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Number 373 - 13 September 2008
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Risks is the TUC's weekly online bulletin for safety reps and others, read each week by over 16,000 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
Editor: Rory O'Neill of Hazards magazine. Comments to the TUC at healthandsafety@tuc.org.uk
Union News
Tribunal win for safety conscious post workers
Postal workers' union CWU has secured payouts from Royal Mail for 27 workers who had their pay docked after taking part in a safe work campaign. The 27 postal staff at London's Streatham delivery office had up to two days' pay stopped after participating in a CWU 'Do the job properly' campaign in August last year. The campaign encourages workers to attend work on time and not come in early, take proper meal breaks, not carry bags heavier than agreed health and safety weight limits and not to use their private cars for delivering mail. Managers accused the staff or being on a go-slow. The 27 cases went before an employment tribunal at Croydon Tribunal Office on 2 September. Royal Mail's case collapsed on 4 September. The company now has to pay each worker sums of up to £170 in lost pay. CWU national officer Bob Gibson said: 'This is an important victory for both the individuals involved and the CWU. Postal workers should not be penalised for working in accordance with their contractual responsibilities and within health and safety guidelines. This result sends a strong message to Royal Mail that intimidating behaviour by managers against postal workers is unacceptable and will not be tolerated.' Dave Joyce, CWU's national health and safety officer, said: 'A culture of ignoring health and safety had developed in these offices and others where poorly trained local managers with an inability to manage health and safety as part of their normal activities meant that unsafe working went unchallenged because the sole focus was on productivity targets.' He added: 'Hopefully the new leadership in Royal Mail Letters will now work closely with the union to change this round and improve safety standards.'
Unions reduce long hours burden
UK workers still work the longest hours in Western Europe, but UK unions have been particularly effective in winning shorter hours for their members. A report last week from Eurofound - the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions - revealed that full-time employees in the UK put in 41.4 hours per week. This is 1 hour and 24 minutes more than the average for all EU countries including the 12 new Eastern European countries and 1 hour and 54 minutes more than the average for the old 15 Western European EU members. Only workers in Bulgaria and Romania average longer hours, leaving the UK 25th out of 27 European countries in the working hours league table. The report found UK unions have been among the most effective in negotiating reasonable working hours. The average trade union agreement in the UK sets a working week of 37.3 hours. Trade unions only make agreements with fewer working hours in two EU countries - France (35 hours) and Denmark (37 hours). TUC general secretary Brendan Barber commented: 'UK workers are still working the longest hours in Western Europe, but this is no sign of economic strength as we are stuck at the top of the league table with poor countries in Eastern Europe. But people are clearly better off in a union as unions negotiate shorter working weeks and make managements raise their game thus helping organisations become more productive.'
Vulnerable workers need better protection
Unions have called for a tranche of measures to provide better protection for vulnerable workers. A motion from retail union Usdaw to the TUC Congress 2008 this week said there must be effective enforcement of rights to protect vulnerable and agency workers. The motion, which was backed by Congress delegates, also called for the Gangmasters Licensing Authority to be given a wider remit and for better enforcement of employment rights. Usdaw general secretary John Hannett said 'without effective enforcement, new employment rights will fail to deliver for all workers. The establishment of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority has helped to make a significant difference, and we believe that its remit should be extended to cover all agency labour providers, protecting many more vulnerable workers than at present.' He said unions also wanted to see the creation of a Fair Employment Commission, alongside existing enforcement agencies, to co-ordinate employment rights enforcement. 'This is a recommendation from the TUC Commission on Vulnerable Employment and will help to ensure that the laws in place to protect the most vulnerable in our society are enforced,' he said. The government last month announced the creation of a Fair Employment Enforcement Board, to promote effective cooperation between enforcement agencies including the Gangmasters Licensing Authority and the Health and Safety Executive (Risks 368).
