Hazards news archive January - December 2015

Recent news

Hazards news, 12 December 2015

Britain: Improving well-being at work – the union way
Unions need to know how to respond effectively to health and ‘well-being’ issues in the workplace, the TUC has said. Introducing new TUC guidance, ‘Workplace well-being programmes: A guide for safety reps’, TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Too many workers are still becoming ill through work and simply introducing ‘well-being programmes’ is not a substitute for stopping workers becoming ill, by addressing issues such as long hours, stress, unsafe conditions and a lack of respect at work.”
TUC news release. Workplace well-being programmes: A guide for safety reps, TUC, December 2015. Other workers’ health resources. Risks 732. 12 December 2015

Britain: Storm damage highlights emergency service cuts
The impact of the underfunding of the fire and rescue service has been highlighted by the firefighters’ union FBU as the country reels from the effects of Storm Desmond. The union said every fire and rescue service responding to the floods across northern England has seen unprecedented funding cuts over the past five years.
FBU news release and briefing on the impact of firefighter job cuts. FBU Scotland news release. Risks 732. 12 December 2015

Britain: Bus drivers strike over unsafe timetables
Over 200 Arriva bus drivers in Kent have taken two days of strike action over the introduction of unachievable, fatigue-inducing and unsafe timetables. Their union Unite has said drivers are being kept at the wheel for five and a half hours at a time with as little as four minutes ‘recovery’ time and limited access to toilet facilities.
Unite news release. Kent Messenger. Risks 732. 12 December 2015

Britain: RMT calls for a rail safety summit
Transport union RMT has repeated its call for a rail safety summit, saying current operational practices are ‘a recipe for disaster.’ The union was speaking out after it emerged that Oxford Circus was closed 113 times in the past year because of overcrowding.
RMT news release. BBC News Online. Risks 732. 12 December 2015

Britain: Court fees go – and so should tribunal fees
Public sector union UNISON has said the government should follow up its decision to axe one unjust set of legal fees by ending another – the tribunal fees barring access to justice for many workers abused, victimised or unfairly dismissed by their employers. UNISON has campaigned for the removal of Employment Tribunal and Employment Appeal Tribunal fees – which can mean a £1,200 charge to take a safety victimisation cases - since their introduction in July 2013.
UNISON news release. The Mirror. Risks 732. 12 December 2015

Britain: ‘Box ticking exercise’ makes dismissal unfair
A Prospect member fired by BT under a performance management system following a serious operation has won an unfair dismissal claim. Trevor Edwards, who was a programme manager with almost 40 years’ service with BT, was dismissed in 2014, with an employment tribunal ruling concluded BT had “seemingly carried out a box ticking exercise with no regard to the practical realities of what they were doing.”
Prospect news release. Risks 732. 12 December 2015

Britain: Whistleblowing prison officer fights dismissal
A prison officer who revealed serious concerns about rising levels of violence in her jail and who warned that prison officers ‘are in danger’ is challenging the decision to sack her for speaking out. Kim Lennon, a member of the prison officers’ union POA, talked to the BBC, local newspaper the Argus and the Guardian of her concerns about the soaring levels of violence and overcrowding in Lewes prison, but was dismissed in November, when a disciplinary panel found she had brought discredit on the prison service by disclosing official information.
The Argus. The Guardian. BBC News Online. Risks 732. 12 December 2015

Britain: Work on trains led to deadly cancer
A software engineer from South Yorkshire who was exposed to asbestos in a short stint on the railways in the 1960s has been awarded £245,000 compensation after he developed a deadly cancer as a result. The 64-year-old Unite member worked on the railway for three years and then left to join the Royal Air Force as an aircraft engineer, and later became a software designer at an IT company.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 732. 12 December 2015

Britain: INEOS warned about ‘multiple fatalities’ risk
The INEOS oil and petrochemical complex at Grangemouth in Scotland is facing a legal crackdown by the UK workplace safety regulator in a bid to prevent leaks, fireballs and explosions from killing workers. The concerns about the company’s safety and environmental performance have led to union calls for a greater worker voice on health and safety matters.
The Ferret. The Times. Risks 732. 12 December 2015

Britain: London Assembly blacklists blacklisting
The London Assembly has criticised the blacklisting of construction workers who raised health and safety concerns. The elected body has also called on London mayor Boris Johnson to drive home the message to organisations under his jurisdiction that every employee must be protected if they identified health and safety problems.
London Assembly news release. Risks 732. 12 December 2015

Britain: Construction safety faces new ‘red tape’ blitz
The freshly revamped Construction, Design and Management (CDM) regulations could be watered-down under a new government blitz on ‘red tape’. On 2 December, the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) launched a Cutting Red Tape review for the house building industry, noting it was “keen to look at the changes made to the Construction, Design and Management Regulations, as well as any examples of EU rules that are being implemented too strictly.”
BIS news release and review, Cutting Red Tape review of housebuilding (closes on 13 January 2016). Cabinet Office Cutting Red Tape website. Construction Enquirer. Risks 732. 12 December 2015

Britain: Death firms fined in HSE inspector’s ‘most horrific case’
North West companies Sonae Industria (UK) Ltd and Valmet Ltd have been fined following the death of two workers in what a senior Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector described as perhaps the ‘most horrific case’ he had encountered. James Bibby, 25, and Thomas Elmer, 27, were both killed when carrying out maintenance work on a conveyor belt which started up without warning at the Sonae woodchip factory in Kirkby.
HSE news release. BBC News Online. Liverpool Echo. Risks 732. 12 December 2015

Britain: National Grid fined £2m over boy’s death
One of the UK’s biggest gas distributers has been fined £2 million after admitting criminal safety failings in relation to the death of a young boy. On 24 April 2014, 11-year-old Robbie Williamson and two friends were crossing the Leeds and Liverpool Canal using a pipeline running on the outside of Dugdale Bridge in Burnley, when Robbie fell into the canal, dying as a result of a head injury and drowning.
HSE news release. Risks 732. 12 December 2015

Britain: Worker killed in fall from unsafe loft ladder
A sub-contractor has been given a suspected jail term after a worker was killed when he fell from a dodgy loft ladder during an inspection of a domestic boiler. Piotr Kowalczyk was sentenced to six months imprisonment, suspended for two years, and ordered to pay costs of £12,404 after pleading guilty to criminal safety offences.
HSE news release and ladder safety guide. Southern Daily Echo. Hampshire Chronicle . Risks 732. 12 December 2015.

Britain: Suspended sentence for director after site fall
The director of a construction company has been given a fine and suspended jail sentence for criminal safety failings after a worker fell from a ladder, resulting in brain damage and other injuries. Portsmouth Magistrates’ Court heard an employee of MP Jacobs fell from a ladder whilst replacing guttering on a two-storey block of residential flats in Havant on 29 October 2014.
HSE news release and working at heights webpages. Risks 732. 12 December 2015

Britain: Unlicensed firm removed school asbestos
A construction firm removed an asbestos ceiling in a school despite not having the legally required licence to do the work. Luton Magistrates’ Court heard that Clarks Construction Limited was contracted by the board of governors of Caddington Village School to refurbish changing rooms, toilets and associated areas at the school complex, but ignored the findings of an asbestos survey.
HSE news release and asbestos licensing webpage. Risks 732. 12 December 2015

Azerbaijan: Caspian Sea oil rig fire claims many lives
Two oil workers have been confirmed dead and 30 more are missing presumed dead after a fire broke out on an oil rig in the Caspian Sea. Tragedy struck the oil platform off the coast of Azerbaijan on 4 December.
IndustriALL news release. Wall Street Journal. ABC News. Risks 732. 12 December 2015

Canada: Firms alone can’t define work violence
A top Canadian court has ruled that employers cannot arbitrarily decide what constitutes workplace violence or rely on internal investigations when incidents occur. In a groundbreaking decision, the Federal Court of Appeal has supported a legal challenge brought on behalf of a member of the public service union PSAC, who had complained about the harassment and humiliation he suffered at the hands of his supervisor.
PSAC news release. Canadian Labour Reporter. Risks 732. 12 December 2015

USA: Tobacco farms are no place for teens
The US government and tobacco companies are failing to protect teenage children from hazardous work in tobacco farming, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said. A new 72-page report from the group, ‘Teens of the tobacco fields: Child labor in United States tobacco farming,’ documents the harm caused to 16- and 17-year-olds who work long hours as hired labourers on US tobacco farms, exposed to nicotine, toxic pesticides, and extreme heat.
HRW news release, video and full report, Teens of the tobacco fields: Child labor in United States tobacco farming. Risks 732. 12 December 2015

USA: Mine boss guilty over 29 coalminer deaths
More than five years after 29 miners were killed in an explosion at the Upper Big Branch mine in Raleigh County, West Virginia, former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship has been convicted of safety crimes. The tragedy, which was the largest loss of life in a mine in the United States since 1970, could result in a maximum sentence of one year in jail for Blankenship.
UMWA statement. AFL-CIO Now blog. Charleston Gazette ‘Coal Tattoo’ blog. The Pump Handle. The New Yorker. New York Times. Charleston Gazette. Risks 732. 12 December 2015

Hazards news, 5 December 2015

Britain: Violence – you must report it to sort it
The TUC is urging union reps to ensure violence at work is reported. It says telling management formally how violence directed at employees – including physical attacks and verbal abuse – “is critical in tackling the issue at source.”
TUC briefing and draft reporting form.
Have you had success tackling violence at work? Tell the TUC. Risks 731. 5 December 2015

Britain: Driving examiners back more industrial action
Driving examiners have said they will continue their programme of industrial action in a bid to head off dangerous changes to their contracts. Their union, PCS, is in dispute over road safety fears as the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) imposes changes to working conditions, including extending the working day and increasing the number of driving tests examiners would be expected to carry out.
PCS news release. Risks 731. 5 December 2015

Britain: Unite helps family of asbestos cancer victim
The family of a mechanical fitter from Lincoln who died from the asbestos cancer mesothelioma has received a six figure compensation payment, with the help of his former union, Unite. The victim, whose name has not been release, was exposed to asbestos while working at a power station in the early 1960s.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 731. 5 December 2015

Britain: Big workloads are ‘grinding down’ teachers
Four out of every five school staff say their workload is still unmanageable, one year on from the government's Workload Challenge, according to a survey from the teaching union ATL. The union research found 81 per cent of teachers and 85 per cent of ‘senior leaders’ in state schools in England reported their workload was unmanageable.
ATL news release. Risks 731. 5 December 2015

Britain: Rail unions unite against driver only trains
Rail unions are to work together to oppose driver only operation (DOO) on trains. A joint statement from Mick Whelan, general secretary of the train drivers’ union ASLEF, and Mick Cash, general secretary of RMT, says the unions “are completely opposed to driver only operation and its forms, including driver controlled operation (DCO) and driver door operation (DDO), throughout the network.”
ASLEF/RMT statement. Risks 731. 5 December 2015

Britain: Union safety warning on sales fever
Shoppers are being urged to keep calm as the frantic sales season gets into full swing. The call from the shopworkers’ union Usdaw came ahead of the ‘Black Friday’ sales event on 27 November.
Usdaw news release. Risks 731. 5 December 2015

Global: Blood and tears mark Qatar World Cup build up
The failure of the Qatari authorities to address the deadly exploitation of migrant workers in Qatar has been condemned by the construction union UCATT. The union was commenting after Amnesty International found Qatar had done “almost nothing effective to end chronic labour exploitation” in the five years since it was controversially awarded the 2022 football World Cup tournament.
UCATT news release. Amnesty International news release. BBC News Online. TUC Playfair Qatar campaign. Risks 731. 5 December 2015

Britain: Cuts are hurting London Ambulance Service staff
Funding cuts have damaged the London Ambulance Service, hurt its staff and have left it in crisis, the union UNISON has said. Commenting after a Care Quality Commission report saw the service put into special measures, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “This is a shocking indictment of the lack of funding that has gone to the ambulance service over the last five years. “
UNISON news release. CQC news release. London Evening Standard. The Guardian. Risks 731. 5 December 2015

Britain: Crane firm convicted of corporate manslaughter
A crane firm has been convicted of corporate manslaughter over the death of an operator at a wind farm in East Lancashire. Baldwins Crane Hire Ltd now faces the prospect of an unlimited fine after being held responsible for the death of Lindsay Easton at Scout Moor wind farm in Edenfield.
Lancashire Police news release. Lancashire Telegraph. Risks 731. 5 December 2015

Britain: Roofer killed in fall through gaps in scaffold
A scaffolder has been given 200 hours of community service after a roofer fell to his death through a gap in an unsafe scaffold. Walter Booth, trading as WB Roofing, fell from a roof while carrying out repairs to Micklegate Methodist Church in Pontefract on 10 January 2015.
HSE news release. Pontefract and Castleford Express. Construction Enquirer. Risks 731. 5 December 2015

Britain: Cinema director fined for asbestos failings
A St Albans cinema director has been fined after he put workers and members of the public at risk of exposure to asbestos. James Hannaway, 68, the sole director of The Alpha Cinema (St Albans) Limited was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after he allowed refurbishment of the derelict multiscreen cinema to begin in 2010 without proper checks for asbestos.
HSE news release and asbestos webpages. Risks 731. 5 December 2015

Britain: Cement burns left site worker in hospital
A Salford construction firm has been fined after a 54-year-old employee suffered severe cement burns to his knees while laying concrete flooring. Sefton Magistrates’ Court heard that on the 26 November 2014, an employee of DLP Services (Northern) Limited, knelt in wet concrete and suffered cement burns to both his knees resulted in 12 days hospitalisation and ongoing treatment.
HSE news release and cement hazards webpage. Construction Enquirer. Risks 731. 5 December 2015

Britain: Pet food firm fined for teen’s serious injuries
A Nottinghamshire pet food company has been fined after a teenage worker was seriously injured when a forklift truck he shouldn’t have been allowed to drive overturned. The teen, whose name has not been released, had been employed for just two weeks as a factory operative at the Retford site of Alpha Feeds Limited, which has now changed its name to Grove Pet Foods Limited.
HSE news release. Risks 731. 5 December 2015

Australia: Union anger as black lung returns
Four Australian coal miners have been diagnosed with pneumoconiosis or ‘black lung’ - a potentially fatal disease thought to have been eradicated in Australia more than 60 years ago. The mining union CFMEU said it fears the cases, all the state of Queensland, could be ‘just the tip of the iceberg’, with hundreds, possibly thousands of workers potentially at risk.
CFMEU news release. ABC News and related story. Yahoo7 News. Risks 731. 5 December 2015

Europe: A quarter believe their work is risky
Almost one in four workers (23 per cent) believes their work presents a risk to their health, according to Europe-wide research. Dublin-based Eurofound, presenting findings of its 6th European Working Conditions Survey, said they give a “diverse picture of Europe at work over time across countries, occupations, gender and age groups.”
Eurofound news report and infographic. Eurofound: First findings: Sixth European Working Conditions Survey, 24 November 2015. ETUI news report. Risks 731. 5 December 2015

Korea: SK Hynix agrees to compensate electronics workers
Korean electronics firm SK Hynix has agreed to provide compensation to current and former semiconductor factory workers, and even those of its subcontractors, who may be suffering from a range of occupational diseases including cancer. The company said it would accept “immediately” the recommendation of an industrial and public health review committee that conducted a year-long inspection of Hynix semiconductor workplaces.
Cancerhazards.org. Risks 731. 5 December 2015

USA: Construction causes chronic lung disease
Many cases of a debilitating lung disease in construction workers that is commonly attributed to smoking could be caused by their jobs, a study had found. The union backed US Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) and researchers from Duke University found workplace exposures to an unhealthy combination of vapours, gases, dusts and fumes (VGDF) accounted for nearly one in five chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) cases.
CPWR news report and research summary. Risks 731. 5 December 2015

Hazards news, 28 November 2015

Europe: TUC slams EC for ‘insulting’ safety gaffe
The European Commission has been urged by the TUC, a global union and an industry body to withdraw an ‘insulting’ ‘better regulation’ information sheet that includes a serious safety gaffe. The newly published factsheet promotes an EC work plan that contains no positive action on workplace safety and drops commitments to act on workplace musculoskeletal disorders and cancers.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. UNI/Coiffure EU letter to the Commission. European Commission Better regulation and transparency information sheet. Risks 730. 28 November 2015

Britain: Police apology must lead to justice for blacklisted workers
Unite has welcomed the ‘unreserved apology’ from the Metropolitan Police to the seven women duped into relationships with undercover police officers specially assigned to infiltrate politically active groups or causes. The union said that the time has now come for those responsible for the Special Demonstration Squad to acknowledge its role in destroying the lives of dozens of blacklisted men and women working in construction and associate industries.
Unite news release. Metropolitan Police news release. Morning Star. Risks 730. 28 November 2015

Britain: Scottish government must protect shopworkers
Shopworkers’ trade union leader John Hannett is urging the Scottish government to do more to protect shopworkers from violence. The union general secretary, who has written to Paul Wheelhouse MSP, minister for community safety and legal affairs, said: “The Scottish government no longer records assaults of shopworkers or other public-facing workers, which concerns me because we believe that incidents of violence at work are increasing at a time when overall violent crime is falling.”
Usdaw news release. Risks 730. 28 November 2015

Britain: Pilots must be central to aviation safety plans
Pilots are an untapped resource of expertise and experience in the fight against terror and the other major threats to the safety of passengers, planes and crew, their union BALPA has said. In a speech to the Airport Operators Association conference, union general secretary Jim McAuslan said: “Evidence tells us the next major accident is just as likely to be caused by an inexperienced crew, flying on a temporary contract and suffering fatigue after a disrupted day.”
BALPA news release. Risks 730. 28 November 2015

Britain: Two killed in Celsa steelworks explosion
Steelworkers from across the UK took part in a minute's silence at a union rally on 21 November to remember the two Celsa workers who died in an explosion at a Cardiff plant. Hundreds of steelworkers from Wales travelled to Sheffield for a rally for the Save our Steel campaign event organised by steel trade unions.
BBC News Online. Wales Online. Construction Enquirer. HSE news release. Risks 730. 28 November 2015

Britain: Another teacher suicide linked to Ofsted inspections
An award-winning headteacher hanged herself shortly after Ofsted downgraded her school, an inquest has been told. Carol Woodward, the long-serving head of Woodford primary school near Plymouth, suffered a swift decline in her mental health that coincided with an inspection by Ofsted as well as disruptive building work to expand the school.
Plymouth Herald. The Guardian. More on work-related suicides. Risks 730. 28 November 2015

Britain: Fit-for-work tests are bad for mental health
Tougher ‘fit for work’ tests introduced to assess eligibility for disability benefit have caused relapses in patients with serious mental health conditions, according to a consultant with the Royal College of Psychiatrists. Dr Jed Boardman, a consultant psychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley NHS trust, said the work capability assessment (WCA) discriminates against those with mental health issues and called for an overhaul of the process.
The Guardian. Risks 730. 28 November 2015

Britain: Government rejects levy for mesothelioma research
The government has refused to back a call to make insurers pay for potentially life-saving research into a treatment for the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma. The rebuff came during the 20 November second reading in the House of Lords of Lord Alton’s Mesothelioma (Amendment) Bill.
Mesothelioma (Amendment) Bill, House of Lords debate, Hansard, 20 November 2015. Morning Star. Risks 730. 28 November 2015

Britain: Company fined after failure to act on asbestos risks
Blue Diamond Engineering Limited has been fined after asbestos was found in its County Durham factory but the firm failed to document or manage the risks to employees or visitors to the site. Darlington Magistrates’ Court heard how the company was notified of the presence of asbestos materials discovered during a survey in 2006.
HSE news release and asbestos webpages. Risks 730. 28 November 2015

Britain: Construction guide to ‘end’ deadly site diseases
New guidance to encourage better management of occupational health risks has been prepared by the Health and Safety Executive’s construction committee (CONIAC). HSE said it is now “urging the industry to put an end to the hundreds of construction workers that die of occupational diseases every month.”
HSE news release and guide on the HSE and IOSH websites. Risks 730. 28 November 2015

Britain: Stone masonry boss ignored health advice
The owner of a stone masonry company has been fined after exposing his workforce to serious health risks from silica and vibration. Despite receiving previous advice from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) on the control of health risks posed by silica and vibration, Thomas Bushby failed to act, the regulator said. 
HSE news release and stone masonry webpages. Construction Enquirer. Risks 730. 28 November 2015

Britain: Builder admits manslaughter after farm death fall
A builder has been sentenced to 18 months in prison, suspended for two years, after a worker was killed in a fall. MT Construction owner Michael Turner, 49, appeared at Inner London Crown Court after pleading guilty to gross negligent manslaughter after Robert Bird, one of his employees and friend of 15 years, fell 30 feet through a roof and died.
Cambridgeshire Constabulary news release. Construction Enquirer. Cambridge News. Risks 730. 28 November 2015

Britain: Teesside firm fined after worker’s fatal port fall
A north east port has been fined £400,000 following the death of an agency worker who fell eight metres onto the steel deck of ship’s hold. Robert Harrison, 59, from Middlesbrough, was one of six men who were loading 12m long steel pipes into the hold of a vessel at PD Teesport Ltd at Hartlepool Dock when the incident happened on 9 September 2012.
HSE news release and work at height webpages. More on safety on the docks. Risks 730. 28 November 2015

