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Risks Newsletter
Number 274 - 16 September 2006|
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Editor: Rory O'Neill of Hazards magazine. Comments to the TUC at healthandsafety@tuc.org.uk
Risks is the TUC's weekly online bulletin for safety reps and others, read each week by over 13,000 subscribers and 1,500 on the TUC website. To receive this bulletin every week, click here . Past issues are available . This edition contains Useful links TUC courses for safety reps Disclaimer and Privacy statement .
UNION NEWS- Six figure payout for teacher's asbestos death
- Union warning on classroom killer
- Unions call for register of workplace assaults
- Teacher wins top TUC safety rep award
- Stair trip worker awarded £30,000
- Union wins Phantom of the Opera payout
- One in five a 'vulnerable' worker
- Dismissed Tube worker is reinstated
- New official 'work is good for you' push
- 'Obscene' fees consume asbestos fund
- Real losers of Federal Mogul's bankruptcy ruse
- Dying carpenter gets £400,000 asbestos payout
- Teen gets payout for work finger injury
- Company fined over sea death plunge
- Former bosses fined £200 for deadly failings
- Family's fury at 'misadventure' verdict
- Pubs 'healthier' after smoke ban
- Australia: Safety in the workplace rights front line
- Global: Mines tragedies highlight deadly practices
- USA: Safety No.1 reason to join a union
- USA: Most Ground Zero workers now suffering
UNION NEWS
Six figure payout for teacher's asbestos death
The relatives of Tameside teacher John Murphy, killed as a result of exposure to asbestos in his classroom, have received compensation. Janis Bradbury, John's sister and executor of his estate, sought help from teaching union ATL when the inquest into John's death found it was work-related. ATL said when first diagnosed, both John and Janis suspected instantly the cause was asbestos exposure at Hartshead High School, where John had worked for 16 years. The school had removed asbestos in the 1980s after discovering it was flaking off the ceilings, said ATL. As a result of rapid expansion in the 1970s, Hartshead High had built temporary classrooms like prefabs with moveable walls. Both John and Janis believed it was in moving these walls backwards and forwards that John was exposed to asbestos. The case took over three years until Tameside Borough Council admitted liability. 'ATL did a fantastic job but if John had been alive the case would have been dealt with quicker,' Janis said, 'so it's vital to act quickly.' HSE this year issued updated guidance for schools, warning teachers not to pin or tack pupils' work to walls or ceilings containing asbestos (Risks 251). HSE figures show 147 education staff, half of them teachers, died of the asbestos cancer mesothelioma in the decade from 1991 to 2000 (Risks 256).
- ATL safety bulletin . HSE guide - Asbestos: an important message for schools [pdf].
Union warning on classroom killer
Unions in the north of England have warned that teachers are contracting fatal asbestos cancers by putting children's work up on walls using drawing pins. Eight school staff in Northumberland, Gateshead, North Tyneside, Sunderland and County Durham are seeking compensation from education authorities after getting asbestos-related cancers. A number of claims have been settled already. Teaching unions fear the long latency period before the development of asbestos cancers means many more teachers will be affected in coming years. Regional secretary of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) Elaine Kay said: 'Every school should have an asbestos plan which says where it is and what's been done to seal it and render it safe. Everybody in the school should have information so teachers don't go sticking pins in it. It's when that information falls short that it becomes a serious risk, which is unacceptable because teachers stick pins in the wall all the time, as do children.' North East national executive member for the teaching union NASUWT, Mick Lyons, said: 'Most of our schools are held together by asbestos because they were built in the 1960s when there wasn't the knowledge of what it can do.' He added: 'I know of people drilling through walls to put in a telephone cable and disturbing asbestos. A school in Durham put in a whiteboard but forgot to mention that the ceiling panels were made of asbestos. Nowadays, most local authorities know where it is and schools have asbestos plans, but we're looking at a timebomb from the sixties, seventies and eighties when it wasn't so well known.' Official figures obtained by local paper The Journal revealed over 90 per cent of schools in the region contain some form of asbestos.
