exposure to asbestos, said huge extractor fans were fitted in an asbestos spraying workshop in the late 1950s which pumped dust into the air.
York Press. Slater and Gordon briefing on York carriageworks and asbestos. IBAS 2007 paper on rail union asbestos campaigns in the UK. Risks 740. 27 February 2016
Global: Study confirms aircraft fumes risks
Union warnings about the dangers of toxic chemicals inside aircraft have been borne out by a new scientific study. Research carried out in Germany has confirmed flight attendants and passengers are exposed to toxins in cabin air.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Unite keep cabin crew safe campaign. Risks 740. 27 February 2016
Britain: Why no action on ‘worst UK gangmaster ever’?
A corporate accountability group has welcomed news that for the first time, a British businessman has been prosecuted and sentenced for human trafficking offences, but has questioned why there has been no prosecution in a similar case involving a company described by officials as the ‘worst UK gangmaster ever’. Marilyn Croser, director of CORE, the UK coalition on corporate accountability, said Lithuanian workers were trafficked to the UK and put to work in chicken farms by British company, DJ Houghton Catching Services Ltd and its director, Darrell Houghton, and company secretary, Jackie Judge.
CORE statement. Leigh Day news release. Risks 740. 27 February 2016le]
Europe: Chemical rules pay for companies
Chemical safety rules are not a burden on businesses, but deliver a substantial net benefit, a new report has concluded. ‘The bigger picture’, published by the chemical safety think tank ChemSec, concludes chemical regulation creates opportunities for many progressive companies and shows these companies are not only opting for safer chemicals, but are finding the alternatives are frequently better too.
ChemSec news release and full report, The bigger picture: Assessing economic aspects of chemicals substitution, ChemSec, February 2016. BBC News Online. Risks 740. 27 February 2016
Britain: Teenage farm worker drowned in grain
A Scottish farm has been sentenced after a teenager worker was killed while trying to clear a blockage in a grain bin. Jedburgh Sheriff Court heard how Zach Dean Fox, 19, was working for Seamore Farming at their premises at Deanfoot farm in Hawick.
HSE news release and grain silos guidance. Risks 740. 27 February 2016
Britain: Company ignored HSE improvement notices
A London based company that fabricates structural steel products ignoring official safety notices demanding improved practices. Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard how William Fry Fabrications Limited failed to thoroughly examine two cranes used by the company, despite receiving both improvement and prohibition notices on this issue for its cranes in 2011.
HSE news release. Risks 740. 27 February 2016
Australia: Union wins black lung public inquiry
An Australian union campaign to ‘Make Black Lung History’ has taken a big step forward with the announcement of a public inquiry into the devastating occupational lung disease. Tony Maher, president of the union CFMEU’s mining and energy division, said he was now confident there would soon be a solution to the growing health crisis.
CFMEU news release and Dust to dust: Make black lung history campaign. Risks 740. 27 February 2016
Canada: Union praises first responder trauma law
A union has welcomed a new law in Ontario, Canada, recognising post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in emergency first responders. The legislation includes a presumption that PTSD diagnosed in first responders is work-related, leading to faster access to resources and treatment.
OPSEU news release. Risks 740. 27 February 2016
Egypt: Call for justice for murdered researcher
Unions, the Italian government and human rights advocates have called for justice for Giulio Regeni, a 28-year-old Cambridge university postgraduate student tortured and brutally murdered in Cairo. Global union confederation ITUC said Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi must ensure there is a full investigation.
ITUC news release. Education International news release. NUJ news release. Sign up to the Labourstart campaign for justice for Giulio Regeni. Egyptian Streets. Risks 740. 27 February 2016
USA: Ford spent $40m to influence asbestos science
Ford Motor Company spent $40 million on scientific studies designed to cast doubt on the link between asbestos brake linings and cancers including mesothelioma, an investigation has found. The probe by the Washington DC-based Center for Public Accountability said:“All told, testimony shows, Ford has spent nearly $40 million funding journal articles and expert testimony concluding there is no evidence brake mechanics are at increased risk of developing mesothelioma.”
CPI investigative report. Risks 740. 27 February 2016
Hazards news, 20 February 2016
Britain: Union safety reps save lives, save millions
The UK’s network of 100,000 trade union health and safety reps not only reduce the toll of injuries and ill-health at work, but save the economy many millions of pounds, according to a new TUC report. ‘The Union Effect: How unions make a difference on health and safety’ reveals that workplaces with a union presence have a 24 per cent lower rate of injuries than non-unionised workplaces.
TUC news release and full report, The Union Effect: How unions make a difference on health and safety. Risks 739. 20 February 2016.
Britain: Blacklisting exposes Trade Union Bill’s folly
Britain’s blacklisting scandal, which saw thousands of construction union reps victimised or denied work for raising safety concerns, provides ‘clear proof’ of the dangers posed by the government’s Trade Union Bill. TUC head of safety, Hugh Robertson said: “The blacklisting scandal is clear proof of why we need trade unions.”
Left Foot Forward blog. Blacklist blog. Risks 739. 20 February 2016.
Britain: Higher fines should spur safety improvements
New sentencing guidelines recommending much higher fines on firms that break health and safety laws should increase the pressure on unsafe employers ‘to clean up their act’, the TUC has said. TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson said to make the system work better, there should also be more resources for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), to cover the costs of bringing more cases to court.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Risks 739. 20 February 2016.
Britain: Supreme Court win on protective equipment
Employers face having to provide protective footwear for staff following a landmark court ruling involving a care worker who slipped on ice at work. GMB member Tracey Kennedy fell and injured her wrist as she made her way to the home of a housebound woman in the Crookston area of Glasgow in the harsh winter of December 2010.
GMB Scotland news release. Video recording of the Supreme Court ruling. Digby Brown Solicitors news release. The Herald. STV News. Risks 739. 20 February 2016.
Britain: Lasers are ‘offensive weapons’ says pilots’ union
Lasers should be classed as ‘offensive weapons’ and banned in the UK, the pilots’ union BALPA has said. The union was speaking out after a New York-bound plane was forced to turn back to London Heathrow Airport after a laser beam hit the cockpit after take off, causing a ‘medical issue’ for one of the pilots
BALPA news release. The Telegraph. The Guardian. BBC News Online. Risks 739. 20 February 2016.
Train drivers also at risk from lasers
Rail union RMT has warned that the risks from illegally wielded lasers are a threat to rail as well as aircraft safety. The union said any review in the wake of the Virgin Atlantic incident must include the impact of the ready availability of high-powered lasers on the wider transport industry.
RMT news release. Risks 739. 20 February 2016.
Britain: Bullying widespread in the police service
Around half of all police staff surveyed by the union UNISON said they had been bullied, with female staff significantly more likely to have been targeted. More than two-thirds (67 per cent) of female police staff told the union that bullying is a problem at work, and almost threequarters (72 per cent) reported they were not confident that their force will deal fairly with any complaints of bullying.
UNISON news release. Risks 739. 20 February 2016.
Britain: Unite member compensated for asbestosis
A former pipe fitter who developed the debilitating asbestos-related lung scarring disease asbestosis has received an undisclosed compensation payout. Unite member Michael Adcock, 64, worked as a pipefitter for a Leicestershire engineering company from 1968 to 1986, where he refurbished boilers that were insulated with asbestos. Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 739. 20 February 2016.
Britain: Big win after postal workers back sick colleague
Postal workers in Somerset who stood up for a victimised sick colleague have won his reinstatement. CWU members at Bridgwater delivery office took action in support of Andrew Mootoo, who is profoundly deaf and also has multiple sclerosis, because management refused to allow him back to work after a bout of ill-health.
Bridgewater Mercury. Central Somerset Gazette. Morning Star. Socialist Worker. 20 February 2016.
Britain: Public back union on London fire safety
London’s fire chief should listen to the public and drop unsafe plans to axe fire engines in the capital, the firefighters’ union FBU has said. The union call came after a London Fire Brigade (LFB) public consultation found the overwhelming majority of Londoners are against mayor Boris Johnson’s plan to permanently axe 13 fire engines.
FBU news release. LFB news release. Risks 739. 20 February 2016.