Councils must learn asbestos lessons
Construction union UCATT has warned local authorities they must not weaken their asbestos removal procedures, in the wake of problems experienced at a Doncaster firm. St Leger Homes has disciplined a number of managers and suspended its chief executive after it was discovered that contractors had been disturbing and removing asbestos without being trained and without protective equipment. UCATT says the problems occurred when contractors were replacing window frames during the refurbishment of 600 ex-council houses. Dozens of tenants were evacuated and work was stopped after asbestos contamination was discovered. The union says it has now had reports from several local authorities where UCATT members are being put under pressure to remove asbestos materials. In the past specialist contractors have always done such work. Derek Johnson, regional secretary of UCATT Yorkshire, said: 'UCATT is seeking answers from St Leger Homes about how many people could have been exposed to asbestos. We will make sure that such problems are not repeated.' He added: 'Local authorities must not let current financial constraints act as an excuse when it comes to removing asbestos. Highly trained specialist contractors are the only people who should be removing asbestos.' UCATT's established policy is that wherever asbestos is found, workers should stop work until specialist contractors have removed the material. The Health and Safety Executive is investigating the St Leger Homes incident.
Insurers face further asbestos flak
An insurance industry bid to block a proposed Scottish law which would reinstate the right to claim compensation for an asbestos-related condition has attracted further criticism. Construction union UCATT has added its condemnation of statements by insurers in their efforts to evade payouts for pleural plaques, shadows on the lung caused by asbestos exposure (Risks 372). Criticism from unions, asbestos campaigners and politicians came after insurance industry representatives told a Scottish parliament Justice Committee inquiry that plaques were benign so shouldn't be compensated, with one industry representative going further, and saying the condition was 'a good thing' because it showed the body's immune system was working. Ucatt general secretary Alan Ritchie commented: 'This hearing is the first example of the insurance industry baring their teeth. These claims by alleged experts are both inaccurate and offensive. In the course of our campaign to get the Law Lords decision overturned we have met a great many people whose lives have been blighted by this condition.' He added: 'Pleural plaques victims deserve justice and it is essential that the entire union movement is united and with the support of sympathetic MPs, we get the Law Lords decision overturned.' Community safety minister Fergus Ewing told the inquiry the draft bill was justified, and took a swipe at insurers for raising 'alarmist' concerns over vastly increased payouts and costs. Industry representatives said UK government figures suggested an annual cost to defendants of between £76 million and £607 million. But Mr Ewing dismissed the 'embroidered' figures and added: 'We don't recognise that they're likely to be valid or accurate.'
- UCATT news release. Press and Journal. Scottish parliament Justice Committee's Damages (Asbestos-related Conditions) (Scotland) Bill webpage.
Union vigil for killed site worker
A minute's silence has been held in memory of a construction worker who died after a horrific incident on a building site in Oxfordshire last month. Altin Balla, 28, from Aberystwyth, died after he became trapped by steel girders against his neck. Members of the construction union UCATT and the Construction Safety Campaign led the vigil on 9 September, outside the site in Witney. The Health and Safety Executive is investigating the incident. It is believed Mr Balla was crushed and trapped by steel girders while operating a cherry picker on 29 August. Jerry Swain, UCATT regional secretary for London and the South East region, said: 'This tragedy yet again underlines the high number of deaths in the construction industry. It is essential we remember those killed at work in order to highlight the need to improve safety standards on all sites.' UCATT says as a result of pressure it has applied, James Purnell, the secretary of state for work and pensions, had instructed the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to coordinate a major inquiry into the high number of fatalities in the construction industry. HSE chief executive Geoffrey Podger said this will include outside experts. In a report to the HSE board, he said: 'HSE proposes to deliver this commission by, among other things, engaging independent external researchers to examine the underlying causes of fatal accidents in construction, including vulnerability, and identifying levers for change both within and beyond the health and safety system.' The HSE chief's report added: 'HSE sees the new commission as an opportunity to gather valuable intelligence that can help shape future strategy.' UCATT says it has been assured it will have a significant role in the investigation.
