Hazards 166, Summer 2024
FEATURES
Get better soon On 3 July 2024, the last day of the Conservative government, new official figures revealed workplace deaths have increased again. Work-related ill-health has plateaued at an all-time high. Here, Janet Newsham of the national Hazards Campaign spells out what Labour must do now to make work safer and healthier. more
Labour wins The Conservative government saw safety rules as a burden and trade unions as a threat. TUC head of safety Shelly Asquith says the union body is looking forward to new rights and more respect under Labour after its landslide election win, but says the best protection you have will always be your union. more
Safety committed There is a piece of jargon that corporate safety professionals use that always makes trade union safety expert Dave Smith wince – ‘employee voice’. He says to secure real improvements, unions need active safety reps and safety committees that make sure it is the collective union safety message that is heard. more
Deadly oversight Safety activist Mick Holder was instrumental in the campaign that won a corporate homicide act. But here he examines the built-in fatal flaws in the law that meant justice was never really delivered. more
Caught it? If Covid taught us anything, it was that zoonoses – diseases in animals that cross over to humans – can have catastrophic consequences. So why has the discovery of bird flu in dairy workers not led to the necessary urgent action, asks Hazards editor Rory O’Neill – warning this could be a mistake of pandemic proportions. more
Biohazards rule When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, there was not a single global rule in place to protect the workers whose health and jobs were early casualties. But, reports Hazards editor Rory O’Neill, that’s set to change, as negotiations to introduce a groundbreaking international regulation on biological hazards have now reached the half-way point. more
CENTREPAGES
Crisis point The climate crisis is an occupational safety and health crisis, a new report from the International Labour Organisation has warned. Hazards editor Rory O’Neill looks at the UN agency’s shocking new evidence. more
POSTER
Unions make rights real Work safety is your right, but it isn't a given. A Hazards pin-up-at-work poster. more
ELSEWHERE IN HAZARDS
News in brief 10-13. Work and health 14-15.
Mental health 16-17. Deadly business 22-25. Violence 26-27. Hazardous substances 28-31. International news 32-33.