Britain: Mental health plan at risk from service ‘salami slicing’
A record of ‘short-termism’ and ‘salami slicing’ by government ministers could undermine a new blueprint to get more people suffering mental health problems back to work, Unite has said. The union was speaking out after the prime minister launched ‘The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health’, a report by the independent taskforce on mental health.
Prime Minister’s Office news release. Unite news release. BBC News Online. Risks 739. 20 February 2016.
Britain: Port health authorities in the dark over Zika
Most port health officers have not been told what they should do if they suspect air crew and travellers coming into the country have the Zika virus, the Association of Port Health Authorities has warned. Lynnette Crossley, a senior port health officer and APHA committee member, said Public Health England (PHE) had not yet circulated any guidance to ports other than those receiving direct passenger flights from the affected areas.
Environmental Health News.
INSI advisory on Zika and related guidance from the National Travel Health Network and Centre, US Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organisation Zika factsheet. Public Health England guidance for pregnant women. Risks 739. 20 February 2016.
Britain: Firefighter killed himself after colleague died
A firefighter found hanged at his station had been left traumatised by the death of a colleague, an inquest has heard. The coroner indicated that the death of firefighter Stephen Hunt may have tipped father-of-two Lee Gaunt, 41, over the edge, and said he was “concerned” at the adequacy of occupational health support provided to firefighters.
Manchester Evening News. More on work-related suicide. Risks 739. 20 February 2016.
Britain: Bed firm boss jailed over 'slave workforce'
A factory owner who ran his bed-making business on a “slave workforce” of men paid as little £10 a day has been jailed for two years and three months. Mohammed Rafiq, 60, employed large numbers of Hungarians at his firm Kozee Sleep and its subsidiary Layzee Sleep, which supplied retailers like John Lewis, Next and Dunelm Mill – but their ethical audits failed to spot what was going on.
West Yorkshire Police news release. BBC News Online. Risks 739. 20 February 2016.
Britain: Director convicted of explosives crime
Bryan Peacock, the director of a Shrewsbury company, has been convicted of a criminal safety offence after a 45 gallon steel drum that previously contained flammable liquid caught fire and exploded while being cut in half. Shrewsbury Magistrates’ Court heard how an employee of SPEL Products had reported the incident, and indicated this particular method of work had been in operation for a significant period of time, and that previous incidents had occurred.
HSE news release. Risks 739. 20 February 2016.
Britain: Star Wars to feel the force of law
A Star Wars production company is to be prosecuted over an injury to Harrison Ford during the filming of The Force Awakens, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has announced. Ford, reprising his role as Han Solo in the latest episode of the space blockbuster, was hurt by a hydraulic metal door of the Millennium Falcon during an on-set accident in June 2014 at Pinewood Studios near London.
HSE news release. BBC News Online. The Guardian. Risks 739. 20 February 2016.
Ireland: Death threats against journalists condemned
The Irish prime minister Enda Kenny and the media union NUJ have condemned the threats made against a number of journalists in the Republic of Ireland. The threats follow two killings in a gangland feud in Dublin.
BBC News Online. Risks 739. 20 February 2016.
Global: Fyffes accused of plantation abuses
Irish banana giant Fyffes has been accused of having “no respect” for workers’ rights, amid allegations that staff on Central American fruit plantations are being serially mistreated. The UK union GMB has called for Fyffes to be thrown out of the Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI), which promotes labour rights, over reports of abuses including chemical poisonings by Fyffes subsidiaries in Costa Rica and Honduras.
GMB news release. ETI response. Banana Link news report. The Guardian. Risks 739. 20 February 2016.
USA: How to bury occupational brain cancers
A chemical giant responded to unexpectedly high numbers of brain tumours at one of its US plants by launching a flawed study to obscure the extent of the problem, the Center for Public Integrity (CPI) has found. The CPI investigation, the latest in its ‘Science for sale’ series, examined the cancer cluster affected workers at the sprawling Union Carbide plant in Texas City but found the company’s researchers counted only one of the 23 brain tumour deaths at the plant in an influential study.
CPI investigative report. Work Cancer Hazards blog. Risks 739. 20 February 2016.
Hazards news, 13 February 2016
Britain: TUC condemns government attack on safety reps
A government attack on basic trade union rights could not only make workplaces more dangerous, it is at odds with the legal rights of trade union safety reps, the TUC has warned. Criticising the ‘nasty’ Trade Union Bill, TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson said clauses in the proposed law to curtail ‘facility time’ for union representatives in the public sector would have a ‘cynical’ knock-on effect on the lifesaving work of union safety reps.
TUC news release, Stronger Unions blog, Touchstone blog and Trade Union Bill briefing. ASLEF news release. The Mirror. Risks 738. 13 February 2016.
Britain: ‘No excuse’ for widespread violence at work
One in eight people has experienced violence at work, according to new research published by the TUC. The poll over of over 1,600 adults carried out by YouGov for the union body, which has launched a new guide, reveals that 12 per cent of people have experienced work-related violence such as being pushed or spat on, punched or stabbed.
TUC news release, violence at work guidance and reporting form. Morning Star.
Hit list: TUC violence and abuse reporting form, Hazards magazine. Risks 738. 13 February 2016.
Britain: Unions back TUC violence action call
Unions representing health and retail workers have backed a TUC call for action to stem the widespread violence directed at workers. UNISON head of health Christina McAnea said the figures confirmed “the level of violence against medical and health care workers is unacceptably high” and John Hannett, general secretary of the shopworkers’ union Usdaw, said: “All too often criminals who assault staff are not even sent to court, and those who are can receive derisory sentences.”
UNISON news release. Usdaw news release. Risks 738. 13 February 2016.
Britain: Under pressure blacklisters pay out millions
Victims of a construction industry blacklist which targeted union safety activists have been awarded up to £200,000 compensation. So far 71 former site workers have received “full and final settlements” worth £5.6m from major construction companies.
UCATT news release. The Mirror. Blacklist blog. Risks 738. 13 February 2016.
Britain: Union demands blacklisting public inquiry
Firms guilty of blacklisting safety and union activists should face an official public grilling, the union Unite has said. Unite head of legal Howard Beckett said not only did the construction companies’ blacklist amount to an illegal conspiracy, but it also involved defamation and misuse of private and confidential personal data — in breach of the Data Protection Act.
Morning Star. Risks 738. 13 February 2016.
Britain: Tube maintenance workers in safety action
Maintenance workers on London Underground (LU) are planning a series of 12-hour and 24-hour strikes in a dispute over safety. Rail union RMT said seven separate strikes are planned up to June over what it calls “lethal changes to track access.”
RMT news release. Evening Standard. BBC News Online. Risks 738. 13 February 2016.
Britain: Trade unions act on offshore crisis
Unions have joined forces in a new move to protect workers in the offshore oil and gas industry. Speaking at the launch in Aberdeen of the Offshore Co-ordinating Group (OCG), Grahame Smith, STUC general secretary, said: “The collapse in the oil price since summer 2014 has had profound consequences for the oil and gas workforce,” adding: “There have been thousands of job losses, unprecedented attacks on terms and conditions and growing fears over the safety regime.”
STUC news release. Nautilus news release. BBC News Online. The Herald. Risks 738. 13 February 2016.
Britain: Public sector workers sleep-deprived, says study
Gruelling working hours across the public sector are leaving workers sleep deprived, with many only managing six hours sleep per night, a study has found. Research led by the University of Leeds and commissioned and funded by bed firm Silentnight found nearly a third of Britons suffered from sleepless nights as a result of long work hours and job-related pressure and stress.
Leeds University news release. TUC news release. Risks 738. 13 February 2016.
Britain: Asbestos-backed scientists caught out again
Asbestos financed scientists cited non-existent evidence to support claims made in a paper that downplayed the risks posed by chrysotile (white) asbestos, the only form of asbestos currently in commercial use. Two of the four authors of this paper - Fred Pooley and John Hoskins – are UK-based scientists, while a third, Edward Ilgren, is listed as formerly of the faculty of biological sciences at Oxford University.
Work cancer hazards blog. Edward B Ilgren, Frederick D Pooley, Yumi M Kumiya, John A Hoskins, Critical reappraisal of Balangero chrysotile and mesothelioma risk, Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Public Health, volume 12, number 1, 2015. Erratum. Risks 738. 13 February 2016.
