Risks 1093 - Covid - Menopause action - Boost for mental health

Union News

Government must come clean on Covid

The government must not withhold evidence from the Covid Public Inquiry, the TUC has said. The call came after the chair of the inquiry, Baroness Hallett, criticised the Cabinet Office for refusing to hand over unredacted WhatsApp messages from Boris Johnson and his advisers. TUC assistant general secretary Kate Bell said: “The Covid pandemic impacted every single person in the UK, including millions of workers who put their lives on the line.” She added: “The lessons we need to learn from this pandemic are too important for the government to play politics with. It must cooperate fully.”  The TUC has core participant status in the inquiry. It will be giving evidence on the UK’s pandemic preparedness when the inquiry’s first module begins on 13 June.
TUC news release. UK Covid-19 inquiry and module 1 on resilience and preparedness. Morning Star. BBC News Online.
 

Calls for menopause and menstruation action

A new standard on menopause and menstruation support at work has been welcomed by retail union Usdaw and safety professionals’ body IOSH. The ‘Menstruation, menstrual health and menopause in the workplace standard’ has been introduced by the British Standards Institute (BSI) to help organisations retain experienced and talented staff. IOSH said businesses should now abide by the requirements of the standard, designed to support employees experiencing menopause or menstruation. Usdaw general secretary Paddy Lillis said: “Despite a growing recognition among employers and policy makers that women’s health is a workplace health and safety issue, too few women are receiving the right support at work. So this British Standards Institute guidance is to be welcomed as a step in the right direction.”
BS 30416, Menstruation, menstrual health and menopause in the workplace – full standard download page. Usdaw news release. IOSH news release. BBC News Online.
 

Boost for mental health programme in film and TV 

Following the success of the WellBeing Facilitator programme for film and TV productions in Wales, launched last year by creative industries union Bectu’s joint learning project Cult Cymru, Creative Wales and wellbeing specialists 6ft from the spotlight, the programme is set to benefit from an additional £150,000 in funding from the Welsh government. Head of Bectu Philippa Childs said: “Bectu has consistently campaigned for workers’ mental health and wellbeing to be a key priority for employers and engagers, and I am delighted that the union is working in partnership with other creative unions, Creative Wales and industry stakeholders on such an important and successful initiative.”
Bectu news release.
 

Army missed chances to prevent cadet’s suicide

The army missed opportunities to prevent the death of a “positive and bubbly” officer cadet who killed herself at Sandhurst military academy, a coroner has found. Olivia Perks, 21, fell victim to a “complete breakdown in welfare support” during her time at the academy, the 16-day inquest at Reading town hall heard. She was found in her room at Sandhurst on 6 February 2019. The coroner Alison McCormick recorded a conclusion of suicide, adding: “There was a missed opportunity by the chain of command to recognise the risk which the stress of her situation posed to Olivia and a medical assessment should have been, but was not, requested.”
The Guardian. BBC News Online.
ACTION! Send an e-postcard to tell HSE to investigate and record work-related suicides and suicide risks. www.hazards.org/hsesuicide
 

Scotland calls pupil violent behaviour summit

Scottish teaching union EIS has welcomed the announcement that the Scottish government is to convene a summit on violent behaviour by pupils in schools in the coming weeks, but has said it is just a ‘first step’. EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley said violent incidents have been increasing, noting: “Schools must be safe places to learn and to teach, safe spaces for students and staff alike, not least because health and safety legislation requires it.” She added: “This summit must produce tangible results to ensure the safety of all in our schools and improve the learning and teaching environment for students and staff alike. The EIS is now awaiting further detail from the Scottish government on how this event will proceed.”
EIS news releases. Scottish government news release.
 

Checks reveal deadly chemical risk on ships

Checks of specialist production and storage vessels in UK waters have revealed alarmingly high concentrations of a gas which could kill crew members instantly and which can pose a threat to vessel safety by corroding steelwork. In response to the findings, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is warning operators of floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) and floating storage and offloading (FSO) vessels and floating storage units (FSU) to take a series of preventive measures. HSE warns the levels found – up to 16,000ppm – are above the upper measuring limits of the standard portable gas monitoring equipment generally used onboard tankers and FPSOs, so may go undetected, leaving crew members monitoring tank atmospheres unaware of the high concentrations.
Nautilus news release. HSE safety notice.
 

Scots rail safety fears over crash fails

Scotland’s railways have been hit by new safety concerns after it emerged Network Rail faces swingeing cuts while 18 out of 20 official recommendations for action in the wake of the Stonehaven rail disaster have still not been completed. Latest figures reveal the Scottish government's rail budget for the upkeep of the rail infrastructure has been reduced by £150m over the past four years. RMT regional officer Mick Hogg said the “lack of progress” over the Stonehaven recommendations and the budget reductions were “a disgrace.” He added: “If we are serious about learning the lessons of Stonehaven, we need to be serious about investing in Scotland's railway and having more staff personnel, not the reverse.”
The Herald.
 

