42	Women workers

This is an excerpt from the TUC book "Hazards at Work: Organising for safe and healthy workplaces", the best-selling guide to health and safety at work. To buy a copy order here (if you are a safety representative on a TUC training course please speak to your tutor about getting a discounted copy)

BASIC FACTS ABOUT WOMEN WORKERS

A recent European Agency for Safety and Health at Work report reviewed gender differences in workplace injury and illness, gaps in knowledge and the implications for improving risk prevention. It shows how the design of work, its organisation and equipment are often based on the model of the ‘average’ man, although the principle of matching work to workers is enshrined in EU legislation. In general, the report concludes that women suffer more from work-related stress, infectious diseases, upper limb disorders, skin diseases and asthma and allergies, while men suffer more from accidents, back pain and hearing loss (see the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work web page [pdf]).

Using figures from a previous self-reported workrelated illness (SWI) survey, the TUC has identified that:

• one in ten 25- to 34-year-old women workers has been physically attacked by a member of the public in the course of their work. Rates for women generally were a third higher than for men
• more than a quarter of women have to lift or move heavy loads at work. Musculo-skeletal disorders associated with heavy lifting, awkward postures and repetitive tasks are by far the most commonly reported work-related illness
• stress is the second most commonly reported condition among working women but the source of the most concern
• one in five women said they were exposed to breathing fumes, dust or other harmful substances at work
• twice as many females as males reported suffering from work-related headache and eyestrain – an estimated 50,000 workers. Nearly three-quarters of these workers attributed the cause to the use of DSEs
• the highest rates for work-related skin diseases were in jobs like hairdressing and repetitive assembly – two occupations highly concentrated with women workers.

The TUC believes that women, who make up half the workforce, do not have their concerns about health and safety properly addressed:

• The law on occupational safety and health does not distinguish between women and men’s jobs other than in very specific areas. A gender-sensitive health and safety approach should replace the current gender-neutral system.
• Not enough account is taken of the physical differences between men and women that have an impact in the workplace.
• Women’s employment is concentrated in health, education, hotels and restaurants and the retail trade and in three major occupations – clerical/secretarial, personal and protective services (such as catering and hairdressing) and sales. Their exposure to hazards reflects their jobs, so the health and safety problems facing men and women are different.
• Women face a double jeopardy because they often work a double shift of paid work and work in the home – and the one often compounds the other.
• Women’s risks at work have traditionally been ignored by the research community, so less is known about the work risks that women face.

The TUC has also examined employer action on women’s health and safety by surveying safety representatives. The results showed that:

• only in a disappointing one in four cases does management always take the problems raised by women workers seriously
• employers are not adequately addressing the health and safety concerns of women workers in their risk assessments
• in relation to pregnant workers, those who have recently given birth, and those who are breastfeeding, more than half of employers are breaking the law by not conducting any risk assessment at all for them, despite an absolutely specific requirement
• almost seven out of ten employers do not specifically address women’s health and safety in their health and safety policies

Another TUC report identified that many of the UK’s two and a half million working women who are in their fifties will be going through the menopause and many of these women’s jobs could be making their symptoms worse. Yet the majority of employers are ignoring the issue.

New reports in 2006 suggested that:

• too little is known about the work and health of older women
• temporary work harms women’s health

There are many health and safety issues for women that are not being effectively addressed by employers. Urgent action is required to improve the health, safety and welfare of women at work.

See the following TUC web pages for details of the reports above and other surveys:

• health and safety issues for women
• surveys

 

LEGAL AND OTHER STANDARDS FOR PREVENTION AND CONTROL

Women workers are meant to be protected by the same laws as other workers. See the following chapters in this book:

• SRSC Regulations 1977 – Chapter 3, with reference to safety representatives’ rights and consultation
• Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 – Chapter 12, dealing with the general duties of employers and employees under Sections 2–9.