Unions reach Olympic agreement
London 2012 and the TUC have agreed to continue to work together for a safe Olympic and Paralympic Games with fair employment practices and good industrial relations. The London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) and Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) announced this week a set of overarching 'Principles of Cooperation' with the TUC. While not legally binding, TUC says the principles form the basis of positive partnership between the TUC and the organisations delivering London 2012 on areas such as training, equality, health and safety and fair employment standards. It said the principles underpin the shared aspiration that: 'Working on the Games shall be one of the most memorable life and work experiences for the Games workforce'. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: 'London won the Games partly because of its commitment to regenerating the local area and creating a sustainable legacy. We believe this agreement will help deliver those commitments by promoting fair employment, training and good working conditions for the London 2012 workforce.' Welcoming the agreement, Olympics minister Tessa Jowell said: 'This is an important step in ensuring that all those involved in delivering the Games benefit from fair terms and conditions of employment, training opportunities and quality health, safety and welfare provision.' The two main themes outlined in the principles are joint working to ensure: delivery of the Games on time, on budget and to a high standard; and a safe working environment, with effective industrial relations and fair terms and conditions of employment.
Other news
HSE passes on on-the-spot penalties
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has waived its right to apply for new civil sanctions open to enforcement agencies under the Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Bill, which gained Royal Assent at the end of July. The bill allows regulars to apply to the minister for new powers designed to provide more appropriate and efficient alternatives to criminal prosecution, reports Safety and Health Practitioner (SHP), the magazine of safety professionals' organisation IOSH. These sanctions include fixed monetary penalty notices - on-the-spot fines - or variable fines. There is also provision in the Bill for enforcement undertakings, legal agreements where the offender has to carry out specific activities to improve health and safety. SHP cites an HSE spokesperson who said 'there was no 'enforcement gap' for health and safety enforcers, and hence no need for HSE and local authorities to adopt these alternative penalties'. The Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS), however, said it was at odds with HSE on the move. A LACORS spokesperson said local authorities felt additional sanctions would be useful, but they could only request them with the agreement of HSE. Both IOSH and TUC said they thought the failure to take up alternative penalties was a missed opportunity. TUC said it would have liked to see the penalties available in certain prescribed situations. General secretary Brendan Barber said TUC was in favour of administrative penalties for offences such as failure to display a health and safety law poster. He added: 'We believe the correct approach would have been for the HSE to pilot administrative fines to see what effect they had, rather than simply say they are not appropriate.' IOSH president, Ray Hurst, urged HSE to review its decision, and added: 'We believe [alternative penalties] could be used to help ensure organisations rectify underlying problems with their leadership, attitudes and systems - for example, by requiring compulsory training of directors and senior managers, or the use of third-party audit and competent advice.'
Companies fined after crane calamity
Two companies have been fined a total of £20,000 following an incident at a Lancashire construction site that could have ended in a multiple fatalities. The firms were prosecuted at Warrington Magistrates' Court after a 35 tonne truck-mounted telescopic crane overturned. The crane driver was forced to leap to safety and the 5.7 tonne beam that was being lifted narrowly missed two employees as it fell. The incident happened last February during the construction of a fire control centre in Great Sankey, Warrington. The crane overturned after outriggers sank into the ground. Main contractor AMEC Group Ltd (Amec) of Northwich was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £9,143 costs and crane operator Leach Structural Steelwork Ltd (Leach) of Preston was fined £10,000 and ordered to pay £9,143 costs. Both admitted the charges. HSE inspector Nic Rigby, who investigated the case, said: 'This prosecution should act as a warning to all those involved in crane operations. It was down to chance alone that this incident did not result in multiple fatalities. This would have been avoided had the planning and supervision of the lifting operation not been so deficient.' He added: 'The crane overturned because it was being operated, with the knowledge of both companies, in a part of the site that had not been prepared for such activities. The roadway was not wide enough to accommodate the outrigger spread of the crane. Clear warnings were ignored in the run-up to this incident about the ground bearing capacity for the use of cranes on the site.'
Firms fined over animal feeder deaths
Two Lanarkshire companies have been fined a total of £63,750 after two men were killed while cleaning an animal feeder which started up unexpectedly. Hamilton Sheriff Court heard the deaths of Charles Lee Hinshelwood and Peter Brown in 2005 could have been avoided if the power supply had been isolated. Galloway and MacLeod Ltd and Barr Electrical Contractors Ltd received penalties reduced by 25 per cent after entering guilty pleas. Janet Cameron, area procurator fiscal for Lanarkshire, said: 'As prosecutors, we are absolutely committed to continuing to work closely with colleagues in the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to thoroughly investigate and prosecute these complex and often distressing cases to ensure that a strong message is sent out to those companies who fail to comply with the legal duties.' The court was told that Mr Hinshelwood and Mr Brown were cleaning the inside of the feeder in November 2005 when the mixing paddles inside it started to rotate. The men had switched off the machine and pressed the emergency stop button prior to entering it, but a wiring error in the mixer's control system allowed it to start up under the control of a computer system. HSE principal specialist inspector John Madden said: 'This incident, involving the tragic deaths of two men, could have been easily prevented if the power supply to the machine they were working on had been properly isolated.' Galloway and MacLeod Ltd were fined £18,750 following a charge under Regulation 16 of the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations. Barr Electrical Contractors Ltd was ordered to pay £45,000 after admitting to a breach of the Health and Safety at Work Act.