Testicular cancer linked to certain jobs

Agricultural, sales and electrical and electronics workers are at almost twice the risk of a testicular cancer, a study has found. The TESTIS study examined 454 Testicular germ cell tumour risk (TGCT) cases and 670 controls. “Our findings suggest that agricultural, electrical and electronics workers, and salesmen workers experience an increased risk of TGCT,” the paper concluded, with rates more than 70 per cent higher than expected in these groups. “Further research is needed to identify the agents or chemicals in these high risk occupations which are relevant in the TGCT development.”
Margot Guth and others and the TESTIS study group. Testicular germ cell tumour risk by occupation and industry: a French case-control study – TESTIS, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 25 May 2023:oemed-2022-108601. doi: 10.1136/oemed-2022-108601. Epub ahead of print.
 

Serco fined £2.25m after death of custody officer

Security firm, Serco, has been fined £2.25 million plus £433,596.07 in costs for criminal health and safety failings following the death of custody officer Lorraine Barwell. The-54-year-old was kicked twice, once in the body and once in the head, at Blackfriars Crown Court in 2015 during the restraint of a prisoner in custody. She died from brain injuries caused by the second blow. The incident led to an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) that found that Serco Limited had failed to properly analyse risk intelligence on prisoners and communicate risks and safety precautions to staff. Serco did not have sufficient procedures or training in place or readily accessible protective equipment.
HSE news release. BBC News Online.
 

Hygiene consultancy fined after admitting failures

Hampshire-based Envirochem Analytical Laboratories Limited has been fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £6,583 in costs after admitting criminal failures that put workers at risk of exposure to hazardous substances. An exposure monitoring report provided to a firm by the hygiene consultancy firm was “deficient”, said the Health and Safety Executive. Its investigation found the report did not provide the information necessary regarding the extent of exposure to hazardous substances, including isocyanates from paint spraying, a potent respiratory sensitiser. The report used inappropriate occupational hygiene monitoring and analysis methods and consequently under-reported the actual exposures at the customer’s premises.
HSE news release.
 

National Hazards Conference, 1-3 September 2023

It’s time to book your place for the national Hazards Conference for trade union safety reps and activists. This year the event, which has a mix of plenary sessions, meetings and a comprehensive workshop programme, runs from 1-3 September at Keele University, Stoke on Trent, or can be attended remotely online. The organisers are also seeking sponsorship for the event.
National Hazards Conference, Keele University or online, 1-3 September 2023. Register for the conference using this form or on Eventbrite. Sponsorship form.
 

Global: Death-trap trawler crew must be allowed home

Fishers on a 50-year-old ‘death trap’ trawler should not be made to go back to sea, even to sail to a repair yard, the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) is demanding. The fishing vessel Santa Isabel, flying under the Belize flag, has been detained by maritime authorities in the port of Vigo in northern Spain since 10 May 2023, after the ITF drew attention to its ‘appalling’ state, as well as the ‘intolerable’ conditions for crew observed by an ITF inspector. “The vessel is fundamentally unsafe,” said Luz Baz, the ITF coordinator who boarded the ship to verify conditions. The crew is from Senegal, Peru, Indonesia, and Spain. Most of the non-EU fishers just want to collect owed  wages and have the owners meet their responsibility to arrange for them to return home. “These fishers should not be expected to spend another minute risking their lives in these atrocious conditions,” said Baz.
ITF news release.
 

Global: Technological change in shipping must be worker-led

Technological change in commercial shipping, including autonomous ships, can be safer and greener but only if worker-led, research has concluded. Commenting on the study, published jointly by the Korean Maritime Institute (KMI), the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) and the Korea Institute of Maritime and Fisheries Technology (KIMFT), ITF’s David Heindel said: “Developments in artificial intelligence are making the possibility of fully autonomous ships more real.” He added: it was important to make the industry greener and cleaner, but added “the industry must also deal with the urgent safety and health issues that seafarers face on a day-to-day basis, from basic access to clean drinking water through to having the right skills to be able to work with new and old tech. All of these challenges require workers’ input to resolve them.”
ITF news release.
 

Gulf States: Migrant workers at serious risk from heat

Migrant workers toiling in the Gulf are at serious risk from dangerous heat exposures through the working day, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has warned. “Despite substantial scientific evidence on the devastating health impact of exposure to extreme heat, Gulf states’ protection failures are causing millions of migrant workers to face grave risks, including death,” said Michael Page, HRW’s deputy Middle East director. He called Gulf states to “prioritise creating a comprehensive strategy to address occupational heat stress.”  Between 2021 and 2023, HRW interviewed 90 migrant workers from Bangladesh, India, Kenya, and Nepal about heat and health and safety issues in three Gulf countries, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
HRW news release.
 

Spain: Big win for hotel housekeepers on workload

More than 20,000 hotel housekeepers in the Balearic Islands, Spain, will benefit from a new methodology to regulate their workloads, taking into account the class of hotel, the specifications of each room and mandated requirements for cleanliness. The collective agreement addresses workload, breaks, overexertion around the moving of beds and trolleys, personal protective equipment (PPE), outsourcing, and the high turnover among the largely female workforce. Silvia Montejano, a CC.OO union representative, referencing the union’s intention to build on this groundbreaking agreement for hotel housekeepers, said: “We are going to do the same in all sectors. We will be in the workplaces measuring workloads.”
IUF news release.