Risks 933 - 8 February 2020

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

UNION NEWS

• Diesel ‘fog’ footage spurs concern at rail depot cancers
• Poorly protected airport staff face coronavirus risk
• Staff safety at coronavirus hospital must be protected
• Grenfell suppliers request for immunity is ‘outrageous’
• Grenfell investigation must go right to the top
• Hospital staff to get sick pay boost as jobs go in-house
• ‘Lashings of despair’ over seafarer safety on docks
• NASUWT opens violence and abuse hotline for teachers
• Amazon made £10bn profit, its workers paid the price
• Exhausted London bus drivers facing race to the bottom
• Unite warns site skills card scheme is ‘not fit for purpose’

OTHER NEWS

• Millions take sick leave because of ‘too painful’ work
• Caring jobs linked to burnout and ‘compassion fatigue’
• Boss jailed for four years after employee’s death

EVENTS

• HeartUnions week to press for end to workplace harassment

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

• Global: Unions insert labour rights in development bank deals
• Korea: ‘Irresponsible’ Merck management led to worker suicide
• Pakistan: More deaths as mine safety crisis continues
   

UNION NEWS

Diesel ‘fog’ footage spurs concern at rail depot cancers

Toxic diesel fumes emitted by trains at a Leeds rail depot could be linked to a number of staff members developing cancer in recent years, Unite has warned. The union said three staff members at the Neville Hill rail depot have developed cancers of the throat, with a fourth being diagnosed with throat and lung cancer. A further four staff members also developed cancers of the lung, mouth, bowel and kidney respectively. Two of the eight staff members affected have died from the disease. All of the cancers have been diagnosed within a six-year period, with four staff members being diagnosed within the last two years. Nearly of all of the staff have worked at the depot for more than a decade and four of the staff are making legal claims. Unite said the troubling instances of cancer at the site were revealed as a ‘shocking’ video filmed in late December emerged of a train spewing a ‘toxic fog’ of diesel emissions into the depot – an occurrence workers at Neville Hill report happens regularly. The World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified diesel engine exhaust emissions as a class one carcinogenic agent in 2012, putting the fumes in the same cancer-causing category as asbestos and tobacco. IARC said diesel emissions can cause lung cancer and said there was also a positive association with bladder cancer. Unite said it is raising its concerns with Network Rail, which owns the depot and East Midlands Rail, which runs and employs staff at the depot, and is calling on them to take ‘decisive action’ to stop workers being exposed to diesel emissions. Unite regional officer Kevin Hepworth said: “The video captures just how this cancer-causing toxic fog fills the depot that staff are expected to work in. Unite believes that the carcinogenic diesel emissions that our members at Neville Hill have been surrounded by day-in day-out, often for years at a time, could be linked to cancer rates at the depot.” Unite national officer for health and safety Rob Miguel said: “Sadly the problem with diesel emissions at Neville Hill is just the tip of the iceberg. Exposure to diesel emissions is common across all sectors in which staff work in enclosed environments where engines are running. Inadequate controls such as archaic outdated ventilation systems, mean the health of countless workers is being put at serious risk.”
Unite news release and video of the diesel exhaust emissions. Unite diesel emissions register. IARC Monographs – volume 105, Diesel and gasoline engine exhausts and some nitroarenes, 2012. Yorkshire Evening Post. BBC News Online and video report. Diesel exhaust in the workplace: A TUC guide for trade union activists, October 2018.ITUC/Hazards work cancer hazards map, 2019. ITUC/Hazards work cancer hazards blog.
 

Poorly protected airport staff face coronavirus risk

The union GMB has called for better protection for airport staff after it emerged members had not been given some basic protections in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. Workers at Manchester Airport reported they had been provided with face masks, but no gloves or hand sanitiser. The union said staff at East Midlands, Liverpool and Stanstead airports have also raised concerns over lack of protective equipment. GMB national officer Nadine Houghton, speaking after the first UK cases were confirmed by the authorities, said: “No one should have to go to work worrying about whether they’ll be exposed to a killer infection. The coronavirus is spreading across the world and everyone needs to do what they can to stop it.” She added: “Surely protecting airport staff is the most important requirement to keep us all safe?” The global transport unions’ federation ITF said it is closely following all advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO), which has declared the outbreak a global health emergency. ITF added: “We call on all governments and transport companies to implement all measures available to them to limit the risk of transmission of the deadly coronavirus to transport workers globally. This is particularly important for airline, border, cruise workers, seafarers and port workers who are in the frontline of the outbreak.” The global union said “governments worldwide should immediately act and implement strict biosecurity protocols in airports and ports, including procedures to identify potentially infected passengers, crew and seafarers from areas of concern, to contain the outbreak and minimise any chance of exposure and safeguard workers from the deadly outbreak.” ITF concluded: “Airlines, airports, cruise line operators, shipping companies and port operators must provide workers with the latest information regarding the outbreak, follow best practice in regard to health and safety protocols and supply of personal protective equipment, put into effect procedures to identity symptomatic travellers, crew and/or workers, and set clear guidelines for workers managing suspected cases of infection.”
GMB news release. Morning Star. ITF coronavirus advice and update. World Health Organisation (WHO) coronavirus advice. WHO statement.
 