Unions call for register of workplace assaults
Union leaders have backed a call at the TUC Congress in Brighton to establish a national register to record verbal and physical assaults on public service workers. Teachers' union NASUWT successfully moved a motion calling for the register in a bid to stop victims being dissuaded from making a formal complaint, or because they feared pursuing the matter with the police might see the school labelled as 'failing'. Chris Keates, NASUWT general secretary, moved the motion. Ms Keates said: 'Under-reporting of incidents of assault is a concern across the public sector. In education, one of the main reasons for failing to record and report is employer pressure. Spurious arguments that a school will be considered to be failing if incidents are reported are used to encourage victims to play down an assault.' She added: 'In too many cases where verbal abuse is involved, its unacceptability and impact are underestimated. Too often, it is dismissed as 'part of the job'. Sustained verbal abuse, if unaddressed, can be as damaging and debilitating to the health and welfare of a member of staff as a physical assault. A national register would enable the scale of the problem to be identified, common patterns of behaviour to be detected, and appropriate protective and preventative measures to be introduced.' The Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) seconded the NASUWT's motion, and members of firefighters' union FBU, public service union UNISON and rail union RMT spoke in support.
Teacher wins top TUC safety rep award
A teacher's tireless work to improve the safety of children and staff in schools in North London has won him the TUC's top safety award. Teaching union ATL says Hank Roberts' work in Brent has been so successful it has influenced safety policies in schools in England and Wales and changed Department for Education and Skills (DFES) guidance. Hank, an ATL executive member, was presented with the TUC health and safety rep award at this week's TUC Congress in Brighton. ATL says prominent among Hank's achievements is this year's DfES update of its best practice guidance when taking children with special educational needs on school trips. The union adds that at a local level, 75 per cent of Brent schools now have a safety rep - which it says is the best coverage in the UK. Hank said: 'Health and safety is too important to be neglected and I will, together with my colleagues, continue to do everything possible to prevent any further terrible tragedies.' ATL general secretary, Dr Mary Bousted, commented: 'Hank Roberts has been truly inspirational in getting councils and schools to understand the importance of safety and take the issue seriously. Children and staff in schools in England and Wales are undoubtedly safer as a result of his tireless work.'
Stair trip worker awarded £30,000
A social worker who broke her arm in a work fall has been awarded £30,000. UNISON member Morag Holtes, 49, thought she caught her heel on a bulge in the stair carpet when she fell at the Aberdeenshire Council offices in Stonehaven in 2003. Thompsons Solicitors, the personal injury firm put on the case by UNISON, claimed that a proper inspection would have shown that the staircase did not meet the standards for office use. At the Court of Session in Edinburgh, Lord Turnbull ruled the council had failed to act on previous complaints. Mrs Holtes said she tripped and fell head first, with no chance of saving herself, as she came down the staircase. She told the court the steps were too narrow to put her foot down properly and said an ill-fitting carpet made things worse. Philip Glen, a consulting engineer, told the court that the staircase was a hazard as it was very steep and had narrow treads, and that it did not meet the criteria for office use. A bulge in the carpet increased the risk of an accident and no risk assessment had been carried out. The damages figure of £30,000 had been agreed in advance, and the judge found the council at fault for the accident.
Union wins Phantom of the Opera payout
A member of film and theatre union BECTU has been awarded compensation after being seriously injured on the Phantom of the Opera film set. Kevin Butler was working at the top of a scaffold tower, when a colleague climbed up the structure. The tower, which was not fixed properly, toppled over and he was thrown approximately 25 feet to the ground. Kevin suffered severe injuries in the October 2003 incident, including a fracture of his left wrist, fractures of his upper tibia and fibula in his right leg, a wound to the head, and psychological injuries. Clare Mellor from BECTU legal advisers Thompsons Solicitors, which secured the undisclosed sum, said: 'Because of his physical injuries, Kevin has been unable to continue in his pre-accident role as a scenic carpenter. He found alternative work as a security guard in April 2005 but has suffered a significant drop in his earnings. This compensation will help to secure his future.' Gerry Morrissey, BECTU assistant general secretary, commented: 'We would urge all of our members to point out to their insurers that they are entitled to legal representation through their union and will not be fobbed off with their panel solicitors.'
