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Risks is the TUC's weekly newsletter for safety reps and others, sponsored by Thompsons Solicitors.

COVID NEWS
OTHER NEWS
INTERNATIONAL NEWS  

COVID NEWS

 

Key workers missing out on statutory sick pay

One in 12 key workers (788,000 people) do not qualify for statutory sick pay (SSP) – despite many of them being at greater risk from Covid-19 due to the frontline nature of their job, a TUC analysis has found. The TUC research reveals those excluded from SSP include more than a quarter of cleaners (27 per cent) and retail workers (26 per cent); nearly one in 10 teaching assistants (9 per cent); and over one in 20 care workers (6 per cent). Additional figures from polling for the TUC by BritainThinks show that, for those who self-identify as key workers in the context of the Covid pandemic, a third (33 per cent) report getting less than full sick pay (below their usual rate of pay); and a quarter (24 per cent) report getting only SSP at just £96 per week. Separate research commissioned by the TUC from the Fabian Society shows that the cost of raising SSP to the equivalent of the real Living Wage for employers without an occupational sick pay scheme would be around £110 per employee per year – or just over £2 a week. TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady commented: “Nobody should have to choose between going into work if they’re sick or should be self-isolating, or doing the right thing by staying home, but facing hardship as a result. But that’s the choice facing many key workers who kept the country going during the pandemic.” She added: “The cost of fixing the UK’s broken sick pay system is small compared to other public health measures like test and trace. Ministers must urgently make every worker eligible for statutory sick pay. And it should be worth at least as much as the real Living Wage.”
TUC news release. Statutory Sick Pay: Options for reform, Fabian Society, 2021. 
Sign the TUC petition demanding #SickPayForAll.
 

‘Scarily fleeting’ contact with variant may infect

The transmission advantage of the Delta variant is a sign that the race between vaccination and the virus could tip in favour of the latter unless countries ramp up their immunisation campaigns and practise caution, scientists have warned. Research conducted in the UK, where the variant accounts for 99 per cent of new Covid cases, suggests it is about 60 per cent more transmissible than the Alpha variant, which previously dominated. It may also be linked to a greater risk of hospitalisation and is more resistant to vaccines, particularly after one dose. Health officials in Australia, reviewing CCTV footage from Sydney, suspect it has been transmitted in “scarily fleeting” encounters of roughly five to 10 seconds between people walking past each other in an indoor shopping area in Sydney, New South Wales. Cases have also been recorded in the Northern Territory, Queensland and Western Australia, with several large cities now in lockdown. The Delta outbreak in the Northern Territory spread from a mining camp and now poses significant risk to the community, officials said. Dr Stephen Griffin, a virologist at the University of Leeds school of medicine, commented: “The ideal scenario is that you build your vaccine wall before you get exposed to variants because that means that even if you do get an outbreak, you’ve got sufficiently few people that are susceptible that the R [reproduction number] never gets above 1, you don’t see an increase in that outbreak. The problem is that we haven’t reached that protective level, and so if you do get infections and cases growing there’s plenty of susceptible people to pass that infection on to.” He told the Guardian the evidence suggests “we must go belt and braces in all of this. There’s no point leaving it half done – we can’t ignore children in vaccination campaigns. If we do, then we could end up in a cycle of variants.”
Variants: distribution of case data, 18 June 2021, PHE, updated 25 June 2021. ACTU news release. BMJ News. The Guardian, related story and follow up. BBC News Online. New Daily.
 

Occupational health action call on long Covid

Poor access to occupational health services in Britain’s workplaces is exacerbating problems faced by workers with long Covid, according to the Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM). The organisation for occupational doctors says at least two million people in the UK have experienced ongoing debilitating symptoms following Covid-19 infection, but only half the UK workforce can access occupational health support to enable their return to work. SOM points to TUC research suggesting 5 per cent of people with long Covid have already been forced out of their jobs (Risks 1002), and warns a “significantly larger percentage remain at risk without adequate understanding and support for this new syndrome.” Professor Ewan Macdonald, chair of the SOM Long Covid Multidisciplinary Group, said: “Many people with long Covid have not been in hospital, have not had their health problems properly assessed, and generally neither have they had appropriate rehabilitation – they often have not been understood by their doctors and they have struggled to get advice.” Heading a series of recommendations, SOM says “the NHS needs to support long Covid patients return to work with access to occupational health, as occurs in Finland.” It adds: “All organisations should develop a clear and accessible policy on Long Covid, with input from affected workers and/or patient advocates, that managers are supported to implement in conjunction with the worker.” Flexible working options “are needed to improve return to work after absence, and to support the new trend towards hybrid working options for all,” SOM recommends.
SOM news release.
Long Covid and the workplace, TUC webinar, Wednesday 30 June, 7:30pm – 8:30pm. Register on Zoom.
 

