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Risks Newsletter
Number 281 - 4 November 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 14,000 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- Stress still the biggest problem at work
- Union action on soaring lecturer stress
- Vibration plus repetition equals compensation minus job
- Supermarkets face action over fruit pickers
- Tube gas risk 'gambled with lives'
- TGWU calls for road regulation not racism
- Road crash payout won by union
- Accidents, ill-health and enforcement all fall
- Good news on safety, not on safety crimes
- Network Rail admits crash errors
- Unions criticise 'weasel words' sentencing cop out
- BP 'knew of Texas City worries'
- Renewed government call on health and work
- Government praised for asbestos payouts decision
- Coroner warning on school asbestos risks
- Companies fined over sewer death
- Work strain causes burnout causes depression
- Australia: Mine survivor insists bosses must take rap
- Canada: Union body says no to drug and booze tests
- Global: Multinationals accused of China hypocrisy
UNION NEWS
Stress still the biggest problem at work
Stress is still the biggest problem facing UK workplaces, with excessive workloads, job cuts and rapid change the most common triggers for rising stress levels amongst employees, a TUC survey has found. The figures, released ahead of the 1 November International Stress Awareness Day, show that six out of 10 union safety reps (61 per cent) questioned by the TUC for its 2006 biennial safety reps' survey reported stress to be their most pressing concern at work. This was up from 58 per cent in the 2004 survey and 56 per cent in 2002. The latest survey found that in firms employing fewer than 50 staff, stress was the top concern for 58 per cent of safety reps, but in organisations with more than 1,000 employees, the figure rose to 67 per cent. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: 'People who suffer from stress aren't wimps, and their symptoms can make them really ill. Stressed out employees are more likely to experience weight loss, high blood pressure, depression and even heart attacks.' He said the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) stress management standards made action easy for employers, adding: 'Bosses should be doing all they can to make sure their workplaces become as stress-free as possible.' When asked what were the factors most likely to lead to problems with stress at work, over three quarters of the reps (76 per cent) said that excessive workloads were to blame. Other issues cited included cuts in staffing levels (57 per cent), rapid change (53 per cent), long working hours (34 per cent) and bullying (33 per cent). HSE this week said half a million people in Britain currently experience work-related stress at a level they believe is making them ill. It estimated the financial costs to society at £3.8 billion a year.
- TUC news release and workplace stress webpages. HSE news release and stress management webpages. Personnel Today.
- Hazards worked to death and get-a-life stress webpages.
Union action on soaring lecturer stress
Lecturers' union UCU is taking action to tackle workplace stress and nerve-fraying workloads, problems it says have made nearly half of lecturers ill. About 1,000 lecturers were asked about different aspects of their work in a YouGov poll commissioned by UCU. It found just over half (52 per cent) had considered leaving the profession for the private sector, while 55 per cent said they would not recommend the job to their children. The findings were published this week as the union launches a UK charity to help stressed staff in higher and further education. UCU joint general secretary Sally Hunt said: 'Universities must take the lead on this issue of excessive workloads or we risk losing a generation of talented academics to the private sector or abroad as well as struggling to fill future vacancies.' She wants universities to sign up to a similar agreement to that reached by the government with doctors and nurses to reduce extreme workloads. The new UCU-backed College and University Support Network (CUSN) will be the first dedicated national counselling telephone support line for university and college lecturers and their families. Patrick Nash, chief executive of CUSN, said: 'CUSN's innovative partnership with UCU means the charity can really meet the needs of the FE/HE workforce in tackling issues such as stress, workload and difficult relationships.' He added: 'In many cases, particularly legal and pay and conditions issues, individuals are encouraged to seek further support from their union.' A UCU statement said: 'UCU can help by providing specialised employment advice, and representation if need be, and by taking up the root causes of many problems, such as heavy workloads, inadequate support or discrimination.' It added: 'UCU hopes that the partnership will strengthen our mutual efforts for high quality working environments and fulfilling working lives.'
- UCU news release. BBC News Online.
- CUSN website. UCU and CUSN Tackling stress - a health and safety conference, Thursday, 23 November 2006. UCU Conference Centre.
