Hazards, number 168/169 double issue, 2025
FEATURES
Flatlining Around 18,000 workers each year are killed or seriously injured at work; that number is not falling. But both prosecutions for safety crimes and inspections are in freefall. Hazards editor Rory O’Neill questions why the safety regulator is letting employers get away with murder. more
Watchdog's state The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has told Keir Starmer how it will strip away the ‘red tape’ that protects your health. But, warns Hazards editor Rory O’Neill, HSE doesn’t want you to know what it told the prime minister – because it says this could have a ‘chilling effect’ on the policy making process. more
Left in the dust Silicosis, a classic occupational disease caused by exposure to stone dust, is making a deadly comeback. Hazards editor Rory O’Neill warns that while other national authorities have introduced more protective exposure standards and clamped down on the most dangerous exposures, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is just talking prevention. more
Out of the shadows Standard organising techniques taught on trade union education courses encourage new safety reps to raise the profile of the union and advertise their name on a noticeboard. But top trade union tutor Dave Smith warns when union recognition is absent, anti-union management can victimise workers who raise genuine concerns about safety, so sometimes more covert approaches may be necessary. more
Toilet role Workers are using bags, bottles, buckets and bushes to relieve themselves because of lack of toilet facilities at work, the TUC has revealed. But unions aren’t taking this sitting down, with organising campaigns leaving workers flushed with success. more
Work in chains Over the last half century, businesses have placed increased reliance on the provision of goods and services from other organisations based in their home countries or overseas. But, warns work environment professors David Walters and Phil James, a process dominated by major cash-rich global companies is failing to deliver safe work, particularly in poorer nations. more
CENTREPAGES
Code red There used to be a boss, a manager, a supervisor, a line of command, and a union to keep conditions in check. But for many workers automation and digitalisation mean working conditions are dictated by a machine or an app. Hazards editor Rory O’Neill looks at the risks of management by computer code and what unions can do about it. more
POSTER
Code red AI and digitalisation – technology shouldn’t be the boss of you. more
ELSEWHERE IN HAZARDS
News in brief 24-29.
Work and health 30-31.
Suicide at work 42-43.
Mental health. 44-45.
Violence 48-49.
Hazardous substances 50-51.
Deadly business 52-55. International news 56-60