Union dismay at schools testing plan

A Department for Education (DfE) email outlining possible arrangements for testing of pupils in September and speculating on the future of bubbles and self-isolating shows government plans “scarcely qualify as a plan at all”, teaching union NEU has said. The union comments came as it emerged there has been a marked rise throughout June in pupils sent home from school in England because of Covid. Commenting on the DfE email sent to schools and colleges, NEU joint general secretary Kevin Courtney said: “With its letter about September, the Department for Education is once again jumping to half-explained ideas with absolutely no consideration of the logistical challenge facing schools and colleges. This shows every indication of our having to endure yet another summer of confusion and disarray, capped off by last-minute guidance with inadequate time for preparations. This is no Plan A, or Plan B. Currently it scarcely qualifies as a plan at all.” Commenting on the role of the education secretary, the NEU leader warned: “Gavin Williamson is missing in action. He has nothing to say about ventilation or reinstating masks in classrooms, which are surely the measures he can quickly bring about. He has also allowed mass testing to dwindle amongst secondary children from 60 per cent in March to just 15 per cent today. We all want to see children in school as much as possible and for as long as possible. The education secretary must get a grip on this, and for once engage with the complexity from the outset. To not do so will yet again waste the time of professionals he purports to value.”
NEU news release.
 

Sharp rise in staff and pupil Covid absences

There has been a sharp rise in pupils sent home from school in England and in staff absences because of Covid, according to the latest official figures. Department for Education (DfE) figures reveal that more than 375,000 pupils - about one in 20 - were out of school for Covid-related reasons, up by more than 130,000 in a week. Absences have quadrupled during June. The DfE figures note: “We estimate that 2.5 per cent of teachers and school leaders in open state-funded schools were absent due to Covid-19 reasons on 24 June, up from 1.7 per cent on 17 June and 0.9 per cent on 10 June,” adding “that 2.4 per cent of teaching assistants and other staff in open state-funded schools were absent due to Covid-19 reasons on 24 June, up from 1.5 per cent on 17 June and 0.7 per cent on 10 June.” Absences were higher in secondary than primary school in the latest figures, with 6.2 per cent out of secondary school, up from 1.4 per cent earlier this month. Out of all those young people having to stay at home, 4 per cent are confirmed Covid cases.
Attendance in education and early years settings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak – 23 March 2020 to 24 June 2021, DfE, 29 June 2021. BBC News Online and related story.
 

Government ‘to blame’ for university suffering

Staff and students have ‘suffered enormously’ through the pandemic and the government is squarely to blame, lecturers’ union UCU has said. Responding to a highly critical report from the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI), which warned of ‘worrying findings’ on student mental health, UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: “Both staff and students have suffered enormously this year. The fault lies squarely with government ministers and university vice-chancellors who pushed ahead with a reckless reopening of campuses for in-person teaching and ‘blended learning’ at the start of the academic year, ignoring warnings from university staff and the government's own scientific advisers.” She added: “More than four-fifths of university and college staff have struggled with an increased workload and poor mental health during Covid, and almost two-thirds have been unhappy with the level of support from their employers.” She said a failure by the government to provide the necessary financial support meant university staff “have struggled to pick up the pieces. The government must never again let market forces push managers into prioritising university finances, and risking the health and safety of staff, students and the wider community. We urgently need to move to a publicly funded model for higher education so student and staff wellbeing is protected.”
UCU news release. Student Academic Experience Survey 2021, HEPI, 24 June 2021.
 