Vibration plus repetition equals compensation minus job
A worker who suffered career ending ill-health caused by exposure to vibration and repetitive work has received a £20,000 compensation payout. Amicus member Michael Jones, 63, developed vibration white finger (VWF) then carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) while working at a GE Engine Aircraft Services plant near Caerphilly. He had been employed as an aircraft engineer from 1976 to 2000, refurbishing and repairing large jet engines. Mr Jones was diagnosed with VWF in 1992, leading to a £1,500 personal injury compensation payout in 1993. At that time medical experts also advised his employer he should not be exposed to further vibration at work. The vibration-related CTS symptoms developed afterwards and 'started gradually, with pain, weakness and numbness in my hand and wrist,' Mr Jones said. 'Two operations have failed to make any improvement. I am now left with a lot of pain and tingling and I find it difficult to grasp small objects or perform other everyday manual tasks.' John Watkins from Thompsons Solicitors said: 'The carpal tunnel syndrome which Michael Jones is now suffering has arisen as a result of exposure to vibration.' He added: 'His employer showed a lack of awareness of the potential implications of this condition and continued to employ him in areas where he was exposed to further vibration and repetitive cycle work. As a result, Mr Jones went on to develop carpal tunnel syndrome. This condition has left him permanently disabled and caused him to take early retirement.' Catherine Speight, regional secretary for Amicus, said the case showed that employers must take note of warnings, adding it established where 'there is an exacerbation or onset of new injury which is attributable to further exposure, then the employee has the right to further compensation.'
Supermarkets face action over fruit pickers
A rolling programme of trade union pickets at Sainsbury's and Tesco stores began this week as the supermarkets were urged to act to ensure fair treatment of workers employed by strawberry supplier S&A Produce. Farmworkers' union TGWU raised concerns about S&A's Herefordshire farms in July, after being contacted by staff concerned about health, safety and welfare issues, accommodation standards and problems with bullying and disciplinary procedures (Risks 273). The union says despite meetings between TGWU, S&A and the supermarkets, S&A has failed to remedy problems. Jack Dromey, TGWU deputy general secretary, said the union 'has repeatedly tried to resolve the welfare issues by constructive engagement with S&A, but after many months it is clear that this employer is putting profits before people.' He added: 'Sainsbury's and Tesco have played their part in bringing S&A to talks, however the time has come to act on their ethical trading policy.' After concerns were first raised, TGWU at the request of the supermarkets produced a dossier of evidence compiled from feedback from hundreds of workers on the sites. The allegations included workers employed for excessively long shifts; problems with basic supplies of water and electricity; unreasonable charges for administration and medical care; and having to share receptacles for water whilst working in the fields.
Tube gas risk 'gambled with lives'
Engineering company Balfour Beatty took a 'massive and unacceptable gamble with people's lives' by taking two 54kg containers of highly flammable acetylene gas into the Victoria Line, London Underground union RMT has said. The cylinders were taken into the Tube during track replacement works on 12 August. RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: 'Balfour Beatty appear to have broken just about every safety rule in the book by taking these potentially explosive cylinders onto the Victoria Line for 48 hours. Acetylene is extremely flammable, unstable and explosive, and is only allowed onto the Underground in half-litre containers under strict rules, and it seems that Balfour Beatty flouted them.' He added: 'We understand they had no hot-works licence, no permission to take the cylinders underground and no method statement on transporting them - and that this was not the first time they had done it. If that was not bad enough we understand they even transported four oxygen cylinders alongside the acetylene - a potentially catastrophic mixture.' The company is a part of Metronet, which is one of the two private infrastructure consortiums responsible for maintenance of London Underground lines. Mr Crow said that 'where there's a profit to be made the privateers simply can't be trusted, and the sooner all Tube infrastructure work is brought back in-house, the better.'