One in five a 'vulnerable' worker
More than five million workers in the UK - one in every five employees - are being ripped off by rogue bosses, according to a new report. Some employers break laws by paying cash in hand below the minimum wage or forcing staff to work unpaid overtime, said TUC leader Brendan Barber. Other bad bosses were taking advantage of legal loopholes to sack staff, cheat them out of cash and paid holidays and force them to work in unsafe conditions. The report, 'The hidden one-in-five Winning a fair deal for Britain's vulnerable workers', was written for the TUC by the independent Policy Studies Institute (PSI). It uses official statistics to show that around 5.3 million workers earn below one third of the median hourly wage and do not have a trade union to negotiate their terms and conditions, so are vulnerable to exploitation. The report highlights the risks to the UK's 1.2 million temporary workers, including 226,000 agency employees, and to migrant workers and workers in the informal sector. Studies have shown insecure workers face a substantially increased health and safety risk at work (Risks 260). The report says unions have been active on behalf of vulnerable workers. Examples in the report include: a CWU agreement with Manpower; work by the TGWU, UNISON and UCATT with migrant workers including the Justice for Cleaners campaign and the Overseas Nurses Network; work by the Community union in Leicester with workers in the informal economy; and union co-operation with the National Group on Homeworking. The government this week announced a series of pilot projects involving unions and other groups, intended to protect vulnerable workers.
- TUC news release. PSI news release. DTI news release. The Mirror.
- TUC One-in-five webpage and report. National Group on Homeworking.
Dismissed Tube worker is reinstated
A dispute over the sacking of a Jubilee Line train operator has been resolved after a London Underground director's appeal decided the dismissal of Raj Nathvani should be suspended for 12 months (Risks 270). A ballot of Jubilee Line drivers was cancelled in the light of Raj's re-instatement by the appeal hearing, which took into account mitigating circumstances and other similar cases. Tube union RMT had earlier criticised the sacking as 'blatantly unfair'. The train driver, who had in over eight years of service maintained a flawless safety record, was dismissed after reporting he had overrun a signal. The union said other workers in similar circumstances had been treated less harshly. It added that correct procedures had been ignored by the company, including refusing Raj union representation at his original disciplinary hearing.
OTHER NEWS
New official 'work is good for you' push
A government commissioned review has concluded being out of work is bad for both mind and body, progressively damaging health and decreasing life expectancy. 'Is work good for your health and well-being?' concludes that being in work is, overall, good for physical and mental health. Adverse health effects of being out of work include higher rates of mental health problems than the general population, as well as increased likelihood of suicide, disability and obesity. The report said when people return to work from unemployment their health improves by as much as unemployment damages it. DWP minister Lord Hunt, who is responsible for workplace health and safety, said: 'Work is good for individuals and their families, and by lifting people out of poverty it also benefits communities by increasing prosperity while reducing health and wealth inequalities. This review reinforces our commitment to helping more people into work, improving the health of working age people and tackling the root causes of ill-health.' The argument is central to the government's Health Work and Well-being strategy, to be led by Dame Carol Black, who took up her post as the first National Director for Health and Work on 29 August 2006. She said: 'Very few doctors and nurses understand that work is health giving. Work is an intrinsic part of improving and maintaining health. It is crucial that GPs bear this in mind when offering advice and support to people with all types of health condition.' The report, however, adds a note of caution. 'The provisos are that account must be taken of the nature and quality of work and its social context; jobs should be safe and accommodating. Overall, the beneficial effects of work outweigh the risks of work, and are greater than the harmful effects of long-term unemployment or prolonged sickness absence. Work is generally good for health and well-being.' Critics have warned that bad work is bad for you and can make existing health problems worse, and most GPs have little training and scant knowledge of workplace hazards and related health effects. They fear the new push back into work may see genuine workplace health concerns ignored or downplayed.