Masks upgrade can eliminate infection risk

The quality of respiratory healthcare workers wear makes a huge difference to their risk of coronavirus infection, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust research has found. Providing staff high grade FFP3 respirators, a long-time demand of unions (Risks 994), can result in up to 100 per cent protection. By contrast, there is a far greater chance of staff wearing standard issue surgical masks catching the virus. For most of last year, the hospital followed national guidance which specifies that healthcare workers should wear surgical masks, except in a few limited situations. Though fluid resistant, these masks are relatively flimsy and loose-fitting and are not meant to screen out infectious aerosols - tiny virus particles that can linger in the air and are now widely accepted as a source of coronavirus infection. The study found that staff caring for Covid patients on “red” wards faced a risk that was up to 47 times higher than those on “green” or non-Covid wards. Lead researcher Dr Mark Ferris, a specialist in occupational health at the hospital, said staff were getting Covid despite doing everything they were asked to in terms of infection control. When the second wave of the pandemic started to hit last December, managers made a local decision to upgrade the protection on red wards. “The only thing left to try that could make a difference was FFP3 respirators, and they did,” Dr Ferris said. In the weeks following this move, the rate of infections among healthcare workers on red wards dropped spectacularly, quickly falling to the level experienced by staff on green wards where there were no Covid patients. The study concludes that “cases attributed to ward-based exposure fell significantly, with FFP3 respirators providing 31-100 per cent protection (and most likely 100 per cent) against infection from patients with Covid-19.” The paper says fluid-resistant surgical masks were “insufficient” to protect healthcare workers.
Mark Ferris, Rebecca Ferris, Chris Workman and others. FFP3 respirators protect healthcare workers against infection with SARS-CoV-2, Authorea. 24 June 2021 [pre-print]. DOI: 10.22541/au.162454911.17263721/v1. BBC News Online.
 

OTHER NEWS

 

Commons committee backs shopworker safety law

Retail trade union Usdaw has welcomed a report from a cross-party committee of MPs that highlights the need for a new criminal offence to protect shopworkers. The union said it is now hoping an amendment to the government’s flagship crime bill will be debated and voted through on 5 July. The House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee report, following a lengthy inquiry, concludes that violence and abuse towards shop workers is becoming endemic and the policing response is failing to match the scale of the problem. The Home Affairs Committee is now asking the government to consult on a stand-alone law that would make it a criminal offence to assault retail workers in England and Wales. The report comes days after an amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill on protection of workers was debated in committee, but was opposed by the government and withdrawn without a vote. Usdaw general secretary Paddy Lillis said “we are pleased that the committee has recommended new legislation to protect shopworkers. Usdaw is looking for a simple stand-alone offence for assaulting a retail worker to encourage prosecutions and provide the deterrent effect that our members are desperately looking for. Sending a clear message that assaulting or abusing someone working to serve the public is totally unacceptable.” He added: “We are now looking for MPs to support key workers across the retail sector and help turn around the UK government’s opposition.” Retailers said it was hard to get retail violence dealt with by the police. Marks and Spencer told MPs that local police have “struggled to respond to reports of assaults” in its stores.
Usdaw news release and related news release. Home Affairs Committee news release and report summary. Sarah Jones MP: NC45 amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, “Offence of assaulting etc. retail worker. BBC News Online.
 

Construction must tackle long hours culture

The construction industry must tackle the dangerous long hours culture that afflicts the sector, Unite has said. The construction union made its call following the announcement that a number of major contractors are now embracing flexible working for their directly employed staff. Unite national officer Jerry Swain said: “Of course Unite recognises the benefits of flexible working but for the vast majority of those in the construction industry such policies are not relevant or applicable. Site workers in construction companies' contract supply chains will either not be eligible for flexible working schemes or can’t use them as they have to be at work at set times.” He said if the industry is serious about making change, it should address the long hours culture across the entire workforce. “In order for such a policy to be successful it needs to address pay rates and the tenure of workers,” he said, adding the industry “should seriously look at how jobs are programmed, with a view to removing the reliance on Saturday working. Weekend working should only be undertaken when a task cannot be carried out in the week or it is required to bring the job back on programme.” Long working hours are linked to higher accident rates and stress, heart disease and other health problems.
Unite news release. More on working hours hazards.
 

Survey shows work is getting worse

A new study has warned the pandemic is having a dramatic negative impact on employee health and wellbeing. The survey by insurance giant Aviva of 1,000 employees in large firms found the number of employees who are completely satisfied with life has dropped by ten percentage points, falling from 67 per cent in February 2020 to 57 per cent in March 2021. Aviva’s report suggests more employees are neglecting their physical health due to being too busy at work – up five percentage points to 58 per cent compared with 53 per cent in February 2020 – while the vast majority (86 per cent) state that they are checking emails outside of working hours. Aviva’s wellbeing lead Debbie Bullock commented: “Our research reveals unpredictable futures are placing a significant strain on the balance between work and home life, with more employees reporting feelings of anxiety and dissatisfaction, as well as concern for their future due to a lack of clarity about their retirement prospects.” The union Prospect said the report provided further evidence that the ‘always on culture’ is a significant and growing problem. General secretary Mike Clancy said: “Employers need to recognise that this is a problem which will ultimately result in lost days, decreased productivity, a demotivated workforce and burnout. Unions are well-placed to work with employers to put in place a right to disconnect policy which will benefit both employees and employers” (Risks 1002).
Aviva news release and report, Thriving in the Age of Ambiguity: building resilience for the new realities of work, June 2021. Prospect news release.
 