TGWU calls for road regulation not racism
Problems related to long driver hours and poor vehicle standards need to be addressed without the scaremongering of xenophobia, according to transport union TGWU. Ron Webb, the union's transport national secretary, said recent media reports focusing on eastern European drivers masked a more widespread problem. He said the union 'has argued in every employer and government forum that we need stronger regulation of driver hours and higher vehicle standards so that all road users including all lorry drivers can operate in as safe an environment as possible. It is extremely unhelpful to put a narrow, headline grabbing xenophobic focus on foreign drivers when the truth is the industry needs taking to task.' The union says lorry drivers routinely work nearly 30 per cent more hours than the UK average in spite of the EU Working Time Directive, which stipulates an average 48-hour week. Mr Webb said official figures showed the average hours for a lorry driver of 49.3 a week exceeded the UK average of 38.3 by 11 hours a week. For the top 10 per cent of lorry drivers the average hours of 63.3 were over 40 per cent higher than for the top 10 per cent of the entire UK workforce (44.8 hours). 'Drivers on our roads should be driving safe hours whatever their nationality,' he said. 'The reality is it is not just the continental drivers who are breaching safe limits, it is all drivers. That requires attention.' TGWU general secretary Tony Woodley said he was very concerned that the Working Time Directive was not delivering the necessary reduction in hours for drivers. He added the union would be raising the issue with ministers.
Road crash payout won by union
UNISON member Neil Bartlett has secured nearly £2,000 in compensation following a road traffic accident outside of work hours. The highways maintenance officer from Swansea secured the compensation after receiving free union legal support. Mr Bartlett, 39, suffered whiplash to the neck and shoulder and was off work for three days following the smash. A successful claim was made against the other driver's insurance. He said: 'Before the accident I was unaware that my union membership covered road traffic accidents as well as accidents at work. The specialist support provided by UNISON and their solicitors Thompsons was excellent. I doubt I would have had such good legal representation and secured so much compensation if I'd simply used the solicitors offered by my insurer.' Paul O'Shea, regional secretary for UNISON Cymru, said: 'Neil Bartlett's claim demonstrates the importance of union members using their union's legal service for accidents outside the workplace. Motor insurance companies are increasingly referring claimants to their own panel solicitors, who may not provide the same independent and specialist legal advice as trade union solicitors.'
OTHER NEWS
Accidents, ill-health and enforcement all fall
New Health and Safety Commission (HSC) figures show reported major injuries to employees in 2005/06 were down seven per cent on the previous year to 28,605, compared to 30,451 in 2004/05. The provisional figures for 2005/06 show the combined fatal and major injury rate, after increasing dramatically in 2003/04 and 2004/05, has now returned to the level it was at the start of the decade. HSC says there was a similar decrease in the occurrence of most occupational illnesses like stress-related illnesses, musculoskeletal disorders, asthma and dermatitis. It adds that the number of working days lost in Great Britain due to work-related injury and ill health has fallen from 40 million in 2000/02 to 30 million working days in 2005/06. The same statistics report reveals, however, that last year safety prosecutions taken by HSE again fell markedly. In 2005/06 there 1,012 offences prosecuted, a 23 per cent drop from 1,320 the previous year. HSE chief executive Geoffrey Podger said: 'I understand the concerns regarding the fall in enforcement and we have recently undertaken an audit of our enforcement activity, which has shown areas for improvement. Initial data for 2006/07 leads us to believe that the fall in enforcement has been significantly reversed and we will continue to monitor this closely.' HSC chair Bill Callaghan said: 'The good news in these statistics has to be counter balanced by the challenges we face; the outcome of the next spending review; achieving the most effective balance of interventions between paid publicity, inspection, stakeholder work and enforcement; the changing nature of workplace risks and the time it takes for our interventions and partnership working to bear fruit.' Deaths from the asbestos cancer mesothelioma continue to increase, the report indicated. Latest figures, for 2004, put the annual toll at 1,969.
- HSE news release. Health and safety statistics 2005/06 [pdf]. HSE statistics webpage.