- DWP news release. Personnel Today.
- Health, work and well-being webpages and new report.
- Why bad work is not a good idea. HSE on the levels and costs of work-related ill-health.
'Obscene' fees consume asbestos fund
Accountants and lawyers claimed a staggering £70m in fees to administer a compensation scheme which left cancer victims with just 20 per cent of the money they should have received. A report in the Yorkshire Post says the deal means victims of terminal cancer who are entitled to compensation fees in the region of £100,000 from former asbestos giant Turner and Newall will receive only £20,000, 20p in the pound. Around £95m is to be paid out in compensation to cancer victims. The fees have been charged by compensation administrators Kroll, who received around £40m, and their legal and other professional advisers who received a further £30m. Turner and Newall's US owners Federal Mogul went into administration in 2001 when faced with thousands of compensation claims in the United States, with Turner and Newall in the UK following suit. Under US law Federal Mogul continued to trade profitably, despite being in administration. In 2001 Turner and Newall faced claims in Britain totalling £340m. A trust fund was established to salvage whatever it could for Turner and Newall victims. It secured £33m, part of a total of £95m salvaged. Negotiations with the administrators, Kroll, dragged on for five years, and ended only with the vote to accept the reduced payments late last week. Over 100 former Turner and Newall employees died waiting for their cash while administrative costs mounted. The son of one victim described the fees as 'obscene.' Russell Hancock, whose mother June died as a result of environmental exposure to asbestos from the firm's JW Roberts factory in Leeds, said: 'The £30 and £40 million over five years seems to be at best disgraceful, and at worst obscene. I am not saying Kroll should have done it for nothing, but it appears they have done it for everything.'
- Yorkshire Post. Thompsons Solicitors news release.
- British Asbestos Newsletter. Hazards asbestos webpages and cancer webpages.
Real losers of Federal Mogul's bankruptcy ruse
When Federal Mogul used the USA's business friendly bankruptcy laws, it knew it could ring fence its substantial assets at the expense of asbestos disease victims. Hundreds will now qualify for the drastically reduced payouts. Among them is the family of Dorothy Tobin, who died of the asbestos cancer mesothelioma last year because she washed her family's contaminated work clothes. Her father and brother worked at the Newalls asbestos factory in Cardiff, part of the Turner and Newall group taken over by Federal Mogul, and both died of asbestos related disease. Asbestos disease also killed her sister, Beryl, whose only exposure came from her father's clothing. Dorothy's husband Terry Tobin, 76, will be able to claim compensation from the new cash-capped compensation fund. He said: 'This was never about the money for me. It was just such a tragedy to see my wife die of a disease after her father, brother and sister had all died of it before her, that I just wanted somebody to take responsibility.' Eamon McDonagh of Thompsons Solicitors said Mr Tobin will be able to make a claim to compensate for his wife's injury and loss of earnings, which could equate to £10,000. And he said thousands of other relations of employees of Turner and Newalls, which had several factories around South Wales between the 1930s and 1970s, could make similar claims.
- South Wales Echo.
- EWG on 'business as usual' bankruptcies and the Federal Mogul case history.
Dying carpenter gets £400,000 asbestos payout
A carpenter dying from the asbestos cancer mesothelioma has been awarded agreed damages of £400,000 from his former employer. Field Fisher Waterhouse, the law firm acting for Amargeet Singh Dahele, 52, said it believed this was one of the highest ever settlements in such a case. Mr Dahele claimed to be regularly exposed to asbestos dust and fibres while working for Thomas Bates and Son Ltd on three tower blocks in Stratford, east London. After a cross-examination at Mr Dehele's home, his former employer admitted liability and agreed to pay towards the cost of chemotherapy treatment not available on the National Health Service, as well as nursing care and equipment. Mr Dahele's lawyer, Harminder Bains, said: 'This is one of the highest awards in this type of claim and clearly illustrates the reasons why victims of asbestos disease should make claims for compensation. Mr Dahele will now be able to pay for chemotherapy which is not available to him on the NHS and it will also assist in looking after his young family which is of great comfort to him.'