Union relief as Kent lorry chaos is set to end

A decision by the Department of Transport (Dft) not to extend the ban on lorries parking in Kent has been welcomed by Unite. The union had warned that lorry drivers were set for further parking misery as Kent council had applied for an extension to the six month ban on lorries parking in lay-bys and roads in the county. The council was granted the lorry parking ban after the UK’s transition period from leaving the European Union ended in January, as there were fears of roads being gridlocked due to delays at the port of Dover (Risks 966). However, Unite said the ban on lorries parking in lay-bys and roads has resulted in ‘huge overcrowding’ at service stations and lorry parks, as these are the only places that lorries can park legally and where drivers can take the rest they need to comply with driving hours regulations. The overcrowding problem has spread beyond Kent into other neighbouring counties, including Thurrock services in Essex. Unite national officer for lorry drivers, Adrian Jones, said: “Unite is pleased that the government has listened to the union’s grave concerns and taken the necessary action to help end the misery and overcrowding faced by lorry drivers. We know that the people of Kent may be concerned that lorries will be parked irresponsibly but with a severe shortage of secure parking areas drivers are faced with a choice of breaking the law on driving rules or finding somewhere to park.” He added: “While lifting the ban should end the immediate short term problems, the government and Kent council need to take immediate action to ensure that when future problems occur with the Dover crossing, for whatever reason, drivers have access to decent welfare facilities while they cope with delays.”
Unite news release and earlier news release. Unite manifesto for drivers.
 

RMT blasts ferry firm for ‘appalling’ working practices

Seafarers’ union RMT has called for a boycott of Irish Ferries, warning that crew members face long hours and unsafe conditions on poverty pay. The union said that some workers on the firm’s new Dover-Calais route will be paid less than the national minimum wage to work at least 12 hours per day on a gruelling six-weeks-on, three-weeks-off basis. RMT general secretary Mick Lynch said: “Make no mistake, Irish Ferries crewing practices undermine maritime safety and employment standards on ferries which cross the world’s busiest shipping lane up to five times a day.” He said the granting of permission for the new service, which ran for the first time this week, “clearly demonstrates the UK government’s neglect of local seafarers during the pandemic and in the post-Brexit maritime supply chain. RMT calls on passengers and businesses to think again before using Irish Ferries and to keep in mind the appalling employment and questionable safety practices at an operator that puts profit before safety.”
RMT news release. Morning Star.
 

Car firm convicted after apprentices get chemical burns

A car dealership has been fined after two apprentices suffered chemical burns. Leicestershire Magistrates’ Court heard how on 15 March 2018 two apprentices were working at Mercedes-Benz of Northampton, cleaning the vehicle ramps in the workshop using a chemical from an unlabelled barrel. The chemical caused burns to their hands and arms, which resulted in both requiring hospital treatment. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the company failed to ensure that the exposure of this hazardous substance was either prevented or adequately controlled. Cruickshank Motors Limited, trading as Mercedes-Benz of Northampton, was found guilty of a criminal breach of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002. It was fined £360,000 and ordered to pay costs of £12,622. HSE inspector Aaron Butel said: “When working with hazardous substances, there is a legal requirement of every employer to ensure that exposure is either prevented, or where this is not reasonably practicable, adequately controlled. This incident could so easily have been avoided by simply implementing suitable control measures and safe working practices.”
HSE news release.
 