Good news on safety, not on safety crimes
The TUC has welcomed new statistics showing a decline in the number of people injured or made ill by their jobs. But it has expressed alarm over a further fall in the number of employers being prosecuted for breaches of safety law. This is despite evidence from a new TUC survey of union safety reps which shows that enforcement is the most effective way of ensuring employers comply with health and safety laws. Figures from the TUC's bi-annual survey of safety reps published this week show that four out of 10 employers who receive a legal enforcement notice not only comply, but as a result act to make other areas of their workplace safer. The reps also reported incidences of employers who were prompted into making safety improvements simply after hearing about a notice or prosecution issued against another employer. But the TUC survey also showed the number of visits by HSE inspectors was falling. Almost half of all safety representatives (46 per cent) questioned said their workplace had never been visited by an inspector. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber commented: 'The work the HSE is doing on health is now beginning to reap dividends and many employers are making their workplaces safer. But the figures show that a significant number are not putting their workers' safety first and the HSE must ensure they are brought to book. Enforcement must not be seen as a dirty word. Inspections, the threat of prosecution and enforcement notices are important tools in keeping workers safe.' He added: 'Employers need to know that if they kill or injure a worker because they have not complied with their responsibilities under safety law, they will be prosecuted. At the moment this is not happening. Fewer inspectors, fewer visits and fewer prosecutions mean more unsafe workplaces. We welcome the commitment that the HSE is now giving to improving enforcement, but they need the tools to do it. The only way to keep employers on their toes is for the government to give the HSE enough money to employ more safety inspectors so that there is no hiding place for the employers who put their workers' safety at risk.'
Network Rail admits crash errors
Network Rail is facing an unlimited fine after admitting health and safety breaches relating to the 1999 Ladbroke Grove rail crash. The company, which inherited liability from the now defunct Railtrack, pleaded guilty this week to charges under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974. Thirty-one people died and over 400 were injured when a Thames Trains turbo passed a red signal and hit a London-bound Great Western express on 5 October 1999. Network Rail pleaded guilty to failing to ensure the signal was clearly visible from a sufficient distance. The charge criticised Railtrack for failing to carry out an adequate risk assessment of signal 109, a stop light that drivers had warned was partially obscured by cables and gantries on the line. Eight drivers had passed the signal while set to red before the crash. At London's Blackfriars Crown Court Judge, Aidan Marron QC adjourned sentencing until 18 December when Network Rail will indicate the full basis of its guilty plea in writing. Thames Trains and Railtrack were both criticised in a public inquiry report by Lord Cullen (Risks 20). Thames Trains pleaded guilty to health and safety offences in relation to the 1999 crash and was fined £2m in April 2004 (Risks 151).
Unions criticise 'weasel words' sentencing cop out
Unions have said fines alone will not deter dangerous bosses. Speaking after Network Rail pleaded guilty to health and safety charges, rail union RMT said the company's admission amounted to 'weasel words, too little and far too late.' RMT general secretary Bob Crow said a fine would be 'recycled public money', and added: 'Seven years on this is yet another sick legal farce that highlights the utter lack of accountability for corporate killers.' He said: 'We need a corporate manslaughter law that puts bosses who kill in the dock with the prospect of prison.' TSSA assistant general secretary Manuel Cortes said: 'Most people will find it unbelievable that a company can plead guilty for creating the risk that led to the Ladbroke Grove rail crash and yet in the same breath, try to absolve itself from its responsibility for the death and injuries that their actions created'. He added 'how many people do company bosses need to kill before they get a custodial sentence?' Keith Norman, general secretary of train drivers' union ASLEF, said: 'It is appalling that this company, regardless of the title on its note paper, can admit its guilt and its managers and decision-makers can stroll off without a care in the world.' Ian Tasker, STUC health and safety officer, said: 'This guilty plea may well attract a substantial financial penalty but this will not bring much consolation to families who face a life of agony and heartache following the actions of this company and yet no charges of manslaughter were brought.' He added: 'Companies and individual directors have to be held to account for failing to take proper precautions to protect workers and members of the public.'