Fine after second blast at drugs plant
Multinational drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline has been fined £50,000 after a second explosion at its Ayrshire factory - but received the cut down fine because it pleaded guilty. Two workers suffered serious burns and others were treated for shock after the blast at GlaxoSmithKline's chemical plant in Irvine in March 2006 (Risks 247). One side of the factory was blown off and a fire broke out. At Kilmarnock Sheriff Court, the firm admitted two charges relating to management failures. It was previously fined £10,000 over a blast at the same plant in 1999. The court had heard that the more recent explosion happened at the plant's Actives facility, where raw chemicals used in the production of malaria and HIV drugs are treated. Passing sentence, Sheriff Seith Ireland said he considered the immediate action the company took after the latest blast and its co-operation with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as 'substantial' mitigatory factors. He added: 'It is important that the courts express to the public that there is to be a serious view taken of any breach of health and safety legislation. Where such breaches occur, the fine should reflect that serious concern, weighed of course with the aggravated and mitigatory factors to which I have earlier referred. Nevertheless, it cannot be ignored that two employees were seriously injured and were not able to return to work for considerable periods in each case.' Sheriff Ireland said he had heard no evidence the pharmaceuticals giant would suffer financially from a fine and imposed a penalty of £75,000 for both charges, reduced by the maximum discount to £50,000 because of the early plea. In 2007, GlaxoSmithKline had total sales worth £22.7 billion and an operating profit of over £7.5 billion. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which says bad publicity is part of the punishment facing errant firms, issued no press release on the case.
Death fall after protection was removed
A construction company has been fined £125,000 for health and safety breaches after the death of a Polish worker. Witold Jellen, 56, died in July 2007 after falling eight metres during work to convert the former ABC cinema in Falkirk into a sports bar. His workmate, site manager David Cairney, also fell and suffered cuts and bruises. Curot Contracts Limited was ordered to pay the fine after a hearing at Falkirk Sheriff Court. The court was told that both men had been working with powerful drills on a balcony preparing for new steel work to be installed. Scaffolding, which had been used by sub-contractors who had previously worked at the site, had been removed along with 'crash decks' which would have prevented injury in the event of a fall. Bishopbriggs-based firm Curot Contracts Limited, pled guilty to failing to ensure the health, safety and welfare at work of their employees, and failing to maintain a safe system of working, as a result of which Mr Jellen was killed. Fining the company, Sheriff William Gallagher said: 'No penalty that I can impose is capable of remedying the impact on Mr Jellen's family. The lack of crash decks was not a minor or insignificant factor - it is clearly very significant and one they should have been aware of.' The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which says bad publicity is part of the punishment facing errant firms, issued no press release on the case. HSE records suggest it was not an isolated offence by Curot Contracts. Its enforcement database reveals the company was issued a prohibition notice three years prior to the death for similar offences, after it failed to adequately guard a scaffold. In February this year, it was issued an improvement notice for safety breaches.
Small fine after big fall
A Hampshire company has been fined just £234 after an employee was seriously injured in a workplace fall. Profile Construction & Interiors Ltd, based in Alresford, pleaded guilty this week at Basingstoke Magistrates' Court. It was also ordered to pay £200 costs and a victim surcharge of £15 for a breach of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The employee fell three and a half metres through a fragile roof in August last year. He suffered a broken collarbone, fractured ribs and a fractured skull in three places. The crawling boards provided did not provide an adequate platform and there were no coverings or guard rails to prevent him falling through the roof. HSE inspector Joanna Woodcock commented: 'This type of accident is unfortunately very common in the construction industry and totally preventable. In this case the injuries were not life threatening but this is often only a matter of chance.' She added: 'I urge companies to take heed and put in place measure which prevent their workers falling through fragile roof sheets. If Profile Construction and Interiors Ltd had taken this simple first step a lot of pain and suffering could have been avoided.'