British Airways hit with £1.8m serious injury fine

British Airways has been fined following a vehicle collision at Terminal 5 of Heathrow Airport with left a worker with serious crush injuries. Southwark Crown Court heard that on 16 March 2018, an employee was struck by a tug pulling a train of dollies, the vehicles used to transport baggage around the airport. She was knocked under another passing tug with dollies loaded with luggage. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that the injured worker was using the centre of the roadway between the two lanes as a walking route and this unsafe practice had been commonplace in the baggage hall for at least ten years. The investigation also identified significant failings in the general management of health and safety and workplace transport risks, including issues relating to supervision and monitoring, risk assessment and training. British Airways plc pleaded guilty to a criminal safety offence and was fined £1.8 million and ordered to pay costs of £35,724. HSE inspector Megan Carr said: “The situation in the baggage hall at Heathrow Terminal 5 was an incident waiting to happen. British Airways failed to appreciate the serious nature of the risks to which its employees were exposed and as a result failed to take appropriate action to ensure they were properly protected.”
HSE news release. Get Surrey.
 

Survey finds widespread harassment at work

Half of women report having suffered unwanted sexual behaviour in the workplace, according to a new poll. Around a quarter of women suffered unwanted touching at work, heard colleagues make comments of a sexual nature about a fellow colleague in front of them at work, or were questioned or interrogated about their sex life in the workplace, the survey by YouGov found. Researchers, who polled over 1,000 women living in the UK, found one in 10 women suffered sexual assault at work and one per cent of women had experienced a rape or attempted rape at work. Sarah Morrison, a senior campaigner at Avaaz, the global civic movement that commissioned the survey, told The Independent: “No woman should ever have to fear sexual violence or harassment at work, but shockingly it is still part of working life for millions of women in Britain.” The poll found around half of women in the UK who have ever worked believe the government is not doing enough to stop women from suffering sexual harassment in the workplace. Avaaz is urging the UK government to ratify the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Violence and Harassment Convention (C.190), the first international convention that expressly aims to safeguard employees from sexual harassment in the workplace. The UK has yet to ratify the convention, despite MPs, campaigners and unions calling repeatedly for the government to do so. Deeba Syed, senior legal officer at Rights of Women, told The Independent the legal charity is strongly urging the UK government to ratify the ILO Convention against harassment and violence at work. A joint statement from 30 unions in March called on the UK government to “implement a new mandatory duty on employers to prevent sexual harassment at work and ratify ILO Convention No.190” (Risks 989).
Avaaz website. The Independent.
Joint union statement, 12 March 2021. ILO convention 190.
 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

 

Global: Back violence and harassment rules now!

Unions worldwide are calling on governments to ratify groundbreaking rules to protect workers from violence and harassment in the workplace. The International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Convention 190 came into force last week, two years after its adoption. To date, only Argentina, Ecuador, Fiji, Namibia, Somalia and Uruguay have ratified the convention, and the global union confederation ITUC is now calling on all countries to follow suit. ITUC and its global union partners have launched a global campaign to promote ratification and implementation to mark the convention taking effect, backed up with an online toolkit for unions. “The Covid-19 pandemic has seen a horrific surge in cases of domestic violence across the world, a surge in gender-based violence and harassment – particularly against frontline workers – and a rise in cyberbullying,” the union body said. “Informal economy workers have experienced a dramatic increase in violence and harassment, as physical force has often been used against them when measures to restrict movement have been imposed. In the absence of social protection, these workers are forced to continue to work in order to survive.” ITUC said it and eight global union federations - BWI, EI, IFJ, IndustriALL, ITF, IUF, PSI and UNI - as well as the International Domestic Workers’ Federation (IDWF), civil society organisations and social justice movements, human rights advocates, women’s rights organisations and feminist movements “will vigorously campaign until the day all governments commit to ratify C190.”
ITUC news release. BWI news release. Education International news release. IndustriALL news release. IUF news release. PSI news release, UNI news release. ILO news release.
Call on your government to Ratify ILO C190 to end gender-based violence and harassment in the world of work.
Global Unions: Train the Trainers Toolkit on the ILO Violence and Harassment Convention (No. 190) and Recommendation (No. 206).
 