Britain: Fuel giant fined £3m over offshore leaks
One of the world’s largest oil and gas exploration and production companies has been fined £3 million after gas leaks on a platform off the Lincolnshire coast put workers’ lives in danger. ConocoPhillips (UK) Limited admitted serious criminal safety failings in Lincoln Crown Court after two uncontrolled and one controlled but unexpected gas release, which occurred on the Lincolnshire Offshore Gas Gathering System (LOGGS) between 30 November and 1 December 2012.
HSE news release and guidance on risk assessment for offshore installations. Grimsby Telegraph. Risks 738. 13 February 2016.
Britain: Exploding cylinder killed recycling worker
A scrap metal recycling company based in Sheffield has been fined for criminal safety failings after a worker was killed when he was hit in the head by an exploding gas cylinder. Sheffield Crown Court heard how Tony Johnson, aged 55, was working at the Walter Heselwood Ltd recycling site on 16 June 2009 when a pressurised gas cylinder was put through a shearing machine, causing it to explode.
HSE news release and waste and recycling webpages. Risks 738. 13 February 2016.
Britain: Window firm ignored safety warnings
A company that manufactures and installs windows has been fined after carrying out work in the West End of London with no measures to prevent workers falling eight metres. The lack of safety measures by Ideal Glazing (Euro) Ltd allowed part of a window to drop onto the pavement below.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 738. 13 February 2016.
Britain: Six figure fine after track worker is injured
Engineering company Babcock Rail Limited has been fined £400,000 for a criminal safety breach which led to a rail worker suffering serious injuries while renewing rail track in Flintshire, north-east Wales. Lee Woolly was helping to replace a line at Hope Railway Station when the incident happened in March 2013.
ORR news release. BBC News Online. Construction Enquirer. Risks 738. 13 February 2016.
Britain: Chemical giant fined for dangerous gas release
Multinational chemical producer, Solvay Solutions UK Limited, has been fined after a dangerous gas was released to the atmosphere causing disruption to the M5 and thousands of homes nearby. Warley Magistrates’ Court heard how the uncontrolled release put both employees and members of the public at risk.
HSE news release and COSHH webpages. Risks 738. 13 February 2016.
Britain: Salad firm fined over lost finger tips
A company that grows and packages salad has been fined after an employee lost the tips of two fingers in a dangerously modified bagging machine. Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court heard how the operator had reached under the guard to pull film through the machine at Vitacress Salads Limited.
HSE news release and packaging machinery webpage. Risks 738. 13 February 2016.
Global: Does your work pose a Zika risk?
The Zika virus began ringing public health alarm bells in May 2015 in Brazil and is now spreading rapidly – and may pose a risk to those working in or visiting affected countries. An advisory from the London-based International News Safety Institute (INSI) says so far there are confirmed cases in at least 23 countries – almost all of them in tropical South America, extending into Central America and the Caribbean.
INSI advisory on Zika and related guidance from the National Travel Health Network and Centre, US Centers for Disease Control and World Health Organisation Zika factsheet. Public Health England guidance for pregnant women. Risks 738. 13 February 2016.
Pakistan: Union roadmap to improve brick kiln conditions
A detailed roadmap for local agencies to address bonded labour and unsafe working conditions in Pakistan’s brick kilns has been created with the assistance of the US union organisation the Solidarity Center. The proposed programme includes incentives for employers to ensure their facilities meet decent work standards.
Solidarity Center news report. Risks 738. 13 February 2016.
USA: ‘Rented’ scientists defend toxic chemicals
‘Rented white coats’ – scientists in the pay of vested interests – are defending toxic chemicals with horrific consequences for the workers these substances make ill. A ‘Science for sale’ investigation by the Washington DC based Center for Public Integrity (CPI) found industry-backed research has exploded “as government-funded science dwindles. Its effects are felt not only in courtrooms but also in regulatory agencies that issue rules to try to prevent disease.”
CPI investigative report. Risks 738. 13 February 2016.
USA: E-recyclers take lead home to the kids
In 2009, when Anthony Harrell accepted a $10-an-hour job at an electronics scrap recycling facility in Cincinnati, he was happy to have found work that he liked and that would let him provide for his wife and two children. But Harrell didn’t know that when he went home his kids would inadvertently come in contact with the lead contaminating his hair, skin and clothes, suffering lead related mental problems as a result. Huffington Post. Risks 738. 13 February 2016.
Hazards news, 6 February 2016
Britain: Incidents highlight risks of ‘aerotoxic’ syndrome
The revelation that two flights in two days were forced to turn back to the UK last week following an outbreak of sickness among the cabin crew has added further weight to calls for a public inquiry into ‘aerotoxic syndrome’, the union Unite has said. The union said the abandoned flights, one to South Africa and one to the US, provided further evidence that leaks from aircraft engines are finding their way into the cabins causing the crew to feel sick but may also be further impairing the crew’s health.
Unite news release and Keep cabin crew safe campaign. Evening Standard. Risks 737. 6 February 2016
Britain: Pilots want drone safety rules
A spate of serious near misses involving drones highlight the need for urgent action to prevent a collision with other aircraft, pilots’ union BALPA has said. It was commenting after a UK Proximity Board examination of seven incidents involving drones classed four in the most serious category A, where a serious risk of collision existed
BALPA news release. Risks 737. 6 February 2016
Britain: UCATT concern at five year justice delay
Construction union UCATT has said it is ‘highly concerned’ at a five-year delay in bringing criminal charges relating to the deaths of four workers on a development project. Adam Taylor (28), Peter Johnson (42) and brothers Thomas (26) and Daniel Hazelton (30), died on 21 January 2011, in what the union said was the worst fatal accident in the industry for many years.
UCATT news release. HSE news release. Morning Star. Risks 737. 6 February 2016
Britain: Action call after sharp rise in retail violence
Retail union Usdaw has called for action to prevent violence, threats and abuse against shopworkers after the British Retail Consortium (BRC) reported a sharp rise in incidents during 2015. Trade body BRC found offences involving abuse or violence against shopworkers were up by 28 per cent.
Usdaw news release. Risks 737. 6 February 2016
Britain: Education staff under attack at work
Forty-three per cent of education staff have had to deal with physical violence from a pupil in the last year, according to a survey by the teaching union ATL. The union says of those who have experienced physical violence from a pupil: 77 per cent reported they had been pushed or shoved; 52 per cent had been kicked; 50 per cent had an object such as furniture thrown at them; and 37 per cent had been punched.
ATL news release. Risks 737. 6 February 2016
Britain: Massive increase in railway race hate crimes
Race hate crimes on Britain’s railway networks have risen by 37 per cent in the past five years, an average of more than five reported incidents of abuse or harassment a day. RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “These are truly shocking figures and match up with the reports that RMT members are feeding back to the union from the sharp end..”
RMT news release. The Guardian. Risks 737. 6 February 2016
Britain: Large firms face higher penalties for safety crimes
New official sentencing guidelines should lead to a dramatic increase in penalties on larger firms for serious workplace safety crimes. An analysis by Howard Fidderman, editor of Health and Safety Bulletin, showed 16 of the 21 fines imposed on large companies were lower than the new starting point, while 14 of the 17 fines imposed on small and micro companies were higher.
Health and Safety Bulletin, number 445, January/February 2016. Risks 737. 6 February 2016
Britain: Tribunal awards overwork payout
A construction worker forced to work 70-hour weeks has won a constructive dismissal case. David Brown, who worked as a site manager for Ogilvie Construction, was awarded £14,000 at a tribunal against the firm.
Planning and Building Control Today. Risks 737. 6 February 2016
Britain: Report slams ‘well-being vacuum’ at work
Despite increased business awareness of the importance of actively supporting health and well-being in the workplace, there remains a stubborn ‘implementation gap’ in UK workplaces, human resources body CIPD has said. Its new report, ‘Growing the health and well-being agenda: From first steps to full potential’, states that fewer than one in ten (8 per cent) of UK organisations currently have a standalone well-being strategy that supports the wider organisational strategy.