Staff safety at coronavirus hospital must be protected

The welfare of health staff at Arrowe Park hospital, where those travelling from China are being quarantined because the coronavirus, needs to be a top priority, Unite has said. The union, which has more than 1,000 members at the Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust which includes the hospital, was commenting after a management briefing last week. Unite regional officer Derek Jones said: “Should any of those at Arrowe Park develop symptoms associated with the virus they will be transferred to the world-renowned Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine which is highly specialised to care for such cases.” He added: “The staff, who were asked to leave the residential blocks at short notice to accommodate those flying in from China, are being put up in hotels and apartments at NHS England’s expense. Unite is satisfied that this emergency is being dealt with in a professional manner, but we will be monitoring how the situation develops in the coming days as the welfare of NHS staff remains a key concern.” 
Unite news release.
 

Grenfell suppliers request for immunity is ‘outrageous’

Unite has described as ‘absolutely outrageous’ the revelation that companies involved in supplying and installing the cladding blamed for the rapid and deadly spread of the Grenfell Tower fire are seeking immunity from prosecution before they give evidence. Representatives from organisations including cladding company Harley Facades, building contractor Rydon and the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation made the application for the guarantee from Attorney General Geoffrey Cox that they will be protected. The request was read out by inquiry chair Sir Martin Moore-Bick at the hearing in London. Unite is supporting 65 core participants at the inquiry into the Grenfell fire. The union’s assistant general secretary for legal affairs Howard Beckett described the request for immunity as “absolutely outrageous.” He added: “The corporate manslaughter legislation in the UK is already weak enough, without giving companies, who could have been culpable in the deaths of 72 innocent people, immunity from prosecution. If the attorney general upholds this request it will be a mockery of justice. If the companies involved in installing the cladding knew it was flammable and unsafe and then allowed it to be installed anyway they should of course be prosecuted.” The Unite officer warned: “If immunity is granted then the victims of this terrible and entirely preventable tragedy will lose all confidence in the justice system.”
Unite news release. BBC News Online. The Guardian.
 

Grenfell investigation must go right to the top

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry must look at the decades of deregulation that allowed fire safety at Grenfell to be undermined, the firefighters’ union FBU has demanded. It its opening submission to phase 2 of the inquiry, the union outlined three factors that rendered the UK’s regulatory regime as “unfit for purpose”, “facilitating the hazardous refurbishment” of Grenfell Tower, and impeding the London Fire Brigade’s ability to respond effectively to the fire. It said a major contributory factor was the fragmentation of the UK’s fire and rescue service after the abolition of national standards of fire cover and of the Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council, the former fire oversight body. Cuts to the London Fire Brigade from 2008 to 2017 were also implicated, including the loss of ten fire stations and more than 1,300 firefighters and control staff. And the deregulation of building control and fire safety and the privatisation of the Building Research Establishment had severely affected oversight of fire safety, the union said. Matt Wrack, FBU general secretary, said: “The fire at Grenfell Tower never should have happened the way it did. Firefighters were sent to what should have been a fire in a single flat but were plunged into an impossible situation. Every building safety measure failed that night – and the Inquiry needs to find out who is responsible.” He criticised those response for the refurbishment work and for manufacturing the cladding for being “driven solely by profit, at the expense of residents’ safety. Now they’re trying to duck the consequences, asking the chair to help them evade prosecution.” The union leader added: “A drive towards deregulation and privatisation across housing, construction, and public services from consecutive governments is what allowed this to happen. The inquiry must follow the line of investigation right to the top – to the ministers and executives who chose to put profit before people.”
FBU news release. The Guardian. Morning Star.
 