Britain: Worker killed by swinging metal crucible
A company that specialises in metal and alloy products has been fined after a worker was killed when he was struck by a load on a moving crane. Sheffield Magistrates’ Court heard how ATI Speciality Materials Limited employee Nigel Hall, 47, was killed when a crane stopped but the load swung forward hitting him on the head.
HSE news release and machinery safety webpages. Risks 730. 28 November 2015

Britain: Worker was crushed to death by lorry
A commercial vehicle company has been fined after one of its workers was killed when a lorry travelling at less than 5km/h crushed him. Warwick Crown Court heard criminal safety failings by Imperial Commercials Limited led to the death of employee Craig Stewart Dunn in January 2014.
HSE news release and safe manoeuvring webpages. Risks 730. 28 November 2015

Australia: Six time more site worker suicides than fatalities
A national suicide prevention group has revealed construction workers are six times more likely to die by suicide than in workplace accidents. The industry-run MATES in Construction organisation also said suicide and suicidal behaviour cost the industry more than Aus$1.5 billion (£0.72bn) a year.
MATES in Construction. ABC News. Risks 730. 28 November 2015

Bangladesh: Three years after 120 deaths, zero justice
Three years after the deadly Tazreen fire in Bangladesh, many high street brands that sourced garments from the factory have yet to contribute to a compensation fund, the global union federation IndustriALL has said. Firms yet to pay up include US brands Walmart, Disney, Sears, Dickies and Delta Apparel; Edinburgh Woollen Mill (UK); Karl Rieker (Germany); Piazza Italia (Italy); and Teddy Smith (France).
IndustriALL news release. Tazreen Claims Administration Trust. Risks 730. 28 November 2015

Japan: Firms must check mental health of staff
Businesses in Japan will be obliged from December to offer their employees an annual test to check their level of mental stress amid an increase in workers suffering from mental disorders, the health ministry has said. Under the Industrial Health and Safety Law’s revision last year, the test, in the form of a questionnaire, will target more than 20 million employees at around 16,000 businesses nationwide, according to the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.
Japan Today. Risks 730. 28 November 2015

Myanmar: Landslide kills 90 dead at jade mine
A landslide at a jade mine has killed at least 90 people in northern Myanmar, according to preliminary reports. The victims were buried when a vast heap of waste material, discarded by the mining companies, collapsed in Kachin state, Burmese media reported.
BBC News Online. Jade: A Global Witness investigation into Myanmar’s ‘Big State Secret, Global Witness, October 2015. Radio Free Asia 9 June video on landslide risks in jade mines. Risks 730. 28 November 2015

Hazards news, 21 November 2015

Global: Unions and their allies make dangerous firms listen 
When firms embroiled in deadly workplace disasters improve their safety performance it is primarily because of the heat they feel from unions and campaigners, a researcher has said. Juliane Reinecke, associate professor of organisational behaviour at the University of Warwick, said her research, which examined several major incidents including the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, said “the real change came about thanks to the increasingly organised alliance of unions and campaign groups.” 
The Conversation. Risks 729. 21 November 2015

Britain: Nearly a third of people are bullied at work 
Nearly a third of people have been bullied at work, according to new research from the TUC. one in five (22 per cent) had to take time off work as a result of being bullied. TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Anyone worried about bullying at work should join a union, to get their voice heard and their interests represented.”  
TUC news release and guides, Bullying at work - Guidance for safety representatives and Bullied at work? Don't suffer in silence. Acas news release and discussion paper, Seeking better solutions: tackling bullying and ill-treatment in Britain's workplaces, November 2015. Risks 729. 21 November 2015

Britain: Driving examiners take action over safety fears 
Driving examiners walked out on 19 and 20 November over planned legal changes they believe could undermine road safety. The action by PCS members came after the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) failed to give assurances over safe working hours.  
PCS news release. Risks 729. 21 November 2015

Britain: Bridge workers caught in high level lift drama 
UCATT has said it will “resolutely support” construction workers caught up in safety drama when a bridge’s lift failed high above the Firth of Forth. Seven men were inside when the lift broke down at around 2pm on Thursday 12 November, approximately 350ft above the platform where they would normally get off.  
UCATT news release. STV News. Edinburgh Evening News. Construction Enquirer. Risks 729. 21 November 2015

Britain: Shops must improve security on Black Friday 
Shopworkers’ union leader John Hannett has welcomed advice from the National Police Chiefs' Council saying that shops must put adequate security in place to avoid a repeat of the scuffles seen during last year's Black Friday sales. The Usdaw general secretary said the union’s members “have real concerns” about the Black Friday sales event on 27 November.  
Usdaw news release. Risks 729. 21 November 2015                                      

Britain: First scalps after CWU 'bite-back' campaign  
The first two private prosecutions brought by Royal Mail following attacks on postal workers can be credited to the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) 'Bite-back’ campaign, the union has said. CWU said a dozen more private prosecutions by Royal Mail are pending “thanks to the CWU's campaign, which brought about new and tougher dog control laws and sentences, and an agreement whereby Royal Mail prosecutes wherever possible when the police and Crown Prosecution Service have failed to do so.”  
CWU news release and Dangerous Dogs - Bite Back campaign. Manchester Evening News. Risks 729. 21 November 2015

Britain: Harm from stress is an industrial injury, says union  
Stress and anxiety caused by work pressures should be officially recognised as an industrial injury, teaching union NASUWT has said. Rex Phillips, NASUWT national official for Wales, said: “Treating the breakdown in health that is suffered by those subjected to such practice as an industrial injury will assist in holding those that indulge in such practice to account.”  
NASUWT news release. Risks 729. 21 November 2015

Britain: Caledonian Sleeper staff ballot over safety fears 
Workers on the Caledonian Sleeper service are being balloted for industrial action after claiming private operator Serco has failed to address “potentially dangerous” defects in rolling stock. RMT said the service, which links Inverness and Fort William with London, has been suffering from defects such as broken toilets and fire alarms.  
Morning Star. BBC News Online. Inverness Courier. Risks 729. 21 November 2015

Britain: Lawbreaker HSE fails to protect workers’ health 
Workers in Great Britain are not being protected from occupational diseases and deaths, and the official health and safety regulator shares the blame, according to an editorial in the British Medical Journal (BMJ). Occupational physician Anne Raynal, a former HSE chief medical inspector, predicted that “occupational medicine is unlikely to survive as a specialty because of a lack of enforcement of the employers' duty not to harm the health of their workers by the Health and Safety Executive.”  
BMJ news release. Anne Raynal. Editorial: Occupational medicine is in demise, British Medical Journal, volume 351:h5905, published online 11 November 2015. BMJ rapid responses to the paper. Risks 729. 21 November 2015

Britain: Nearly half refurb sites are criminally dangerous 
Almost half of the refurbishment sites targeted during a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspection blitz fell criminally short of the required safety standards. In total 2,274 individual inspections were carried out, resulting in 692 enforcement notices and 983 notifications of contravention.  
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 729. 21 November 2015

Britain: Unhealthy class bias in workplace health initiatives 
Studies show low paying, lower status jobs tend to come with much higher safety and health risks. So, it might come as a surprise to many that workplace health interventions are twice as likely to target those on the higher rungs of the workplace ladder, TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson has said.  
TUC health and safety facebook page. D Montano, H Hoven, J Siegrist. A meta-analysis of health effects of randomized controlled worksite interventions: Does social stratification matter?, Scandinavian Journal of Work Environment and Health, volume 40, number 3, pages 230-234, 2014. Risks 729. 21 November 2015  

Britain: Suicides linked to fit-for-work test areas 
Nearly 600 suicides in England could be associated with the government's "fit-for-work" tests, researchers have found. A team from Oxford and Liverpool universities looked at 2010-13 data and also that each additional 10,000 people subjected to a WCA was associated with an additional six suicides, 2,700 cases of reported mental health problems, and the prescribing of an additional 7,020 anti-depressants.  
B Barr, D Taylor-Robinson, D Stuckler, R Loopstra, A Reeves, M Whitehead. ‘First, do no harm’: are disability assessments associated with adverse trends in mental health? A longitudinal ecological study, Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, Online First, 16 November 2015. doi:10.1136/jech-2015-206209   
The Guardian. BBC News Online. Morning Star. Risks 729. 21 November 2015

Britain: Worker killed by falling half tonne power press 
A Wrexham firm has been fined after a worker was killed when a machine weighing around half a tonne fell on him. Chester Crown Court heard Christopher Williams, a maintenance supervisor at Morgan Technical Ceramics Limited, was using a pallet truck to move a power press that was stored in a shipping container in the yard behind the factory when the press toppled over. 
HSE news release and safe maintenance webpages. Daily Post. BBC News Online. Risks 729. 21 November 2015 

Britain: Scaffold fall caused ‘life-changing injuries’ 
A scaffolding firm has been fined after a worker was seriously injured in a nine metre fall. Bristol Magistrates’ Court heard how an employee of Bristol-based Tubular Access Scaffolds Limited, whose name has not been released, was dismantling a scaffold structure when he fell, causing life-changing head injuries.  
HSE news release and working at height webpages. Construction Enquirer. Risks 729. 21 November 2015

Korea: Angry Samsung victims throw a ‘Sam Ba’ party 
Korean campaigners rallied at Samsung’s corporate headquarters in south Seoul to call on the company to re-establish an arbitration process with occupational disease victims. Campaign group SHARPS and individuals who say they were harmed working in Samsung’s electronics factories held the 13 November ‘Sam Ba’ party outside the company HQ 
SHARPS news report. Risks 729. 21 November 2015 

Korea: Death a month at world’s biggest shipbuilder 
Trade unionists from Korea travelled to a UN Forum on Business and Human Rights in Geneva to protest at the growing number of fatalities at the world’s biggest shipbuilder, Hyundai Heavy Industries Group (HHI). They say 16 workers died in 15 separate incidents in the period from March 2014 to October 2015 - almost one a month.  
IndustriALL news release. Risks 729. 21 November 2015

Libya: Union action call after attempted murder  
The global transport union federation ITF has demanded immediate action to protect trade unionists in Libya after the attempted murder of a prominent activist. Nermin Al-Sharif, leader of the ITF-affiliated Dockers’ and Seafarers’ Union of Libya, was driving a car near Benghazi that was followed by two other cars and shot at, crashing as a result.  
ITF news release. Action: Sign the petition calling on Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni to protect trade unionists and human rights activists. Risks 729. 21 November 2015

Spain: Less secure work equals more work injuries 
Deregulatory labour market reforms in Spain in 2012 led to more job insecurity and higher staff turnover and a subsequent sharp rise in workplace injuries, unions have said. Pedro J Linares, safety secretary with the CC.OO trade union confederation, said the reforms had “made dismissals cheaper, weakened trade union bargaining power and slackened investment in occupational health and safety.” 
Equal Times. TUC health and safety facebook page. More on the hazards of insecure work. Risks 729. 21 November 2015

Hazards news, 14 November 2015 

Britain: Fight against the trade union bill will go on 
The TUC is to take its campaign against the government’s Trade Union Bill to the House of Lords. Commenting after the Bill completed its third reading in the House of Commons, TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady described the 10 November Commons vote as “disappointing”, but said: “We will continue to oppose it as it goes through the House of Lords. As was shown in Parliament today, there is widespread concern about the threat this Bill poses to good industrial relations.”  TUC news release and Stronger Unions blog. Risks 728. 14 November 2015
 
Britain: Traffic wardens win proper sick pay  
Traffic wardens in Hackney, in east London, have secured the London living wage and a proper company sick pay policy after last ditch talks to avert strike action. The 30 Unite members at APCOA Parking, their private sector employer, won a sick pay scheme allowing 15 days paid sick leave over a rolling year, the London living wage backdated to November 2014, and a 1.5 per cent pay increase.” 
Unite news release. Risks 728. 14 November 2015

Britain: Attacks on firefighters condemned 
Firefighters have condemned attacks on fire crews around Bonfire Night, Halloween and other events. The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) also warned that a downward trend in attacks of this kind in recent years could be reversed if the neutrality of firefighters is undermined by a government plan for a police takeover of the fire service.  
FBU news release. Risks 728. 14 November 2015

Britain: One in five shopworkers don’t report attacks  
Shopworkers are suffering in silence as more than one in five (22 per cent) fail to tell their bosses about attacks by customers, a union survey has revealed. Many feel reporting incidents would be a waste of time and consider dealing with violent and abusive members of the public ‘part of the job’, the survey by shopworkers’ union Usdaw revealed. 
Usdaw news release and Freedom from Fear campaign. The Mirror. Morning Star. Risks 728. 14 November 2015

Britain: Long hours, short breaks in private schools 
More than four out of every 10 teachers (41 per cent) in independent schools are only getting a 20 minute uninterrupted lunch break during their working day of six or more hours, according to a poll by teaching union ATL. Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of ATL, said: “It is driving experienced and valuable staff from the profession and is having a hugely detrimental impact on personal lives.”  
ATL news release. Morning Star. Risks 728. 14 November 2015

Britain: Shameful delay in getting death justice 
An eight year delay in securing the conviction of a firm responsible for the death of an electrician cannot be justified, the construction union UCATT has said. The union was commenting after 777 Demolition and Haulage Co Limited was convicted of criminal safety breaches related to the August 2007 death of John Walker on a south London demolition site. 
UCATT news release. Risks 728. 14 November 2015

Britain: Union welcomes recall of suspect skills cards 
Site union GMB has welcomed a decision to cancel thousands of site safety qualifications after widespread fraud in the process was discovered. The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) announced it was to recall 6,000 Health, Safety and Environment Test (HS&E) cards - construction workers across the UK can use a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card to prove their skills, and a pass in CITB’s health and safety tests is a required step in obtaining a skills card.  
GMB news release. CSCS news release. CITB blog and earlier statement. Construction Enquirer. Risks 728. 14 November 2015
 
Britain: Working wounded face multiple pressures 
High job demands, stress and job insecurity are among the main reasons why people go to work when they are ill, according to a new study by researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and Concordia University in Canada. The study found one of the most significant causes of presenteeism is the severity of organisational policies used to monitor or reduce staff absence, such as strict trigger points for disciplinary action, job insecurity, limited paid sick leave, or few absence days allowed without a medical certificate. und to be key reasons why people might not take a day off.  
UEA news release. Mariella Miraglia and Gary Johns. 'Going to work ill: a meta-analysis of the correlates of presenteeism and a dual-path model', Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, published online first, 9 November 2015. Risks 728. 14 November 2015   

Britain: Working while sick heightens site dangers 
Construction union UCATT has warned that the absence of sick pay can endanger not only the lives of the sick staff who miss out but also the safety of their co-workers, as workers carry on working while ill to protect their income.  
UCATT news release. Risks 728. 14 November 2015

Britain: Unfair dismissal case reinforces tribunal fees message 
The father of three sisters who brought employment claims against an award-winning chef has said tribunal fees could put people off challenging workplace abuse. Dick Palmer, whose daughters, Bethany, Lucy and Esme had claims including sexual harassment and unfair dismissal upheld, said: “The costs just keep on going up and up and, when you sit down and think of it all, it would be enough to put most people off but my daughters were convinced something had to be done and we had to bring this case forward.”  
BBC News Online. Risks 728. 14 November 2015

Britain: Review promised on asbestos payouts to veterans 
The prime minister has said the government will review the way in which veterans dying as a result of exposure to asbestos during their military service are compensated. During prime minister’s questions, David Cameron was challenged by Labour MP Dave Anderson over a system that means former service personnel suffering from mesothelioma, a deadly lung cancer caused by asbestos, get much lower payouts. 
The Independent. Risks 728. 14 November 2015

Britain: Roofing firm fined for exposing workers to lead 
A Gloucestershire roofing company has pleaded guilty to criminal health and safety neglect after workers were exposed to highly toxic lead. Worcester Magistrates’ Court was told that during a routine Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspection, the company was observed carrying out replacement lead work on a roof in Worcester.  
HSE news release. More on the hazards of occupational exposure to lead. Risks 728. 14 November 2015

Britain: Skipper fined £20,000 after death on fishing boat 
The owner of a Scottish fishing vessel where a man died after inhaling dangerous fumes has been fined for his criminal safety failings. James Thores, who was charged following the death in 2011 of 37-year-old Artis Sterkis, his ship’s engineer, was told to pay a £20,000 penalty.  
Press and Journal. STV News. BBC News Online. Risks 728. 14 November 2015

Britain: Director dodges jail after excavator tragedy 
A director of waste management firm South Coast Skips Ltd has received a suspended jail sentence after one worker died and an agency worker was left seriously injured when they fell from the bucket of an excavator. Lindsay Campbell, a 66-year-old father of ten from Waterlooville in Hampshire, was killed when the bucket of the excavator he was working in tipped, causing him to fall nine metres to the ground.  
HSE news release and working at height webpages. Risks 728. 14 November 2015

Cambodia: Garment worker dies, many other collapse 
A Cambodian garment worker died and 21 others were hospitalised after they collapsed at a Chinese-owned factory, the latest spate of similar incidents to hit the country’s textile industry. A 21-year-old woman reported dizziness and difficulty breathing on the morning of 5 November at the Or Sambath Trading factory in eastern Prey Veng province before she collapsed and later died at hospital, local governor Duch Kunthea told the media.  
Straits Times. Daily Mail. Risks 728. 14 November 2015

Global: Proof more enforcement equals fewer injuries 
There is strong evidence that regulatory health and safety inspections that result in enforcement action are effective in reducing work-related injuries, a major study has concluded. Dr Emile Tompa, said his team found strong evidence for the effectiveness of inspections with citations and penalties in reducing injuries, but there was moderate evidence that inspections without penalties have no effect in reducing injuries.  
At Work, issue 81, Institute for Work & Health, 2015.  OSHA quick takes. Risks 728. 14 November 2015

Pakistan: Workers reported cracks before factory tragedy 
Workers warned management about cracks in a four-storey plastic bag factory in Lahore before it collapsed on 4 November, local unions have said. Press reports say at least 45 of the 150 workers known to have been in the building have been killed, with some of those rescued in a critical condition.  
IndustriALL news release. Solidarity Center news report. Al Jazeera. The Express Tribune. Risks 728. 14 November 2015

Philippines: Expert targeted after exposing pesticide risks 
A renowned chemical safety expert in the Philippines is being subjected to a protracted campaign of legal and professional harassment after warning that banana workers were being poisoned by pesticides, safety advocates have said. They said the latest attacks, by banana producer Lapanday Agricultural Development Corp (Ladeco), came after he advised against aerial spraying of pesticides.  
IPEN news release and appeal. PANAP statement. Business Mirror. Risks 728. 14 November 2015

Hazards news, 7 November 2015

Britain: Protect yourself and your union rights
In early November, the Trade Union Bill will have its final vote in the House of Commons. The TUC says the proposals would fundamentally undermine UK workers' right to strike and attack key civil liberties, and would seriously hamper the life-saving trade union safety role.
Tweet your MP now and tell them to oppose the Trade Union Bill. If you (or your MP) aren't on Twitter, send them an email about the vote instead. Risks 727. 7 November 2015

Europe: Nothing doing on worker health
Workplace health initiatives including planned Europe-wide rules to reduce the toll of occupational cancer are to stay shelved, latest documentation from the European Commission has confirmed. The TUC berated the Commission’s decision only to “review” the occupational health and safety situation.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. No time for business as usual, Commission work programme 2016, October 2015. Risks 727. 7 November 2015

Britain: Nautilus backs call for UK maritime investigations
Maritime union Nautilus has called for UK authorities to take responsibility for investigations into suspected serious crimes at sea involving UK nationals. The union was speaking out in the wake of renewed calls for a police investigation into the disappearance of ship worker Rebecca Coriam.
Nautilus news release. Handy Shipping Guide. Liverpool Echo. BBC News Online. Daily Mail. Risks 727. 7 November 2015

Britain: UCATT calls for better industry safety tests
Construction union UCATT is calling for a clearer, better system for certifying construction skills to ensure safety on construction sites. The union call came after it was revealed rogue companies were rigging Construction Skills Certification Scheme card exams and providing cards for cash.
UCATT news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 727. 7 November 2015

Britain: Union calls for continued vigilance on site safety
A welcome drop in the number of workers killed on site should not lead to complacency, the construction union UCATT has said. The union said the industry was still far more dangerous than most other sectors, despite new Health and Safety Executive (HSE) figures revealing a 17 per cent drop in deaths in the UK construction industry in 2014/15, with the provisional annual fatalities total in the sector down to 35 from 42 in 2013/14.
UCATT news release. HSE statistical report and industry specific data, including construction breakdown. Risks 727. 7 November 2015

Britain: Unite calls for action on stress
Unite has called for its members to take action on stress. Making the action call on 4 November, National Stress Awareness Day, Unite national safety adviser Susan Murray said the union “is aware that many of our members are suffering as a result of bullying, job uncertainty, changes at work and the government cuts - all of which can have an adverse effect on mental health.”
Unite news release. Risks 727. 7 November 2015

Britain: Killer companies to face bigger fines 
Major companies convicted of corporate manslaughter could from next year face fines of up to £20m under new sentencing guidelines. The guidelines, published by the Sentencing Council and due to come into force on 1 February 2016, suggest that judges in England and Wales should impose fines reflecting the size of the convicted organisation.
Sentencing Council news release and definitive guideline. The Guardian. Morning Star. Risks 727. 7 November 2015