CIPD news release and report, Growing the health and well-being agenda: From first steps to full potential. Workplace well-being programmes: A guide for safety reps, TUC, December 2015. Hard to swallow, Hazards magazine, Number 132, December 2015. Risks 737. 6 February 2016
Britain: Port firm fined after crushing death
Clydeport Operations Limited has been fined for criminal safety failings after 22-year-old maintenance engineer Craig Logan suffered fatal crush injuries on a faulty crane at its Hunterston Coal Terminal site in Ayrshire. The company was aware of the problem with the crane, whose cab had repeatedly become stuck along the boom, but over an eight month period had failed to fix it.
HSE news release. Risks 737. 6 February 2016
Britain: Runaway HGV crushes worker to death
A Runcorn haulage firm has been convicted of a criminal safety offence after an employee was crushed to death by a runaway lorry. Tony Schulze, 49, had been trying to connect a cab to a lorry trailer when the incident happened at Freight First Ltd’s premises on the Astmoor Industrial Estate on 22 January 2011.
HSE news release and workplace transport webpages. Risks 737. 6 February 2016
Britain: Worker mown down whilst assisting reversing lorry
A Shropshire company has been fined for criminal safety failings after the death of an employee. Mold Crown Court heard how Philip Ledward, 62, an employee of Arkenfield Stable Hire Limited (ASHL), was assisting one of the company’s lorry drivers when he was struck by a passing car and received fatal injuries.
HSE news release and workplace transport guide. Shropshire Star. Daily Post. Risks 737. 6 February 2016
Britain: Company guilty after worker crushed by bricks
A Cheshire construction company has been prosecuted following a fatal accident in 2011 at a site in Wilmslow. Liverpool Crown Court heard that Edgemere Projects Ltd of Tarporley, Cheshire, was the main contractor at a construction site when on 7 January 2011, 23-year-old Andrew Dytiche sustained crush injuries when a pack of bricks fell on him.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 737. 6 February 2016
Global: Unilever and unions in harassment agreement
Global soaps-to-snacks manufacturer Unilever has joined IndustriALL and IUF, the international trade unions representing the company’s union workforce, in a joint commitment to prevent sexual harassment in its workplaces worldwide.
IUF and IndustriALL news releases and joint statement. Risks 737. 6 February 2016
Qatar: World Cup dream is a nightmare for workers
A union investigation has confirmed the migrant workers toiling to get Qatar ready for the 2022 World Cup are still facing overcrowded, squalid accommodation and deadly working conditions. Unite general secretary Len McCluskey was part of delegation that made a secret, after-dark trip to a labour camp in Al Khor, north of the capital Doha, to see the conditions and speak to the workers.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. TUC Playfair Qatar campaign. The Mirror.
ITUC multi-media investigation: Qatar Exposed and full report: Qatar: Profit and loss. Counting the cost of modern day slavery in Qatar: What price freedom? Risks 737. 6 February 2016
Korea: Samsung job caused ovarian cancer
A South Korean court has ruled that exposure to carcinogens at a Samsung semiconductor factory caused a worker’s ovarian cancer. The Seoul Administrative Court said it saw a “significant causal relationship” between the disease and even a low level of toxic chemicals because the worker Lee Eun-joo was exposed to carcinogens over a long period.
ABC News. Daily Mail. CNBC News. New York Times. Risks 737. 6 February 2016
New Zealand: Deadly abuses continue at meat plant
Global foodworkers’ union federation IUF is seeking support in its campaign for a respect for safety and labour rights at meat processing company Talley’s/AFFCO. IUF says “Talley’s/AFFCO is a serial rights abuser,” adding: This employer with a horrific record of workplace accidents has fired union health and safety representatives for meeting with their members and locked out 200 workers at the company's Wairoa meat plant to force them to abandon collective bargaining and accept individual contracts.”
IUF alert. Sign the letter to Talley’s: Lockout, dismissals, intimidation - serial rights abuses by New Zealand meat company Talleys/AFFCO. Risks 737. 6 February 2016
Hazards news, 30 January 2016
Britain: Insurers want to curtail work deafness payouts
The insurance industry wants to make it more difficult to claim compensation for occupational deafness, the TUC has warned. The union body says despite a dramatic fall in the number of compensation settlements – down from 183,342 in 2002 to 103,401 – insurers have complained that noise induced hearing loss claims increased threefold in the last four years, from 9,334 to 27,490 - but the TUC says this represents statistical sleight of hand, not a genuine trend.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Risks 736. 20 January 2016.
Britain: Union calls for charges after safety cards scandal
A union has called for those responsible for a construction safety skills card scam to face the courts, after it was announced thousands of the cards had been revoked as a result of widespread fraud at five test centres. The Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) and the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) confirmed this week they have revoked 4,615 cards followed the discovery of fraudulent activity at centres where candidates were taking tests accredited by both CITB and the British Safety Council (BSC).
GMB news release. UCATT news release. CSCS news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 736. 20 January 2016.
Britain: UCATT exposes hidden migrant site deaths toll
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is being urged to review urgently its work methods and record keeping, following new evidence on migrant worker deaths. An investigation by construction union UCATT has discovered that of the seven construction workers deaths in London in 2014/15, five of the victims were migrant workers.
UCATT news release. Construction Enquirer. Morning Star. Risks 736. 20 January 2016.
Britain: Site firms ordered to release blacklisting information
A High Court judge has ordered 30 construction firms, including Sir Robert McAlpine and Balfour Beatty, to disclose all emails and correspondence linked to the blacklisting of union reps and safety activists. The ruling came at the end of a two-day hearing last week where it emerged that documents had been destroyed linking the firms with the illegal covert blacklister, the industry-controlled and financed Consulting Association.
Blacklist blog. Risks 736. 20 January 2016.
Britain: POA to seek judicial review on smoking in prisons
The prison officers’ union POA has told the prison service it is seeking a Judicial Review on the continuing risks posed by smoking in prisons. A phased move to smoke-free prisons was announced by the government in September last year, but POA says contact with Treasury solicitors since then has led the union to doubt “that a smoking ban will ever be implemented to protect the health and safety of both staff and prisoners from the damaging effects of second hand smoke.”
POA statement. Risks 736. 20 January 2016.
Britain: Firefighter fears over PCSOs fire sideline
Firefighters fear lives could be put in danger over a controversial scheme to train police community support officers (PCSO) to do their jobs. Firefighters’ union FBU said cost-cutting is behind the move and could lead to conflicts of duties if the PCSOs were dealing with a policing incident at the same time as a fire.
The Mirror. Risks 736. 20 January 2016.
Britain: Renewed warning after teacher dies of asbestos cancer
The death of a teacher from an asbestos cancer shows that school staff and pupils are still at risk of deadly asbestos diseases, unions have warned. The alert came after Lincolnshire coroner Paul Kelly recorded that Elizabeth Belt, who taught in schools in the county from 1968 to 1995, died as a result of an industrial disease, the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma. Morning Star. Risks 736. 20 January 2016.
Britain: Union approach leads to shipbreaking breakthrough
The UK government has agreed to sign up to an international convention on shipbreaking safety after an approach from the union Unite. Confirmation of the government’s willingness to ratify the Hong Kong Convention on shipbreaking came in a letter from transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. IndustriALL news release and shipbreaking campaign. The Hong Kong International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009. Risks 736. 20 January 2016.
Britain: UK joins the fight to end modern slavery
The UK government has joined the vanguard of the fight against modern slavery, the TUC has said. Commenting after the UK became the third country after Niger and Norway to ratify a landmark International Labour Organisation (ILO) agreement to outlaw forced labour and modern slavery, TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “We welcome the Home Office’s move to ratify the ILO Forced Labour Protocol.”
TUC news release. TUC Touchstone blog. ILO news release, Forced labour protocol and recommendation and 50 for Freedom website. Risks 736. 20 January 2016.
Britain: ‘Slave workforce’ conviction at bed maker
A West Yorkshire businessman has been convicted of employing large numbers of Hungarian men as a “slave workforce” at the now defunct Kozee Sleep bed factory in Ravensthorpe, Dewsbury. Mohammed Rafiq, 60, was found guilty of conspiracy to commission a breach of UK immigration law and will be sentenced on 12 February. BBC News Online. Risks 736. 20 January 2016.
Britain: Balfour Beatty fined £1m after road worker death
Civil engineering giant Balfour Beatty has been fined £1 million after the death of a father-of-four repairing a barrier on the A2. Larry Newman, 37, was killed when he was struck by the arm of a crane being used in the work in October 2012.