Teen gets payout for work finger injury
A Sheffield teenager has received an out-of-court settlement of over £2,000 after sustaining a crush injury to his right middle finger leaving him with permanent injuries. Luke Peace, 19, suffered his injuries in April 2005 whilst employed as a junior clerk by Transtar International Freight Forwarders. He was assisting a delivery driver to load a steel bar onto a lorry. The driver was carrying one end of the bar when he dropped it leaving Mr Peace to take the full weight of the bar. He fell to the ground, trapping his right hand under the bar. Solicitor Lisa Fairclough of personal injury firm Irwin Mitchell, who represented Mr Peace, said: 'During Mr Peace's employment, he did not receive any manual handling training. The injuries sustained were as a result of his lack of manual handling training coupled with the delivery driver failing to give any warning of his actions. It is every employer's responsibility to ensure employees are provided with sufficient manual handling training and guidance and to ensure a safe environment and safe system of work for all their workers.' A TUC-backed report published last month in Hazards magazine reported nearly 4,500 workers aged 16 to 24 were seriously injured or killed at work last year, over 20 per cent more than five years ago (Risks 269). It identified a lack of training and supervision as the major responsible factor.
Company fined over sea death plunge
A Texas-based oil and gas multinational has been ordered to pay fines and costs totalling £290,000 after a rig worker plunged to his death into the sea off the Lancashire coast. Russell Bell, 25, died after falling 100ft into the Irish Sea in Morecambe Bay from a gas exploration platform. His death could have prevented if further safety measures had been put in place, a judge at Preston Crown Court ruled. The Recorder of Preston, Judge Anthony Russell QC, said Ensco Offshore (UK) Ltd had breached health and safety regulations. Ensco pleaded guilty to two breaches of safety law regarding failing to discharge a duty to their employees and failing to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment. Judge Russell said he accepted that the company did have a 'safety culture' in place and there was no question of them, 'putting profits before safety'. Mr Bell should not have been on the ladder from which he fell according to safety instructions but the company, said Judge Russell, should have put measures in place to deal with human error. In particular, said the city Recorder, there should have been a guard around the ladder and a safety harness. The judge fined Ensco a total of £115,000 for the two health and safety offences and ordered it to pay costs of £175,000.
Former bosses fined £200 for deadly failings
Investigations into the death of a paper mill worker uncovered 'crucial failings' in risk assessment - but because the firm responsible has gone into administration, its former owners have escaped with a £200 fine. Dean Thomas, 42, was crushed to death at the former RJ Crompton plant in Lydney, Gloucestershire, on 3 May 2003. The firm has since been bought by a company unconnected with the death. Mr Thomas was re-setting a machine which rolls paper, when an untrained co-worker pressed the wrong button, causing an hydraulic table to close on him. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which investigated the incident and brought the prosecution, said the company had not carried out a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks of using the machine. Inspectors also found home-made tools which workers used to reset the machine when they were inside it, a practice done with the full knowledge of the management. 'Given the frequency of access, the company should have realised that they were putting their staff in danger and altered the machine to prevent it working if anyone remained inside the enclosure,' HSE said. At the court hearing, the judge told the former owners the fine would have been £250,000 had they still been in business.