Britain: Firms sentenced after construction death
Two linked companies have been fined after a worker was killed when concrete joists dislodged by remotely controlled demolition machines fell on him. Electrician John Walker, who worked for 777 Environmental Limited, met his death while working on a demolition site at Elephant and Castle, London.
HSE news release. Risks 727. 7 November 2015

Britain: Casual worker fatally injured falling through roof
A self-employed worker has been fined after a casual worker he employed to repair a shed roof fell, dying of his injuries several days later. Ayr Sheriff Court heard how on 26 August 2012, William Sproat, 63, had been employed by David William McVey to repair a storm damaged shed roof at Brunton Farm in New Crummnock.
HSE news release and working at height guide. Risks 727. 7 November 2015

Britain: Director fined over chemical tank death
A company run by a former Dundee Football Club director has been fined £50,000 after one of its workers was overcome by toxic fumes and died in a chemical tank. Diamond Wheels (Dundee) Ltd, owned and operated by Paul Marr, admitted a catalogue of criminal health and safety failings over the death of Steven Conway at its premises in the city.
HSE news release. STV News. The Courier. Risks 727. 7 November 2015

Britain: Pirelli fined after teen apprentice is maimed
International tyre manufacturer Pirelli Tyres Limited has been fined after a 17-year-old apprentice suffered serious injuries to his hands while using a metalwork lathe. Stafford Magistrates’ Court heard the apprentice was using emery cloth whilst wearing gloves to perfect the finish, but the cloth snagged pulling him into the lathe.
HSE news release and related guidance. Risks 727. 7 November 2015

Britain: Nightmares follow Hotel Chocolat finger loss
Chocolate manufacturer Hotel Chocolat has been prosecuted after a worker suffered serious hand and arm injuries when cleaning a machine tank. Piotr Podgorski, 35, was emptying a tank when a blue cloth he was holding became entangled in the rotating stirrer, and continued to wrap around his finger, twisting his arm and then tearing the finger off, stripping the tendon from his arm
HSE news release. Risks 727. 7 November 2015

Britain: Shell delay on dealing with offshore explosion risk
A deadline for Shell to address a risk of an offshore fire or explosion has been extended by the safety regulator. A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) improvement notice was issued in August 2015 after an undersea gas leak. The leak happened when a towline snagged on a pipe nearly 300ft below the Curlew floating production vessel in the North Sea, causing a valve to rupture and gas from the Fulmar Gas Line to leak out into the sea 130 miles south east of Aberdeen.
STV News. HSE enforcement database. Risks 727. 7 November 2015

Britain: Subway worker was locked in chiller overnight
A franchise of the sandwich chain Subway has been fined after a worker was trapped overnight in a chiller and tried to escape by writing 'help' in ketchup. Karlee Daubeney, 20, was working the late shift alone on 27 December when a cold store door which had been reported as faulty closed behind her and locked her inside.
Gloucester City Council news release. Western Daily Press. Bath Chronicle. BBC News Online. Risks 727. 7 November 2015

Britain: Waste firm fined £100,000 for crushing arm
A waste and recycling company has been prosecuted after a worker suffered serious fractures when his arm was dragged into the rollers of a moving conveyor belt. The 32-year-old F&R Cawley Limited employee, whose name has not been released, was working at the firm’s Luton site on 28 February 2014 when he was asked to clear a blockage on a material recycling facility machine (MRF).
HSE news release. Luton Today. Risks 727. 7 November 2015

France: Pesticides blamed for cancer ‘homicide’
The French wine industry’s attachment to routine pesticide use is coming under increased scrutiny over concerns about its health impacts. In June this year, the French criminal court launched the unprecedented inquiry into a lung cancer victim’s “involuntary homicide”, officially recognised as being linked to his profession in 2011.
The Guardian. Earlier coverage in The Telegraph. CBC News. Risks 727. 7 November 2015

Global: Call to end impunity for attacks on journalists
Global media union the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is urging governments worldwide to extend judicial cooperation in investigating and prosecuting the killing of journalists. The IFJ also called on financial institutions and aid donors to make respect for press freedom and media protection among key criteria for development aid to countries with high levels of violence in journalism.
IFJ news release and End impunity webpages. Risks 727. 7 November 2015

USA: Poultry industry abuses ‘widespread’
Poultry workers in the United States suffer extremely high rates of injury, earn poverty wages, and work in a climate of fear, Oxfam America has said. The group says its report, based on two years of research, is central to a new nationwide campaign to expose the human cost of the modern poultry industry.
Oxfam America news release. Lives on the Line: The Human Cost of Cheap Chicken, Oxfam America, October 2015: full report, executive summary, multimedia website and social media kit. The Pump Handle. Think Progress. Ecowatch. Risks 727. 7 November 2015

Hazards news, 31 October 2015

Britain: Trade Union Bill could worsen ‘worrying’ deaths figures
Concerns that government policies are behind an upturn in workplace injuries and diseases could be heightened if the Trade Union Bill becomes law, the TUC has warned. TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Unions play a crucial role in keeping people safe at work but these new reforms will make it much harder for unions to work with employers to identify potential hazards.”
TUC news release. HSE news release, statistical report and industry specific data.
Find out what you can do to help stop the Trade Union Bill. Protect the right to strike lobby, London, 2 November. Risks 726. 31 October 2015.

Britain: Strike busting with agency workers a threat to safety
Government plans to allow firms to use agency labour to replace striking workers will lead to “very serious safety concerns”, the TUC has said. TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson explained “take a group of people from an agency, put them into a workplace at a few days’ notice, and you have an accident waiting to happen,” adding in some instances, the effect could be “catastrophic”.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Risks 726. 31 October 2015.

Britain: Union outrage as 7/7 memorial is obscured
Tube union RMT has demanded immediate action from Transport for London (TFL) after an automatic currency machine was placed directly in front of the memorial to victims of the 2005 7/7 bombings at Kings Cross station. The union says Tube staff are furious that the memory of those who died and were injured, and the personal risks that underground staff themselves took in the ‎rescue operation, “is being tarnished in such a disgraceful and cynical fashion.”
RMT news release. Risks 726. 31 October 2015.

Britain: Firefighters fume over police plans
Firefighters’ union FBU has warned that government plans to hand control of Britain’s fire services to the police could undermine public trust and increase the risk from fires. The government wants to transfer control of fire services to police and crime commissioners (PCCs), removing control from fire authorities which are made up of councillors from local authorities.
Morning Star. Risks 726. 31 October 2015.

Britain: Death linked to fire station closure
The decision by London mayor Boris Johnson to close a fire station last year may have contributed to the death of an elderly man in a fire, the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has said. The fire broke out on 26 October at a property in Camden Road, London, but firefighters from Kentish Town fire station, the nearest to the scene, were unavailable as they were tackling another large fire.
FBU news release. Risks 726. 31 October 2015.

Britain: Prison slip cost officer his job
A prison officer who suffered a career-ending fall at work has secured a six-figure compensation payment in a claim backed by his union, the Prison Officers Association (POA). The 48-year-old, whose name has not been released, was on guard dog patrol at a prison when he slipped on a stretch of path which had not been gritted, fracturing his right foot and has been told by doctors that he faces a 25 per cent risk amputation in future.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 726. 31 October 2015.

Britain: Construction skills scammers caught on camera
The skills scheme for certifying construction workers has been called into question after a string of test centres were caught rigging health and safety exams. Construction workers across the UK are required to hold a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card to prove skills and grasp of health and safety - but a joint BBC London/Newsnight investigation revealed widespread, organised cheating, allowing untrained builders on to dangerous sites.
BBC News Online and BBC London video clip. CITB statement. BSC statement. Construction Enquirer. Risks 726. 31 October 2015.

Britain: Deadly silica exposures are not being controlled
Companies are continuing to expose workers to excessive levels of silica dust, which can cause deadly cancers and lung diseases, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has admitted. HSE this week urged the stone industry to do more to protect workers’ health after an inspection initiative in the south of England found a failure to control the potentially lethal dust was commonplace, with many not knowing the exposure standard had been tightened nearly a decade ago.
HSE news release and stonemasonry webpages. Risks 726. 31 October 2015.

Britain: Fracking firm disputes known fracking risks
A major fracking firm has gone on the offensive, attacking claims by a campaign group that there are potentially serious occupational and environmental risks associated with the controversial process. Cuadrilla hit out after a leaflet from the campaign group Friends of the Earth (FoE) highlighted warnings, many made by official US government agencies, about the dangers posed by the toxic chemicals and crystalline silica used in large volumes in fracking operations.
Friends of the Earth blog report, supportive letter from academics and fracking webpages. The Times. BBC News Online. Risks 726. 31 October 2015.

Britain: Top judge confirms there is no compensation culture
The UK’s second most senior judge has dismissed the government-promoted notion that the country is suffering from “compensation culture”. Lord Dyson, Master of the Rolls and Head of the Civil Justice, said in a speech that “we should remind ourselves of what the law actually requires and do what we can to explode the false perception of compensation culture.”
Lord Dyson’s speech, 13 October 2015. Thompsons Solicitors news release. International Business Times. The Compensation Myth, TUC/APIL, April 2014. Risks 726. 31 October 2015.

Britain: Dying military veterans denied asbestos justice 
British veterans who develop terminal cancer caused by asbestos exposure during their military service are being unfairly treated by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), campaigners and victims have claimed. Current laws mean that the MoD does not have to pay compensation for accidents or injuries suffered before 1987, which rules out those with mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure decades ago.
Royal British Legion asbestos justice campaign. The Independent. Risks 726. 31 October 2015.

Britain: Agency worker dragged into machine and killed
A company that manufactures and supplies high-strength bar and cable systems has been fined £200,000 after a worker was pulled into an inadequately guarded machine and killed. Alan Gerrard, 47, suffered fatal crush injuries while working at McCalls Special Products Limited when his clothing got caught in the machine, used to apply adhesive tape to bars to stop corrosion. HSE news release and work equipment webpages. Risks 726. 31 October 2015.

Britain: Serco fined £200,000 for teen deckhand death
Serco Ltd has been fined £200,000 over the death of a teenage deckhand who fell from a River Thames ferry. Ben Woollacott, 19, died in 2011 after being dragged from the Woolwich Ferry while mooring ropes were being untied.
London Evening Standard. Gravesend Reporter. BBC News Online. Risks 726. 31 October 2015.

Britain: Balfour fined after worker is electrocuted
Two companies have been sentenced for criminal safety failings after a worker was electrocuted during work on a data centre in Middlesex. Balfour Beatty Engineering Services Ltd (BBES) was contracted to carry out multi-million pound infrastructure upgrade works at the data centre in Hounslow, while Norland Managed Services Ltd (NMS) was already contracted to provide mechanical and electrical maintenance and had effective control of the site.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 726. 31 October 2015.

Britain: Director fined for ignoring safety watchdog
The managing director of a Hertfordshire company specialising in recycling of wood waste has been prosecuted for criminal safety failings. Stevenage Magistrates’ Court heard how Janbor Limited was served with three Health and Safety Executive (HSE) improvement notices in October 2014 relating to work activity at its plant, but failed to comply with them.
HSE news release. Risks 726. 31 October 2015.

Bangladesh: Deadly shipbreaking yards claim more lives
The notoriously deadly shipbreaking yards operating in Bangladesh have claimed three more lives. The latest tragedy occurred on 20 October at the Chittagong yard of SR Corporation, one of the main shipbreaking companies in Bangladesh.
IndustriALL news release. The Hong Kong Convention. Risks 726. 31 October 2015.

Europe: Move to ban some chemical use in clothes
The European Commission is considering far more stringent controls on the use of substances in consumer goods that are carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction (CMRs). The Commission, which on 22 October launched a consultation on the proposals, will look into a possible ban on 291 hazardous substances – including certain phthalates, flame retardants and pigments.
ENDS news report. ChemSec news report. The European Commission public consultation. UPI news report. Risks 726. 31 October 2015.

USA: Chemical industry ‘blowing smoke’ on self-regulation
Chemical industry claims that its ‘Responsible Care’ self-regulation programme is protecting the public are untrue, new research has indicated.  ‘Blowing Smoke’, a report and interactive map released by the Center for Effective Government (CEG), warns that a “significant number of chemical manufacturing facilities are endangering workers and the environment, despite what the chemical industry tells policymakers, regulators, and the American public.”
Center for Effective Government news release and full report, Blowing Smoke: Chemical companies say “Trust us,” but environmental and workplace safety violations belie their rhetoric. Risks 726. 31 October 2015.

Hazards news, 24 October 2015

Britain: A worker is made ill by work stress every two minutes
Every two minutes, a worker somewhere in the UK is made ill through stress at work, the TUC has revealed. New TUC advice on managing stress at work highlights three key points: Stress is not a weakness or your fault; Don’t suffer in silence, but instead talk to someone like your union rep, a friend, your GP or a support service; and stress-related illnesses caused by work are preventable.
TUC news release and guide to coping with workplace stress. HSE stress statistics. ETUC news release. EU-OSHA healthy work/stress webpages. Risks 725. 24 October 2015.

Britain: Management ignored hospital asbestos for years
Unite is calling for answers and action after it was revealed more than 20 workers have been exposed to asbestos for years in a Manchester hospital. The union says the exposures came after Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust failed to deal with the cancer causing substance, putting staff, patients and visitors at risk.
Unite news release. BBC News Online. Morning Star. Risks 725. 24 October 2015.

Britain: Sorry Carillion slammed for blacklisting hypocrisy
Construction giant Carillion has been branded a hypocrite after demanding thousands of pounds in legal costs from a blacklisted worker only days after issuing an unreserved apology for blacklisting in the High Court. Blacklisted former UCATT safety rep Dave Smith commented: “Over the years, these people have sacked me, blacklisted me, fought me in the courts and bad mouthed me on their corporate website all because I tried to improve safety for my fellow workers,” adding: “I have no intention of paying a penny towards the legal costs of these money grabbing hypocrites.”
Blacklist blog. Carillion statement. Risks 725. 24 October 2015.

Britain: Pilots want clear no fly zones over conflicts
Pilots are calling for accurate information about where it is safe to fly to be shared by nation states and operators worldwide. The demand from the UK pilots’ union BALPA is in response to the full report into the shooting down of the passenger jet Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in July 2014.
BALPA news release. BBC backgrounder. Risks 725. 24 October 2015.

Britain: Lab staff walk out over work pressures
Laboratory assistants at a Yorkshire hospital took strike action last week over “enormous” work pressures and rotas that are causing sickness rates to skyrocket. The action involved 18 members of the public service union UNISON who work at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield, which is run by Mid-Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust. UNISON Yorkshire and Humberside. Morning Star. Risks 725. 24 October 2015.

Britain: Unions voice concerns 15 years after Hatfield tragedy
Fifteen years on from the Hatfield disaster, rail unions have raised serious concerns about safety on the network. Mick Whelan, general secretary of ASLEF, the train drivers’ union, said: “In a safety critical industry there is no room for a company, or chief executive, who wants his managers to take short cuts at the expense of fare-paying passengers, and those of us who work in the industry, and put safety, delivery, and public service first.”
ASLEF news release. RMT news release. TSSA news release. Union Solidarity International. Risks 725. 24 October 2015.

Britain: TUC backs MPs’ call for asbestos removal
The TUC is demanding immediate action after MPs accused the government of complacency on the risks of asbestos in buildings and called for an asbestos eradication law. ‘The asbestos crisis: why Britain needs a new law’ was published last week by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. The Mirror. Morning Star.
The asbestos crisis: why Britain needs a new law, All-Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health, October 2015. Risks 725. 24 October 2015.

Britain: Unions say end the deadly asbestos gamble
Unions have given their strong support to a report from MPs calling for the urgent removal of asbestos from Britain’s buildings. The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health warned that at least 5,000 people die annually as a result of exposure to asbestos.
Unite news release. GMB news release. UCATT news release. NUT/JUAC news release. Risks 725. 24 October 2015.

Britain: European regulation really is good for you
The June 2015 report of an evaluation of Europe’s workplace safety directives which the European Commission had hoped to keep under wraps until at least next year has been published online, seemingly by mistake. TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson said the full report only became available for public scrutiny after the Irish employers’ organisation IBEC put the document on its website in what the TUC has called “an apparent mistake”.
TUC Stronger Unions blog and health and safety manifesto. IBEC posting of the EU review document. Risks 725. 24 October 2015.

Britain: IoD urged to sack its chair for fatal mine blast role
The UK Institute of Directors (IoD) is being urged to dismiss its high profile chair because of her “indefensible” role at the company responsible for America’s worst coalmine disaster in 40 years. The CtW Investment Group, a pension fund formed by unions affiliated to the US Change to Win union federation, wants Lady Barbara Judge to go because of her role at Massey Energy where she sat on committees overseeing safety and corporate governance.
CtW Investment Group letter to IoD. The Guardian. The Pump Handle blog. West Virginia Gazette and Blankenship trial webpages. Risks 725. 24 October 2015.

Britain: Two jailed after farm ladder electrocution
Two men have been sentenced to four years in prison following the death of Jason Morgan who was electrocuted when his ladder touched an overhead power cable. After the tragedy at Great Brynn Barton Farm in 2011, Roger Matthews, Norman Treseder, Philip Tucker and Matthews Plant Hire Ltd went on trial at Truro Crown Court.
Devon and Cornwall Police news release. Construction Enquirer. North Devon Journal. Risks 725. 24 October 2015.

Britain: Firm fined £200,000 after death in an industrial blender
A pellet manufacturing company has been fined after an employee was killed when he was pulled into an industrial blender. Father-of-one George Major, 51, was clearing material from the blender at Rettenmaier UK Manufacturing Limited, a pellet manufacturer based in Mansfield, when it unexpectedly started up.
HSE news release. Nottingham Post. Risks 725. 24 October 2015.

Britain: Recycling giant Sita fined £200,000 for criminal breach
A national recycling firm has been fined after an employee was struck and seriously injured by a 7.5 tonne telehandler. Preston Crown Court heard Sita UK Limited failed to provide adequate segregation between pedestrians and moving vehicles at a waste transfer station in Darwen, Lancashire.
HSE news release. Risks 725. 24 October 2015.

Global: ILO green light for road transport action plan
A key meeting of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has agreed a far-reaching resolution intended to tackle the low pay rates in road transport that can lead to dangerous driving. The resolution of a tripartite transport health and safety meeting at ILO calls on the ILO, a UN agency, to research good practice in the area and makes explicit mention of the highly successful union ‘safe rates’ campaign in Australia.
ITF news release. TWU news release and Safe Rates campaign.
ILO Resolution Concerning Best Practices in Road Transport Safety. Risks 725. 24 October 2015.

Global: G7 presses ahead with new ‘vision zero’ fund
The world’s major industrialised nations are pressing ahead with plans for a new fund to improve workplace safety. In June 2015, the G7 group of nations, which includes the UK, formulated a plan for the ‘Vision Zero Fund’ in cooperation with the International Labour Organisation (ILO), spurred by the Rana Plaza garment factory collapse in 2013 in which more than 1,200 workers died.
G7 news release. TUC Stronger Unions blog. ITUC news release. ILO news release. EC news release. Risks 725. 24 October 2015.

Global: H&M ‘spinning the facts’ on garment worker safety
H&M has been accused of ‘spinning the facts’ in its response to a report critical of its approach to safety at its supplier factories in Bangladesh. The Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) said the retail giant’s comments on its report, 'Evaluation of H&M Compliance with Safety Action Plans for Strategic Suppliers in Bangladesh 2015', are “replete with false and misleading statements, demonstrating that the company remains unwilling to address the issue in a serious and forthright manner.”
CCC news release and report, Evaluation of H&M Compliance with Safety Action Plans for Strategic Suppliers in Bangladesh 2015. Risks 725. 24 October 2015.

Japan: Fukushima worker to get radiation cancer payout
The authorities in Japan have acknowledged that a worker involved in clean-up work at the Fukushima nuclear plant may have developed cancer as a result. Officials say the man will be entitled to compensation for work-related leukaemia, in the first cancer case linked to the Fukushima plant meltdown.
ABC News. CNN News. BBC News Online. The Guardian. Risks 725. 24 October 2015.

Hazards news, 17 October 2015

Britain: Real resources are needed to tackle labour abuses
A proposed new labour standards tsar must be given the resources to effectively coordinate regulators and combat exploitative employers, the TUC has said. The union body was speaking out after the government opened a consultation on proposals to tackle the exploitation of workers, including a new position of Director of Labour Market Enforcement.
TUC news release. Labour market exploitation: improving enforcement, government consultation, ends 9 November 2015. Financial Times. Risks 724. 17 October 2015

Britain: Under wraps official report says EU laws are working
The Conservative government’s repeat refrain that European health and safety laws are a costly burden has been comprehensively discredited. But TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson said the final report, running to over 400 pages plus some lengthy appendices, is being “kept under wraps”, with the EC having no intention of publishing until at least next year.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. EC ACSH opinion, September 2015 and opinions webpage. Risks 724. 17 October 2015.

Britain: Blacklist campaigners hail major court breakthrough
Trade unions have welcomed a ‘massive breakthrough’ in the long-running legal case over blacklisting of safety and trade union activists in the construction industry. It follows an admission by some of Britain's biggest construction firms that they defamed workers and infringed their rights and an accompanying apology. UCATT news release. GMB news release. Unite news release. BBC News Online. The Guardian. Construction Enquirer. Morning Star. Risks 724. 17 October 2015.