BP 'knew of Texas City worries'
An investigation into an explosion at BP's Texas City oil refinery has pointed the blame at the company's London-based global management for failing to heed warnings of catastrophic safety problems, aggravated by a 'cheque-book mentality'. The US Chemical Safety Board this week published its preliminary findings on the blast which killed 15 people and injured 180 others in March 2005. It says a drum was overfilled, sending flammable liquids shooting 'geyser-like' on to surrounding work trailers. CSB found that the same drum had caught fire eight times over the preceding decade - incidents which, it says, were not properly investigated. It said the trailers were unsafe and poor placed, antiquated equipment was in use, alarms and gauges did not work properly, and budgets had been constantly pared down. The board's chair, Carolyn Merritt, was highly critical of the London-based global company. She said: 'BP's global management was aware of problems with maintenance, spending and infrastructure well before March 2005,' adding: 'BP implemented a 25 per cent cut on fixed costs from 1998 to 2000 that adversely impacted maintenance expenditures and infrastructure at the refinery. Every successful corporation must contain its costs. But at an ageing facility like Texas City, it is not responsible to cut budgets related to safety and maintenance without thoroughly examining the impact on the risk of a catastrophic accident.' She blamed the explosion on 'ageing infrastructure, overzealous cost-cutting, inadequate design and risk blindness.' The company is featured on HSE's corporate responsibility webpages as an example of 'director leadership.' London-based BP chief executive Lord Browne may have to give evidence on the impact of the cost cuts at a Texas court hearing (Risks 278).
- CSB statement and BP investigation webpages. Confined Space. The Guardian. The Observer. The Times. BBC News Online.
- HSE director leadership webpages and BP case history [pdf]. More on BP's recent safety record.
Renewed government call on health and work
Safety minister Lord Hunt has told public health professionals to ensure they recognise the health benefits of work. Speaking to the Kings Fund, he said: 'Work is good for individuals, their families and, by lifting people out of poverty, it also benefits communities, increasing prosperity while reducing health and wealth inequalities.' He added: 'While the benefits of encouraging people to give up smoking or eat more healthily are well accepted, it is less well recognised that being out of work can make you ill and shorten your life expectancy. This is why we have been working across government to develop the Health, Work and Well-being Strategy. This strategy recognises not only the importance of improving the health of the working age population to help people to enter, remain in and return to work, but also the potential of work and the workplace to improve general health. I urge public health specialists to continue to tackle working age health issues through their public health strategies, just as I urge employers, healthcare professionals, trade unions, insurers and individuals themselves to play their part. Only through all people working together will we achieve our joint goal.' Health minister Rosie Winterton this week announced a new capital fund of £10 million to improve the provision of occupational health services to NHS staff and in turn increase the availability of NHS Plus, the network of NHS occupational health departments that provide occupational health services to small and medium sized enterprises. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) confirmed this week that 2 million UK workers report a health problem caused or made worse by their work. Over half a million has developed the problem in the last year. It said 30 million days of sick leave were the result of work-related ill-health and injuries. The true toll is thought to be significantly higher, as under-reporting is known to be widespread.
- DWP news releases on the King's Fund speech and the NHS Plus announcement.
- Hazards work and health webpages. HSE statistics webpage.
Government praised for asbestos payouts decision
The government will not clawback benefit payments made to victims of asbestos giant Turner and Newall (T&N), part of US multinational Federal Mogul. Compensation payouts were delayed for five years while administrator Kroll negotiated a payout scheme (Risks 274). This was agreed in September, and means most of T&N's asbestos victims will receive just 20 per cent of the value of their claim. The union Amicus, which has been campaigning for justice for former T&N workers, said the government's decision to not reclaim benefits paid was 'a victory for commonsense.' Amicus general secretary Derek Simpson, said: 'People who are suffering and the families of people who have died from this awful disease deserve to have peace of mind that they will not lose a huge amount of their compensation payments to the government.' The announcement came in a written ministerial statement on 26 October. Work and pensions secretary John Hutton said: 'I am pleased to be able to inform the House that we have decided to exempt payments made in respect of asbestos related diseases by subsidiaries of Federal Mogul from the Department's Compensation Recovery Scheme.' He added: 'Exempting the trust from the normal compensation recovery rules means that more money will be available to meet the needs of the victims and their families who have been affected by these diseases. All the funds in the trust will be available for compensation payments on top of benefits paid - we feel it is important to ensure that their already reduced compensation payments are not reduced further. The cost to the government is estimated to be £10 million over the next three years. These are unique circumstances which do not undermine the general principles of the Compensation Recovery Scheme.'