Hospital staff to get sick pay boost as jobs go in-house

A thousand low-paid porters, cleaners and catering staff at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust in London have won the right to be directly managed by the NHS, health service union UNISON has said. From 1 April the staff – who work in the trust’s five hospitals across the capital – will no longer be employed by private contractor Sodexo. The company has held the contract since 2015. As part of the transfer back to the NHS, staff from Sodexo will see their sickness allowances brought in line with other health service workers, ending years of unfair treatment, UNISON said. The workers will also benefit from improved pay, overtime rates and pensions. The changes will mean the workers get sick pay from the first day they are ill, ending a system that meant workers couldn’t afford to go sick. UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “This is a victory for fairness and common sense. Thousands of workers and their families will be able to sleep a little easier, knowing they’ll be paid more fairly and treated more humanely when they are back in the NHS.” UNISON Greater London regional organiser Debbie Eakins said: “Bringing the staff in-house is a major step towards ending inequality and unfairness. That such a major trust has accepted our arguments and put staff and patient welfare first is a major breakthrough.”
UNISON news release.
 

‘Lashings of despair’ over seafarer safety on docks

An international agreement that cargo handling should be carried out by trained dock workers rather than seafarers is being flouted in UK ports, the seafarers’ union Nautilus has warned. The union says reports from the port of Liverpool indicate that seafarers are being forced to undertake lashing work on some ships in unsafe conditions despite the introduction of agreement known as the 'Dockers Clause' on 1 January 2020. The clause, produced by the global transport unions’ federation ITF, requires trained dock workers to carry out all cargo handling services in a port, at a terminal or onboard a vessel where dock workers who are members of an ITF-affiliated union are providing the cargo handling services. Seafarers on several container vessels calling into the Peel Ports-operated Liverpool port have raised concerns after being told to undertake this work, Nautilus/ITF inspector Tommy Molloy said. “We don't expect cabin crew to start lugging bags off the plane and start baggage handling at the end of a long-haul flight,” he said. “We don't expect wagon drivers delivering component parts to a car plant to start assembling vehicles on the line before driving back to whence they came. So why is it expected of seafarers?” He added: “Seafarers require adequate rest and enough time for scarce shore leave. They don't want more money for doing someone else's job. They have enough to do in their own jobs. But they are aware of the consequences of refusing.” Peel Ports signed a memorandum of understanding with the ITF in 2014, stating that all new business into the port must use Peel stevedores for lashing work. However, the stipulation did not apply to existing customers, some of which require their seafarers to undertake the work. Nautilus says British liner shipping company Borchard is among several companies that fall into that category.
Nautilus news release.
 

NASUWT opens violence and abuse hotline for teachers

Teaching union NASUWT is opening a hotline for teachers across Wales to report by text or voicemail any concerns they have about pupil indiscipline. Neil Butler, NASUWT national official for Wales, said: “Teachers cannot teach and pupils cannot learn where there is violence and disruption. All teachers are entitled to dignity at work and a safe working environment.” Calling on the Welsh government to support teaching staff, he added: “We need strong and unequivocal action by government to reinforce the rights of teachers to a safe working environment, and to take action to ensure that these rights are being delivered.” NASUWT leader Chris Keates said: “Our research shows that 88 per cent of teachers in Wales believe there is a widespread problem of poor pupil behaviour across schools,” adding: “In too many schools, teachers tell us that verbal and physical abuse is going unchallenged and that referrals of this and other unacceptable behaviour are not addressed in a robust and timely manner. Teachers also report a growing culture in schools of ‘blame the teacher’ rather than holding pupils accountable for their behaviour.”
NASUWT news release.
 

Amazon made £10bn profit, its workers paid the price

Online retailer Amazon made a ‘mammoth’ profit of over £10 billion last year off the back of its workers’ health, safety, pay and working conditions, the union GMB has charged. Figures released by the company show that the firm, which runs a string of giant ‘fulfilment centres’ across Britain, made £10.7 billion in global profits over the whole of 2019, with final the quarter profits hitting £3.1bn. GMB national officer Mick Rix said: “Amazon’s profits come at a heavy cost. Conditions at the company’s warehouses are appalling. Workers are breaking bones, being knocked unconscious, being taken away in ambulances.” He added: “It’s time for Amazon to take its social responsibilities seriously, reinvest its profits in creating a safe environment, and listen to the independent voice of its workers who are crying out for change.” GMB has also accused the company of using tax loopholes to avoid paying an estimated £89 million in corporation tax. The company refuses to recognise trade unions, but GMB has recruited workers at the firm who have given graphic reports on shocking working conditions, low wages and job insecurity.
GMB news release. Amazon news release. Morning Star. CNBC News. BBC News Online.
 