Britain: Sellafield victory in safety dispute
Construction workers involved in the nuclear decommissioning and renewal project at Sellafield have hailed a ‘groundbreaking’ victory at the end of a major dispute over health and safety and productivity. The deal secured by their union, Unite, sees Sellafield Ltd and the 14-strong group of on-site sub-contractor companies drop their refusal to a union demand for a senior shop steward to deal with health and safety, workplace welfare and training issues and also sees the formation of a health and safety committee spanning all contractors on the site.
Unite news release. Risks 724. 17 October 2015.

Britain: Mental health problems widespread in shopworkers
Nearly one in four shopworkers has taken time off work because of worry, anxiety or depression, a survey by Usdaw has found. The retail union also discovered over half of those affected said that they didn’t feel able to be honest about the reason for their absence.
Usdaw news release. Risks 724. 17 October 2015.

Britain: Sports Direct in the dock over treatment of workers
Sports Direct’s treatment of workers and poor corporate governance have been exposed this week at the start of criminal proceedings against the company’s chief executive, David Forsey. A protest was organised by the union Unite outside Chesterfield magistrates’ court to mark the start of proceedings.
Unite news release. Sign up to the online petition to Sports Direct chief executive David Forsey: Sports Direct: Stop your shameful work practices. Unite Sports Direct campaign. Risks 724. 17 October 2015.

Britain: Hackney traffic wardens strike for sick pay
Traffic wardens in Hackney, east London, have been driven to industrial action in a bid to get a fairer sick pay policy. The five day walk out was by 30 employees of APCOA Parking, the private firm that has the contract from Hackney council to run the service.
Unite news release. Risks 724. 17 October 2015.

Britain: PCS calls on ministers to tackle civil service bullying
PCS has called on ministers to tackle bullying in the civil service. The union was speaking out after the Independent revealed the Baxendale review commissioned by the government and “slipped out on the Cabinet Office website in the run-up to the election” had warned that the senior civil service is like a 'snake pit' with a 'macho culture'.
PCS news release. The Independent. Baxendale report. Risks 724. 17 October 2015.

Britain: Faulty machine caused permanent nerve damage
A Unite member is to receive £5,750 in compensation after his hand was damaged in a faulty machine. The production operative, whose name has not been released, was employed by Rhondda Cynon Taff County Borough Council in south Wales making double glazed windows and doors.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 724. 17 October 2015.

Britain: Road crash cost worker his job
A production fitter who was forced to retire after being injured in a road traffic accident has received an undisclosed payout in a union-backed claim. Kenneth Welham, 67, suffered serious fractures to his lower right leg when he was hit by a motorcycle as he stood on a central reservation.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 724. 17 October 2015.

Britain: Scaffolding firm guilty of corporate manslaughter
A Merseyside scaffolding firm that admitted a charge of corporate manslaughter has been fined £300,000. Adrian Smith, 44, had returned to work at Kings Scaffolding in Netherley on light duties after having had a heart attack just two days before he died on a cut-price roofing job in September 2012.
Merseyside Police news release. Liverpool Echo. BBC News Online. Risks 724. 17 October 2015.

Britain: Working while sick is on the increase
New research has found long hours and a focus on operational demands over employee wellbeing is fuelling an increase in in the numbers working while sick. Nearly a third of employers reported an increase in people coming to work while they are ill, according to the annual CIPD/Simplyhealth Absence Management Survey.
CIPD news release. Morning Star. Risks 724. 17 October 2015.

Britain: Most Sheffield schools contain asbestos
Campaigners and politicians have called for drastic action amid revelations eight out of ten schools in Sheffield contain asbestos. Figures obtained by the local newspaper, the Star, revealed 86 per cent of primaries and 35 per cent of the city’s secondary schools contain the potentially deadly dust.
Sheffield Star. Risks 724. 17 October 2015.

Britain: ‘No excuse’ for unguarded piling machine
A specialist piling contractor has been fined after it was found to be operating a powerful rig without a safety guard around the rotating auger. Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Court heard how Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspector Melvyn Stancliffe visited the site in Maidstone, Kent, in December 2014 and witnessed the piling rig in operation without a safety guard.
HSE news release and machinery safety webpages. Construction Enquirer. Risks 724. 17 October 2015.

Britain: Steel frame company fined for safety crime
A company that erects steel frames has been fined for its criminal safety failings while cladding a steel framed building. Swindon Magistrates’ Court heard how a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) site inspection on 15 May 2015 found that Industrial Steel Frames Limited was not taking suitable measures to prevent falls from height, putting its workers at risk of serious injury.
HSE news release and working at height webpages. Construction Enquirer. Risks 724. 17 October 2015.

Australia: Three workers killed every week this year
Latest official figures show there have been 126 workplace fatalities in Australia already this year. Michael Borowick, national secretary of the union federation ACTU, said: “Worker safety is just another in a string of issues where the government is prioritising its big business backers, rather that supporting the rights of everyday Australians.”
ACTU news release. Risks 724. 17 October 2015.

USA: Cargo ship goes down with 33 crew
Search and rescue teams officially gave up hope on 7 October, after a failed five-day effort to locate 33 cargo ship workers lost at sea in the waters near the Bahamas. The sailors and other shipboard workers are presumed dead in the wreck of the US-flagged commercial vessel El Faro, which disappeared on 1 October in the high winds and heavy seas of Hurricane Joaquin.
AFL-CIO statement. SIU news release. In These Times. Risks 724. 17 October 2015.

USA: Bad jobs cut your life short
New research from the US is indicating your life expectancy is closely linked to the job you do. Research published in the journal Health Affairs examined the effect of workplace exposures on racial and educational disparities in life expectancy and found that between 10 and 38 per cent of the difference in life expectancy across demographic groups could be explained by different job conditions.
Joel Goh, Jeffrey Pfeffer and Stefanos Zenios. Exposure to harmful workplace practices could account for inequality in life spans across different demographic groups, Health Affairs, volume 34, number 10, pages 1761-1768, October 2015. Pump Handle blog. Risks 724. 17 October 2015.

Hazards news, 10 October 2015

Britain: Ambulance count exposes Sports Direct work practices
Ambulances were called out to the warehouse headquarters of one of Europe's largest sports retailers 80 times in two years, an investigation found. Unite, which has launched a campaign for decent work at Sports Direct, says poor conditions are not limited to the company’s warehouses.
Sign up to the online petition to Sports Direct chief executive David Forsey: Sports Direct: Stop your shameful work practices. Unite Sports Direct campaign.
Investigating Sports Direct, BBC Inside Out, 5 October 2015. BBC News Online. Risks 723. 10 October 2015

Britain: Maintenance and inspections cuts hurt rail travel
Rail union RMT has said speed restrictions placed on some train services have exposed the impact of cuts to maintenance and inspections on the railways and the dangers of running services on untested tracks. The union was speaking out after Arriva Trains Wales was forced to impose blanket speed restrictions on sections of the network that had not been tested within agreed safety schedules
RMT news release. Risks 723. 10 October 2015

Britain: Over half of teachers could quit within two years
More than half of teachers are considering leaving the profession in the next two years, a union poll has revealed. The joint NUT and YouGov survey found 53 per cent of teachers are looking to quit, mainly due to low morale and high workloads made worse by cuts in pay and the number of teachers and support staff.
NUT news release. DfE news release. Morning Star. Risks 723. 10 October 2015

Britain: Usdaw concern over carrier bag charge ‘flashpoint’
The introduction of a 5p carrier bag charge in England must not lead to customer frustration once again being directed at shopworkers, their union has said. Usdaw general secretary John Hannett said “a new law, like carrier bag charging, can be a flashpoint for verbal abuse, threats or even violence.
Usdaw news release. Defra news release. Morning Star. Risks 723. 10 October 2015

Britain: Hospital work left engineer under the doc
A Unite member from Bradford who suffered an acute back injury at work has secured more than £6,000 in compensation. The maintenance engineer at Bradford Royal Infirmary, whose name has not been released, worked from a plant room, which he could only access by climbing a set of ladders and entering through a small hatch.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 723. 10 October 2015

Britain: Blacklisted to be heard at undercover cops inquiry
Blacklisted workers have been granted ‘core participant’ status in the government-ordered Pitchford public inquiry into undercover policing. The confirmation came in a letter to Imran Khan & Partners solicitors, who had applied to the Pitchford inquiry on behalf of the Blacklist Support Group.
Pitchford Inquiry webpage. Union Solidarity International. Morning Star. Risks 723. 10 October 2015

Britain: Better to act together than be resilient alone
‘Workplace resilience’, an increasingly popular intervention in workplaces intended to help us withstand the pressures of work, was criticised two years ago by the TUC for treating the distressed worker and not the dysfunctional workplace as the problem. Now the approach is coming in for flak in Australia, with Andrew Thackrah and Susie Byers, nothing “individually-focused programmes can't overcome the structural realties and power imbalances that characterise the employment relationship.”
The Age. SafetyAtWork blog.
Hugh Robertson, TUC: Tough luck, Hazards, number 123, July-September 2013. Risks 723. 10 October 2015

Britain: Long hours and repetitive work led to constant pain
A factory worker suffering with chronic back pain as a result of repetitive work over long shifts has called for employers to improve their assessments and safety measures. Anthony McCarthy, 26, who has received an out-of-court payout, first began to suffer with muscle pain in his mid- to lower- back in early 2012, with the intensity and severity of the pain increasing throughout his 11-hour shifts at HVR International Limited.
Irwin Mitchell news release. Shields Gazette. Risks 723. 10 October 2015

Britain: Man arrested after latest deadly workplace blast
A man has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter after a deadly workplace blast. The blast on the afternoon of Saturday 3 October at an industrial site in Hoddeston, Hertfordshire, left two workers dead and another injured, and was the third workplace explosion in less than three months to lead to multiple deaths.
The Mirror. Hertfordshire Mercury. Daily Mail. The Guardian. ITV News. Risks 723. 10 October 2015

Britain: Soup giant done again for maiming a worker
Baxters Food Group Limited, one of the UK’s most well-known food manufacturers, has appeared before Elgin Sheriff Court for the second time in five months after another worker was injured while working at its Fochabers plant. The court heard that on 30 January 2014, short term contract worker Jodie Cormack climbed onto the conveyor belt to clear potatoes into the auger in-feed, but slipped from the belt into the collecting hopper.
HSE news release. Risks 723. 10 October 2015

Britain: Global firms sentenced after worker killed
Two global companies have received six figure fines after a worker was killed and another seriously injured during construction of an offshore wind farm. During the loading of wind turbine components at Pakeston Quay, Harwich, a part of the blade transport arrangement weighing over 2 tonnes fell off, crushing and fatally injuring one worker and seriously injuring another; both workers were employed by Siemens Windpower A/S (SWP) but were working for Fluor Ltd, the principal contractor.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 723. 10 October 2015

Britain: Restaurant owner had no employer liability insurance
A restaurant owner has been fined for failing to provide Employers’ Liability Compulsory Insurance (ELCI). Hasret Sasmaz, trading as Starburger, was fined £1,500 and ordered to pay full costs of £1,779 at Maidstone Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to three offences under the Employers’ Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969.
HSE news release and Employers’ liability insurance webpages. Risks 723. 10 October 2015

Global: Eliminating occupational cancer in Europe and globally
A new working paper from the European trade union research body ETUI presents arguments for a stronger policy to eradicate occupational cancer in Europe and globally. The working paper present a new estimation the burden of occupational cancer, noting the condition is responsible for 666,000 deaths worldwide, 102,500 of these in the EU alone and with the UK figure is put at 13,330 occupational cancer deaths a year, over 66 per cent higher than the Health and Safety Executive’s estimate.
ETUI publication alert. Jukka Takala, Eliminating occupational cancer in Europe and globally, ETUI, 2015. OSHwiki. Risks 723. 10 October 2015

Global: HP and Dell suspend use of interns in China factories
An investigation by Danish human rights group Danwatch has found that thousands of Chinese students are being compelled by their schools to work on the assembly lines of some of the world’s biggest electronics manufacturers, making servers destined for European universities. The Danwatch probe into conditions on the assembly lines of Wistron Corporation in Zhongshan, China, which manufactures servers for HP, Dell and Lenovo, found students working against their will for often between 10 to 12 hours a day for up to five months.
Good Electronics news release. Servants of Servers, Danwatch/Good Electronics, 2015. Responses from electronics companies. The Guardian. Risks 723. 10 October 2015

Global: UN network backs chemical risk reduction
A United Nations (UN) convened network has agreed on a plan that could prevent the annual deaths of more than one million people exposed to toxic chemicals. More than 800 participants, including government ministers, industry, union and civil society leaders, hammered out a strategy to reduce risks from chemicals at the International Conference on Chemicals Management, a weeklong UN Environment Programme event that ended on 2 October.
IPEN news release and video, The true costs of the chemical industry's products. PAN news release. VOA News. Fourth Session of the International Conference on Chemicals Management: Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) report.
Supporting SAICM implementation through fighting toxic work: Unions for a sustainable management of chemicals, Sustainlabour/ITUC, September 2015. Related video. ICCM4. Risks 723. 10 October 2015

New Zealand: Union holds firm to account for work death
A New Zealand logging company is facing a hefty legal bill after a union body took a private prosecution when enforcement agencies refused to bring charges after a workplace death. M and A Cross Limited was fined NZ$25,000 (£12,000) at Rotorua District Court and ordered to pay reparation of NZ$105,000 (£45,000) to the family of 45-year-old forestry worker Charles Finlay.
Radio NZ. New Zealand Herald. Risks 723. 10 October 2015

Hazards news, 3 October 2015

Britain: TUC provides graphic proof of the safety rep effect
A defence of the life-saving role of safety reps is an increasingly visible theme in the TUC’s campaign against the government’s rights-robbing Trade Union Bill. Announcing new infographics spelling out why the government should be addressing the damage to health caused by a neglect of safety rather than attacking employment and trade union rights, TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson notes: “One of the things that completely shows how the Bill is based on ideology rather than any desire to change things for the better is the focus the government is putting on the number of strikes we have.”
TUC safety poster to print off and use and related Twitter and Facebook versions for use online.
TUC Stronger Unions blog, The Union Effect report and Trade Union Bill briefing.
We’re here to stay! Unions challenge wrong-headed government attack that could cost lives, Frances O’Grady, Hazards online report, September 2015.
National rally and march on the Conservative conference, 4 October 2015. Risks 722. 3 October 2015

Britain: Aviation regulator falls down on safety
The UK’s aviation regulator no longer has safety as its paramount concern and should be split up, the union Prospect has said. In a letter to transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin the union, which represents more than 5,000 aviation specialists, calls for the Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA) regulatory functions to be hived off to a separate regulator after the union’s ‘extensive’ research raised serious problems caused by its dual role monitoring the economic and safety performance of the industry.
Prospect news release and report, Towards a sustainable aviation industry for the UK. Morning Star. Risks 722. 3 October 2015

Britain: Smoke-free prisons a union victory
A government announcement that smoking will be banned in all prisons in Wales and four in south-west England from next year has been hailed as a ‘victory for health and safety’ by the prison officers’ union POA. The phased roll-out, which will eventually see all jails in England and Wales go smoke-free, will from next month see smoking barred inside buildings at all open prisons in England and Wales.
POA news release. MoJ news release. BBC News Online. Risks 722. 3 October 2015

Britain: Diesel fumes are putting workers at risk
Diesel exhaust fumes on Britain’s streets are putting workers at risk of serious and potentially deadly health conditions, the union GMB has warned. The union says excessive levels present a health risk to members working on the roadside, noting “street cleaners, refuse workers, parking enforcement staff, utility workers, police community support workers and others are particularly exposed to such pollutants.”
GMB news release. Risks 722. 3 October 2015

Europe: Shocking new estimate of the asbestos death toll
Over 47,000 people in the European Union are dying of asbestos related conditions each year with the UK topping the fatalities list, a new report has concluded. ‘Eliminating occupational cancer in Europe’, published by the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI), puts deaths caused by exposure to asbestos at three times previous estimates.
IBAS news release. Eliminating occupational cancer in Europe, ETUI, 29 September 2015. ETUI asbestos webpages. Risks 722. 3 October 2015

Global: Metalworking fluids linked to irreversible lung disease
Occupational exposure to a fluid commonly used in metal machining operations may be related to a rare, irreversible and disabling lung disease, according to research presented this week at the European Respiratory Society’s (ERS) international congress in Amsterdam. Although metalworking fluid is known to be associated with the lung diseases asthma and hypersensitivity pneumonitis -an allergic type of pneumonia – the study authors say their research appears to be the first to establish that exposure to metalworking fluid is associated with lymphocytic bronchiolitis.
ELF news release. Risks 722. 3 October 2015

Britain: Lorry driver got farmers’ lung
A former HGV driver who developed the occupational disease ‘farmers’ lung’ hopes his case will lead to better protection for other workers. Ian Gear, a 53-year-old from Stafford, was diagnosed with the condition, also known as extrinsic allergic alveolitis, in September 2012 after working as an animal feed delivery driver for Ed Weetman Limited.
Irwin Mitchell news release. Risks 722. 3 October 2015

Britain: Zoo director in court after tiger kills keeper
A zoo director has been bailed after a court hearing related to the death of a keeper fatally mauled by a Sumatran tiger. Sarah McClay, 24, was pounced on in the keeper's corridor of the tiger house at South Lakes Wild Animal Park in Dalton-in-Furness, Cumbria, on 24 May 2013. 
The Herald. Risks 722. 3 October 2015

Britain: Company execs escape jail after site death
Two company executives have received suspended jail sentences after a bricklayer was crushed to death under a falling wall. Trevor Hyatt, 50, and project manager Alfred Barker, 59, both received six month prison sentences suspended for two years following the death of Gareth Jones, 28, who died in St Albans while working for Linley Developments.
Herts Constabulary news release. Welwyn Hatfield Times. BBC News Online. Risks 722. 3 October 2015

Britain: Steel firm fined following worker’s death
Steel supply company CMC UK Ltd has been fined following the death of an employee who was crushed by a two tonne steel beam at a warehouse in Cardiff. Mark Walker, a 37-year-old father of one from Newport, suffered fatal injuries as he was trying to move a steel beam onto a conveyor on 24 June 2012.
HSE news release. Risks 722. 3 October 2015

Britain: Hydrogen blast blew a hole in factory roof
A chemical firm has been fined after a hydrogen explosion blew a vessel lid through a factory roof, injuring a worker. Catalloy Ltd was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following the incident at its plant in Widnes on 25 November 2011.
HSE news release and hazardous installations webpages. Risks 722. 3 October 2015

Britain: Four figure fines after devastating fall injuries
Roofing firm Practical Cladding Solutions Limited and senior manager Anthony Hibbard have been fined for criminal safety failings after an employee suffered life changing injuries when he fell through a fragile roof. The firm was fined £9,000, after pleading guilty to three criminal breaches of the Work at Height Regulations and Hibbard fined £3,000, after pleading guilty to the same criminal offences.
HSE news release. Risks 722. 3 October 2015

Britain: Teen agency worker lost a finger in machine
A Hampshire metal manufacturing company has been fined for criminal safety offences after a teenage agency worker suffered an injury to his hand which led to the amputation of a finger. Basingstoke Magistrates’ Court heard how on 6 October 2014, an 18-year-old agency worker at Independent Ductwork Limited of Basingstoke was operating a three-roll machine when his gloved fingers were drawn into the rollers.
HSE news release and machinery safety webpages. Risks 722. 3 October 2015

Global: Consolidated list of banned pesticidesPesticide Action Network (PAN), comprising over 600 non-governmental organisations, institutions and individuals in over 90 countries, has released ‘The Consolidated List of Banned Pesticides’. The newly compiled list shows whether these pesticides are regarded as highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) by the Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Health Organisation, with the ban list including 316 pesticide active ingredients.
The Consolidated List of Banned Pesticides, PAN, 2015. Risks 722. 3 October 2015

Britain: TUC guidance for supporting staff with cancer
To coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which runs through October, the TUC has issued a second edition of its guidance for union representatives, employees, line managers and employers for how best to support colleagues with cancer at work. TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “There is enormous scope for union reps to ensure employers support their staff effectively, and everyone should be in a trade union to get their voice heard and their interests represented at work.”
Publication alert and full report: Cancer in the workplace: A workbook for union representatives. TUC guidance on occupational cancer prevention: Occupational Cancer - A Workplace Guide. Risks 722. 3 October 2015

Global: New union tools to fight toxic work
Occupational exposures to chemical hazards – and how to identify them and avoid them – is the topic of new resources launched this week at a major international conference. The fourth session of the International Conference on Chemicals Management (ICCM4), which started in Geneva on 28 September, considered next steps towards a previously agreed 2020 goal of ensuring all chemicals are produced and used in ways that minimise significant adverse impacts on human health and the environment.
Supporting SAICM implementation through fighting toxic work: Unions for a sustainable management of chemicals, Sustainlabour/ITUC, September 2015. Related video. ICCM4.
Related video resource: The true costs of the chemical industry's products, IPEN, September 2015. Risks 722. 3 October 2015