HSE news release. Kent Online. Risks 736. 20 January 2016.
Britain: Fine of £1m after worker gets trapped in gas cloud
One of the UK’s largest gas distributors has been fined £1 million after a worker became trapped in a ruptured gas main in Scunthorpe. On 24 June 2014, National Grid Gas (plc) was supervising repairs to the gas main when sub-contract worker Ryan Spencer was trapped between two gas pipes after one of them burst, breaking his femur.
HSE news release. Scunthorpe Telegraph. Construction Enquirer. Risks 736. 20 January 2016.
Britain: Port operator fined £1.8m after ignoring workers
An Essex maritime terminal worker was serious injured when his arm became wrapped around a powered capstan, while mooring an ocean-going vessel. Basildon Crown Court imposed a fine of £1.8 million on port operator C.RO Ports London Limited, after the company plead guilty to criminal safety offences that contributed to the incident.
HSE news release. Risks 736. 20 January 2016.
Britain: Pet food firm fined over worker death
A pet food company has been fined £80,000 over the death of a Lithuanian worker almost six years ago. Renatas Timofejevas, 36, was operating a loading vehicle at Alba Proteins at The Racks, near Dumfries, when he was found crushed under the boom arm.
BBC News Online. Risks 736. 20 January 2016.
Britain: Wilko fined following forklift death
Retail chain Wilko has been handed a £200,000 fine after an employee was killed in a crash between two forklift trucks at one of the firm’s distribution centres. George Hancock, 52, died in December 2011 after sustaining injuries in the incident.
Bassetlaw District Council news release. Hucknall Dispatch. Environmental Health News. Risks 736. 20 January 2016.
Britain: Polish migrant worker electrocuted on farm
Pengelly Farms Ltd has been ordered to pay £125,000 for a criminal safety breach that led to the death of a young worker. Konrad Miskiewicz, 24, from Poland was electrocuted by an overhead power cable when working on a potato harvester near Falmouth, Cornwall in July 2011.
HSE news release. BBC News Online. Falmouth Packet. West Briton. Risks 736. 20 January 2016.
Global: New guide to tackle bullying at sea
New guidance to combat bullying and harassment at sea has been developed by the industry body the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the global union the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF). As well as providing advice on company policies on reporting, complaints and grievance procedures, the guidance addresses the responsibilities of seafarers and their employers to use these procedures appropriately and for being aware of any harassment or bullying that might occur within the maritime workplace.
ICS/ITF Guidance on Eliminating Shipboard Harassment and Bullying. Nautilus publication alert. Risks 736. 20 January 2016.
Canada: Union calls for national asbestos registry and ban
A Canadian union leader has called for a national registry of the location of asbestos materials. The call from Philip Venoit, president of Vancouver Island Building and Construction Trades Council, came after latest figures from Statistics Canada revealed new cases of the asbestos cancer mesothelioma had doubled across the country, from 276 cases in 1992 to 560 cases in 2012.
Work cancer hazards blog. Risks 736. 20 January 2016.
Europe: Unions push for better laws on work cancers
Unions are to work throughout the Dutch Presidency of the European Union to develop a preventive approach to occupational cancer. During this presidency, which runs from January to June, the Dutch government has expressed a desire to update the EU Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive, a longstanding union objective.
Work cancer hazards blog. Why we need to focus on work-related cancer, ETUC, January 2016. Risks 736. 20 January 2016.
Japan: Cancer victims press for justice and prevention
Two of five workers who developed bladder cancer while working at a chemical factory manufacturing dyes and pigments are demanding that the Japanese government recognise their illness as job-related. Speaking to reporters in Tokyo, the pair called on their employer - Tokyo-based Mitsuboshi Chemical - to make urgent improvements in conditions at the plant in Fukui Prefecture.
Japan Times. Work cancer hazards blog. Risks 736. 20 January 2016.
USA: GE workers fear PCB health effects after job loss
Workers set to lose their jobs at a General Electric plant in the US fear serious diseases linked to their exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) could hit them later in life. The union representing the workers at the GE Fort Edward plant is citing concerns over exposure to toxic PCBs – used in manufacture of capacitors at the plant - in pressing the company to pay for health testing after workers lose their jobs.
Work cancer hazards blog. Risks 736. 20 January 2016.
Hazards news, 23 January 2016
Britain: Workers' Memorial Day – this year, it’s the law
As preparations begin for this year’s 28 April Workers’ Memorial Day (WMD) event, the TUC has announced the global campaign focus. “In 2016 the theme for the day is ‘Strong Laws - Strong enforcement - Strong Unions’ because across the world we are seeing growing attacks on health and safety protection, including in Britain where the government have removed protection from millions of self-employed workers, and across Europe where the European Commission is pursuing a dangerous deregulatory strategy,” the union body said.
TUC news alert. TUC 2016 Workers’ Memorial Day activities listing. Add your 28 April event to the TUC . For tweeters, use the #iwmd16 ITUC/Hazards global events listing.
For Workers’ Memorial Day resources including ribbons and car stickers, contact the Greater Manchester Hazards Centre by email or phone 0161 636 7557. Risks 735. 23 January 2016
Britain: ‘Purgatory’ for workers on North Sea slave ships
A Scottish government committee has called on the UK Coastguard Agency to respond to safety concerns after offshore union RMT condemned conditions aboard some vessels operating in the North Sea as “purgatory.” RMT regional organiser Jake Molloy said the conditions aboard some ships were “appalling” with “less competent, less able and less willing workers being exploited in order to exploit our natural resources.”
Scottish Parliament economy, energy and tourism committee news release. Morning Star. Risks 735. 23 January 2016
Britain: TSSA action warning on rail safety in Scotland
Rail workers in Scotland have warned a train operator it will face industrial action if it presses ahead with cuts to the numbers of “safety critical” control staff. White collar rail union TSSA said plans to reassign ScotRail Alliance train control staff - the rail equivalent of air traffic control - will place a huge strain on the safe management of Scottish trains and so increase the risk of accidents on the network.
TSSA news release. Risks 735. 23 January 2016
Britain: Waste staff balloted after phone-in sacking
Sheffield council workers are being balloted for industrial action after a private firm sacked a union member for asking a question about safety and employment conditions on a BBC local radio phone-in programme. GMB member Martin Lyons was fired by Veolia-run Green Co on 14 January after the company claimed he had brought it into disrepute by asking council leader Julie Dore on air about a long-running dispute on the contract.
GMB news release. Morning Star. Risks 735. 23 January 2016
Britain: Government wrong to go easy on gangmasters
Construction union UCATT has warned that the government’s proposal to relax the licensing of gangmasters will lead to greater exploitation and the mistreatment of workers by employment agencies. The union was commenting on the government’s plans to reform the powers, function and scope of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA), changes the TUC warned could increase exploitation of vulnerable workers.
UCATT news release. BIS/Home Office response to the consultation on tackling exploitation in the labour market. Risks 735. 23 January 2016
Britain: Poor prison training led to medical retirement
A former prison officer has been awarded £185,000 in compensation after he suffered a permanent shoulder injury when taking part in mandatory control and restraint training at work. Robert Warren, a member of the prison officers’ union POA, was working at HMP Wealstun in West Yorkshire at the time of the incident.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 735. 23 January 2016
Britain: Blacklisters up offers in bid to evade courts
Payouts of more than £150,000 have been offered by major construction firms to victims of the construction blacklist. In a statement, the Blacklist Support Group said: “The High Court litigation has reached a crucial point with the companies offering money in an attempt to buy themselves out of any justice.”
Construction Enquirer. Risks 735. 23 January 2016
Britain: Snooping at work is an unhealthy intrusion
Unions, human resource experts and employers’ bodies have said that snooping on staff is an unwelcome and sometimes unhealthy intrusion. The organisations were speaking out after Europe's top court ruled a Romanian man whose employer read his messages had not had his rights violated.
TUC news release. IoD news release. CIPD news release. BBC News Online. Hazards magazine workplace privacy webpages. Risks 735. 23 January 2016
Global: Supply chain audits fail to report abuses
The ethical audits used by global companies to establish their adherence to decent labour, safety and environmental standards could in fact be a convenient and damaging alternative to effective regulation and enforcement, according to a new report. Researchers’ from the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute (SPERI), a part of Sheffield University, interviewed business executives, non-profits, supplier firms and auditors, and concluded “ultimately the audit regime is ‘working’ for corporations, but failing workers and the planet.”
