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Risksissue no 181 - 6 November 2004 |
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Editor: Rory O'Neill of Hazards magazine. Comments to the TUC at healthandsafety@tuc.org.uk CONTENTS
Risks is the TUC’s weekly online bulletin for safety reps and others, read each week by over 10,000 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 NEWSWorkers 'are more stressed than ever'The number of workers suffering from stress, Britain’s top workplace health concern, has increased this year. Three in every five workers (58 per cent) now complain of being stressed at work, an increase of two per cent from 2002, according to latest TUC figures. TUC found the main causes of stress identified by safety reps are increased workloads, change at work, staff cuts, long hours and bullying. TUC’s fifth biennial survey of safety reps reveals the bigger the workforce, the greater the levels of stress. Overall 58 per cent of workers complained of stress at work, however that figure rose to 63 per cent in businesses with over 1,000 employees. The problem is greater in the public sector, where nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) of workers complained of stress at work, compared to less than half (48 per cent) in the private sector. The survey of 4,521 safety reps found little evidence that anything is being done to tackle the main causes of stress at work. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said workers are 'more stressed than ever' and added: 'We know that long hours and dense workloads are stressful. We know that workers want a better work-life balance, yet some employers insist on trying to squeeze every last drop of sweat out of their workforce.' Barber added: 'Things like a failure to replace staff are bad for workers, their families and employers' productivity. Unless bosses start to seriously tackle stress and the causes of stress then they will continue to lose many days every year to workers off sick and many hours of productivity from their demoralised workforce.' TUC warns the American dream is UK workers’ nightmareThe business lobby’s 'American dream' of a deregulated labour market would be a nightmare for UK workers and economy, according to a new TUC report. 'Building a modern labour market' says the fantasy of a super-productive, red tape free economy fuelled by a 'flexible' workforce that can be hired and fired at will is based on a string of myths. Brendan Barber, TUC general secretary, said all sides want higher productivity but added 'it can sometimes be hard to find a serious employer contribution to the debate on how we get there. Instead we hear a continuous whinge about red tape, and calls for us to become like the US.' He said British people 'don't want the nightmare long hours, short holidays, less secure jobs, huge inequalities and weak safety net of the American 'dream' economy. But we could - and should - benefit from US levels of investment in training, technology and transport, and the venture capital freedoms that have driven economic success in the United States.' TUC also challenges the myth that weak unions are good for business. Its report says in the UK nearly 40 per cent of union members have had job-related training in the last three months, compared to just over a quarter of non-members. It adds that union safety reps reduce injuries at work by 50 per cent, compared to workplaces without them (Risks 168).
Firefighters face bonfire attack perilFirefighters are highlighting a new bonfire night hazard: it’s become a time when youngsters carry out more attacks on firefighters than any other time of year. Youths who start their own bonfires are attacking firefighters responding to 999 calls to put them out. Firefighters’ union FBU says the upturn in attacks in the run up to 5 November was highlighted at the early stages of a research project looking at the rising number of attacks on firefighters. The early findings showed a marked increase around 5 November and the following weekend. FBU national officer John McGhee said: 'It’s a time of year when far more attacks take place. Youngsters think we’re killjoys when we turn up to put out unofficial bonfires. They attack us because they think we are spoiling their fun. We get bricks, stones and bottles thrown at us. Fireworks, like rockets, have been used to attack us.' He added: 'Youngsters throw gas canisters onto bonfires without realising that can be deadly. This has to stop before it gets completely out of control and a youngster or a firefighter is killed. We will be talking to government and fire authorities to make sure it becomes part of firework safety campaigns in the future. It is essential we can carry out lifesaving work without being attacked.' TGWU calls for inquiry carpet factory asbestos deathsThe asbestos-related deaths of at least three former employees of a Bradford carpet factory has prompted union calls for an urgent official investigation. Peter Booth, national organiser with textiles union TGWU, said there should be a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inquiry into the deaths of former workers from the Associated Weavers mill. 'We have long had concern at asbestosis and mesothelioma amongst former textile, carpet and dyeing and finishing workers,' said Mr Booth. 'Many of these workers have worked in environments where machines and steam pipes have been lagged with asbestos, very often in a broken or decaying form. We are deeply concerned about the cases linked to Associated Weavers which is why we believe an HSE investigation is so important.' An inquest into the death from mesothelioma of former Associated Weavers employee Fred Benson was told there had been a number of similar cases. Bradford coroner's officer Alan Pritchard said: 'There is a slow but noticeable rise in the number of cases we are dealing with. I've dealt with several cases of asbestosis over the past 10 years from Associated Weavers.' TGWU official Terry Britton said factories across the area had been full of asbestos. 'I'd like anybody who worked in industry and has been exposed to come forward,' he said. 