Malaysia: Union calls for leave for haze affected workers
Employers in Malaysia should allow smog-affected workers to stay away from work until air quality in the country improves, the Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC) has said. The union call came after acrid smoke billowing from agricultural fires in Indonesia caused a spike in air pollution in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur.
MTUC news report. Borneo Post. ABC News. Risks 722. 3 October 2015

USA: New pesticides rules to protect farmworkers
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released updated rules intended to keep farmworkers from being poisoned by pesticides. Under the changes, employers will now have to train workers on the risks of pesticides every year, rather than every five years, workers have to stay farther away from contaminated fields, farmers will have to keep more records on exactly when and where they use specific pesticides, and no children under the age of 18 will be allowed to handle the chemicals.
EPA news release and related radio broadcast. NPR report. Farmworker Justice news release. Risks 722. 3 October 2015

Hazards news, 26 September 2015

Britain: Your best defence at work is to be organised
With the government intent on introducing more anti-trade union laws and continuing its attack on workers’ rights and essential safety protections, your best defence at work is to be organised and active, according to Mick Holder of the train drivers’ union ASLEF. In a pep talk for safety reps in the new issue of Hazards magazine, he spells out how union health and safety reps can ‘turn it on’, using their rights and organising power to protect and improve workplace health and safety.
Turn it on!, Hazards magazine, number 131, 2015. TUC health and safety organisation webpages. Risks 721. 26 September 2015

Britain: A creative guide to organising for safety
Dave Smith’s long history as a workplace safety activist, union safety rep and trade union health and safety tutor has meant he’s heard many union reps relate inspiring examples of the most creative ways to get a workplace safety message across. And now he’s writing them down, in a regular ‘Organising 101’ column in Hazards magazine. Organising 101: Dave Smith's guide to organising. Risks 721. 26 September 2015

Britain: Unite warns that ‘welding fumes can kill’
New guidance from Unite is warning that ‘welding fumes can kill’. The union says it is concerned about the long term health risks of being exposed to the fumes generated during welding operations.
Unite welding leaflet and posters. Risks 721. 26 September 2015

Britain: Fit for work could mean bullied back to work
UNISON has warned that government changes to the role of the fit for work service could increase bullying of sick staff. The public service union says prior to the change only GPs could refer to the Fit for Work Service, but now employers can refer employees “who have been off sick from work, or are likely to be off sick from work, for 4 weeks or more”.
UNISON news report. Fit for Work guidance for employees, DWP, updated 8 September 2015. Risks 721. 26 September 2015

Britain: We are teachers, not boxers
Teaching union NASUWT has expressed concern about the increase in violence towards teachers. NASUWT president Graham Dawson said: “The only people who go to work expecting to be hit are professional boxers.”
NASUWT news release. Risks 721. 26 September 2015

Britain: Shopworkers get recognised at TUC awards
Usdaw reps Brenda Shaw and Janise Corfield have been honoured at the national TUC awards. Janise Corfield received the 2015 TUC health and safety rep award for her extensive campaigning to improve safety for staff in her workplace, an out-of-town large supermarket
Usdaw news release. TUC news release. Risks 721. 26 September 2015

Britain: Nearly half of teachers in Wales ‘think of quitting’
Nearly half of teachers surveyed in Wales said they are thinking of leaving the job in the next two years. The union NUT Cymru asked 450 teachers about their intentions for the future.
BBC News Online. Risks 721. 26 September 2015

Britain: Fit for work ruling ‘caused suicide’
A man with severe depression hanged himself as a direct cause of being deemed “fit for work” by a medically unqualified government assessor, a coroner has ruled. The Disability News Service (DNS) unearthed the coroner’s report on the suicide of Michael O’Sullivan, 60, saying that it appeared to be the first case in which a coroner explicitly linked Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) sanctions to a death.
Disability News Service report. The Independent. Morning Star. Risks 721. 26 September 2015

Britain: Scaffold horrors captured by passer-by
A scaffolder has been given a suspended jail sentence after repeatedly ignoring official warnings about seriously unsafe work above a busy London street. Greg Pearson, trading as ‘Pearsons Scaffolding’, was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after a member of the public raised concerns about scaffolding work being carried out on Tavistock Street in central London.
HSE news release, work at heights webpages and Safer Sites facebook page. Construction Enquirer. Risks 721. 26 September 2015

Britain: Abattoir worker’s hand maimed by pig saw
An abattoir worker suffered severe hand injuries in an incident with an industrial saw that led to a major Scottish food processing firm being prosecuted. Recent recruit Steven Murray was working at the AP Jess plant on the outskirts of Brechin when his left hand came into contact with an unprotected band saw on the production line used for killing all of the Tulip bacon company’s Scottish pigs.
HSE news release and machinery safety webpages. The Courier. Risks 721. 26 September 2015

Britain: Maintenance firm firmed after joiner’s electric shock
Berneslai Homes Ltd has been fined following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into safety standards on a council maintenance contract. Barnsley Magistrates Court heard that HSE was following up an incident involving a Berneslai Homes Ltd joiner who received an electric shock while replacing a wooden garden fence around a domestic property in Barnsley on 26 November 2013.
HSE news release. Risks 721. 26 September 2015

Britain: Tackling HIV discrimination at work
There are more than 100,000 people living with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) in the UK, mostly of working age, of whom a quarter are unaware of their status. Most of those who live with HIV in the UK have normal life expectancy and lead fulfilling working lives. ‘Tackling HIV discrimination at work’, a new TUC guide, provides basic facts to help trade unionists deal with issues that might arise.
TUC publication alert and guide, Tackling HIV discrimination at work. Risks 721. 26 September 2015

Bangladesh: Shipbreaking deaths lead to action call
The deaths of four workers in a single incident in a Bangladesh shipbreaking yard underline the importance of the global campaign for ratification of the Hong Kong Convention, aimed at making perilous shipbreaking jobs safer, the global union IndustriALL has said. The union body was speaking out in the wake of the 5 September fatalities in the Shital yard in Chittagong.
IndustriALL news release. The Hong Kong Convention. Risks 721. 26 September 2015

Global: Unions dismiss KiK’s comments on fire payouts
Global unions and labour rights campaigners have criticised German retail multinational KiK for stalling on a commitment to properly compensate victims of a deadly garment factory fire in Pakistan. Global unions IndustriALL and UNI and the Clean Clothes Campaign have expressed dismay at the company’s “attempts to obfuscate issues related to compensation for the victims of the Ali Enterprises factory fire in Pakistan.”
Joint statement from IndustriALL, UNI and the Clean Clothes Campaign and earlier IndustriALL news release.  Risks 721. 26 September 2015

USA: Common solvent is killing people
Methylene chloride, a powerful solvent whose use is heavily restricted in Europe, remains widely used and poorly regulated in the US – and is continuing to kill as a result. “People have died, it poses this cancer threat… and everybody knows it’s a bad chemical, and yet nobody does anything,” said Katy Wolf, who recommends safer alternatives to toxic chemicals as director of the non-profit Institute for Research and Technical Assistance (IRTA) in California.
CPI feature. IRTA reports on solvent alternatives. Risks 721. 26 September 2015

USA: Chemicals killed him; but they only tested for drugs
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspector who investigated the suspected chemical asphyxiation death of truck driver David Simpson at an XTO Energy Inc. site deemed the safety practices at the facility ‘UNACCEPTABLE’ in his report. But OSHA dropped the case after the Oklahoma medical examiner listed Simpson's cause of death as “unknown,” with Byron Curtis, toxicologist with the medical examiner's office, admitting: “We just did what we usually do for on-the-job, which is an alcohol and drugs of abuse screen.”
E&E News. Risks 721. 26 September 2015

Hazards news, 19 September 2015

Britain: How to stop the job safely
One very important right is missing from the health and safety law poster required in every workplace in the country. TUC’s Hugh Robertson says that crucial right is “the right to stop work.”
TUC Strong er Unions blog and Trade Union Bill backgrounder. Risks 720. 19 September 2015

Britain: Real threats from the Trade Union Bill
A vicious attack on the rights of workers is set to create “state-sponsored victimisation” of trade unionists, the construction union UCATT has said. And TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady, speaking after the Trade Union Bill was voted through its second reading in the House of Commons this week, said “the campaign against this bill is far from over.”
UCATT news release. TUC news release. Morning Star. BBC News Online.
We’re here to stay! Unions challenge wrong-headed government attack that could cost lives, Frances O’Grady, Hazards online report, 4 September 2015. Risks 720. 19 September 2015

Britain: Stretched ASOS workers forced to pee in water stations
Breakneck work rates required at the Barnsley distribution depot of the online retailer ASOS are so hard to achieve that employees are sometimes forced to urinate in nearby water stations rather than make the trip to the loo, their union has said. GMB said pressure to maintain ‘pick rates’ meant some staff did not have the time to make the 15 minute return walk to the toilets.
GMB news release. Risks 720. 19 September 2015

Britain: Stress could force senior doctors out of the NHS
The NHS is facing an exodus of senior hospital doctors as new figures show that more than 80 per cent may retire early because work-related stress is causing them sleepless nights, marital breakups and illness such as ulcers, anxiety and even strokes. A union survey of NHS consultants has found that huge numbers are becoming burned out and having their lives damaged as a result of the escalating pressures at the service’s frontline, including rising demand, long hours and the need to meet targets.
HCSA news release. The Guardian. Risks 720. 19 September 2015

Britain: Scottish lecturers get new stress busting tool
A Scottish union has launched a new toolkit to help university lecturers combat work-related stress. The University Lecturers’ Association (ULA), part of the union EIS, is distributing the kit to members and university human resources departments.
EIS news release. Risks 720. 19 September 2015

Britain: CWU welcomes prosecution protocol for dog attacks
New arrangements for investigating and prosecuting Dangerous Dogs Act offences have been welcomed by the postal and telecoms union CWU. The new approach, agreed by the union and Royal Mail with police chiefs, follows CWU's high profile ‘Bite-Back’ campaign.
CWU news release and campaign, Dangerous Dogs - Bite Back. Risks 720. 19 September 2015

Britain: Council urged to come clean on schools asbestos
Unions should be told how an east London council is dealing with the asbestos found in half its schools, GMB has said. The union called for “a more proactive approach” from Barking and Dagenham council after a freedom of information request from a local paper discovered 31 of 61 schools in the borough contained asbestos.
GMB news release. Barking and Dagenham Post. Risks 720. 19 September 2015

Britain: Travelling for work 'is work', European court rules
The TUC has welcomed a ruling by the European Court of Justice on working time and a worker’s travel between their home and a client. The ruling affects workers with no ‘fixed or habitual’ place of work, and requires a worker’s travel time between home and their first and last customer appointments in a working day to be considered in relation to the 48 hour maximum working week introduced under the Working Time Directive.
TUC news release. TUC Touchstone blog. UNISON news release. CWU news release. ETUC news release. IoD news release. CBI news release. BCC news release. BBC News Online. Personnel Today. European Court of Justice judgment. Risks 720. 19 September 2015

Britain: Inequality in the UK costs 550 lives every day
Hundreds of people in the UK are dying prematurely each day because of social inequalities, a top academic has warned. Sir Michael Marmot, who has undertaken extensive research on the marked impact of socioeconomic factors in UK workplaces, warned that research revealed a stark “social gradient” emerging in Britain.
Michael Marmot. The Health Gap: The challenge of an unequal world, Bloomsbury, September 2015. ISBN: 9781408857991. The Guardian. Risks 720. 19 September 2015

Britain: Site firm calls for others to learn from mistakes
A national interiors fit-out company, previously prosecuted for criminal breaches of safety law, has called on firms to take protective action before the safety regulator calls. Newman Scott, whose clients include high-end retail brands, is backing the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) annual construction refurbishment initiative. 
HSE news release. Safer Sites facebook page. Risks 720. 19 September 2015 

Britain: Car worker killed, firm fined the price of a car
The family of a man killed while working for Jaguar Land Rover have said the £30,000 fine on the firm is a “disgrace”. Liverpool Crown Court heard Graham Begley, 49, from Halewood, was found trapped between two 24 tonne dies on 26 September 2011 at the firm’s factory in Halewood.
HSE news release. Liverpool Echo. Risks 720. 19 September 2015

Britain: Polythene giant trapped worker in machine
A Widnes polythene manufacturer has been fined for serious criminal safety breaches after a night shift employee was badly injured when he became trapped in a machine. British Polythene Ltd was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following the incident at BPI Widnes Films on 21 January 2014.
HSE news release and safe maintenance webpages. Risks 720. 19 September 2015

Britain: HSE finally acts after firm’s offending decade
A Cheltenham firm that left workers at risk of potentially deadly diseases and injuries over a period of a decade despite repeat warnings from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has finally found itself facing justice. Welsted Joinery Ltd was fined for failing to use a local exhaust ventilation (LEV) system to extracting asthma- and cancer-linked wood dust and for failing to have lifting equipment on its rider-operated trucks thoroughly examined.
HSE news release. Risks 720. 19 September 2015

India: Truck crash kills 18 workers
At least 18 workers have been killed after the truck they were travelling in overturned in India's southern state of Andhra Pradesh. The truck carrying cement and other construction materials was taking the workers to a construction site southeast of the capital, Hyderabad.
BBC News Online. Risks 720. 19 September 2015

Pakistan: Workers killed making clothes for big name brands
Four workers died and sixteen were injured when the roof of a garment factory collapsed on 5 September in Lahore, Pakistan. The factory was operating in a poorly constructed building and producing garments for Primark, Topman, Burton, New Look and River Island.
IndustriALL news release and related news release. Risks 720. 19 September 2015

India: Tea report exposes failures by Rainforest Alliance
Child labour, exposure to highly toxic chemicals and diseases related to extreme poverty and dismal, insanitary housing have been discovered at tea plantations in India despite the tea producers boasting certification by the corporate responsibility auditor the Rainforest Alliance. A BBC investigation found the firms supplying some of Britain's biggest tea brands, including PG Tips, Tetleys and Twinings, were Rainforest certified despite major violations of national law and Rainforest's own standard.
BBC News Online. IUF news release and related release. Rainforest Alliance statement. Risks 720. 19 September 2015

Hazards news, 12 September 2015

Britain: TUC warns of the re-emergence of ‘Burnout Britain’
The number of people working excessive hours has risen by 15 per cent since 2010, according to a new TUC analysis. Regularly working more than 48 hours per week is linked to a significantly increased risk of developing stress, mental illness, heart disease and strokes and diabetes.
TUC news release. Morning Star. Risks 719. 12 September 2015

Britain: Trade Union Bill a ‘major attack on civil liberties’
Leading human rights groups have warned that the government’s Trade Union Bill is “a major attack on civil liberties in the UK”. In a joint statement Liberty, Amnesty International and the British Institute of Human Rights said the bill “would hamper people’s basic rights to protest and shift even more power from the employee to the employer.”
TUC news release and responses to the government consultation on the Trade Union Bill. BBC News Online.
Can you send an email to your MP? Make sure all supportive MPs attend the forthcoming vote on the Trade Union Bill, and that government MPs realise their constituents are concerned. Risks 719. 12 September 2015

Britain: Liverpool agrees breakthrough construction charter
Construction firms that want to build in Liverpool will have to agree a six-point charter to ensure that workers have guaranteed health and safety rights and decent employment conditions. The charter, which has been drawn up by the unions Unite, UCATT and the GMB, is designed to stamp out ‘notorious’ industry practices, such as bogus self-employment schemes, blacklisting and health and safety breaches on any construction site within the city limits.
Unite news release. GMB news release. UCATT news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 719. 12 September 2015

Britain: Bus driver fired after breaking his neck
A bus driver was fired after his neck was broken as he made his way to work. Describing the decision by Metroline to dismiss Manelson Chivela as “sickening”, his union GMB is now demanding his reinstatement. “Clearly, Metroline no longer allow their employees to recover from serious injuries, they simply dismiss them, and try to recruit replacements,” GMB’s Richard Owen said, adding that the union is demanding his reinstatement with no interruption of his employment rights.
GMB news release. Risks 719. 12 September 2015

Britain: Unions welcome death knell for tribunal fees in Scotland
Unions have welcomed the Scottish government announcement that it intends to abolish fees for employment tribunals in Scotland. The announcement came as public service union UNISON vowed to go to the UK Supreme Court in its ongoing fight against the UK government's decision to introduce employment tribunal fees across the UK.
UNISON Scotland news release. Prospect news release.
A Stronger Scotland: The Government's Programme for Scotland 2015-16, Scottish government, September 2015. Risks 719. 12 September 2015

Global: Survey identifies issues facing women seafarers
Seafarers’ union Nautilus is to seek better tailored guidance and action to address health problems faced by women seafarers. The union’s commitment follows the publication of the findings of a large scale international survey of the health concerns of women working at sea that found the problems encountered mirror those of their male counterparts, with back and joint pain, and stress being the most commonly reported health concerns.
Nautilus news release. Nautilus Telegraph. Risks 719. 12 September 2015

Britain: New Merseyrail trains must have guards
Plans for a new generation of Merseyrail trains will be welcomed by all, the union RMT has said – but it adds these trains must have guards on board to maintain safety and security. The union said both passengers and rail workers will be horrified at the prospect of Merseyrail trains without guards, saying networks without staffing descend into an “anti-social abyss”.
RMT news release. Risks 719. 12 September 2015

Britain: Firefighter badly injured in pig rescue
A firefighter from Louth, Lincolnshire has received £108,000 in compensation after suffering a serious shoulder injury at work. The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) member, whose name has not been released, was part of a team responding to a call where a lorry that was transporting pigs had turned over.
FBU news release. Thompsons Solicitors news release and new industrial diseases website. Risks 719. 12 September 2015

Britain: Low pay is a workplace ‘well-being’ issue
In an increasing number of workplaces, workforce ‘well-being’ has become a favourite management preoccupation – often as a more palatable alternative to dealing with health and safety concerns, according to the TUC. But a new official report suggests employers may be ignoring the key driver of poor well-being – low pay. 
TUC Touchstone blog. Relationship between Wealth, Income and Personal Well-being, July 2011 to June 2012, ONS, September 2015. Low blow: Low paid work comes with high work risks, Hazards, October-December 2014. Risks 719. 12 September 2015

Global: New warning on deadly work stress
Job insecurity, long working hours and other common workplace stressors can all damage a person's health, raise the odds of them having an illness diagnosed by a doctor and even leading to an early death. A Harvard Business School and Stanford University study found that high job demands increased the odds of having an illness diagnosed by a doctor by 35 per cent, long work hours increased the chances of early death by almost 20 per cent and worry that you might soon lose your job increased the odds of having poor health by about 50 per cent.
Joel Goh, Jeffrey Pfeffer and Stefanos A Zenios, Workplace stressors and health outcomes: Health policy for the workplace, Behavioural Science and Policy, volume 1, number 1, September 2015. Daily Mail. CNN News. Boston.com. Risks 719. 12 September 2015

Britain: Law project wins 95 per cent of 'fit for work' appeals
Almost all of the 200 “fit for work“ test appeals undertaken by a student volunteer project have been won, providing more evidence of the unreliability of the government’s controversial work capability assessment (WCA). The programme was created by Avon and Bristol Law centre, two years ago using a handpicked team of law students to fill the gap created by legal aid cuts in 2013.
The Guardian. The Mirror. Lawyer 2B. Risks 719. 12 September 2015

Britain: Study looks at the impact of work on health
A major ongoing research project is turning its attention to the effects of work on health. TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson described the new evaluation by the UK Biobank study as a ‘fantastic opportunity’ to learn more about how certain workplace hazards are resulting in illness or death.
UK Biobank news release and website. TUC health and safety facebook page. Risks 719. 12 September 2015

Britain: Scotland urged to plug asbestos loophole
Scotland’s groundbreaking asbestos compensation laws need an immediate tweak to stop the most seriously affected individuals losing out, occupational health researchers have said. The University of Stirling team said Scotland leads the way in protecting the rights of people affected by asbestos, but found people who suffer from pleural plaques, an asbestos-related chest condition, are being forced to second-guess their chances of subsequently developing a potentially fatal condition such as lung cancer or mesothelioma.
Stirling University news release. Irwin Mitchell Solicitors news release. Glasgow Evening Times. Hawick News. Risks 719. 12 September 2015

Britain: Labourer aged 16 died in site fall
A north London company has been fined £325,000 following the death of a 16-year-old labourer. Enfield firm Rooftop Rooms Ltd was fined £325,000, ordered to pay the Crown costs of £12,187.78 and health and safety costs of £7,334.84 after teenager Alfie Perrin fell from a scaffold on 14 November 2012.
Metropolitan Police news release. Construction Enquirer. Ilford Recorder. Wanstead Guardian. Enfield Today. Risks 719. 12 September 2015

Britain: Fall into recycling machine proved fatal
A waste recycling firm has been sentenced after admitting criminal safety failings related to a worker’s death. Bradford Crown Court heard that on 17 August 2012, Simon Brook, an employee of Gwynn Davies-McTiffin Ltd, was found lying seriously injured at the bottom of a horizontal baling machine and died two days later.
HSE news release. Dewsbury Reporter. Morning Star. Risks 719. 12 September 2015

Europe: European Health and Safety Week, 19-25 October
European Health and Safety Week will take place in the third week of October, running from Monday 19 October to Sunday 25 October. The theme is workplace stress for the second year running, with Wednesday 21 October the TUC National Inspection Day when all safety representatives are encouraged to inspect their workplace.
TUC European Health and Safety Week webpage and resources Risks 719. 12 September 2015