Exhausted London bus drivers facing race to the bottom

Unite has warned London bus operators not to engage in a ‘race to the bottom’ by degrading drivers’ working conditions. The warning coincided with the union gearing up to hold a consultative ballot of all London bus driver members over long hours, fatigue and exhaustion. Unite says if members vote in favour of industrial action then a full postal ballot will follow and could lead to mass strike action across London. The union statement follows the revelation that the East London Bus Company, which is owned by Stagecoach, is currently in the process of trying to force its drivers onto a rota where they will work five weekends in a row before having one weekend off. The same company is also forcing workers to put in 65 hours on shifts in a five-day period. The drivers undertake 43 hours of driving during this period, but can be left standing by the kerbside for four hours at a time during gaps in their shifts. With rival bus companies bidding for routes under compulsory competitive tendering rules, Unite is concerned that other operators will follow the East London Bus Company’s lead to try to prevent it gaining a commercial advantage. Unite is also demanding that bus operators stop blaming drivers for the chronic level of fatigue they suffer. Instead the union is seeking to ensure that ‘radical action’ is taken to improve scheduling, ensuring drivers finish on time, take all of their rest breaks, have sufficient running time, receive proper training and are treated with respect. Unite regional officer John Murphy said: “Given the fact that academic research has found that bus drivers are exhausted and are at risk of becoming a danger to other road users, passengers and themselves [Risks 913],  it is astonishing that the East London Bus Company is seeking to force drivers to undertake even more exhausting work patterns.” He added: “Bus operators need to understand that not only will Unite not allow a further attack on drivers’ conditions, but that workers are fully prepared to take industrial action to end work-related fatigue.”
Unite news release and Sick and Tired campaign.
 

Unite warns site skills card scheme is ‘not fit for purpose’

Construction union Unite has warned that the Construction Plant Competence Scheme (CPCS) card system in its current guise is ‘not fit for purpose’ and has demanded that there is cross-industry action to resolve the problems and ensure that workers are not denied employment. Over 200,000 workers who operate large plant on construction sites rely on the cards to access employment. The cards ensure that contractors can verify the worker has the appropriate skills and qualifications to undertake work in a competent, safety and efficient manner. The NOCN Group, which runs the card scheme, issued a public apology this week over the massive backlog in CPCS card applications. Unite said there is growing anger among affected workers over a backlog in both new card and renewal applications. The problems emerged after NOCN purchased the CPCS card scheme from the Construction Industry Trading Board (CITB) last year. Unite said it is understood that the problems are linked to a lack of investment in the scheme over the previous five years. Unite national officer for construction Jerry Swain said: “As it currently stands the CPCS card scheme is not fit for purpose.” He added: “If the problems are not swiftly resolved then the entire scheme will be undermined, which will result in major safety implications for the industry,” noting: “Unite believes that an urgent meeting of the key stakeholders needs to come together to thrash out the problems and identify solutions. Such a meeting must include the NOCN Group, the CITB, the CPCS management committee, trade unions and the relevant trade federations.”
Unite news release. Construction Enquirer and related story. NOCN Group statement and CPCS description.
 

OTHER NEWS

Millions take sick leave because of ‘too painful’ work

Some 8.6 million people took sick leave last year because they found their jobs “too painful”, a survey has indicated, with even more feeling unable to take sick leave when too ill to work. Insight, a Fortune 500-ranked consulting firm, said its findings revealed a poor workplace culture drove both absenteeism and unhealthy behaviour in the UK workplace in the past year. Its survey indicated 8.6 million British workers took sick days because going to felt too painful – for instance due to feeling overworked or because systems, processes and technology made it too hard to get work done. Over 12 million British workers admitted going into work while sick – for reasons including not wanting to be judged by their employers (4.3 million) and co-workers (3.1 million).  The survey suggested 6.4 million British workers could be open to working from home when not feeling well, but cannot do so – for instance because working from home isn’t allowed or their company doesn’t have the technology in place to support it; or because people won’t trust the amount of work they’d do. “If employees are too scared to take a sick day, or are using sick days to avoid a workplace that they clearly find uncomfortable, this points to serious issues within an organisation’s culture,” said Emma de Sousa, UK managing director at Insight. “Employees should be empowered to work in a way that suits them and organisations need to offer a supportive culture, underpinned with the processes and technology to make it work in practice. Businesses that can’t or won’t provide this will struggle to attract and retain the brightest and best talent – and will find their employees’ morale and productivity steadily falling.” According to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, the typical employee’s number of sick days dropped to 5.9 in 2019 - the lowest in the 19-year history of its annual survey of human resources (HR) professionals.
Insight news release. BBC News Online. Personnel Today.
 