Generally, the employer has a duty to ensure the health, safety and welfare of all employees, women or men. Gender issues should be mainstreamed into the requirements for a health and safety policy

A model for making risk assessment more gender-sensitive

The TUC considers that risk assessment should take account of gender issues, differences and inequalities. Work, its organisation and the equipment used should be designed to match people, not the other way round. This principle is enshrined in EU legislation and enacted in Regulations in the UK. The legislation requires employers to carry out risk management based on risk assessment, and this can be divided into five stages:

• hazard identification
• risk assessment
• implementation of solutions
• monitoring
• review

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work has developed suggestions for making this process more gender-sensitive and these are reproduced below [pdf]. The TUC agrees with this approach.

As there are gender differences in a variety of broader issues relating to work circumstances, such as sexual harassment, discrimination, involvement in decision-making in the workplace, and conflicts between work and home life, a holistic approach to risk prevention is needed. Another aim is to identify less obvious hazards and health problems that are more common for female workers.

Key issues for gender-sensitive risk assessment

• having a positive commitment and taking gender issues seriously
• looking at the real working situation
• involving all workers, women and men, at allstages
• avoiding making prior assumptions about what the hazards are and who is at risk

Step 1: Hazard identification

For example, include gender by:

• considering hazards prevalent in both male- and female-dominated jobs
• looking for health hazards as well as safety hazards

Step 2: Risk assessment

For example, include gender by:

• looking at the real jobs being done and the real work context
• not making assumptions about exposure based purely on job description or title
• being careful about gender bias in prioritizing risks according to high, medium and low
• involving female workers in risk assessment. Consider using health circles and risk-mapping methods. Participative ergonomics and stress interventions can offer some methods
• making sure those doing the assessments have sufficient information and training about gender issues in occupational safety and health (OSH)
• making sure instruments and tools used for assessment include issues relevant to both male and female workers. If they do not, adapt them
• informing any external assessors that they should take a gender-sensitive approach, and checking that they are able to do this
• paying attention to gender issues when the OSH implications of any changes planned in the workplace are looked at

For example, for stress include:

• home–work interface, and both men’s and women’s work schedules
• career development
• harassment
• emotional ‘stressors’
• unplanned interruptions and doing several tasks at once

For example, for reproductive health:

• include both male and female reproductive risks
• look at all areas of reproductive health, not just pregnancy

For example, for musculo-skeletal disorders:

• look critically at ‘light work’. How much static muscle effort is involved? Does the job involve significant standing? What loads are really handled in practice and how often?

Step 3: Implementation of solutions

For example, include gender by:

• aiming to eliminate risks at source, to provide a safe and healthy workplace for all workers. This includes risks to reproductive health
• paying attention to diverse populations and adapting work and preventive measures to workers.

For example, selection of protective equipment according to individual needs, suitable for women and ‘non-average’ men

• involving female workers in the decision-making and implementation of solutions
• making sure female workers as well as male are provided with OSH information and training relevant to the jobs they do and their working conditions and health effects. Ensure part-time, temporary and agency workers are included

Steps 4 and 5: Monitoring and review

For example, include gender by:

• making sure female workers participate in monitoring and review processes
• being aware of new information about genderrelated occupational health issues

Health surveillance can be part of both risk assessment and monitoring:

• include surveillance relevant to jobs of both male and female workers
• take care about making assumptions, for example, based on job title, about whom to include in monitoring activities

Accident records are an important part of both risk assessment and monitoring:

• encourage the recording of occupational health issues as well as accidents

The full guide to making risk assessments more gender sensitive and other excellent resources can be found on the European Agency’s women and health at work web resource pages at

WHAT CAN SAFETY REPRESENTATIVES DO?

There are a number of positive steps that safety representatives can take to ensure that women workers are treated equally in any workplace. Examples of measures that can be taken include:

Membership awareness

Use posters and leaflets to bring up the issue of women’s health and safety with members, and take the opportunity of discussing it with them to see if they think that there are any problems. Safety representatives should report their concerns and those of their members to management in writing. Use Chapter 7 above for ideas on how you can make sure that management gets things done.

Surveys and inspections

Safety representatives could conduct a survey to find out what health and safety problems members have. It is important that all members are consulted, including part-time workers, temporary workers and so on. There should not be assumptions about what hazards are deemed to be ‘trivial’ or ‘important’. Surveys, body mapping, risk mapping and so on can be done on a confidential basis as some members may be reluctant to contribute otherwise. Safety representatives can use their routine inspections or undertake special inspections to speak to women and men about health and safety problems that they face at work.