Canada: Study shows unions keep site workers safer
Unionised construction workers are significantly less likely than their non-unionised counterparts to be seriously injured on the job, a new Canadian study has shown. The report found that workers with unionised firms reported 23 per cent fewer injuries that required time off than those at non-union shops, and unionised workers, 17 per cent less likely to experience muscle, tendon, and nerve injuries that affect mobility, and were almost 30 per cent less likely to suffer critical injuries — defined as those that place workers’ lives in jeopardy.
IWH news release. OCS union safety effect infographic. FIU news release.
Toronto Star.
Benjamin C Amick, Sheilah Hogg-Johnson, Desiree Latour-Villamil and Ron Saunders. Protecting construction worker health and safety in Ontario Canada: Identifying a union safety effect, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, published online ahead of print, September 2015. doi 10.1097/JOM.0000000000000562 [full paper]. Risks 719. 12 September 2015

Europe: EC refuses access to glyphosate assessment
The European Commission has refused to make available the risk assessment report on glyphosate prepared for the European Food Safety Authority. Global food and farming union federation IUF said: “The Commission's ongoing refusal to make available its risk assessment data violates a 2013 ruling by the European Court of Justice requiring public disclosure.”
IUF news report. Risks 719. 12 September 2015

Global: Lawyers bid to hide scientist’s asbestos links
In a document filed on 4 September, lawyers for Union Pacific Railroad Company made a court bid to suppress evidence that an expert witness in an asbestos compensation case was a regular recipient of money from a global asbestos lobbying group. Robert Nolan is a key scientific witness for the company in a US court case concerning the death of a worker from asbestos-related lung disease.
RightOnCanada.ca. Risks 719. 12 September 2015

South Africa: Miners march for pay and safety
South African miners marched to the Chamber of Mines in Johannesburg on 5 September in protest at poor working conditions. Thousands of National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) members marched through the city to deliver a list of demands to the goldmine owners’ federation.
NUM video and news release. Morning Star. Risks 719. 12 September 2015

Hazards news, 5 September 2015

Britain: TUC slams ‘vindictive’ and dangerous Bill 
The government’s ‘vindictive’ Trade Union Bill could put your life at risk, TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady has warned. In a special feature in Hazards magazine she says David Cameron’s plan would rob union safety reps of the time and rights they need to perform their role
We’re here to stay! Unions challenge wrong-headed government attack that could cost lives, Frances O’Grady, Hazards online report, 4 September 2015. Risks 718. 5 September 2015

Britain: Have you taken strike action to protect your rights?
The TUC says government’s Trade Union Bill “threatens the right to strike – and that’ll make it harder to raise safety concerns, oppose job cuts or service closures, or win better conditions.” The union body adds: “That’s where you come in. If you have been involved in a recent dispute that has resulted in strike action, please tell us your story.”
Tell TUC what you did and why. Risks 718. 5 September 2015

Britain: Rural safety threat as fire cover is axed
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) in North Yorkshire has stepped up its campaign against cuts to the local fire and rescue service. It says an area in excess of 3,000 square miles could be left with the number of fire engines pared back to about half the pre-cuts level, and with hundreds fewer firefighters.
FBU news release and www.no2firecuts.com campaign website. Risks 718. 5 September 2015

Britain: UNISON to continue tribunal fees fight
UNISON has vowed to go to country’s top court after the Court of Appeal rejected its appeal against the government’s introduction of ‘punitive’ employment tribunal fees. The Court of Appeal did describe the fees evidence as ‘troubling’ and expressed a “strong suspicion that so large a decline [in claims] is unlikely to be accounted for entirely by cases of ‘won’t pay’ and [that] it must also reflect at least some cases of ‘can’t pay’.”
UNISON news release. Court of Appeal judgment, 26 August 2015. Risks 718. 5 September 2015

Britain: Long hours warning must be heeded at sea
Research linking long working hours to higher rates of heart disease and strokes should spur a reduction in the notoriously long hours worked at sea, seafarers’ union Nautilus has said. Allan Graveson, Nautilus senior national secretary, said: “Unlike asbestos, ignored for decades, employers now need to take responsibility,” adding: “A 91/98 hour working week is unacceptable.”
Nautilus news release. Project Horizon. Risks 718. 5 September 2015

Britain: Work capability assessments not ‘fit for purpose’
The Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) Work Capability Assessments are not fit for purpose and should be scrapped in their current form, Unite has said. The union was speaking after the release of figures showing more than 4,000 people died within six weeks of being found ‘fit for work’.
Unite news release. Risks 718. 5 September 2015

Britain: Healthy workplaces ‘a must do’ says NHS chief
The NHS “must put its own house in order” and create healthy workplaces for its 1.3 million staff, NHS England's chief executive has announced. Simon Stevens was outlining his £5m solution for cutting the NHS bill for staff sickness, which currently stands at £2.4bn a year.   
NHS England news release. BBC News Online. The Mirror. Risks 718. 5 September 2015

Britain: Dundee firm admits failings in chemical tank death
A Dundee company has admitted criminal health and safety failings after a worker died while cleaning out a chemical tank with a highly dangerous chemical cocktail. Steven Conway died while working at Diamond Wheels (Dundee) Ltd, while using a product containing methylene chloride, methanol and hydrofluoric acid.
STV News. BBC News Online. Risks 718. 5 September 2015

Britain: Coatings firm in court for legionella failings
An international firm that refurbishes turbine blades has been fined for failing to manage the risk to the public and employees from exposure to potentially deadly legionella bacteria. Chromalloy UK Limited, which has sites in Eastwood in Nottinghamshire and Somercotes in Derbyshire, failed to properly manage the risk of bacteria growing in their cooling towers for over a year, from May 2011.
HSE news release and legionella management guide. Risks 718. 5 September 2015

Britain: Steel coating firm ignored Legionella risk
A steel coating company has been fined for failing to manage the risks from legionella bacteria at two cooling towers over a period of five years. Newport Crown Court heard how in February 2014, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited Coilcolor limited in Newport, Gwent and found it had since 2009 been operating two cooling towers on site without taking necessary measures to control proliferation of the bacteria.
HSE news release and Legionnaires’ disease webpage. Risks 718. 5 September 2015

Britain: Teen worker disfigured by unguarded machine
A Glasgow manufacturer of foam plastics and rubber materials has been fined after admitting criminal safety failing that left a teenage worker permanently disfigured. Glasgow Sheriff Court was told that on 28 January 2013 a 19-year-old employee of Paulamar Company Ltd was seriously injured while feeding foam sheets into an adhesive backing machine that had no safety guardings.
HSE news release. Risks 718. 5 September 2015

Britain: Worker pollaxed by boards falling from crane
A worker on a Balfour Beatty site in Dorset was knocked out and seriously injured after being struck by falling boards being lifted by a crane. The half a tonne load of sound bloc boards was being lifted from the fourth floor at the rear of a block of flats under construction in Poole to the second lift loading bay at the front of the building.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 718. 5 September 2015

Britain: Contractor didn’t provide safety cover
A contractor has been fined after admitting unsafe work at height practices and insurance breaches. James Young, trading as Watertight Home Improvements, pleaded guilty at Chester Magistrates’ Court after an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
HSE news release. Risks 718. 5 September 2015

Australia: Unions call for offshore safety action
There must be urgent reforms to regulatory oversight of Australia’s offshore oil and gas industry to improve safety, unions have said.  In a new report, ‘Offshore OHS – Protecting our oil and gas workers’, national union federation ACTU outlines nine recommendations for occupational health and safety law reform.
ACTU news release and report, OHS Offshore - Protecting our Oil and Gas Workers, Risks 718. 5 September 2015

Global: Asbestos industry lobbyists still at work
Top public relations firms are continuing to ply their trade for the global asbestos industry, helping maintain the deadly fibre’s marketshare. The latest evidence, obtained by Canadian human rights organisation RightOnCanada.ca, comes from Malaysia.
RightOnCanada.ca. Risks 718. 5 September 2015

Global: Samsung pressed on cancers foundation
A broad group of civil society organisations from Asia, Europe, Africa, North America and South America is urging Korean electronics giant Samsung to deliver justice to those harmed by chemical exposures in its factories. The letter to Kwon oh hyun, CEO of Samsung Electronics, says Samsung should abide by the recent recommendations of a high profile mediation committee and fund an independent non-profit foundation and resolve all outstanding issues arising from the cluster of occupational diseases such as leukaemia and lymphoma among
IndustriALL news release. Support and endorse the open letter. Good Electronics news release. Korea IT Times. Risks 718. 5 September 2015

Ireland: Fearful rail staff dare not report 'near misses'
Under pressure workers at Irish Rail are failing to report “near misses” or incidents on the country's railways for fear of being blamed by senior management, a damning safety audit has found. The draft report, commissioned by the Railway Safety Commission (RSC), also warns of “poor morale” among workers due to recently imposed pay cuts.
Irish Independent. Risks 718. 5 September 2015

Hazards news, 29 August 2015

Britain: Enquiry call on ‘disturbing’ back-to-work death figures
The TUC has called for an urgent enquiry after government figures revealed over 1,000 people a year are dying shortly after being told during benefit checks they are fit for work. Department of Work and Pensions figures show that between December 2011 and February 2014, 2,380 people died shortly after losing their claim for Employment Support Allowance (ESA) and being declared 'fit for work'.
TUC news release. PCS news release. Mortality statistics: Employment and Support Allowance, Incapacity Benefit or Severe Disablement Allowance, DWP, August 2015. The Mirror. Huffington Post. Risks 717. 29 August 2015

Britain: Renewed call for offshore helicopter inquiry
The UK government must urgently revisit the recommendation of the previous parliament’s Transport Select Committee for a public inquiry into offshore helicopter safety, Unite has said. The union call came ahead of the 23 August second anniversary of the Sumburgh offshore helicopter tragedy, when four offshore workers died when their helicopter ditched in the waters off the Scottish coast, taking the total number of helicopter transfer fatalities since 2002 to 38.
Unite news release. The National. Risks 717. 29 August 2015

Britain: North Sea pilots support safety strike action
North Sea helicopter pilots have indicated strong support for strike action if helicopter companies do not make “serious improvements” in the way they deal with job losses. In a survey conducted by their union BALPA, which highlighted safety concerns, pilots accepted the downturn in the industry meant jobs would go, but were frustrated at the way management are going about it.
BALPA news release. Risks 717. 29 August 2015

Britain: Sellafield faces new wave of safety action
Workers from nine contractors will be staging a wave of industrial action in the escalating safety dispute at Sellafield in Cumbria. Construction workers involved in the decommissioning and renewal project at the site are angry at the refusal by Sellafield Ltd and the 14-strong group of sub-contractor companies to facilitate a full-time union convenor on the site.
Unite news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 717. 29 August 2015

Britain: US fines map has pointers for the UK
The UK Health and Safety Executive’s ‘fantastic’ database of official health and safety enforcement action could still learn a trick or two from its shiny new US cousin, the TUC has said. TUC’s Hugh Robertson said in the UK “it would be much better to have one database with the ability to narrow down the search by timeframe if you want.”
TUC health and safety facebook page. OSHA fine map and related blog posting. HSE prosecutions database and enforcement webpages. Risks 717. 29 August 2015

Britain: Electrician suffered foot injury at station
An electrician from Ormskirk has secured more than £10,000 in compensation after a heavy pump crushed his right foot. Unite member Gary Clark was working at Liverpool Central Station when he was told to move a large draining pump, a machine used to prevent flooding on train tracks.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 717. 29 August 2015

Global: Working longer hours increases stroke risk
Long working hours greatly increases your risk of suffering a stroke, a major study had found, with the risk increasing the more hours you work. The research, carried out in three continents and led by scientists at University College London, found that those who work more than 55 hours a week have a 33 per cent increased risk of stroke compared with those who work a 35- to 40-hour week; they also have a 13 per cent increased risk of coronary heart disease.
Mika Kivimäki and others. Long working hours and risk of coronary heart disease and stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis of published and unpublished data for 603,838 individuals, The Lancet, published online 20 August 2015. Science Daily. The Guardian. Risks 717. 29 August 2015

Britain: Asbestos death figures show ‘devastating legacy’
New official research revealing the areas of England and Wales with the highest rates of deaths linked to an asbestos-related disease provides a tragic reminder of the material’s “devastating legacy”, a top asbestos lawyer has said. A total of 11,011 deaths where mesothelioma was found to be an underlying cause were recorded in England and Wales across the four-year period analysed, with the number of fatalities increasing every year.
Mesothelioma deaths, England and Wales, deaths registered 2010-14, ONS, August 2015 [excel]. Irwin Mitchell news release. Risks 717. 29 August 2015

Britain: Call for Scottish blacklisting inquiry
Westminster’s Scottish Affairs Select Committee and Holyrood’s Infrastructure Committee should look into holding a joint inquiry into blacklisting, a member of the Scottish parliament has said. Christina McKelvie, the MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse and a member of Scotland’s ruling Scottish National Party (SNP), has written to both committees following a meeting with workers’ representatives.
SNP news release. Risks 717. 29 August 2015

Britain: Further HSE action at explosion deaths mill
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has taken additional enforcement action against Wood Treatment Ltd in Bosley, Cheshire, the scene of an explosion and fire that killed four workers on 17 July (Risks 715).
HSE news release. Risks 717. 29 August 2015

Britain: Transport firm convicted over driver’s slow death
A road transport company has been convicted of criminal safety failings after a driver suffered life-changing injuries which eventually killed him. Keith Brookes fell from an unsecured ladder during an operation to unload items from a lorry at the Hertfordshire Golf and Country Club in Broxbourne on 23 November 2012.
HSE news release and falls from vehicles webpages. OneMK. Risks 717. 29 August 2015

Britain: Sandwich firm put profits before safety
A food manufacturer with a multi-million pound turnover and one of its directors have been fined after an agency worker was crushed by a forklift truck at its Warwickshire factory. Leamington Crown Court heard that Jamie Barsby was lucky to be alive after the incident at The Sandwich Factory Holdings Ltd in Atherstone on 29 July 2012.
HSE news release and falls webpages. Nuneaton News. Tamworth Herald. Risks 717. 29 August 2015

Britain: Firms knew about asbestos, workers did not
A construction management company and the director of a construction firm have been fined for serious safety failings during work with asbestos on a London construction site. Work carried out by three employees of Chelmsford construction firm Cowen Builders Limited exposed them to asbestos over several days, after the main contractor failed to pass on details of an asbestos survey.
HSE news release and asbestos webpages. Risks 717. 29 August 2015

Britain: Schoolboy dies from work placement injuries
A schoolboy on work placement has died in Aberdeenshire. Michael McLean, 17, was found unconscious at Denholm Oilfield Services in Inverurie on 14 August. He had suffered a broken neck, two punctured lungs and damage to his back and leg; a week later, on 20 August, his life-support machine was switched off at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
BBC News Online. Risks 717. 29 August 2015

Britain: Aston Martin gave engineer skin disease
Luxury car manufacturer Aston Martin has been brought to book after a workshop engineer employed at its site in Banbury contracted occupational dermatitis from working with toxic glue. The engineer’s main duties were repairing car batteries, pneumatic tools and hydraulic car parts.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 717. 29 August 2015

China: Twenty-three implicated over deadly port blast
China says 11 Tianjin government and port officials are suspected of negligence in connection to the massive explosions that killed an estimated 145 people. Police have also detained 12 executives from Ruihai International Logistics and another company.
South China Morning Post. Business Insider. BBC News Online. Risks 717. 29 August 2015

India: Illegal mica mines power your electronics
The districts of Koderma and Giridih, in the impoverished Indian state of Jharkhand, are home to the world's largest deposits of sheet mica, a glittery silicate that has become an essential component in thousands of electronic and other products. India produces 60 per cent of the world's mica, most of it from Jharkhand.
Wired. Hazards magazine. Risks 717. 29 August 2015

Thailand: Intimidation of rights activist continues
A Thai court's has decided to indict migrants' rights activist Andy Hall, in what campaigners have described as “a major blow” to human rights in the country. The Bangkok South Criminal Court ruled on 24 August that researcher Andy Hall should face criminal defamation and computer crimes charges filed against him by a pineapple processing company, Natural Fruit Company Ltd.
Finnwatch news release. Stronger Unions blog. Letter to the Thai prime minister. Risks 717. 29 August 2015

USA: Warning on fracking chemicals risks
Greater attention should be paid to the potential health risks posed by fracking chemicals, researchers have warned. A team led by Elizabeth Wattenburg of the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health set out to identify the constituents of fracking fluids, noting: “There is growing concern about how hydraulic fracturing affects public health because this activity involves handling large volumes of fluids that contain toxic and carcinogenic constituents, which are injected under high pressure through wells into the subsurface to release oil and gas from tight shale formations.”
Elizabeth V Wattenberg and others. Assessment of the acute and chronic health hazards of hydraulic fracturing fluids, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, volume 12, issue 9, pages 611–624, September 2015. Hazards fracking guide. Risks 717. 29 August 2015

Hazards news, 22 August 2015

Britain: Tell us how you make work safer and healthier
We know organised workplaces are safer workplaces, and that the role played by trained and effective trade union safety reps is a major reason why. The TUC wants to hear about the inspirational work you are all doing, so it can showcase the lifesaving impact of union safety organisation in the workplace.
Send your case histories by 4 September to the TUC health and safety department.
TUC health and safety facebook page. The union effect, TUC. Trade Union Bill. Risks 716. 22 August 2015

Global: Case exposes real dangers of trade deals
A Canadian goldmining company is using a trade agreement between the UK and Romania to demand £2.5 billion in compensation from the Romanian government after its mining application was blocked. Gabriel Resources was refused permission on health and safety and environmental grounds to mine for gold and silver in the Transylvania region of Romania.
TUC health and safety facebook page. GMB news release. Huffington Post. Risks 716. 22 August 2015

Britain: Amazon makes its staff physically and mentally ill
Staff working for Amazon in the UK have developed physical and mental illnesses because of the “regimes” they work under, the union GMB has warned. Employees at the online retailer’s distribution centres across the UK were under pressure to be an “above-average Amazon robot”, said GMB’s lead officer for Amazon, Elly Baker.
GMB Amazon campaign. The Guardian. Wired. The Independent. Risks 716. 22 August 2015

Global: Unions are the solution to Amazon problems
A union presence backed up by decent employment rights is the solution to oppressive working conditions at Amazon, observers have said. The comments came after a New York Times exposé found the firm pushes staff to their limits in the name of productivity and efficiency.
New York Times. The Guardian, article by Larry Elliott and Comment is Free blog. BBC News Online. CBS News. The Independent. Risks 716. 22 August 2015

Britain: Unite calls for respect for toilet breaks
Too many workers are facing difficulty getting a toilet break at work, research by Unite has found. The union has published a 10-point action checklist for Unite safety reps, with recommendations including that toilet and washing facilities form part of regular safety inspections, members be encouraged to report problems and ensuring that agreements and health and safety policies provide for paid rest breaks, toilet breaks, provision of suitable welfare facilities and easy access to them during the working day.
Unite toilet breaks campaign. Hazards toilet breaks webpages. Risks 716. 22 August 2015

Britain: North Sea chopper pilots want safe staffing
A move by North Sea helicopter companies to rush through redundancies could put safety at risk, the pilots’ union has warned. BALPA said over a third of helicopter pilots operating in the North Sea attended a union meeting and were “appalled to hear the employers’ approach to the redundancies, at the ruthless exploitation of the weak market by the oil and gas majors and at the consequent real risk to safety in the North Sea.”
BALPA news release. Risks 716. 22 August 2015

Britain: Players’ safety ‘must come first’ in professional sport
The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) has said that safety should always come first when players are injured during a game. Karen Middleton, chief executive of the physios’ union, was commenting after Chelsea Football Club demoted two health professionals, Eva Carneiro and Jon Fearn, both of whom were then banished from the dugout after they ran onto the pitch to assist an injured player at a previous match, something the club management felt adversely affected the team’s chances.
CSP news release. The Herald. Risks 716. 22 August 2015

Britain: RMT slams ‘shocking complacency’ of private rail firms
Rail union RMT has accused private rail companies of “shocking complacency” after new figures revealed a sharp upturn in sexual assaults on the network. Responding to official figures released by the British Transport Police (BTP), RMT general secretary Mick Cash said: “These horrific statistics, showing that sexual assaults on our railways rose by nearly 25 per cent over the year, expose the shocking complacency of the private train companies who are still pressing ahead with plans to de-staff our stations and remove the safety-critical guards from our trains in line with government instructions.”
RMT news release. BTP news release and full annual report and statistical bulletin. BBC News Online. Risks 716. 22 August 2015

Britain: HSE criticised over deadly bin lorry crash inaction
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has been criticised for its decision to treat the Glasgow bin lorry crash as a road traffic accident. A QC representing three of those killed in the incident questioned whether the decision was “hasty and ill advised” and a campaign group said HSE had ignored a legal precedent set in a similar case in 2000. FACK news release. BBC News Online.  Risks 716. 22 August 2015