Caring jobs linked to burnout and ‘compassion fatigue’

Social workers providing care and support to people in distress are at risk of developing compassion fatigue, which is a risk factor for a deterioration in their own mental health, according to a new study published in Occupational Medicine journal. Researchers surveyed 306 social workers, measuring three aspects of compassion on mental health -  emotional demands, compassion satisfaction and fatigue and self-compassion. The study found that compassion fatigue was a risk factor for the mental health of social workers. It was also associated with higher rates of sickness absence, high staff turnover, low morale and impaired professional judgment. The authors indicated it is likely that compassion fatigue does not occur solely due to a social workers providing empathetic care, it’s likely that organisational factors such as inadequate resources, a lack of training and feedback is also contributing. Study author Dr Gail Kinman said: “Compassion fatigue can have a negative effect on job performance as it is strongly linked to poor mental health, difficulties forming relationships with service users, errors and mistakes, poor quality decision making, absence from work and poor staff retention. There should be an emphasis on organisational change to ensure optimum staffing levels and more emphasis on self-care in initial and continuing education for health and social care practitioners.” She added: “It is important to help social workers to develop self-compassion and a 'tool box' of effective self-care strategies in order to avoid compassion fatigue.  The need to care for the self as well as others should be emphasised from the early stages of training, and evidence-based interventions in university curriculums will assist in achieving this.” A second study found almost a third of UK doctors may be suffering from burnout, stress and compassion fatigue. A&E doctors and GPs are the most likely to feel burnt out and have the highest levels of exhaustion and stress, found the survey, published in the BMJ Open journal.
G Kinman, L Grant. Emotional demands, compassion and mental health in social workers, Occupational Medicine, volume 69, issue 1, January 2020.Special issue: Mental health and work, Occupational Medicine, volume 69, issue 1, kqz144, 31 January 2020. Nicola McKinley and others. Resilience, burnout and coping mechanisms in UK doctors: a cross-sectional study, BMJ Open, volume 10, issue 1, e031765, 2020.
 

Boss jailed for four years after employee’s death

A company boss has been jailed after an employee was crushed to death by nearly half a tonne of glass panels. Han Rao was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment for manslaughter following trial at the Old Bailey. He was further sentenced to 15 months imprisonment for criminal breaches of health and safety laws, to run concurrently. On 16 November 2015, Rao tasked two employees at TLW (UK) logistics company to break up several damaged glazing panels. Marian Iancu, 39, and his colleague were tipping the panels into a skip before smashing them up by hand. As he manoeuvred a 400-kilo panel into position with a forklift truck it toppled forward, crushing him against the truck. He suffered injuries to his chest, fracturing his sternum and rupturing his heart and was pronounced dead at the scene. The subsequent investigation found Rao had no health and safety policies in place and had not provided his employees the correct training or supervision. On the day of the incident, another employee warned Rao Mr Iancu’s life was being endangered by the work, however Rao did not tell the workers to stop, instead urging them to be careful and wear gloves. Detective Constable Andy Jose, who led the investigation, said: “Rao was woefully unqualified as a manager. Not only did he have no knowledge or experience of his duties, he had not taken any steps to find out what he was required to do in terms of health and safety. He had also been made aware that this was a dangerous task but had not done anything to mitigate the risks. In fact, he ignored all of the warning signs put to him, signs which could have prevented Marian’s needless death had he acted upon them.”
Metropolitan Police news release. Walthamstow Guardian. Barking and Dagenham Post.
 

