Hazards, issue 82, April-June 2003

Contents

4-5 Smoke screen Passive smoking at work kills three workers in Britain every day, according to a new report. Medical experts, unions, public health specialists and workers want this deadly hazard outlawed. The tobacco and hospitality industries do not. Guess who the government is listening to? [more]

6-11 News in brief Health service violence is up. Teachers face class attack. Scots 999 staff to get assault law. Exploding passengers should not fly. Europe gets more violent. Work stress linked to cancer death. Dutiful and stressed. Bad bosses make their workers sick. Bosses have a drug and alcohol problem. New rights for working parents. Court weighs up lifting policies. GMB has an ergo go. Don't drive us to drink. The colour of hazards. Give us a break II.

12-13 International news Bush embarrassed into safety action. It's enforcement, but not as we knew it. No jail after Japanese nuke deaths. Losing the war on cancer. TUC safety rep award 2003. European Good practice awards.

14-15 Material damage In the last decade, working conditions in the global textile, garment and leather industries have fallen fast, says the international textiles union federation ITGLWF. Silvana Cappuccio of ITGLWF's global health and safety programme says the federation is challenging the serious, sometimes deadly, hazards facing the women, men and children who work in the sector. A Hazards photofile. more

Centrepages Menopause A new TUC study reveals many women have jobs that could be making menopause-related symptoms worse, and calls on employers to provide better welfare facilities, rest breaks and a lot more forethought and understanding. [large pdf]

18-19 Cut price British employers are being allowed to injure their workers on the cheap, the TUC says. A TUC report reveals the average British boss pays just £70 per employee in compensation insurance - less than one-tenth the average cost of insuring a car. It says employers should stop complaining and spend more time on making workplaces safer and introducing rehabilitation schemes.

20-25 What the unions say Directors should be made responsible. Corporate killing is bad business. Getting safety on boards. Businessmen behaving badly. Roving reps are working. UCATT's £0.5m roving reps scheme. MEPs cement safety plan. Journalists press for war safety. Hazards Questionnaire. Women's work is back breaking. Equity puts the boot in for Noddy. GMB campaign at the sharp end. HSE cops out. BT criticised after worker's death.

26-27 International union news Oz unions slam witch hunt. Asbestos deal won't bring back the dead. Zimbabwe blocks asbestos ban. What's different about work deaths? Deregulation kills worldwide. Fleeing miners forced into death shaft.

28-31 Resources Trade union publications, resources online and latest news from the safety watchdog.