Council guilty after school asbestos blunder
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is warning employers they must ensure all relevant employees are aware of the location of asbestos in the workplace after a school caretaker was exposed to hazardous dust. North Tyneside Council this week pleaded guilty to five breaches of the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002. It was fined £17,005 and ordered to pay £3,911 costs at North Tyneside Magistrates' Court. Commenting on the incident at Wallsend Jubilee Primary School, HSE inspector Stephen Britton said: 'The school caretaker swept the school boiler house on two separate occasions, unaware that it was contaminated with asbestos.' He added: 'The boiler house had been quarantined due to the presence of asbestos, and although the previous caretaker and headteacher were aware of the contamination, the replacement staff were not informed. There were no signs indicating that the area had been quarantined and the caretaker only became aware of the risk of exposure after an asbestos removal company visited the school to undertake work.' The inspector said the risk to caretakers and service engineers was foreseeable, 'but no instruction, training, protective equipment, washing or disposal arrangements were in place to safeguard this vulnerable group.'
£75,000 fine after quarry worker dies
A quarry company has been fined £75,000 after a man died at its plant in Cornwall. Robert Bickley, 42, died from head injuries in July 2004 after he became entangled in the fixed guard on a rock crushing machine. The mesh guard hit the flywheel which was rotating at 305 times a minute. Mr Bickley, a fitter, was working at Carnsew Quarry, Penryn, owned by Aram Resources Ltd when the incident happened. At an earlier court hearing Aram Resources pleaded guilty to two counts. The first was that it failed to give appropriate training in guarding machinery. The second related to the company's failure to ensure a proper mesh guard. At Truro Crown Court the company was fined £40,000 for the first count and £35,000 for the second, with £30,000 costs. Anna Vigars, prosecuting, said: 'Experiments carried out after the accident found that it only took 10kg of pressure to displace the mesh.' Keith Morton, defending, said: 'Robert Bickley was a very safety-conscious man but he placed himself in a dangerous position. He acted completely out of character.' This statement prompted Judge Paul Darlow to intervene. He said: 'He was entitled to assume that the guard would do its job. We don't know for certain why he was there - he could have slipped or stumbled into the mesh - we will never know.' No-one witnessed the incident. Before passing sentence, the judge said: 'The guard fell a long way below the required standards of safety.' After the hearing, HSE inspector Simon Edwards said: 'Although much has been done to improve health and safety standards in the quarry industry, there is no room for complacency. A quarry worker is more than twice as likely to be killed through an accident at work as a construction worker and 13 times as likely as someone working in manufacturing industries.'
International News
Australia: Concern at paramedic drug exposures
An Australian ambulance union is calling for a commonly used pain killer to be assessed for potential risks to paramedics. Ambulance Employees Australia state secretary Steve McGhie said he had written to Ambulance Victoria asking for a risk assessment into penthrane. The paramedics usually use penthrane as an initial method of pain control, before morphine. But the union says it has been banned in America due to concerns it may be carcinogenic, and it is also no longer used by West Australian paramedics. 'We're requesting it be removed until a risk assessment is done,' Mr McGhie said. While he said it posed no risk to patients, due to the small amount of dosage received, it was a danger to paramedics, who were regularly inhaling escaped fumes. 'In recent times there's been a number of paramedics struck down with cancerous type illnesses who have hit the 20-year mark or more. We think it's too much of a coincidence.' He added that there was evidence penthrane was highly toxic and could affect the kidneys and liver. 'We'll be happy to keep using it if there is no effect on paramedics. But they thought asbestos was safe 50 years ago too.'