- Amicus news release. Hansard, written statements, 26 October 2006.
- Hazards asbestos news and resources. Asbestos Forum.
Coroner warning on school asbestos risks
A Cumbrian coroner has called for asbestos to be removed from all schools to protect pupils and staff. David Osborne said it could require the demolition and re-building of some schools - but the huge amount of cash required should be found. He was speaking at the conclusion of an inquest into the death of John White, known as Ian, who was a former headteacher at St Cuthbert's RC School in Botcherby, Carlisle. Mr White, who was 65, died of the industrial disease mesothelioma after coming into contact with asbestos during his time there (Risks 248). North East Cumbria coroner Mr Osborne said: 'Whilst it is obviously a great concern for employees, knowing whether they are being or have been exposed to asbestos, my greater concern is for the children in our schools.' He added: 'I feel that if money can be found for us to engage in war in Iraq, it should be available to sort this problem once and for all for the protection and care of our children. Whilst I appreciate the enormous cost that might be involved in removing all the asbestos in schools the problem needs to be addressed and dealt with - even if it might mean demolishing some schools and rebuilding them. I do not think you can put a price on the safety of our children.' Mr White's widow, Eileen, is being represented by the law firm Irwin Mitchell. Lawyer Neil Wilkinson said she may sue the county council but a final decision would not be taken until the transcripts of the inquest had been received and studied.
Companies fined over sewer death
Two companies have been fined for health and safety breaches after a labourer died in a fall while on his way to work on an underground sewer. Joseph Alan Reynolds fell five metres at the Snipe Clough overflow in Oldham. Future Environmental Services from Preston, and Bethell Construction, of Kearsley, pleaded guilty to two health and safety breaches. They were fined £150,000 each at Liverpool Crown Court. Future Environmental Services was ordered to pay costs of £14,079 and Bethell Construction to pay £49,110 costs. The incident happened in October 2003 when Mr Reynolds, known as Alan, was working for a contracting firm. He and his colleague Thomas Cullen were hired out to Future Environmental Services (FES) to work at Snipe Clough. They were to spend two days clearing debris from the main sewer that lies 12 metres underground and is reached via a landing. HSE inspector Christina Goddard said that Mr Reynolds fell down an opening which should have been blocked when descending to the sewer. She said: 'It was a bright sunlit day, and the underground chamber, although lit, was very dark by comparison. Alan and Thomas simply did not see the opening. The opening was not needed, and should have been properly sectioned off, to prevent anyone from falling. It was sheer good luck that Thomas did not fall as well.' She added: '"Falling from height is a major cause of death and injury in the workplace. In this case, Alan Reynolds died on his way to the main work area. It is important that hazardous jobs are properly assessed, and this includes taking the access and egress routes into account.'
Work strain causes burnout causes depression
Workers with high levels of job strain are at a massively increased risk of burnout, a study of Finnish workers has found. Researchers also found that job burnout was the most significant risk factor for depression among the study participants. Kirsi Ahola of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health and colleagues assessed burnout and job strain in a representative sample of 3,270 Finnish workers. The study, published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, found 28 per cent of workers met the study definition of burnout. Burnout was more common in older workers, those who were unmarried and those with manual occupations. High alcohol use, physical inactivity, being overweight and having a physical or mental illness also increased the risk of burnout. High job strain was present in 23 per cent of workers, and was the most important risk factor for burnout. After adjustment for other factors, workers with high job strain were seven times more likely to be 'burned out' than those with low job strain. Workers with high job strain were four times more likely to have depressive symptoms and 70 per cent more likely to score in the 'clinically depressed' range. 'This suggests that much of the association between job strain and depression is attributable to burnout,' the researchers wrote. Burnout and depression also were related to other categories of job strain: 'active work,' consisting of high job demands and high control; and 'passive work,' with low demands and low control.
- Occupational Hazards. Kirsi Ahola and others. Contribution of burnout to the association between job strain and depression: the Health 2000 Study, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, volume 48, number 10, pages 1023-1030, 2006 [abstract].