'We're trying to form a campaign group. We know about Associated Weavers but there are others. We want people to claim their rights.' Union chief dismayed at lack of progress on site deathsThe new leader of construction union UCATT says drastic action needs to be taken to reduce a construction death toll still running at over one fatality a week. Alan Ritchie, UCATT’s new general secretary, says the latest information from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) shows there have been 42 deaths in construction since the beginning of April - exactly the same number as this time last year. 'There cannot be a starker indication that the government needs to introduce corporate manslaughter legislation as soon as possible so that a real deterrent exists for those employers who fail to protect their workers against well known hazards such as working at heights,' he said. 'If this trend continues through to the end of March we will see yet another year where nearly six construction workers die at work every month. If this number of British soldiers were to be killed in Iraq there would be a public outcry.' Commenting on last week’s government rejection of a Select Committee’s call for more resources for HSE, more enforcement and harsher penalties for safety offences (Risks 180), UCATT said it was 'dismayed that the government seems to attach so little value to the lives of construction workers that they are not prepared to commit resources to a front line service that could make a real difference to safety standards on construction sites.' Health workers aren’t punch bags, says unionHealth service workers are not society’s punchbag, UNISON Scotland has said. The union statement came after new figures revealed that over two-thirds (67.9 per cent) of all NHS Scotland occupational injuries are due to violence and aggression. The union said it is 'horrified' at the statistics issued by ISD Scotland. Jim Devine, UNISON Scotland’s organiser on health said the figures 'show an increase in physical abuse against health service workers and in particular nurses and midwives.' He added: 'Last year a nurse in Perth nearly died as a result of a physical assault by a hospital visitor. This attack has so traumatised the nurse that she is still off work nearly one year later.' According to the new statistics there are approximately 135 occupational injuries per 1,000 members of staff each year. In addition to the violence-related injuries affecting two-thirds of workers (95 injuries per thousand staff), another 11.1 per cent are victims of injuries caused by needles or other sharp objects (15/1,000). 'These figures are horrific and it is time for the Executive to put their plans into action and to clamp down on the present culture which appears to prevail in hospitals throughout the country where health workers are seen as figures of abuse by members of the public,' said Jim Devine. On-the-spot fines to tackle shoplifting menaceRetail union Usdaw says the introduction of £80 fixed penalty notices for first-time shoplifters could make work safer for shopworkers. Usdaw says it hopes the fines will help to discourage shoplifters from committing crimes and attacking or threatening workers. Under a scheme which took effect on 1 November, police can issue on-the-spot fines as part of a Home Office crackdown on low value thefts, as well as underage drinking, vandals and litter louts. John Hannett, general secretary of Usdaw, said: 'We hope that the introduction of fixed penalty notices will mean that thieves realise that it is not worth stealing from stores and that this will lead to a reduction in the number of threats and violent attacks on shopworkers that Usdaw has highlighted in our Freedom From Fear campaign.' Parking attendants win a safe breakParking attendants working for Vinci Park in Bromley, south London, have won the right to take their breaks in safety. The company withdrew its instruction to the parking attendants not to return to their depot for breaks after RMT members returned a second 100 per cent vote for strike action. 'This is a victory for commonsense and the right for our members’ safety to be put ahead of Vinci Park’s profits,' said RMT general secretary Bob Crow. 'Although few in number, our members maintained 100 per cent solidarity and refused to allow their safety to be compromised for the sake of their employer’s bank balance. In the end strike action proved unnecessary, but by twice voting unanimously to strike our members have once again demonstrated the truth of the trade union principle that unity is strength.' Without consulting with the union, the company had originally instructed the 16 RMT members they would no longer be allowed to return to the depot to take their breaks. Prior to the company climb down, Bob Crow said: 'Parking attendants run a daily gauntlet of abuse and threats, and physical assaults are a regular occurrence, yet the company has imposed changes that expose our members to an increased risk of attack.' TGWU 'furious' over haulage work hours moveDrivers and transport workers have been badly let down by the government and the transport industry and could miss out on the full protection supposed to come from the Working Time Directive, according to transport union TGWU. Ron Webb, TGWU national secretary for transport, said he was 'furious' at draft regulations which it says are confusing and could leave many drivers worse off. He said the union's campaign for a 48-hour week will intensify over the coming weeks and he hinted that legal scrutiny of the draft regulations was being considered. 'These draft regulations, especially those on flexibility and periods of availability, go to the heart of the directive and undermine it,' he said. 'Quite frankly, government has injected real confusion… the TGWU certainly believes there is no real benefit to drivers.' The union had called for loading and unloading time to be included in hours worked, but this stipulation isn’t included in the draft. TGWU says this means some drivers, particularly those in retail, distribution and hire and reward, will still be clocking up 65 hour weeks or more. Ron Webb added that it was an 'utter disgrace' that some workers could end up losing some holiday entitlement under the proposals.