Family's fury at 'misadventure' verdict
An engineer, described by colleagues as 'very safety conscious', fell to his death when he slipped and crashed through a skylight, an inquest has heard. Timothy Kynaston, 50, from Bradford on Avon, had been carrying out work for Devizes-based contractors TH White on a barn roof. Salisbury Coroner's Court heard how, while balancing on a narrow plank of wood over a fragile asbestos roof, Mr Kynaston slipped and fell through the skylight on to a concrete floor below. He died of his injuries at the scene two years ago. An inquest jury last week returned a verdict of misadventure, deciding that Mr Kynaston made a conscious decision to cross the fragile roof. The verdict upset Mr Kynaston's brothers, who attended the four-day inquest, as they felt it suggested he had done something wrong by following instructions and getting on with his job. They said they would now be looking at their options for further action. The inquest heard that company directors, including managing director David Scott, had not conducted a risk assessment of the site and had expected line managers with no proper training to do so. It also heard that although Mr Kynaston's immediate boss Andrew Lee had warned him to be careful when on the plank of wood, no potential risk had been flagged up to company directors or the owner of Manor Farm before the accident. After hearing the evidence, the coroner gave the jury the option of returning verdicts of misadventure or accidental death, saying there was no real evidence that those with the power to fix the dangerous site were aware of it. However, evidence presented at the inquest suggested the firm had not met its basic legal safety duties, which would indicate it was in breach of criminal safety laws.
Pubs 'healthier' after smoke ban
The vast majority of bar staff in Scotland believe their workplaces are healthier since the March introduction of the smoking ban, according to a new survey. The Cancer Research UK poll of 545 workers revealed that three-quarters thought the legislation would improve their health in the long term. Professor Gerard Hastings, director of the charity's Centre for Tobacco Control Research at Stirling University, said: 'This is great news. The survey results show that, in just six months, the people of Scotland are already reaping the health benefits of going smoke-free.' Cancer Research UK said bar workers who smoked were also positive about the health effects of the law. Almost 90 per cent reported a healthier work environment and 69 per cent said it would benefit their health in the long term. Professor Hastings said: 'By protecting people from second-hand smoke and helping smokers to quit, Scotland's smoking ban will save many thousands of lives in the next decade.' Professor Alex Markham, Cancer Research UK's chief executive, said: 'Scotland should be proud of having moved so fast to embrace smoke-free legislation. While the rest of the UK plays catch up, Scotland has led the way in showing how to ensure a smoke-free future.'
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Australia: Safety in the workplace rights front line
Australian employers are using punitive anti-union laws to victimise workers raising safety concerns. A judge this week attacked the laws, while dismissing an official agency's bid to fine union officials and a building firm that paid workers while they stopped work to honour a dead colleague. Federal Court judge Tony North was critical of a section of the Workplace Relations Act stopping bosses paying workers involved in any form of stoppage. 'If penalties are imposed on employers who pay workers for stoppages which reasonable people would see as understandable and justified... the law itself will be seen to be out of step with reasonable community expectations,' Justice North said. He dismissed charges against builder B&P Caelli Constructions and two officials from the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU). The case was prosecuted by the building industry watchdog, the Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC). It involved workers being paid for a stoppage in August 2003 after a worker died. The ABCC pursued the builder for providing strike pay, and union officials for allegedly demanding the pay in breach of the Act. CFMEU state secretary Martin Kingham said the ruling was a slap in the face for the ABCC and federal government. The case is one of a number where employers have used new industrial relations laws to victimise workers raising safety concerns (Risks 272). Anne Bradshaw, the boss of Botany Cranes and president of the Crane Owners Association, fired experienced union delegate Barry Hemsworth after he objected to the company shifting safety responsibilities to its staff. A meeting of over 75 per cent of his workmates gave Hemsworth a unanimous vote of confidence but the new laws prevented them taking industrial action in his defence. Barry Hemsworth said: '"I am going to make the public aware of how some companies are using this legislation. During my 10 years as delegate we hadn't had a single stoppage at Botany Cranes but I opposed their move to make workers draw up their own risk analysis statements.'
Global: Mines tragedies highlight deadly practices
Major mines disasters in India and Russia have highlighted the high price paid by workers in the industry. All 53 coal miners trapped last week after a roof collapse and explosion inside India's Bhatdih colliery died because of the irresponsible attitude of the coal company officials, press reports said. Inadequate respiratory protection was blamed, with workers succumbing to carbon monoxide fumes. Unions and families of the dead also blamed mine safety officials. The president of Bharatiya Mazddor Sangh, Kumar Arjun Singh, said the safety officials did not take adequate measures to maintain safety in the mines. A fire last week in a Russian gold mine killed 25 miners. A total of 64 workers were underground when the fire broke out in a shaft at the Vershino-Darsunsky mine in the Chita Region of southern Siberia. In all, 39 miners were rescued during a search and rescue operation at a depth of between 85 (280 feet) and 135 metres (425ft), officials said. The fatalities were the result of carbon monoxide poisoning.