Britain: Action needed on workplace bullying
The TUC has called for action to prevent workplace bullying after new research found most workers have experience of bullying at work. Personal injury law firm Slater and Gordon found almost six in 10 people have witnessed or suffered bullying in the workplace; over a third (37 per cent) said they had been bullied themselves.
Slater and Gordon news release. TUC news release. BBC News Online. Morning Star. Risks 716. 22 August 2015

Britain: Manslaughter convictions after farm worker’s death
A construction site manager and the site owner have been convicted of manslaughter following the death of a farm worker in 2011. Jason Morgan, from Bristol, died when his ladder touched an overhead 11,000 volt cable at Great Brynn Barton Farm near Roche.
Devon and Cornwall Police statement. Falmouth Packet. Risks 716. 22 August 2015

Britain: Paper mill worker killed by unguarded machine
A worker died as a result of being pulled into unguarded machinery at a Devon paper mill, a court has heard. John Stoddart, 42, who was attempting to smooth out felt on a conveyor at the Higher Kings Mill in Cullompton, suffered fatal injuries in the incident on 24 September 2011.
HSE news release and machine guarding guide. Western Morning News. Risks 716. 22 August 2015

Britain: Engineering firm bypassed safety guards
A north east engineering firm has been fined for deliberately compromising machine safety guards for production reasons. South Tyneside Magistrates’ Court heard H Mullins (Earby) Limited, which produces precision engineered components, used Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) machines as part of the production process, including machining centres, milling machines and drilling machines.
HSE news release. Risks 716. 22 August 2015

Britain: Oil giant sentenced over criminal safety failure
The firm running the Grangemouth Oil Refinery in Scotland has been fined for criminal safety failings after a worker was injured at the plant. In October 2012, a Petroineos employee was carrying out a cleaning operation on a vent pipe and while opening a vent valve on a walkway 25 metres above ground, was sprayed in the face by low pressure steam.
HSE news release. Energy Voice. Risks 716. 22 August 2015

Britain: Timber worker loses fingers in poorly guarded machine
A timber gate manufacturer in Daventry has been fined after an employee lost two fingers on his left hand while working on machinery. The 27-year-old employee of Main Line Timber Limited was pulled into the rotating blade of an inadequately guarded circular saw on 25 July 2014.
HSE news release. Risks 716. 22 August 2015

China: Disasters take a huge toll on workers
Two massive explosions and the subsequent inferno around a warehouse in the industrial city of Tianjin on 12 August killed over 100 workers and injured several hundred more, including local residents. At least 21 firefighters are believed to be among the dead, with many more reported missing; it is believed the final death toll could exceed 200.
AAWL news report. FBU statement. Greenpeace blog. South China Morning Post. BBC News Online. Hong Kong Free Press. Risks 716. 22 August 2015

Lebanon: Union action on rubbish mountain at port
Work in the port of Beirut stopped on 13 August as workers staged a cautionary strike over serious health and safety concerns following the dumping of tons of municipal waste near the port. “We will not accept our port becoming the capital’s dumping ground,” said Bchara Asmar, president of the Union of Beirut port employees.
ITF news report and campaign webpage. Send a protest letter. Risks 716. 22 August 2015

Philippines: Rescued fishers launch 'worker safe' boats
Five months after internationally coordinated union action secured the release and repatriation of 43 fishing crew detained in Indonesia and abandoned by Philippines tuna giant Citra Mina, the Citra Mina Workers' Union and its allies have celebrated the launch of three newly built fishing vessels owned and operated by the union. The boats were built by the 43 returned fishing workers and will be crewed by them as part of the 'Worker Safe' tuna campaign to make workers’ rights, decent working conditions and workers’ health and safety integral to the sustainability of the tuna industry in the Philippines.
IUF news report. Risks 716. 22 August 2015

USA: Food firm to pay $6 million after horror death
A California food firm is to pay a $6 million fine after 62-year-old Bumble Bee Foods employee Jose Melena was cooked to death in an industrial pressure cooker. “You don’t have warm blood running in your veins if you’re not affected by the way this guy died. It’s horrific,” said Hoon Chun, assistant head deputy district attorney for the office’s Consumer Protection Division, who helped prosecute the case.
Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office news release. Los Angeles Times. Risks 716. 22 August 2015

Hazards news, 15 August 2015

Global: New report exposes raised cancer risk for women
UK union federation the TUC has called for urgent action on occupational exposure to breast cancer in women following new research by the San Francisco-based Breast Cancer Fund. The report, ‘Working Women and Breast Cancer: The State of the Evidence,’ is the product of more than two years of work overseen and is a review of most of the scientific studies that have been published in the past 25 years and found a link between breast cancer and a number of workplace exposures including solvents, pesticides, ionising radiation and other toxic materials.
Breast Cancer Fund news release. Stronger Unions blog. Risks 715. 15 August 2015.

Britain: TUC calls for action on night working
Following the publication of a report on the effect that night working can have on the work-life balance of those who work regular nights, the TUC has issued a checklist of what unions should be seeking to negotiate when employers seek to introduce night working. In a posting on its ‘Stronger Unions’ blog, the TUC’s Hugh Robertson lists seven key points that may help reduce some of the impact of night working.
Stronger Unions Blog. Risks 715. 15 August 2015.

Britain: Tube unions to continue night work fight
The London Underground trade unions are to continue taking action over attempts by the employer, Transport for London, to impose night working without agreement on issues such as work-life balance. The dispute came after the management announced that all-night tube services would start operating in September of this year, despite not having discussed the issue with the unions.
TUC news release. Risks 715. 15 August 2015.

Britain: GMB slams government migrant clampdown
Following an announcement from the government that they would be raiding employers who employ migrant workers without the proper papers on the grounds that “employers who are prepared to cheat employment rules are also likely to breach health and safety rules and pay insufficient tax”, the GMB union has claimed that the announcement is more about grabbing news headlines than tackling exploitation.
GMB news release. Risks 715. 15 August 2015.

Britain: Surprise growth in construction bogus self-employment
False self-employment and casualisation grew in the construction industry last year according to the construction union UCATT. The number of workers who received payments via the Construction Industry Scheme increased last year by 39,000, and this may rise after late returns are included.
UCATT news release. Risks 715. 15 August 2015.

Britain: Cognitive enhancing drugs and the workplace
The British Medical Association (BMA) have issued a warning about the use of drugs to improve memory or other cognitive functions within the workplace. There are a number of medicines available and licensed to improve cognitive functioning in those suffering from specific medical disorders such as ADHD and narcolepsy and there is growing evidence that healthy individuals use these without a prescription for non-medical purposes.
BMA guidance. Risks 715. 15 August 2015.

Britain: Companies ignore workers’ health
A survey of heads of HR or directors of over 250 businesses has revealed that less than half of businesses believe they have a duty of care to employee health. A report from Morgan Redwood shows that only 46 per cent of firms regard staff health as an employer’s responsibility, even though 82.8 per cent of companies believe that business performance and staff wellbeing are connected.
Morgan Redwood report. Risks 715. 15 August 2015.

Britain: £400,000 fine for paper company
Paper company DS Smith Paper Ltd, has been fined £400,000 and ordered to pay £34,761.67 in costs following the death of a worker who became trapped in unguarded machinery at a Devon paper mill. John Stoddart, who was the company’s operations manager, was attempting to smooth out felt on a conveyor at the Higher Kings Mill in the town when he was pulled into the machinery causing fatal injuries on 24 September 2011.
HSE news release. Risks 715. 15 August 2015.

Britain: Is the sick note failing?
The government’s changes to the certification of sickness absence are failing according to a new report from the Institution of Occupational safety and health (IOSH). The IOSH report, produced by Nottingham University, shows that “at present, the fit note is not reaching its full potential,” adding: “It is unlikely that this will happen without increased investment of time, money and commitment, and may require further legislation to overcome these obstacles.”
IOSH report. Risks 715. 15 August 2015.

Britain: Enforcement action against blast mill
Two new enforcement notices have been served by the Health and Safety Executive on the owners of a mill where four people died in an explosion last month. The HSE said it had served the notices on Wood Treatment Ltd, who operate the Wood Flour Mill in Bosley in relation to "dust issues" in sheds containing equipment on the site of the mill. Manchester Evening News. HSE enforcement database. Hazards twitter feed: Deadly factory blast: HSE continues to search debris for gate to close after horse has bolted. #OHSforTories #Hazards. Risks 715. 15 August 2015.

Britain: Claims company fined £220,000
The Hearing Clinic is the first company handed a financial penalty by watchdogs after they were given new powers last year. It followed hundreds of complaints from members of the public, many of whom were registered with the Telephone Preference Service, who received speculative calls about claims for noise-induced hearing loss.
Claims Management Regulator. Risks 715. 15 August 2015.

USA: Unions criticise chemicals giant
United Steelworkers (USW) and the International Chemical Workers Union Council (ICWUC) have released an open letter asking DuPont to address recent serious safety concerns. The letter states: “It's critical that the two companies work in good faith with their employees and the unions representing them.”
Chemical Technology news report. OSHA news release. Risks 715. 15 August 2015.

New Zealand: Government axes safety rep training
The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions is being forced to curtail its highly effective health and safety representative training programme. This programme has run for over 12 years with support from the government’s Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC), and over 33,000 health and safety reps have been upskilled by the CTU in this period.
NZCTU statement. Risks 715. 15 August 2015.

USA: Regulator moves on beryllium standard
The US trade union United Steelworkers have commended the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) for moving forward with a proposed reduction on the permissible exposure limit on occupational exposure to beryllium. Beryllium, which is used in the construction industry, metalwork, electronics manufacturing, the nuclear energy sector and laboratories that work with nuclear materials, is known to cause cancer and other fatal diseases, such as chronic beryllium disease of the lungs, when inhaled.
USW statement. Risks 715. 15 August 2015.

USA Safety coalition says no to cuts
A coalition of 76 US unions, safety groups and public interest groups has signed a letter to President Barack Obama calling on him to veto proposed funding cuts to the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the US Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA). Bills in both chambers of Congress contain funding cuts targeting OSHA and MSHA of between 3 and 5 per cent.
Coalition letter to President Obama. Risks 715. 15 August 2015.

Hazards news, 8 August 2015

Britain: Rights call for the 3 million night workers
Action is needed to protect the health and welfare of Britain’s growing army of night workers, the TUC has said. ‘A Hard Day’s Night’, a new report from the union body, shows that night working has grown since the recession, and there are now over three million employees who are regular night workers in the UK.
TUC news release and full report, A Hard Day’s Night, August 2015. Risks 714. 8 August 2015.

Global: TUC dismay as US says trade trumps safety
A fear that a US-EU trade deal could jeopardise workplace safety standards has been reinforced by new evidence of the US government’s risky approach, the TUC has said. TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson said he has warned repeatedly about the threat to health and safety at work from the proposed free trade agreement between the European Union and the United States – the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) – and now concrete evidence has emerged to shore up these concerns, in the form of the findings of a European Commission consultation on risks posed by endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), linked to breast cancer, reproductive problems and other disorders.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Risks 714. 8 August 2015.

Britain: Burnout Britain doesn’t give workers a break
A new TUC analysis indicates that 1,669,000 employees are missing out on their minimum legal entitlement to paid holidays. The TUC review of unpublished figures from the 2014 Labour Force Survey (LFS) shows that on average 6.4 per cent of employees across the UK are losing out on their holiday entitlements, a legal health and safety entitlement laid out in the EU Working Time Directive.
TUC news release and Touchstone blog. Risks 714. 8 August 2015.

Britain: Sellafield site workers take action over safety
Over 1,200 construction workers involved in the nuclear decommissioning and renewal project at Sellafield in Cumbria have begun a work to rule and overtime ban in a campaign “to improve health and safety and productivity”. The Unite members, working for 15 subcontractors, are pressing for the creation of a full-time convenor on the site “to improve industrial relations and help address growing health and safety concerns as well as poor welfare facilities on the construction site,” Unite said.
Unite news release. Risks 714. 8 August 2015.

Britain: Taxi union driven to the courts over Uber grievances
The taxi firm Uber is illegally evading its employment and safety responsibilities, the union GMB has said. The union has retained law firm Leigh Day to challenge Uber’s assertion that drivers are “partners” who are not entitled to rights at work normally afforded to workers.
GMB news release. Risks 714. 8 August 2015.

Britain: Six figure payout after life-changing injury
An electrical technician has received £212,000 in compensation after falling from the access ladder of a crane, which caused a serious injury to his ankle and affected his ability to walk. Unite member Mark Nicholls, 54, now spends his leisure time resting the ankle so he is in a fit state to do his next shift.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 714. 8 August 2015.

Britain: Safety rules relaxation was wrong Channel route
Last week’s government announcement of a temporary relaxation of the laws around driver hours in an effort to ease congestion caused by Operation Stack was not the right response, the union Unite said. Adrian Jones, Unite’s national officer for road transport, said: “The only safeguard that they have against exhaustion is the working time regulations which demand that they take adequate rests before getting onto the road.”
Unite news release. The Telegraph. BBC News Online. Risks 714. 8 August 2015.

Britain: Zoo didn’t think rhino was risky
A rhino that seriously injured a senior keeper at Whipsnade Zoo had not shown any “uncharacteristic behaviour” beforehand, a report has concluded, however the zoo has refused to release the investigation report. Central Bedfordshire Council said the zoo's animal health and behavioural day logs had been “fully completed,” adding in a statement these “did not identify any issues to suggest abnormal or uncharacteristic behaviour of the rhino in the lead up to the date.”
BBC News Online. Risks 714. 8 August 2015.

Britain: Total fined £1.4m after worker was killed in fire
Total UK Limited has been fined £1.4 million after a major fire led to the death of a worker at an oil refinery in North Lincolnshire. Robert Greenacre, 24, was working near a crude oil distillation unit just before the fire broke out at the Lindsey Oil Refinery (TLOR) in Immingham on 29 June 2010.
HSE news release and COMAH webpages. ITV News. Risks 714. 8 August 2015.

Britain: Skipper sentenced after diver’s death
The skipper of a shellfish fishing boat has been sentenced for serious criminal safety failings after the death of a diver in the River Forth estuary. Graeme Mackie, 31, was working as a scuba diver to collect shellfish from Ronald John MacNeil’s boat the Rob Roy when the incident happed on 11 June 2011.
HSE news release and diving webpages. Risks 714. 8 August 2015.

Britain: Worker died in fall from rotten scaffold
A Glasgow scaffolding firm has been fined after a roof worker fell nearly six metres to his death. James Baillie, 53, suffered serious head injuries after he fell through a scaffold tower deck erected by Extra Access Limited when carrying out roof work at a two storey domestic property on 22 September 2011, dying from his injuries the next day.
HSE news release and work at height webpages. Construction Enquirer. Risks 714. 8 August 2015.

Britain: Pizza Express worker fell out of restaurant window
Pizza Express has been fined £200,000 after a fall from Soho restaurant window left a worker paralysed. Kamil Pisarek suffered serious spinal injuries in the fall in December 2011, when he was 28 and is now tetraplegic.
London Evening Standard. Risks 714. 8 August 2015.

Japan: New law to require stress checks for workers
Japan’s government plans to introduce stress checks for its workers, as the number of staff on leave due to mental illness remains high. A report in the Japan Times says under the system, the National Personnel Authority plans to conduct a stress survey every year, based on provisions in the Industrial Safety and Health Act, which was revised last year.
Japan Times. Risks 714. 8 August 2015.

New Zealand: Employer admits guilt in union-led prosecution
When the regulatory authorities in New Zealand failed to take action after a forestry worker was killed, unions took matters into their own hands. And now a union-initiated safety prosecution has resulted in the employer pleading guilty, with CTU president Helen Kelly commenting: “The CTU, with the support of Charles’s family, needed to take this ground breaking private prosecution.”
NZCTU news release. Risks 714. 8 August 2015.

USA: Sweltering subway workers get heat breaks
A stifling heatwave in New York and even higher temperatures on the airless subway system has resulted in Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) workers getting regular 10 minute heat breaks to recuperate. A lack of adequate facilities however is leaving many workers wilting, their union has warned.
NY Daily News. Risks 714. 8 August 2015.

USA: Recycled e-waste toxins taken home to the kids
The disposal and recycling of electronic devices has increased exposure to lead and other toxics and created “an emerging health concern,” according to a top paediatrician. Nick Newman, who directs the Environmental Health and Lead Clinic at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, says two children, ages 1 and 2, whose father worked at an e-scrap recycling company crushing cathode ray tubes (CRTs), were found to have seriously elevated blood lead levels.
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center news release. Science Daily.
Paediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit network. Risks 714. 8 August 2015.

Hazards news, 1 August 2015

Britain: Don’t stall action on shift work risks
As evidence mounts linking shift work to breast cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity and a range of other health problems, the TUC is warning that preventive advice isn’t keeping pace with the evidence of harm.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Are you on the receiving end of good or bad agreements on shift work? Tell the TUC safety department. Risks 713. 1 August 2015.

Britain: Attack on safety reps could be even more damaging
The damage to safety from the government’s Trade Union Bill could be even worse than originally anticipate, the TUC has said. Inquiries by TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson has established that the Bill, which calls for recording and reporting of time off as well as hours limits, could affect more than just public sector workers.
TUC health and safety facebook page. Risks 713. 1 August 2015.

Britain: Hovis fired workers for raising safety concerns
Baking giant Hovis Ltd fired two employees after they notified management of health and safety concerns. Peter Barszczak and Mohammed Farooq, both members of the bakers’ union BFAWU, were dismissed by Hovis after they reported an injury at a Hovis warehouse – and have now won a second unfair dismissal tribunal, and secured another compensation award.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 713. 1 August 2015.

Britain: Derailment raises questions about rail cuts
The derailment of a train last week raises “serious questions” about the impact of budget cuts on rail safety, a union has warned. Network Rail and Southeastern trains confirmed the rail operator had been warned that stray cows were near the tracks 90 minutes before a train collided with a herd in Kent and partly derailed.
ASLEF news release. RMT news release. BBC News Online. The Guardian. Risks 713. 1 August 2015

Britain: Call to tackle construction card fraud
There must be renewed efforts to end the widespread use of fake construction skills cards on construction sites, UCATT has said. The union was commenting on the finding of a survey by the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) and the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS), who are urging construction firms to adopt new technology which will make it quicker and easier to identify fraudsters.
UCATT news release. CSCS survey report. Risks 713. 1 August 2015

Britain: Blacklisters told to hand over evidence
Senior construction figures implicated in the blacklisting scandal have been ordered to explain their role in full. The order came after a July High Court hearing, where lawyers acting for hundreds of blacklisted workers applied for disclosure of documents held by companies involved in blacklisting.
GMB news release. Risks 713. 1 August 2015

Britain: Undercover policing inquiry must cover blacklisting
Blacklisting in the construction industry must be investigated by the public inquiry into undercover policing in England and Wales, Unite has said. Unite assistant general secretary Gail Cartmail said the union would be prepared to give evidence to the public inquiry, chaired by Lord Justice Pitchford, on what it knows of ‘blacklisting’ in the construction industry.
Unite news release. Risks 713. 1 August 2015

Britain: Cobalt caused grinder’s job-ending allergies
A factory worker lost his job after contracting a debilitating sensitisation to cobalt at work. The Unite member has now received £40,000 in compensation from Federal Mogul after he developed occupational asthma and dermatitis following workplace dust exposures while working on a grinding machine.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 713. 1 August 2015

Britain: Cash-strapped councils abandon safety inspections
Funding cuts have driven local authorities to almost entirely abandon their statutory role as a workplace health and safety regulator, an analysis by the Financial Times has “In 2009-10, council inspectors in England made 56,175 visits to local factories and other workplaces to ensure health and safety rules were being followed and employee health safeguarded,” it said, adding: “By 2013-14, the number had been slashed by 91 per cent, to just 4,901 inspections, while 53 councils opted to abandon proactive inspections altogether.”
Financial Times. Risks 713. 1 August 2015

Britain: Rail staffing cuts blamed for 'shocking' attacks surge
The number of passengers attacked on Britain’s trains is at the highest level for a decade. The dramatic increase in assaults comes after repeated union warnings about the dangers of swingeing cuts in the numbers of platform and on-train rail staff.
RSSB Annual Safety Performance Report. RMT news release. Thompsons Solicitors news release. The Independent. Risks 713. 1 August 2015

Britain: Asbestos campaigners say ‘stop playing with cancer’
Asbestos groups, trade unions and campaigners are calling for regulators to ensure people are protected from “possible asbestos contamination of UK imports.” The coalition was speaking out after July reports in the US identified asbestos fibres in crayons and toy fingerprinting kits imported from China.
IBAS/JUAC/Asbestos Forum news release. Risks 713. 1 August 2015

Britain: Factory blast relatives search for company’s owner
Relatives of four victims of a deadly blast at a Cheshire factory want its owner to respond to criticisms of its safety standards. Jason Shingler, 38, Dorothy Bailey and Derek Moore, both 62, and 51-year-old William Barks were killed in the 17 July explosion and fire that destroyed the Wood Treatment Ltd wood flour mill in Bosley.
The Independent. Macclesfield Express. Risks 713. 1 August 2015

Britain: Construction firms sentenced after worker’s death
Construction giant Sir Robert McAlpine and a glazing contractor have been sentenced after a worker fell to his death from a store front in Exeter. Philip Evans was working for specialist construction company London Fenestration Trades Ltd.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 713. 1 August 2015

Britain; Director sentenced after worker dies on second day of job
A construction boss blamed for the horrific death of a young dad-to-be buried alive in a trench has been given two years to pay a £75,000 fine - or go to prison. Callum Osborne, 24, died when a trench he was digging in Whitstable collapsed in on him.
HSE news release. Kent Online. Risks 713. 1 August 2015

Britain: Catapulted worker dies of his injuries
A Darwen firm has been fined after an employee died 17 days after falling from the roof of a partly completed loft conversion project in January 2012. Newhey Loft Conversions Limited was prosecuted after the ladder carrying Graham Readfern, 56, collapsed and he was catapulted over the inadequate scaffold handrail into a neighbouring garden.
HSE news release and construction webpages. Risks 713. 1 August 2015

Asia: Two gas explosions lead to multiple deaths
Deadly conditions in Asian factories have been highlighted again after over 40 workers died in similar incidents in Egypt and Indonesia. At least 25 people died in a 28 July fire at a furniture factory north of the Egyptian capital Cairo and 17 people died as a result of injuries sustained in a 10 July explosion at a cosmetics factory on the outskirts of Jakarta, Indonesia.
Daily News. BBC News Online. Jakarta Globe. Risks 713. 1 August 2015

Italy: Fireworks factory blast kills nine
An explosion at a fireworks factory in southern Italy has killed nine workers. Seven people were killed instantly and several others were injured in the explosion on 24 July. Two later died from injuries sustained in the blast in the factory in the port city of Bari. Japan Times. The Telegraph. Risks 713. 1 August 2015

Vietnam: Work accidents claim 600 lives each year
Around 600 people are killed in work-related incidents every year in Vietnam, but authorities say they cannot do much to prevent these tragedies due to their limited resources. Ha Tat Thang, chief of the Department of Labour Safety, was quoted as telling a government conference that with just about 100 inspectors, his agency could check workplace safety standards at only 0.22 per cent of all businesses.
Thanh Nien News. Risks 713. 1 August 2015

New Zealand: Anger as proposed safety law is diluted
The families of workers killed in the New Zealand’s Pike River disaster conducted a protest vigil outside the country’s parliament on 29 July, ahead of the second reading of the government's Health and Safety Reform Bill. Sonya Rockhouse, whose 21-year-old son died in the disaster, said: “One of the few good things that was supposed to come out of Pike was better health and safety laws,” but added: “Slowly over time this has been dropped and that’s been dropped, and what we’re left with is barely worth the paper it’s written on.”
NZCTU news release. EPMU news release. MUNZ news release. Radio New Zealand. New Zealand Herald. Risks 713. 1 August 2015

Hazards news, 25 July 2015

Britain: Government takes a swipe at safety reps
The government’s Trade Union Bill will damage more than productivity and civil liberties, it could put our lives at risk at work, the TUC has warned. The union body said the Bill includes measures that could dramatically curtail the time available to union safety reps to perform their functions and get trained.
TUC Stronger Unions blog and related entry. The union effect, TUC. Trade Union Bill.
Risks 712. 25 July 2015.