Unions in Wales call for public smoking banThe Wales TUC has called for smoking to be banned in public places in Wales. Responding to the National Assembly for Wales’ consultation on smoking in public places, it said that public places are often workplaces and added workers should be protected against the effects of passive smoking. A detailed dossier from Wales TUC said Welsh employees, especially those working in bars, restaurants, clubs and pubs, are placed in the invidious position of having to gamble with their job or their health in a way that would be unacceptable for most other workplace hazards. Derek Walker, Wales TUC head of policy and campaigns, said: 'There is now conclusive, independent proof that passive smoking kills. It is a workplace hazard and also a public health hazard… how can we justify low paid workers continuing to have to breathe in substances that can kill them, or being faced with no option other than to resign their job?' He added that properly negotiated workplace smoking policies were the practical way forward. 'Simply stopping all smoking, immediately, does run the risk of driving smoking underground. The Wales TUC believes that a properly consulted-upon smoking policy that is monitored and with help to stop smoking built in, is more likely to work.'
OTHER NEWSQualified welcome for stress management standardsUnions have given a qualified welcome to new Health and Safety Executive (HSE) stress management standards, warning that the safety watchdog must be ready to take enforcement action if firms fail to act. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said with stress rising at work, 'the new HSE management standards should encourage employers to take their staff welfare responsibilities more seriously.' He added: 'For those that refuse to take any measures to reduce stress levels, the HSE must be prepared to take enforcement action to prevent them continuing to harm their workforce.' Dave Prentis, general secretary of UNISON, said: 'Too many public sector workers are having their health put at risk because employers have not woken up to the terrible damage that stress causes.' He added: 'These standards provide a major step forward in the war against workplace stress. We want to stop people becoming ill because of stress and make employers focus on prevention. But if they fail, they must be held to account and that is why we want these standards to be given legal bite.' In Scotland, STUC’s Ian Tasker commented: 'We view these standards as the last chance for employers to tackle the problem, preferably with the co-operation of trade unions. If they fail to take this opportunity then, despite the inevitable protestations from the deregulation lobby, we feel that the government will have no alternative to legislate to protect workers from exposure to work-related stress.' The new HSE stress management standards call on employers to consider six key risk factors - demands, control, support, relationships, role and change at work.