Asia: Campaigners inflict major blow on asbestos trade

After many years of campaigning, the global ban asbestos campaign has chalked up a major win as a major funder of infrastructure work said no to the fatal fibre. The Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) has amended its Environmental and Social Framework to exclude asbestos containing materials from AIIB-financed projects. The bank has an annual spend of US$3.3 billion on infrastructure across Asia. The campaign to eliminate asbestos related diseases by global and national trade unions and asbestos ban groups and victims has been targeting multilateral banks for many years, including AIIB, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the World Bank Group. The AIIB has now published the updated exclusion policy which now includes the “production of, trade in, or use of asbestos fibres, whether or not bonded”. The ‘Not Here Not Anywhere’ asbestos campaign is now seeking the same urgent exclusion by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).  Phillip Hazelton, coordinator of the Australian union backed global justice group APHEDA, commented: “This is an overdue but an important step by the AIIB. We call on all multilateral investment banks and international financial institutions to quickly do the same and exclude asbestos containing materials from any investments they support.” Apolinar Tolentino Jr, the Asia-Pacific regional representative of the global construction union BWI, added: “We expect the ADB to follow suit to this long awaited policy to ensure that working families and their communities are not exposed to this highly dangerous industrial substance.”
APHEDA news release. AIIB revised Environmental and Social Framework, 2021.
 

Belgium: Union concern after migrant site workers die

Construction unions have expressed serious concerns after five workers were killed and another nine were injured at a site in Antwerp, Belgium. The tragedy occurred on 19 June after a section of a school building under construction collapsed, pulling down the scaffolding supporting it. King Philippe of Belgium visited the scene on 26 June, accompanied by Belgian prime minister Alexander De Croo. Global building union BWI joined Belgian unions in expressing sadness at the incident. BWI said it was concerned by reports that all the deceased and injured were migrant workers. Earlier reports suggested the dead workers were Portuguese, Romanian and Russian. The dead and injured were reportedly employed by subcontractors, with Belgian company Democo acting as the main contractor. BWI stressed “the importance of enhancing protection for the said workers,” describing migrant workers “as one of the most vulnerable groups in the industry’s labour force.” The global union reiterated its support for its Belgian affiliates ACV BiE and CG FGTB. In a message to the unions on 22 June, it said it “supported their call to ensure the prioritisation of healthy and safe workplaces.”  
BWI news release. The Guardian. Brussels Times.
 

Europe: New work safety framework ‘falls short’

The European Commission is planning legislation to ensure safety protection is extended to more workers and the recognition of Covid-19 as an occupational disease (Risks 1002). The plans to update the European Union rules on worker safety are intended reflect the shift millions employees made to working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic and to reflect the anticipated digital and green recovery. “For many, the concept of a traditional workplace is disappearing fast. While that brings opportunities, it also brings challenges and risks – health, psychological and social,” Commission vice president Valdis Dombrovskis said at the framework’s launch. The Commission said it will review EU rules on workplace safety, from emergency exits to ventilation and use of workstations and screens, and will update limits on exposure to asbestos and for lead and cobalt used in renewable energy technology and battery production. In guidelines to protect almost 170 million EU workers over the 2021-2027 period, it will also seek to produce recommendations on mental health at work before the end of 2022. The Commission has also called on member states to “address the downward trend in the number of labour inspections in some Member States by strengthening field inspections,” (Risks 995) but stopped short of requiring it. This was criticised by the Europe-wide union federation ETUC. ETUC deputy general secretary Esther Lynch commented: “It is a scandal that workplace safety inspections were at their lowest in a decade when Covid hit, which is likely to have cost lives and helped the spread of the disease. The Commission have sent a strong message to member states today that this dangerous situation can no longer be tolerated.” The union body welcomed the Commission’s call on member states “to classify Covid-19 as an occupational disease, more than a year after trade unions called for workers to be given extra protection against the virus,” but said the framework falls short in several  other areas, including limited action to regulate workplace carcinogens, and no planned laws on mental health and musculoskeletal disorders. Also absent is a requirement for a maximum working temperature. ETUC said “most worrying” was “an intention to change the protection afforded to self-employed.”
European Commission news release and comments by EC Commissioner Schmit and Executive Vice-President Dombrovskis. EU Strategic Framework on Health and Safety at Work 2021-2027. ETUC news release. Reuters.
 

PUBLICATION

 

TUC Hazards at Work 6th Edition

Stock Code: HS111
Price £22 RRP £52
Also now available as an eBook
This is the Sixth edition of the TUC's best-selling guide to health and safety at work.
Used by reps, officers, employers, professionals in the field and even enforcement officers. This incredibly popular book is now even more informative at over 400 pages, an invaluable resource, which incorporates common hazards and cause of ill health at work, and how to assess and prevent them.
The book also contains HSE and other guidance, extensive checklists, case studies and web resources.
Order your copy
There are discounts on bulk orders, over 5 copies, please contact us for details.
Those on TUC approved courses can receive discount, please call for details 0207 467 1294. Or email at; publications@tuc.org.uk
 

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