Hazards 107, July-September 2009

6-7 All fired up When a small time private dick was fined £5,000 for running an illegal blacklist of over 3,000 construction workers, the real villains got off scot free. The construction industry’s major names had bankrolled the Consulting Association, which in turn told them to steer clear of union activists – particularly those like Dave Smith who had made a stand on safety. more

8-17 News in brief Give directors a ‘positive duty’. Changes would save lives. Do or die on HSE funding. Ms back director action. Now the government must act. Work’s a lot worse than you think. Campaigners blast ‘damp squib’ strategy. Nuclear problems linked to HSE staffing. Caution urges after fatalities fall. Judge goes easy on Wembley killer. Big profits and small fine. Builder jailed for teen’s work death. Businessmen behaving badly. Lords widen work disability definition. Paid sick leave benefits business. Council loses £1m sickness case. TUC’s cautious note on sick notes. Gangmasters lose licence to abuse. Dead rabbit gets better justice. New rights plan for agency workers. Directors in the dock.

Centrepages Green collared Talk of green jobs – recycling, clean energy, energy conservation – is all the rage. But a spate of fatalities and poisonings in the sector show more work needs to be done to make the jobs as good for workers as they are for the environment. more

20-21 A complete disaster The inquiry into Glasgow’s deadly ICL Stockline factory explosion was of seriously limited scope. Even so, it couldn’t fail to unearth desperate failings in the UK’s enforcement of workplace safety. more

22-23 Safety respect Is it possible to take a dysfunctional workplace, battered by assaults, sickness and poor morale, and in less than a year make it a haven of safety and worker contentment, with managers valuing the union role? Union rep Mark White explains how they achieved just that in his workplace. more

24-31 Unions and campaigns Victims expose insurance ‘disgrace’. Unions fight for asbestos victims. Asbestos lung cancer payouts. Rehabilitation at work. Union wins gun trauma payout. Firm pays twice for bad behaviour. Employers ignored workers’ concerns. What price on your life. Restructuring is a threat to health. The recession could kill you. Global link up wins rights deal. HSE gets shifty on shiftwork. UK lead poisoning shame revealed. Killers target union activists. TUC calls for cool workplaces. News on nanotechnology.

32-33 International news US enforcement opt-out a failure. Italian deaths reignite anger. Backdoor bid to undo Euro-laws. Stop exposures, stop cancer.

34-36 Resources Latest reviews and resources and a backpage pin-up-at-work ‘Safety pledge!’ poster