Insurance industry worried by growing asbestos claimsInsurance industry researchers have issued a dire warning about the escalating costs of asbestos claims immediately ahead of a legal test case that seeks to determine whether workers with early signs of asbestos damage should receive payouts. Actuarial Profession says the cost of asbestos claims in the UK could reach £20bn in the next 30 years. It says only half the cost will be met by insurers, with the government having to foot the rest of the bill. 'Asbestos is certainly not yesterday's problem,' said Julian Lowe, who led the working party for the study, based on information from UK insurers. The study estimates claims will cost the UK between £8bn and £20bn in coming years, with the number of claims expected to total between 80,000 and 200,000 over the next three decades. More than half of the claims are expected to come from people with mesothelioma, an incurable asbestos-related cancer. A test case to decide the level of compensation which should be paid to victims of lesser asbestos-related illnesses - 'pleural plaques' and 'pleural thickening' - is to begin in Manchester later this month. The insurance industry is hoping that the judge will rule that no compensation should be paid in the most minor cases. Ofsted pledges to tackle bullyingEnglish education watchdog Ofsted has promised MPs it will tackle the bullying that is rife in its own offices. But the Ofsted chief inspector, David Bell, said budget cuts of £40m and 500 proposed job losses would create 'more stress, more anxiety, more pressure.' His warning echoes concerns raised by Ofsted support staff union UNISON in a July letter to government minister Margaret Hodge, which said the cuts generate 'unhelpful competitive strain which undermines teamwork and it has resulted in a climate of pressure and intimidation, since managers and employees try desperately hard to meet these unachievable targets' (Risks 167). Ofsted’s David Bell told the Commons education committee this week that a survey this year had found one in five Ofsted employees had been victims of bullying or harassment. Nearly two-thirds felt so stressed it was damaging their work. Mr Bell told the MPs: 'We haven't just wrung our hands and said 'isn't this terrible'. We have set up work internally looking at the causes of bullying and harassment.' He added that he would not tolerate 'quite unacceptable behaviour.' UK considers tough smoking limitsMinisters are considering a ban on smoking in pubs, restaurants and other workplaces unless they meet the conditions of a strict licensing system. Press reports say under the new plans people would have to apply for a licence to allow smoking in a public place - and this would be refused if children are allowed on the premises. Those applying for licences would also be asked about moves to minimise the risk to employees. Smoking in rooms where staff work, for example where there is a bar, could also be banned. Moves to restrict smoking have gained momentum since Ireland introduced a national ban, with Liverpool becoming the first UK city to seek the approval of parliament for a city-wide public smoking ban. London mayor Ken Livingstone has also written to the health secretary, John Reid, to request devolved powers allowing him to impose a London-wide ban on smoking. Press reports also say Reid is planning to announce that smoking will be banned throughout the NHS. INTERNATIONALAustralia: 'Voodoo science' used to control workersAustralian unions have called for a ban on psychometric testing after an independent assessment found it was an invalid and unreliable way of measuring people's ability to work safely and respond to emergency situations. Train company RailCorp is testing all staff in safety critical areas and at least one train driver has been stood down for failing one of the tests (Risks 175). The tests, which measure an employee's ability to concentrate by using techniques such as having them search for and identify different target shapes on a page, could not accurately predict a driver's propensity for accidents, according to a report commissioned by the NSW Labor Council. 'The test may unfairly discriminate against older train drivers, who, while still being capable of driving trains safely, may not react as quickly as younger persons….,' the report says. NSW Labor Council secretary John Robertson said: 'Psychometric testing is a voodoo science being used by Railcorp as a command and control tool over its workforce.' He added that the Labor Council 'has evidence that workers are actually being stood down on the basis of these secret, bogus evaluations.' Australia: Union road slowdown gets official backingAuthorities have followed a union’s lead and imposed a 25 kilometre/hour speed limit at a road works site. Officials in the Australian state of Victoria introduced the safety measure following 18 months of lobbying by the Australian Workers' Union (AWU). AWU national secretary Bill Shorten said the move would significantly reduce the risk of injury for more than 25 workers at the site. Traffic officers are enforcing the 25km/hour speed limit at the road works. AWU safety officers stopped work on the site on 21 October after complaints of speeding traffic, including large trucks, travelling as close as one metre to workers. WorkSafe inspectors threatened to close the site unless conditions were improved. Road safety officials then signed a Memorandum of Consent cutting the speed limit from the usual 40km/hour in road work zones to 25km per hour. 'Lower speed limits are one of the most effective and least disruptive measures to reduce roadside casualties,' AWU’s Bill Shorten said. Earlier this year the union introduced its own speed limits in a bid to stop road works accidents. China: President calls for action as mine deaths continueMore than 200 Chinese coal miners have lost their lives in at least five recent mine disasters (Risks 179), prompting President Hu Jintao to call for answers and the government to demand stronger enforcement of safety rules. However, analysts say between the high price of coal and China's insatiable energy demand, it will take more than high-level concern to clean up the world's deadliest mining industry. 