Australia: Uniforms recalled after adverse reactions
An Australian energy firm has recalled thousands of newly issued flame-retardant uniforms after hundreds of workers complained they made them sick, and high chemical levels were found. The workers' union also reported that strong fumes emitted when ironing the uniforms had caused some people to vomit. Ergon Energy said tests on the uniforms, which were manufactured in China, had shown levels of formaldehyde and methyl chloride higher than international standards. Both chemicals are irritant, dangerous by inhalation and potential carcinogens. The electricity corporation, owned by the Queensland state government, has recalled 14,000 uniforms supplied to employees after reports that workers were breaking out in rashes and suffering headaches. There were 178 reports of symptoms resulting from the 3,240 uniforms supplied to workers. Electrical Trades Union deputy secretary Peter Simpson said wives who ironed the clothes had vomited from strong fumes. 'We want to make sure our workers and wives are safe,' he said. 'Some men have developed huge welts and some said their backs went numb.' The uniforms were made in China but supplied by Australian company Jeminex's subsidiary Noble Agencies.
Canada: Inquiry call after mushroom farm deaths
The head of the union umbrella organisation in the Canadian province of British Columbia has called for an investigation into the deaths of three mushroom farm workers last week. 'We need a public inquiry that's going to find out how we stop these deaths,' said Jim Sinclair, head of the BC Federation of Labour. The three men died at Farmers' Fresh Mushrooms in Langley. Initial reports suggested they were mixing manure into compost when a pump broke at a nearby pumphouse. One of the men went into the pumphouse to fix the problem, and others followed when he was overcome with toxic gas. Three died, and three others were hospitalised as a result of the incident. One of the owners of Farmers' Fresh Mushrooms said she didn't know what happened. Her husband refused to comment after talking with police. The labour federation has been pushing for better conditions and safety protection among the mostly immigrant, non-English-speaking BC farm workers. BC Federation of Labour head Jim Sinclair said the tragedy was part of an avoidable 'epidemic' on worksites across the province.
USA: Second consumer popcorn lung case
A second US man may have developed 'popcorn lung' as a result of microwave cooking and consuming bags of popcorn. Larry Newkirk has been diagnosed with the sometimes fatal lung disease called bronchiolitis obliterans. The disease, which can often be treated only with a lung transplant, has been diagnosed in scores of workers in US factories where a chemical butter flavouring called diacetyl is used. Earlier this year, Hazards magazine revealed the first UK victim of the disease. Martin Muir was stricken with the disorder after working in a Yorkshire food flavouring factory (Risks 345). Newkirk is the second consumer in the US to be diagnosed with bronchiolitis obliterans, although other home users of popcorn are undergoing medical evaluation at this time. 'I just loved popcorn, and I would eat four to six bags a day,' Newkirk told the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 'especially the ones with lots of butter that taste like you're going to the theatre.' In a lawsuit filed last week in US District Court in Spokane, the popcorn was identified as "Act II," which is produced with several other brands by ConAgra Foods.
Events and Courses
TUC organising conference, 14 October 2008, London
'Building stronger unions: Organising the future' is a 14 October conference 'for all trade unionists to celebrate and debate the development of organising in the UK.' TUC says: 'We want your involvement and ideas! What more can unions do to grow? How do we re-energise and expand our reps and stewards base? How can we turn around private sector union density decline?' Contributors include: Brendan Barber, TUC general secretary, Philip Jennings, general secretary of UNI, Frances O'Grady, TUC deputy general secretary, BBC Newsnight's Paul Mason, Christine Blower, general secretary NUT, Stewart Acuff of US national union federation AFL-CIO and other national and international union speakers. There will also be workshops.
- Building stronger unions: Organising the future, Tuesday, 14 October 2008, TUC, Congress House, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LS. To register for attendance and to receive further details of this event, email or phone Joanne Adams on 0207 467 1361.
Workplace health seminar, 24 September, Bradford
Bradford Area Occupational Health and Safety Forum has organised a free seminar in the city on 24 September 'to tie in with Dame Carol Black's recent review of the health of Britain's working age population.' Speakers include Dame Carol, the workplace health czar, and the Hazards Campaign's Hilda Palmer.
- Seminar and debate on Dame Black's review of the health of Britain's working age population, Wednesday 24 September, Manningham Mills Community Centre, Bradford. BAOHSF meeting flyer [pdf]. For further information, contact Jane Howie by email or phone 01535 691049.
TUC Courses & Useful links - as previous issues
Useful Links
- Visit the TUC 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.
Newsletter (5,300 words) issued 12 Sep 2008