SPERI news release. Ethical audits and the supply chains of global corporations, SPERI Global Political Economy Brief No.1, Sheffield University, January 2016. TUC Touchstone blog. The Guardian. Risks 735. 23 January 2016
Global: Supply chain abuses cause injuries and deaths
Research by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has revealed the global supply chains of 50 companies employ only six per cent of workers in a direct employment relationship. Sharan Burrow, ITUC general secretary, said the system results in “indefensible workplace injuries and deaths”, adding: “Only by exposing the practices of these companies to consumers and citizens around the world will companies begin to take responsibility for their supply chains and follow the rule of law.”
ITUC news release and report, ITUC Frontlines Report 2016: Scandal Inside the global supply chains of 50 top companies. Risks 735. 23 January 2016
Britain: Woman finished for chemotherapy time off
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has been accused of sacking an employee just days before Christmas after telling her she had taken too much time off work while undergoing chemotherapy. Pauline Fisher, 65, who has been diagnosed with incurable kidney cancer, had worked at a DWP-run disability centre in Blackpool for 10 years before being signed off sick for six months last June.
ITV News. The Independent. The Mirror. Risks 735. 23 January 2016
Britain: Peril for night shift workers on drive home
Workers driving home after a night shift are at an increased risk of a road traffic accident, a US study suggests. Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Liberty Mutual Research Institute found that for post-night shift drives nearly 44 per cent were ended early for safety reasons compared to none of the post-sleep drives.
Michael L Lee and others. High risk of near-crash driving events following night-shift work, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, volume 113, number 1, pages 176–181, 5 January 2016. Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety news release. Pump Handle blog. Risks 735. 23 January 2016
Global: Textile dust linked to rheumatoid arthritis
Occupational exposure to textile dust is associated with almost three times the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, according to new research published online in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. The research, which led the authors to call for better control of dust in the textiles industry, also linked exposure to genetic changes that hasten progression of the disease.
BMJ news release. Chun Lai Too and others. Occupational exposure to textile dust increases the risk of rheumatoid arthritis: results from a Malaysian population-based case-control study, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, 14 January 2016. doi 10.1136/annrheumdis-2015-208278 Risks 735. 23 January 2016
Britain: Worker suffered cement burns on first day Building products manufacturer Stressline Limited has been fined after an agency worker suffered serious cement burns on his first day of work. Leicester Magistrates’ Court heard how the inexperienced 21-year-old – on his first day of full-time employment – was exposed to alkaline cement slurry while standing in a drainage pit.
HSE news release and cement hazards factsheet. Risks 735. 23 January 2016
Britain: Director fined after skylight fall
The company director of a sash restoration company has been fined for his criminal safety failings after a worker fell three metres through an unprotected skylight. Salisbury Magistrates’ Court heard how on 14 July 2014, an employee of the Sash Restoration Company (Dorset) Limited fell through an unprotected skylight while replacing sash windows on a large manor house, breaking his wrist, although the firm failed to report the injury.
HSE news release and work at height toolbox Risks 735. 23 January 2016
Canada: Manager gets jail time after work deaths
Unions in Canada have said health and safety laws across the country now have real clout, following the jailing of Metron Construction manager for this role in the death of four employees. Vadim Kazenelson, 40, was sentenced to three-and-a-half years in jail for an incident in which four workers died and another was critically injured after falling 13 storeys from a scaffold outside a Toronto apartment building on Christmas Eve 2009.
OFL news release. CLC news release. Toronto Star. Risks 735. 23 January 2016
DRC: Kids mine the cobalt used in smartphones
Children as young as seven are working in perilous conditions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to mine cobalt that ends up in smartphones, cars and computers sold by household brands including Apple, Samsung and Sony, according to an investigation by Amnesty International. The human rights group claims to have traced cobalt used in lithium batteries sold to 16 multinational brands to mines where young children and adults are being paid a dollar a day, working in life-threatening conditions and subjected to violence, extortion and intimidation.
Amnesty International news release, video and report, This is what we die for: Human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo power the global trade in cobalt. The Guardian. BBC News Online. Risks 735. 23 January 2016
Thailand: Worker rights activist faces prosecution again
Workers’ and migrants’ rights activist Andy Hall has faced the courts in Thailand again, after exposing the abuse of migrant workers in a Thai pineapple canning factory. Andy, a British passport holder, faces a seven-year prison sentence and a hefty fine for his part in writing a research report critical of the Natural Fruit Company Ltd’s employment practices.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Glenis Willmott MEP news release. The Telegraph. Risks 735. 23 January 2016
USA: Wellness programmes now come with threats
Dale Arnold, who worked for plastics maker Flambeau in Wisconsin, USA, chose not to take his work-sponsored health assessment and biometric screening. The company responded by pulling his health insurance coverage. Bloomberg News. Workplace well-being programmes: A guide for safety reps, TUC, December 2015. Hard to swallow, Hazards magazine, Number 132, December 2015. Risks 735. 23 January 2016
Hazards news, 16 January 2016
Britain: Bad employers could benefit from gangmaster reforms
The TUC has raised serious concerns over government changes to the role of Gangmasters Licensing Authority (GLA). Commenting on the government’s 12 January announcement of its intention to reform the powers, function and scope of the GLA, TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “We are concerned that government proposals to make licensing more flexible will lead to fewer workplace inspections, leaving workers more vulnerable to exploitation.”
BIS/Home Office response to the consultation on tackling exploitation in the labour market. TUC news release. GLA news release. Risks 734. 16 January 2016
Britain: TUC dismay at asbestos cancer levy cut
The government should not cut the levy on insurance companies introduced to meet the cost of otherwise uncompensated cases of the asbestos cancer mesothelioma, the TUC has said. The union body was commenting on a government announcement that the Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme Levy for 2015/16 will be reduced to £23.2m from £32m in 2014/2015.
TUC news release. Ministerial statement 12 January 2016. Risks 734. 16 January 2016
Britain: Cameron’s flaky thinking on Euro deregulation
The British demand for a Europe-wide “target to cut the total burden on business” might not just be wrong, it might be unachievable, the TUC has said. TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson said even with the stated support of vice-president of the Commission, Frans Timmermans, the attempt by Britain has far from universal approval.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Risks 734. 16 January 2016
Britain: Post union acts until asbestos all clear
Union members at a Merseyside postal delivery office have returned to work after securing assurances about asbestos safety in the building. CWU members at the Kirkby office walked out after suspected asbestos was discovered while contractors were renovating the building.
Liverpool Echo. Risks 734. 16 January 2016
Britain: Privatised back to work tests a failure
The government's privatised system of assessing sick and disabled social security claimants is still failing claimants and taxpayers, civil service union PCS has said. The union was commenting after a National Audit Office (NAO) report concluded the Department for Work and Pensions has not achieved value for money in its management of health and disability assessments for employment and support allowance (ESA) and personal independence payments (PIP).
PCS news release. NAO report and news release. Statement from Commons public accounts committee chair Meg Hillier. Morning Star. Risks 734. 16 January 2016
Britain: RMT slams ‘pathetic’ death penalty on contractor
Rail union RMT has criticised as “pathetic” and “wholly inadequate” a fine handed out to a major rail construction company for a series of failures that led to the avoidable death of one of its workers. Carillion Construction Ltd was fined £200,000 and ordered to pay costs of £36,570.39 following a prosecution for the criminal breach of health and safety laws that led to the death of a Scott Dobson.
RMT news release. ORR news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 734. 16 January 2016
Britain: UK not pulling its weight on worst chemicals
Despite being a major player in global chemicals production, the UK is showing little interest in efforts to control the most dangerous substances, a new report suggests. A report from the European Environment Bureau (EEB), reveals the UK government has only proposed two Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC), chemicals including carcinogens and reproductive toxins targeted for phase-out.