'It is in the short-term interests of mine owners and even local officials to cut corners in the interests of increasing output,' said Tim Wright, a professor of Chinese studies at Britain's Sheffield University. 'The costs if there is an accident are substantial, which is why mine owners go to considerable lengths to cover things up.' Experts say the problem is a combination of difficult conditions, with deep pits and high levels of gases, exacerbated by poor management and the proliferation of illegal mines. Tsuyoshi Kawakami, a health and safety specialist at the ILO, commented: 'The leadership commitment is very clear. The laws and regulations are very important. But also they should help managers and workers to develop their own safety management approaches.' Global: Journalists killed in 'unprecedented' numbersThe targeted bomb attack on the Baghdad office of Arab television channel Al-Arabiya last weekend, in which a number of employees were killed, and the killing this week of Reuters cameraman Dhia Najim have confirmed Iraq as the world's most dangerous country for journalists and brings the death toll of journalists and media staff this year to almost 100, says the International Federation of Journalists. 'Journalists and media staff are victims of unprecedented levels of brutality,' said Aidan White, IFJ general secretary. 'We need more action to reduce risks and we need clear answers to hard questions about why our colleagues are being killed.' The latest killings bring the total number of journalists and media staff killed this year to 98 and the number killed in Iraq since the invasion in March last year to 62. The IFJ plans to raise the crisis at the annual meeting of the International News Safety Institute (INSI), an industry coalition fighting for safe journalism, which will be held later this month. Ireland: Smurfit gets record health and safety fineSmurfit News Press Limited has been fined €1,000,000 (£693,000) for health and safety violations at a plant in Kells, Ireland. The judgment is the largest ever imposed for health and safety offences and followed an investigation by the official safety watchdog, the Health and Safety Authority (HSA), into two serious accidents. In the first incident, an employee was working at a printing press when his leg became trapped, as a result of which his right leg was amputated below the knee. Two weeks later, another employee at the same plant suffered a serious injury when his hand became entrapped in a printing press. The court was informed that the cause of the accidents was inadequate guarding and a failure to prepare an adequate risk assessment on the hazards involved in working on printing presses. Judge Raymond Groarke said the company had displayed a cavalier attitude to safety and had placed the pursuit of profit over the safety of its workers. HSA chief executive Tom Beegan commented: 'This is largest ever fine for health and safety offences and a milestone for the protection of people at work.' USA: Flu threat worsened by lack of sick leaveThe lack of paid sick leave in the US will compound the risk of getting the flu this winter, at a time when even at-risk individuals cannot obtain flu shots because of a massive shortage of the vaccine, according to the National Partnership for Women and Families. Nearly half US workers don’t have guaranteed paid time off from their jobs when they are sick, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). These workers are more likely to go to work when they are sick, increasing the likelihood they will infect others, says the National Partnership. According to a study by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, No time to be sick: Why everyone suffers when workers don’t have paid sick leave, 86 million US workers don’t have paid sick days to care for sick children. 'Paid sick days would ease some of the tough choices facing American families today,' says Ness. 'It would help workers provide for their families while being responsible employees.' In the UK, the TUC warned in January this year that an army of 'mucus troopers' were been coerced into work when sick (Risks 140). RESOURCESHSE union spells out the flaws in HSC safety planThe government's dismissal of a select committee call for adequate resources to safeguard UK workers will give rogue employers the green light to continue maiming and killing employees, the HSE inspectors' union warned last week (Risks 180). A new Prospect briefing spells out point by point why the government is wrong not to accept the Work and Pensions Select Committee’s call for more resources for HSE, more enforcement and more rights for safety reps. EVENTS AND COURSESTUC courses for safety repsCOURSES FOR SEPTEMBER TO DECEMBER 2004Midlands, North, North West, Scotland, South East, South West, Wales, Yorkshire and Humberside TUC conference on the future of HSC, 8 November 2004A major TUC conference will mark the 30th anniversary of the Health and Safety at Work Act and the establishment of the Health and Safety Commission. TUC says the event, '30 years on - the future of the Health and Safety Commission,' is intended for policy makers, trade unionists, managers, health and safety professionals, academics, and others with an interest in health and safety. Speakers include minister for work Jane Kennedy, HSC chair Bill Callaghan, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber and prominent safety academics and representatives of unions, HSE, and campaign and employers’ organisations.
USEFUL LINKSVisit 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 (5,100 words) issued 5 Nov 2004