EVENTS

HeartUnions week to press for end to workplace harassment

In 2020, the theme for the TUC’s national HeartUnions campaign will be standing against sexual harassment at work. The TUC is calling for unions to raise the profile of the harm caused by sexual harassment, and to use HeartUnions week, which runs from 10-16 February, to encourage non-members to get involved. A TUC-led alliance against sexual harassment is campaigning for a new law that means employers need to take steps to prevent sexual harassment at work. The TUC said: “We’re demanding employers take all reasonable steps to protect workers from sexual harassment and victimisation. We’ve got a radical yet practical plan to make this happen across every sector and workplace - but we need you with us.” The TUC says people can kick off #Heartunions week by joining its urgent call on Monday 10 February at 7pm with TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady and others to discuss the plan and how to take action together. The TUC adds: “Let’s make 2020 count in the effort to end sexual harassment in the workplace.”
TUC HeartUnions news release and briefing. TUC #ThisIsNotWorking campaign. ACTION: Sign up for the 7:00pm 10 February TUC call. RESOURCES: The TUC has produced free HeartUnions resources for download. Pens, mugs, t-shirts and badges can be purchased from TUC’s online shop.
 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Global: Unions insert labour rights in development bank deals

Trade union action has delivered binding labour safeguards in multilateral development bank projects, the global trade union confederation ITUC has said. Its new manual now shows how unions can use these safeguards to fight for labour rights, including stringent occupational health and safety stipulations. The World Bank and regional multilateral development banks provide billions in loans every year to fund projects and private companies in developing countries. ITUC notes that thanks to years of dedicated trade union mobilisation, most loans from multilateral development banks now have safeguards requiring safe, decent working conditions and respect for International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) core labour standards. “Attacks on human and trade union rights are mounting around the world, and workers face an uphill battle in organising for decent work. The labour safeguards of the multilateral development banks are leverage in these fights. Trade unions have demanded and won such protections. Now it is time to use the labour safeguards to build power and hold the development banks to account when workers’ rights are violated,” said Sharan Burrow, ITUC general secretary. The manual provides information on how the banks operate, the contents of the labour safeguards, tracking proposed and ongoing loan projects, engaging with the banks and how to raise complaints when workers’ rights are violated. A quick guide provides the essential information to take action, followed by thorough information on successful use of the safeguards.
ITUC news release and guide, Labour standards at the multilateral development banks.
 

Korea: ‘Irresponsible’ Merck management led to worker suicide

After Merck Biopharma Korea shut down its general medicine (GM) division late last year, an employee who complained of being pressured to apply for an early retirement programme (ERP) took his own life, a union has reported. The worker was found dead on a playground near his home on 21 January this year. The union said he applied for ERP on the take-it-or-leave it deadline and had been set to leave in May. “The employee seemed to have been unable to overcome the extreme stress caused by forceful retirement disguised as a voluntary move,” the trade union said in a statement. In an echo of the France Telecom suicide scandal that led to the jailing of top directors in December 2019 (Risks 929), the union said workers were put under pressure to leave or relocate after Merck in September 2019 ordered its Korean offshoot to close the GM division. The trade union said the company pushed employees to apply for ERP, with workers being told the offer would be withdrawn if they didn’t accept by late November. The union described the death as “a tragic situation caused by the management’s irresponsible decision.” It has demanded the company apologise to and compensate the bereaved family and ‘sternly punish’ those responsible for the incident.
Korea Biomedical Review. RESOURCES: Work and suicide: A TUC guide to prevention for trade union activists. More on work-related suicide.UK ACTION! Use the Hazards e-postcard to tell the HSE to recognise, record and take action to prevent work-related suicides. www.hazards.org/hsesuicide
 

Pakistan: More deaths as mine safety crisis continues

The start of 2020 has seen increasing dangerous incidents and deaths in Pakistan’s coal mines, exposing the near non-existence of safety measures and continued negligence from the employers and the government, IndustriALL has warned. The global mining, manufacturing and chemicals unions’ federation was speaking out after a coal miner was killed as a trolley filled with coal hit him in the Duki area of the Baluchistan province on 27 January. In the same area on 23 January, a worker was killed and five others were trapped in the mine after a landslide. On 3 January one miner died, and two were seriously injured at the Margat coalfield and on 12 January, two young miners were killed in separate mine collapses in Tirah and Darra Adamkhel. The IndustriALL dossier also records that on 15 January a coal miner was electrocuted at work and on 21 January two coal miners were killed as poisonous gas filled a mine following an explosion. And on 22 January, another coal miner lost his life due to electrocution. Glen Mpufane, IndustriALL mining director, commented: “According to published media reports, more than 430 coal mine workers have been killed since 2010, and this may even be an underestimation. IndustriALL is urging the government of Pakistan to ratify and implement ILO convention 176 on safety and health in mines without delay. It is high time Pakistan’s government takes concrete measures to stop the continuing deaths of coal miners.”
IndustriALL news release.

 

TUC COURSES FOR SAFETY REPS

Courses for 2020

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