CHEM Trust news report. EEB news release. A Roadmap to Revitalise REACH, EEB, December 2015. Health and Safety Executive online document on ‘Selecting substances to propose for authorisation, restriction, evaluation or harmonised classification and labelling’. ECHA SVHC webpages. Risks 734. 16 January 2016
Britain: Bad employers sometimes pay
While employment tribunal fees have drastically reduced the number of cases and typical awards for claimants are generally four-figure sums, tribunal decisions still occasionally cost employers dear. A round up six-figure employment tribunal awards in 2015 compiled by human resources magazine Personnel Today shows that far more substantial settlements can occur – and discrimination against sick workers was behind almost half of these bigger payouts.
Personnel Today. Risks 734. 16 January 2016
Britain: UK asbestos giant spied on activists
Executives at the world’s biggest asbestos factory spied on journalists and safety and environmental campaigners who exposed the killer dust’s dangers. Secret industry documents reveal that the executives at Rochdale-based asbestos giant Turner and Newall (T&N) monitored people they considered to be “subversive” and kept a dossier on their activities, then used a media and political campaign to try to discredit them.
The Independent. IBAS blog. Hazards magazine. Risks 734. 16 January 2016
Britain: Academy fined over asbestos risks
An academy trust has been fined for its criminal failure to manage asbestos and ensure the safety of builders working at a Medway school. Representatives from the Williamson Trust pleaded guilty at Medway Magistrates Court, where it was heard asbestos had been uncovered during work in 2012 at the Hundred of Hoo Academy, one of the trust’s schools.
HSE news release and asbestos webpages. Kent Messenger. Risks 734. 16 January 2016
Britain: Firms fined after asbestos failings
A food company and its contractor have been fined after asbestos was disturbed during building work and only identified by chance when an asbestos removal contractor came to the site. Stafford Crown Court heard no asbestos survey had been carried out by Mizkan Euro Ltd or DH Welton & Co Ltd.
HSE news release. Risks 734. 16 January 2016
Britain: Man escapes jail after apprentice dies in fire
A gas supplier whose workshop fire escape was padlocked shut, resulting in the death of an apprentice in a fire, has been given a suspended jail term. Poorly trained teen Jarrad Swan died after becoming trapped in Steve Adams' workshop when an oxygen bottle he was trying to fill exploded.
Kent Police news release. Thanet Gazette. ITV News. Risks 734. 16 January 2016
Britain: Firms fined for agency worker’s devastating injuries
Two companies have been fined after a construction worker suffered life changing injuries when he received an electric shock from an overhead power line. Ashley Coe, an agency worker working on site for Pascon Limited, was part of a group of workers laying cables in a trench for a British Solar Renewables Limited (BSR) windfarm when the incident happened on the 13 March 2013.
HSE news release. BBC News Online. Western Morning News. Risks 734. 16 January 2016
Britain: Family loses home after cement mixer death
A cash-strapped mum and sister had to move out of their home after a family member was killed when his arm got caught on a conveyor belt and he was pulled into a cement mixer. Billy Ridge, 26, was clearing sand around the base of a conveyor belt at a cement bagging plant when his arm got drawn into a roller.
Daily Mirror. Barking and Dagenham Post. Risks 734. 16 January 2016
Britain: TUC working in the UK online rights guide
The TUC’s international department has produced ‘Working in the UK - a guide to your rights’, an employment rights online guide in 17 languages, to help inform people of their working rights in the UK. TUC says this resource, which includes a detailed health and safety section, is a good organising and recruitment tool for union organisers.
Working in the UK - a guide to your rights. Risks 734. 16 January 2016
Canada: Lung cancer added to firefighter scheme
Firefighters and fire investigators in Ontario, Canada, no longer have to prove their lung cancer is work-related to claim workers’ compensation. From 1 January 2016 the condition has been added to a list of cancers presumed to be work-related for Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) benefits.
CBC News. Risks 734. 16 January 2016
Italy: Olivetti asbestos trial gets underway
Seventeen ex-managers at the electronics firm, Olivetti, are on trial over allegations that asbestos exposure at a factory in the Piedmont town of Ivrea caused 14 deaths. The accused, who include Franco De Benedetti, the current chief of scooter manufacturer Piaggio, worked for the company between the late 1970s and 2000.
The Local. Risks 734. 16 January 2016
[chemicals]Global: Electronics firms pressed on substitution
Electronics companies are starting to respond to pressure to reduce their use of chemicals that are known to be hazardous to human health, the environment or both. The industry’s slow steps away from damaging chemicals follows increasing recognition that electronics manufacture is causing cancer and other serious health effects in exposed production workers, all the way along the supply chain.
Ensia. IPEN. International Campaign for Responsible Technology. Green Chemistry & Commerce Council. Substitution Support Portal. GreenScreen for Safer Chemicals. Risks 734. 16 January 2016
Global: Prevention of cancer ‘demonstrably’ works
A greater emphasis on prevention of cancers would reap considerable benefits, the director of the UN’s cancer agency has said. Christopher Wild, who heads the International Agency for Research on Cancer, said figures vary, “but one can safely estimate that 40 to 50 per cent of cancers could be prevented if the accumulated knowledge about causes could be translated into effective primary prevention.”
Christopher Wild. Precision in the fight against the global cancer problem, Health Management, volume 15, issue 4, 2015. IARC monographs and prevention guides.
ITUC/Hazards work cancer hazards. Risks 734. 16 January 2016
Hazards news, 9 January 2016
Britain: TUC action call on flooding hazards
The TUC has called for a properly thought out government strategy together with the funding necessary to address funding risks. The union body, which has updated its flooding guide for safety reps, was speaking out in the wake of widespread flooding across Cumbria, Lancashire and Yorkshire.
TUC news release, Touchstone blog, Stronger Unions blog and guidance on flood risks. CWU news release and guidance. Government floods guidance. Risks 733. 9 January 2016
Britain: FBU calls for coordination not cuts in flood response
Better national coordination of fire and rescue and investment, instead of cuts, is required if emergency services are going to be respond properly to flooding, the firefighters’ union FBU has said. The union said the threat posed by the large scale floods witnessed in recent weeks is beyond the capacity of local services to cope.
FBU news release. Risks 733. 9 January 2016
Britain: Firefighters laid low by water-borne bug
Thousands of pounds of compensation has been paid out to firefighters from across the UK who fell ill after taking part in training at the National Watersports Centre. The training was carried out at the centre, at Holme Pierrepont in Nottinghamshire, between 2009 and 2012 and led to 66 firefighters falling ill with sickness and diarrhoea. Each firefighter received between £1,000 and £10,000, with Nottinghamshire County Council paying out a total of £88,312.50 in compensation after settling 54 claims without accepting liability. Water at the centre flowed from the River Trent, which was found to contain harmful bacteria. Due to the physically demanding nature of the training, it led to almost all of those attending the courses ingesting the water and falling ill. The Fire Brigade Union (FBU) South West branch instructed Thompsons Solicitors to carry out investigations into cause of the sickness. Despite evidence establishing contaminated water was responsible for the ill-health, the centre was still advertised to fire brigades as a safe place to carry out the ‘Swift Water Rescue Training’. Tam McFarlane, executive council member for South West FBU, said: “Rather than accepting their mistakes, bosses have fought every claim in full, wasting vast sums of taxpayers' money on legal defence fees that should be spent protecting the public.” Kevin Digby, from Thompsons Solicitors, said: “Sixth-six FBU members have been laid low by this failure and there are many others who have been affected.” He added: “Listening to your staff, listening to experts, and basic health and safety isn't rocket science.”
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Nottingham Post. Buxton Advertiser. Risks 733. 9 January 2016
Britain: Safety criminal guilty, but workers were fired
A serial offender sentenced in December 2015 for its criminal safety failings had previously fired workers after blaming them for the incidents, their union GMB has said. Anglian Water Services Limited (AWSL) was fined £400,000 with costs of £41,711 after pleading guilty to criminal safety breaches.
GMB news release. HSE news release. Risks 733. 9 January 2016
Britain: Unite says ‘say no to unsafe jobs’
Unite is urging its union reps to reject to unsafe jobs. A new guide, part of Unite’s ‘Looking for trouble’ health and safety campaign, urges reps to ‘say no’ to taking risks, dangerous work, cutting corners and to putting production before safety.