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Australia: Mine survivor insists bosses must take rap
Brant Webb, trapped with a colleague for 14 days in the Beaconfield gold mine disaster earlier this year that killed his friend Larry Knight (Risks 256), has called for directors to be jailed if their companies are found responsible for workplace deaths. He told a workplace safety forum in Hobart, Tasmania, last week that the best way to prevent workplace fatalities was for employers to involve workers in safety decisions and for company directors to be held responsible. He said: 'If they made not the top management but the directors accountable for a life - so if you take a life, you go and sit inside a pen or jail for 15 years - things would change. Someone should be accountable.' He called for a change of culture in heavy industry to reward, rather than intimidate, workers who raise safety concerns. Employers tended to treat workers' views on safety as 'not credible"' and should instead seek to involve workers in work safety decisions. 'They don't listen to the workers,' he said.
Canada: Union body says no to drug and booze tests
Unions should oppose mandatory drug and alcohol testing, a top Canadian union body has said. The call came in a new policy statement from the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL), the province's largest union body. 'In short, the policy clearly opposes all forms of employer-imposed drug and alcohol testing,' said AFL president Gil McGowan. 'It does so for two reasons. First, it is an unreasonable invasion of workers' privacy and in many cases contravenes the human rights code. Second, quite frankly drug and alcohol testing doesn't work. It does not make workplaces safer.' McGowan said the Alberta provincial government's own research had established testing cannot be shown to reduce work-related injuries. He said: 'Our belief is that employers are using drug testing as a method of exerting control over their workforce, not to make workplaces safer. Our policy statement is urging our affiliate unions to push back against employers trying to implement invasive and possibly illegal testing programmes.' The policy opposes all testing, including pre-employment testing, random testing and post-incident testing. Instead, it offers practical alternatives to testing which AFL says have been demonstrated to be more effective at making workplaces safer without contravening workers' rights. 'We know the issue of drug testing is a huge issue that is not going away. We want to make sure workers are fully informed of their rights, and fully prepared to defend themselves,' McGowan said.
- AFL news release . Workplace drug and alcohol policy statement, AFL, October 2006 [ pdf ].
- Hazards workplace testing webpages . TUC drugs and alcohol webpages .
Global: Multinationals accused of China hypocrisy
US and European multinationals have been accused of double standards for adopting codes of conduct requiring their suppliers behave ethically on the one hand, while on the other lobbying against China's proposed new labour laws which, if implemented, would greatly clean up the country's supply chain. Global garment workers' union federation ITGLWF has written to leading US and European retailers and merchandisers, including Wal-Mart, Carrefour, Tesco, Nike, the Walt Disney Co, Adidas, Sara Lee and DuPont, asking them to distance themselves from the position of their industry associations and to publicly support China's proposed new labour laws, which include safety reforms. ITGLWF general secretary Neil Kearney admitted the provisions were far from perfect, but said: 'The new laws would strengthen safety and workplace inspections, force employers to consult with workers' representatives over significant job cuts, tighten the enforcement of minimum wages and provide regulations regarding the payment of severance. They may also cut the maximum working week and impose higher pay rates for overtime. However, industry associations such as the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, the US-China Business Council and the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China are actively lobbying against the legislation on behalf of the hundreds of corporations they represent.' Mr Kearney concluded: 'Socially responsible corporations should be trying to help to raise the standards of workers around the world. They should not be trying to prevent governments from adopting laws to protect their workers'.
RESOURCES
Preparing for Hazards Campaign Wales
The first workplace hazards campaign group in Wales is swinging in to action. Hazards Campaign Wales wants interested individuals, union branches, regional and national unions and others to get in touch now. The group is building towards a formal launch in Cardiff on Workers' Memorial Day, 28 April 2007. If you are attending a trade union safety course in Wales, why not get them signed up? Hazards Campaign groups in England and Scotland have made a big impact and have provided union safety reps, industrial disease groups and safety campaigners with invaluable support. Wales can now have its own national network. There's already a Hazards Campaign Wales website - check it out.
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 (6,000 words) issued 3 Nov 2006