USA: Safety No.1 reason to join a union
American workers rank workplace safety as the top reason to join a union, according to new research. A poll by the Employment Law Alliance, a network of management side employment lawyers, found 63 per cent of workers surveyed identified health and safety as an important factor in deciding to join a union, followed by getting better benefits (60 per cent), obtaining higher wages (57 per cent) and increasing job security (54 per cent). The telephone survey of 1,000 people found among workers who had never been a union member, workplace safety and health was identified by 61 per cent as an important factor in deciding to join a union, followed by getting better benefits (54 per cent), obtaining higher wages (51 per cent) and increasing job security (49 per cent). ELA chief executive officer Stephen J Hirschfeld said the results marked a big shift from the findings 20 years ago. 'Now, for the first time, employees are telling us that workplace safety, wages, benefits and job security are areas where they think unions will do a more effective job in helping their plight.' He added: 'In light of recent corporate scandals, news reports indicating executive manipulation of stock options and continued outsourcing of work overseas, executives had better wake up and fast. If management doesn't get its act together, you will see an increase in unionisation.' The lesson for US unions, which have recently began a much-publicised revamp to prioritise organising efforts, is that health and safety will be the most effective lure for prospective members.
- ELA news release and America at Work public opinion survey summary [pdf]. Confined Space.
- More on the union safety effect.
USA: Most Ground Zero workers now suffering
The majority of the 40,000 rescue and recovery workers who responded to the 11 September 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York could be suffering health problems as a result of toxic exposures. A new study by doctors at Mount Sinai Medical Center has found nearly 70 per cent of firefighters, police officers, emergency medical crews, construction workers, utility workers and volunteers have suffered new or worsened lung and other health problems. Nearly two-thirds (61 per cent) of those with no previous health concerns had developed lung problems. One in five of the responders had a low lung capacity, five times the expected rate. The report outlines a 'complex list of toxic chemicals' - from jet fuel to asbestos to PCBs - to which workers were exposed immediately after the attacks and during the months-long cleanup. Dr Robin Herbert, co-director of the group that investigated the long-term effects from exposure to dust at the site, said: 'There should no longer be any doubt about the health effects of the World Trade Center. Our patients are sick and will need ongoing health monitoring and treatment for the rest of their lives.' The findings are based on thorough medical examinations of more than 9,000 of the 40,000 workers. Health campaigners say the government and other authorities attempted to cover up the toxic risk in their haste to re-open the city, particularly Wall Street. Bush officials pressured the Environmental Protection Agency to tone down reports about the potential health hazards. NY senator Hillary Rodham Clinton commented: 'Our government was not telling us the truth, The air was not safe to breathe. It was obvious that the air was hard to see through, let alone breathe.'
- Confined Space. AFL-CIO Now. New York Sun. Toxic legacy video.
- Robin Herbert and others. The World Trade Center disaster and the health of workers: Five-year assessment of a unique medical screening program, Environmental Health Perspectives, published online 6 September 2006. doi:10.1289/ehp.9592 [pdf].
EVENTS AND COURSES
TUC courses for safety reps
COURSES FOR SEPTEMBER TO DECEMBER 2006
USEFUL LINKS
- Visit the TUC http://www.tuc.org.uk/h_and_s/ website pages on health and safety. See what's on offer from TUC Publications and What's On in health and safety.
- Subscribe to Hazards magazine, supported by the TUC as a key source of information for union safety reps.
- What's new in the HSC/E and the European Agency.
- HSE Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 2WA. Tel: 01787 881165; fax: 01787 313995
Newsletter (5,700 words) issued 15 Sep 2006