Unite Say No to unsafe jobs, say Yes to make it safe guide. Risks 733. 9 January 2016
Britain: Fall caused physical and mental injuries
A Unite member who suffered a workplace fall that caused physical and psychological injuries has been awarded more than £100,000 in compensation. The 56-year-old man from Rotherham, whose name has not been released, was sent by his employer to fix a roller shutter door at a client’s premises when the ladder he was using slipped and fell from under him.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 733. 9 January 2016
Britain: HSE to revisit GB health and safety strategy
‘Leading industry figures and other key influencers’ are being urged by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to join a ‘conversation’ on the future strategy for Great Britain’s health and safety system. Pre-empting these responses, the safety regulator has published six themes that the five-year strategy will cover: Promoting broader ownership of workplace health and safety; highlighting and tackling the burden of work-related ill-health; supporting small firms; enabling productivity through proportionate risk management; anticipating and tackling the challenges of new technology and ways of working; and sharing the benefits or Great Britain’s approach.
HSE news release and strategy webpage and twitter discussion, hashtag: #HelpGBWorkWell. HSE’s new facebook page. Risks 733. 9 January 2016
Britain: Unhealthy workplace trend confirmed by reports
Two new reports have confirmed an upward trend in work-related ill-health under the Conservatives. Since the Conservatives defeated Labour in 2010/11, self-reported work-related illness has increased by 7 per cent, up from 1.16m cases to 1.24m in 2014/15.
Doctor? No: HSE defends its impotence in the losing battle against work’s diseases, Hazards, number 133, December 2015. IHE news release and preliminary Marmot indicators.
Hard to swallow: TUC warns that firms and government have an unhealthy preoccupation with your lifestyle, Hazards, number 133, December 2015. Workplace well-being programmes: A guide for safety reps, TUC, December 2015. Risks 733. 9 January 2016
Britain: Bad exposures not bad luck causes cancers
Workplace, environmental and other ‘extrinsic’ exposures cause of up to 90 per cent of cancers, researchers have concluded. The study by a team at Stony Brook University in the US was prompted by a heavily criticised paper in the journal Science which in January 2015 claimed ‘bad luck’ was behind most cancers.
Stony Brook University news release. Scientific American. BBC News Online.
Song Wo, Scott Powers, Wei Zhu and Yusuf A Hannun. Substantial contribution of extrinsic risk factors to cancer development, Nature, published online 16 December 2015. Risks 733. 9 January 2016
Global: BP boss says deadly blast was a ‘near death’ experience
The explosion on a BP rig off the US coast in 2010 led to a ‘near death experience’ for the company, its chief executive has said. Bob Dudley was commenting on the Deepwater Horizon blast that killed 11 workers, caused one of the worst environmental disasters in the US and saw BP pay fines and compensation and sell off more than £30bn ($45bn) in assets.
BBC News Online. BBC Radio 4 Today programme. Risks 733. 9 January 2016
Britain: Blacklisters can’t bid for Scottish public contracts
Companies that are involved in ‘blacklisting’ will be excluded from bidding for public contracts in Scotland, under new regulations being laid in the Scottish Parliament in December 2015. From 18 April 2016, it will be a legal requirement for public bodies to exclude businesses found to have breached the Blacklists Regulations 2010, or which have admitted to doing so.
Scottish government news release and consultation responses. Risks 733. 9 January 2016
Britain: Military veterans to quality for asbestos lump sums
Military veterans with mesothelioma can now receive lump sum payments of £140,000, after the Ministry of Defence (MoD) revised compensation rules. The move came after the Royal British Legion said British veterans who developed the terminal cancer caused by asbestos exposure during their military service were being unfairly treated, as they were only eligible for incremental war pension payments after being diagnosed with the rapidly lethal cancer.
MoD news release. Risks 733. 9 January 2016
Britain: College student dies from Weil's disease
A student has died of Weil's disease after helping at an animal charity, Public Health England has confirmed. Following the death, a court order was granted which restricts public access to Northamptonshire Animals in Need of Nurturing and Adoption at Irthlingborough.
Northamptonshire Telelgraph. Northampton Chronicle. BBC News Online. Risks 733. 9 January 2016
Britain: Firm fined £700,000 for crane driver’s manslaughter
Baldwins Crane Hire has been fined £700,000 after the death of its operator Lindsay Easton at the Scout Moor wind farm in East Lancashire four years ago. Following a trial in November 2015, the company was found guilty of corporate manslaughter, failing to ensure the safety of its employees and failing to ensure the safety of other persons.
Lancashire Police news release. Construction Enquirer. Morning Star. BBC News Online. Slough Observer. Risks 733. 9 January 2016
Britain: Suspended sentences for deadly directors
Wooburn Landscapes Limited was fined £50,000 with £9,680 costs after landscape gardener Russell Meech, 27, was killed when he fell under the wheels of a telehandler. The company’s directors Andrew Schofield and Mark Schofield were each given a four and a half months prison sentence, suspended for eighteen months and 250 hours of unpaid community service.
HSE news release. Risks 733. 9 January 2016
Britain: Community service after road roller death
Globalreward Limited was fined £10,000 with £30,750 costs after employee Andrew Poole, 56, was killed as a result of crushing injuries to his head when the ride-on road roller he had been operating drove over him after the driver’s seat sheared off. The company’s director Paul Thomas Andrews was sentenced to two months in prison suspended for two years and ordered to do 200 hours community service.
HSE news release. Risks 733. 9 January 2016
Britain: Six figure fines for two death firms
Cemex UK Operations Limited was fined £700,000 plus £90,783.78 costs and Cape Industrial Services Limited £600,000 plus £90,783.78 costs after John Altoft, 29, was killed when he fell to his death after being struck by falling debris inside an industrial tower.
HSE news release. Risks 733. 9 January 2016
Britain: Hanson fined £750,000 after crushing death
Manufacturing company Hanson Packed Products Ltd was fined £750,000 plus costs of £29,511 after 26-year-old worker William Ridge was fatally crushed when his arm was caught in a powered roller.
HSE news release. Risks 733. 9 January 2016
Britain: Power firms fined after wind turbine death
Siemens Public Limited Company was fined £107,000 and RWE Innogy UK Limited (RWE) £45,000 after 27-year-old Colin Sinclair was killed when he came into contact with the unguarded rotating shaft of a gearbox within a turbine at Causeymire windfarm. HSE news release. Risks 733. 9 January 2016
Australia: Historic ruling on safe rates for drivers
Global transport unions’ federation ITF has welcomed an historic ruling in Australia requiring firms to pay minimum safe rates to truck drivers. Australia’s Road Safety Remuneration Tribunal ruled on 18 December 2015 that drivers should be paid for waiting at depots, loading and unloading and for the time it takes to clean, inspect and service their trucks and trailers.
ITF news release and Safe Rates campaign. Risks 733. 9 January 2016
Europe: Commission breached law on endocrine disrupters
The European Court of Justice has ruled that the European Commission has not been quick enough in identifying and banning potentially harmful ‘endocrine disrupting’ chemicals, linked to cancer, reproductive and other adverse health effects. The December 2015 ruling came in a case brought by Sweden on behalf of the Nordic states.
EU Court news release. ClientEarth news release. Swedish government news release. ChemSec news report. BBC News Online. Risks 733. 9 January 2016
Qatar: Companies profiting as workers die
A report from the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) estimates that a $15 billion (£10.2bn) profit will be made by companies working in Qatar on infrastructure for the controversial 2022 FIFA World Cup, using up to 1.8 million migrant workers as modern day slaves. The report is critical of Qatar for failing to deliver changes to labour rights or compliance, and warns implicated construction companies, hotels, retail chains and UK and US universities of the cost of doing business in a slave state.
ITUC news release, multi-media investigation: Qatar Exposed and full report: Qatar: Profit and loss. Counting the cost of modern day slavery in Qatar: What price freedom? Risks 733. 9 January 2016
USA: Tighter silica exposure standard ‘in sight’
The Obama administration in the US is moving forward with long-delayed rules intended to protect workers from potentially deadly exposures to silica dust. The Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) confirmed on 21 December 2015 that it had sent the rules to the White House for final approval, a step that comes after years of delays.
In These Times. Politico. Silica, part 2: A line in the sand, Hazards, number 127, 2014. Silica, part 1: Dust to dust: Deadly silica standard is killing UK workers, Hazards, number 126, 2014. Risks 733. 9 January 2016