Risk assessment

Employers should consult and work with trade union safety representatives to: identify hazards; assess the risks; implement solutions; review and monitor. Using the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work guidelines above, it is important that safety representatives ensure that the employer carries out the risk assessment process in a gender-sensitive way.

Health and safety policy and procedure

Safety representatives can put pressure on the employer so that gender sensitivity is promoted in all aspects of OHS management. For example:

• reviewing safety policies, specifically including a commitment to gender mainstreaming
• ensuring that occupational health services and competent people will take a gender-sensitive approach
• providing relevant training and information on gender issues regarding health and safety risks to risk assessors, managers and supervisors, safety
  committees, etc.
• linking OHS into workplace equality actions
• ensuring that women are actively involved in health and safety strategies and action
• deciding whether a special action plan is needed for women’s health and safety

TUC Women’s Health and Safety Working Group

The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work said: “Taking a gender-neutral approach to risk assessment and prevention can result in risks to female workers being underestimated or even
ignored – and can also fail to address gender-related risk factors for men.”

This is one of the reasons why the TUC recently reconvened its Women’s Health and Safety Working Group. Safety representatives can contribute to the work of this group. The group is focusing on a gender-sensitive approach to OHS and ensuring equal rights to protection for all workers. It wants to find out what is happening in your workplace and would like to hear from trade union safety representatives about your experiences, good practice and successes in relation to women’s health and safety/gender/equality issues. It would like to hear particularly from women safety representatives – but from men as well.

Let it know:

• why you became a safety representative
• what you like about being a safety representative
• what you find works well when recruiting women safety representatives
• any examples of good health and safety practice and/or policies on gender and health and safety in your workplace that you can share
• your real life experiences of being a safety representative – including any unusual situations or successes
• the number of women union safety representatives in your workplace
• your view on the barriers to women becoming safety representatives
• ways to encourage more women to take up this role
• things that prevent women from raising health and safety concerns

Please send information to: Hope Daley, National Health and Safety Officer, UNISON, 1 Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9AJ; e-mail h.daley@unison.co.uk

Gender and Occupational Safety and Health Discussion Board

There is a TUC discussion board where you can chat and discuss ideas and issues with other group members. You can choose to start a new topic for discussion, or read existing topics and add your reply to what has already been said. Go to here to get involved.

FURTHER INFORMATION (in alphabetical order)

European Agency for Safety and Health at Work

Excellent resources on the Agency’s women and health at work web resource pages

European Trade Union Institute for Research, Education and Health and Safety

Publications on women’s health

HSE priced and free publications

• For all the latest documents containing general standards and guidance, go to the HSE web page:
• Detailed guidance on the law concerning new and expectant mothers is provided on the HSE website
• Alternatively, obtain a free copy of the latest HSE Books catalogue, CAT 34, by telephoning 01787 881165

Hazards magazine website

Excellent news and resources on the women and work Hazards web resource page

International Labour Organisation (see Section 6.4 for contact details)

News and resources on gender issues

International Trade Union Confederation

Resources: Health and Safety – Women Pay Dearly

Labour Research Department (see Section 6.2 for contact details)

• Women’s Health and Safety – An LRD Guide £4.75

TUC (see Section 6.1 for contact details)

• The TUC women’s health and safety web page
• The TUC Gender and Occupational Safety and Health discussion board
• Restoring the Balance: Women’s Health and Safety at Work
• Essential information for safety representatives.Keep up to date on health and safety by reading
  Risks, the TUC’s weekly e-bulletin for safety representatives
• TUC Briefing Pregnant Women and Risk Assessment

Trade union information

• Many unions provide guidance for and about women workers. The website addresses of all trade unions are on the TUC website
• Hazards magazine has listed the health and safety pages of most trade unions
• Contact your union or visit your union’s website to find out if it produces any guidance on or for women workers. For example, USDAW has produced a Pregnancy Risk Assessment Checklist
  Unite – Amicus section has produced a range of health and safety resources for women

Women’s Environmental Network

Information, resources and networking on health and the environment

Copyright © Trades Union Congress 2008