Britain: Bill exposes government’s strike hypocrisy
If the government was really concerned about the harm to the economy caused by lost working days, it would be addressing the scourge of work-related ill-health not the by comparison tiny impact of strikes, the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) has said. STUC general secretary Grahame Smith said: “The days lost due to strikes were less than 3 per cent of the 28.2 million days lost due to work related accidents and ill-health.”
STUC news release. SNP news release.  Fair Work Convention. ILO news release. Morning Star. Risks 712. 25 July 2015.

Britain: Inquiry needs clarity on undercover policing
Construction union UCATT is calling on Lord Justice Pitchford to clarify whether his public inquiry into undercover policing will cover the established police role in blacklisting. The union call came after Home Secretary Theresa May said that the inquiry would “examine the motivation for, and the scope of, undercover police operations in practice and their effect upon individuals in particular and the public in general.”
UCATT news release. Morning Star. Risks 712. 25 July 2015.

Britain: Prison cuts linked to big rise in attacks on staff
There has been a dramatic rise in attacks on prison staff, with the prison officers’ union POA saying this is the result of ‘savage’ government cuts to the service. The union was speaking out after the annual report of chief prisons inspector, Nick Hardwick, revealed assaults on staff had risen sharply, with 3,637 assaults on prison staff in 2014, an increase of 28 per cent on 2010.
HMI Prisons news release and NOMS safer custody statistics. Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 712. 25 July 2015.

Britain: Protecting apprentices in the workplace
The jailing of an employer this month for the criminal negligence that led to the death of 16-year-old engineering apprentice Cameron Minshull highlights the need for greater protection of young people at work, the TUC has said. Matthew Creagh, of TUC’s Unionlearn research and strategy team, indicated the employer, the training provider who placed Cameron with the firm and the government had all failed the teenager.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. FACK news release. The Mirror. Risks 712. 25 July 2015.

Britain: Death mill had received two explosion warnings
The owners of a wood mill where four people are feared dead from a blast had been warned twice of a risk of an explosion at the site. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) served improvement notices on Wood Treatment Limited in March and July 2013 after finding it had not reduced the risk of fire or explosion from liquid petroleum gas stored at the plant in Bosley, Cheshire.
Cheshire Constabulary news release. HSE statement. HSE recent notices against Wood Treatment Limited and notices from 2008. BBC News Online. The Mirror. The Guardian. Manchester Evening News. Risks 712. 25 July 2015.

Britain: Manufacturing firms say fit notes are failing
The government’s flagship ‘fit note’ scheme for getting people back to work has failed to deliver five years on from implementation, manufacturers’ organisation EEF has said. According to EEF, 43 per cent of companies say the ‘fit note’ is not helping employees return to work, up from 35 per cent in 2010.
Jelf news release. Risks 712. 25 July 2015.

Britain: Call to take aerotoxic syndrome seriously
A lawyer representing former pilots who believe they have suffered serious harm through prolonged exposure to toxins circulating inside aircraft has said the industry must start to take the issue seriously. Harminder Bains of law firm Leigh Day was highlighting the risks of ‘Aerotoxic Syndrome’ after a preliminary inquest heard Unite member Matthew Bass, 35, who had a 15-year career as an air steward with EasyJet and British Airways, may have died from exposure to toxic cabin air.
Leigh Day and Co news release. The Mirror. Risks 712. 25 July 2015.

Britain: Fracking funded study admits safety concerns
A report by the UK Task Force on Shale Gas has called for greater safety and transparency measures to be implemented before widespread fracking occurs across the country. The task force, which is led by former Environment Agency head Lord Smith and which is funded by the shale gas industry, has called for 'full disclosure' of all chemicals to be used by the industry, as well as independent monitoring of the fracking process.
Assessing the impact of shale gas on the local environment and health, UK Task Force on Shale Gas, July 2015. Oil Change International. Spinwatch. Risks 712. 25 July 2015.

Director fined over bricklayer death
A Yorkshire roofing firm and its director have been prosecuted after a worker fell to his death though a fragile rooflight. Watershed (Roofing) Ltd, a framework contractor for North Yorkshire County Council, and one of its directors, Steven John Derham from Bradford, had engaged Barry Tyson to carry out brickwork on the roof, as part of a scheme to add insulation and re-felt it.
HSE news release and fragile roofs guide. Construction Enquirer. Risks 712. 25 July 2015.

Businessman given curfew after worker loses forearm
A Kent businessman has been sentenced to a home curfew and a suspended jail term after a worker lost his right forearm when it got caught and mangled in an unguarded tyre-shredding machine. Mark Anton Arabaje, sole director of now-dissolved company Cartwright Projects Ltd, was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after it found he had removed a protective guard from the dangerous machine only a couple of weeks earlier.
HSE news release. Risks 712. 25 July 2015.

Britain: Firm maimed worker then stopped his wages
A logistics firm has been convicted of a criminal safety offence after a worker suffered life-changing injuries in a fall from a roof – and then had his wages stopped when he started a compensation claim. Andrew Bannister, who had worked for PK & IF Cobley Limited for 15 years, was worried about being sent up onto a fragile roof to repair cracks in it, but he was still instructed to do the work.
HSE news release and work at height guidance. Leicester Mercury. Risks 712. 25 July 2015.

Britain: Brick maker fined after new machine mangles leg
A brick manufacturer has been fined after one of its employees was seriously injured by a newly installed unguarded machine. The incident, on 27 February 2014, occurred at Northcot Brick Limited’s site in Blockley, Gloucester.
HSE news release and machinery maintenance guide. Construction Enquirer. Risks 712. 25 July 2015.

Australia: Anger as mines ban union safety stickers
Coal miners in Queensland, Australia, wore safety stickers on their work gear on a 16 July Day of Action - despite the stickers being banned by many employers. Stephen Smyth, district president of the mining union CFMEU, said the union was ramping up its safety campaign following the deaths of three mineworkers this year in the state.
CFMEU news release and Stand Up. Speak Out. Come Home. campaign. Daily Mercury. Risks 712. 25 July 2015.

Italy: Pirelli managers convicted over asbestos deaths
A Milan court has convicted 11 former Pirelli managers of culpable homicide over the deaths of some 20 workers from asbestos related cancers. The court gave the managers, which included two ex-CEOs, jail terms of up to seven years and eight months; all eleven were Pirelli board members between 1979 and 1989 when, prosecutors said, workers were exposed to asbestos.
Ansa.it. BBC News Online. ABC News. Risks 712. 25 July 2015.

Myanmar: Mining unions set new safety goal
Mining unions in Myanmar have resolved to set up health and safety committees at every mining operation in the country. Thirty trade unionists took part in the country’s first ever workshop on occupational health and safety (OHS) in mining, a collaborative initiative between the global mining union federation IndustriALL, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Confederation of Trade Unions of Myanmar (CTUM) and IndustriALL affiliate, the Mining Workers Federation of Myanmar (MWFM).
IndustriALL news release. Risks 712. 25 July 2015.

Thailand: Call to defend migrant rights defender
Thai authorities should drop charges against a prominent migrant worker rights activist, union and human rights organisations have said. Human Rights Watch said the charges violate the free expression rights of the activist, British researcher Andy Hall, and undermine his efforts to challenge labour rights and safety abuses by companies in Thailand.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. HRW news release and Thailand webpages. Risks 712. 25 July 2015.

Hazards news, 18 July 2015

Britain: The national disgrace of ‘disposable workers’
Insecure employment is creating an army of ‘disposable workers’ too scared to take sick leave and who are fired when they can no longer perform, according to the TUC. The union body was commenting after Health and Safety Executive (HSE) research found that “temporary and permanent employees have comparable rates for both injuries and ill health”, but also discovered “temporary employees have around half the average working days lost per employee of permanent employees.”
TUC health and safety facebook page. Self-reported work-related illness and workplace injury for permanent and temporary employees, HSE, 2015. More on health and safety and insecure work. Risks 711. 18 July 2015

Britain: Cameron has workers’ rights in his sights
The prime minister’s plans to renegotiate the nation’s relationship with the EU includes a major attack on workers’ rights, the TUC has warned. The union body’s concerns now appear to have been borne out in press reports suggesting the working time and temporary agency workers directives are both in David Cameron’s sights.
TUC Touchstone blog. TUC news release. The Telegraph. The Guardian, The Independent. Daily Mail. Risks 711. 18 July 2015

Global: Behavioural safety dangers exposed
DuPont, a US multinational promoting its own workplace ‘behavioural safety’ programme worldwide, has received a series of citations for the serious, wilful and repeat violations that exposed its ‘failed safety programme’. The enforcement action in the US prompted UK union body TUC to issue a renewed warning about behavioural safety approaches.
TUC health and safety facebook page and behavioural safety guide. OSHA news release. DuPont Stop Programme UK. Risks 711. 18 July 2015

Britain: Action over ‘oppressive’ working conditions
Almost 1,500 member of the civil service union PCS are set to strike for two days over ‘increasingly oppressive working conditions’ in offices working on the government’s universal credit scheme. The union said: “We have consistently raised complaints about a lack of resources, an oppressive management culture, inadequate training, hard to reach targets and staff shortages,” but added “instead of addressing these concerns, the Department for Work and Pensions has imposed new harsher conditions, including a massive scaling back of flexible working.”
PCS news release. The Mirror. Risks 711. 18 July 2015

Britain: Sunday trading extension will be bad for workers
Proposals to allow larger stores in England and Wales to open for more hours on Sundays have been condemned by unions who say the move will be bad for retail workers. Unveiling the plans in the summer budget, Chancellor George Osborne said powers over trading hours will be devolved to major towns and cities.
Usdaw news release. TUC news release. Summer Budget 2015. The Guardian. BBC News Online. Risks 711. 18 July 2015

Britain: Pilots call for action on airborne battery threat
UK pilots are asking airlines to advise passengers to carry laptops, phones, tablets, e-books and cameras with lithium batteries in the aircraft cabin to cut the risk of fires in the luggage hold. Pilots’ union BALPA is warning that lithium batteries in everyday items are highly flammable and, when they short circuit, have a tendency to burst into high intensity fires, which are difficult to extinguish.
BALPA news release. Risks 711. 18 July 2015

Britain: Night workers hit by brutal assault
Three UNISON members working in a care home have received compensation totalling £60,000 after being subjected to a violent attack by a service user. The union said the South London night workers, whose names have not been released, suffered both physical and psychological injuries as result of the March 2014 attack.
UNISON news release and It’s not part of the job guide. Risks 711. 18 July 2015

Britain: Man jailed over death of teen apprentice
A businessman has been jailed for eight months following the death of a teenager who became trapped in a factory lathe while on a government-funded apprenticeship. Cameron Minshull, 16, was dragged into the steel cutting machine after the oversized overalls he’d been issued became caught, causing “catastrophic and lethal” injuries to his head and face, Manchester Crown Court heard.
CPS news release. FACK news release. Manchester Evening News. BBC News Online. ITV News. The Mirror. Express and Star. Risks 711. 18 July 2015

Britain: Police investigate deadly factory blast
Two men killed in an explosion at a warehouse have been named by police. Daniel Timbers, 29, and Barry Joy, 56, were killed in the blast at an industrial unit in Norwich, just after 9am on 13 July; both were employees at digger bucket manufacturer Harford Attachments, where the incident happened.
Norfolk Constabulary news release. Eastern Daily Press. Norwich Evening News. The Mirror. ITV News. Risks 711. 18 July 2015

Britain: Cameron ‘open’ to pay your own sick pay scheme
David Cameron is considering options for making workers pay into flexible saving accounts to fund their own sick pay or unemployment benefits, Downing Street has confirmed. The idea was first floated by Iain Duncan Smith, the work and pensions secretary, who said he was “very keen” to have a debate about encouraging people to use personal accounts to save for unemployment or illness, even though it is not official government policy.
Summer Budget 2015. The Guardian. Sunday Telegraph. Risks 711. 18 July 2015

Britain: Untrained teen breaks back as dumper tips
A specialist tree contractor has been fined after a skip loading dumper overturned, severely injuring a teenage worker. The 19-year-old Oak View Tree Specialists Limited employee had received only a few minutes training on the use of the dumper truck, had no driving licence and was not wearing a safety belt when the vehicle overturned.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 711. 18 July 2015

Britain: Chutney firm fined as worker jams hand
A Merseyside food company has been sentenced after a worker sustained injuries to his hand while working on a sugar dispensing machine at a factory in Berkshire. The employee, who does not wish to be named, suffered a broken and lacerated finger during the incident at English Provender Company Ltd’s site in Thatcham, Berkshire.
HSE news release . Risks 711. 18 July 2015

Britain: Window cleaning firm fined for high crimes
A window cleaning firm and its sole director have been fined for criminal health and safety breaches after a worker was spotted cleaning windows while standing precariously on the third floor gutter of a nursing home. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted Brian Stubbs and Company Limited and director Brian Stubbs at Stafford Magistrates’ Court after a window cleaner was observed standing on guttering on the outside of a balcony parapet wall of St Joseph’s Nursing Home in Stafford on 21 August 2014.
HSE news release and work at height webpages. Risks 711. 18 July 2015

Britain: Car body repair boss ignored HSE
The owner of a Derbyshire car body repair company has been fined for failing to comply with two legally-binding Health and Safety Executive (HSE) improvement notices on chemical risks. Christopher Hutton, trading as Auto Bodyworks and Wheel Clinic of Hasland, was prosecuted at Chesterfield Magistrates’ Court.
HSE news release. Risks 711. 18 July 2015

Europe: EC blamed for 100,000 work cancers each year
The European Commission’s drive to simplify legislation for businesses has come under fire from trade unions for blocking EU laws that could save thousands of lives per year. Laurent Vogel, a senior researcher at the European Trade Union Institute (ETUI), said that more than 100,000 workers were dying from work-related cancers each year, and blamed the European Commission for inaction.
Euractiv news report. Risks 711. 18 July 2015

Global: Australian firms linked to mine deaths across Africa
Australian mining companies have been linked to hundreds of deaths and injuries in Africa, with the casualties frequently going unreported at home. An investigation by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, a project of the Center for Public Integrity, in collaboration with 13 African reporters, counted more than 380 employees, subcontractors and community members in 13 countries who died in accidents or incidents linked to the companies since the beginning of 2004, including some who were shot to death.
ICIJ report and multimedia report. CPI news release. Risks 711. 18 July 2015

Global: Crisis over attacks on aid workers
Attacks on aid workers declined last year but were still the second highest on record, latest figures show. There were 190 major attacks against aid operations in 2014, down from 264 in 2013, the report from the Humanitarian Outcomes (HO) research group concluded.
IRIN news report, related story and IRIN/Humanitarian Outcomes Aid Worker Attacks map. Risks 711. 18 July 2015

USA: Rail whistleblower awarded $1.25 million
A US union representative who was fired after raising serious concerns about railway safety has been awarded $1.25 million by a federal jury in after a six-day trial. The former union and safety official proved he was targeted and fired by Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) on a pretext in 2011 after reporting dozens of safety violations to federal authorities.
Seattle Times. Risks 711. 18 July 2015

Hazards news, 11 July 2015

Britain: Big change needed to tackle work fatalities
Dangerous signs that the long-term reduction in workplace fatalities has stalled or could be reversing provide more evidence that a new approach to prevention is needed, the TUC has said. The union body was speaking out of the release of provisional Health and Safety Executive (HSE) fatality figures for 2014/15.
TUC health and safety facebook page. HSE news release, statistics webpages and provisional 2014/15 fatality statistics. Risks 710. 11 July 2015

Britain: HSE reporting report sidesteps the truth
An official analysis of work-related injury and ill-health reporting statistics is “of little use” because it asks the wrong questions, the TUC has said. TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson said the report by the Health and Safety Executive’s research wing, HSL, should have revealed important information on the impact of a dramatic reduction in reporting requirements forced through by the government as part of its drive to deregulate health and safety.
TUC health and safety facebook page. HSE publication alert and full report, Evaluation of trends in RIDDOR reportable injury data reported to HSE by dutyholders pre- and post-change to over-7-day reporting, RR1054, HSE. Risks 710. 11 July 2015

Britain: Call for new asbestos eradication law to cut cancers
A new asbestos eradication law requiring the safe, planned removal of all the asbestos that still remains in place should be introduced, the union Unite has said. Making the call on 3 July, the annual Mesothelioma Action Day, Unite assistant general secretary Gail Cartmail said: “Sixteen years after asbestos was banned in the UK, exposure to asbestos, which causes the incurable disease mesothelioma, remains ‘an ever present danger’.”
Unite news release. GMB news release. Thompsons Solicitors news release. Irwin Mitchell Solicitors news release. Leigh Day Solicitors news release.
Asbestos Victims Support Group Forum report on Mesothelioma Action Day 2015. Risks 710. 11 July 2015

Britain: UNISON stresses joint working for Euro week
UNISON is encouraging employers and its union branches to work together to tackle work-related stress. The UNISON push follows the announcement that the theme for October’s European Health and Safety Week will again be stress and other psychosocial risks. The union says employers and branches should consider conducting a stress audit using the HSE stress management tool.
UNISON news release and Stress at work - a guide for UNISON safety reps.
Tackling workplace stress using the HSE stress management standards - TUC guidance for union health and safety reps. Risks 710. 11 July 2015

Britain: Fees for employment tribunals still put people off
Fees of up to £1,200 to start an employment tribunal case are still deterring people from challenging illegal employment abuses at work, the TUC has warned. Responding to a report by Acas on the first year of the early conciliation process, TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “This research confirms that people are having as many problems at work as ever.”
TUC news release. Acas news release and report, Acas Conciliation for Individual Dispute Resolution: Evaluation of Early Conciliation 2014/15. Risks 710. 11 July 2015

Britain: Traffic wardens hit with sick pay blow
Traffic wardens in Hackney, east London, are being balloted for strike action in a bid to get proper sick pay provided by their private sector employer. Unite, which represents the ‘civil enforcement officers’ in the borough, says that while the workers get more than their share of physical and verbal abuse, they don’t get sick pay from their employer, APCOA Parking.
Unite news release and public services campaign. Risks 710. 11 July 2015

Britain: FBU launches pensions legal challenge
The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) is to mount a legal challenge over what it says are unfair pension arrangements for its members. The union says under new arrangements introduced on 1 April, firefighters are expected to ride fire engines, run with heavy fire hoses and carry people out of burning buildings until they are 60, up from the previous retirement age of 55; If they are can’t cope with all the physical demands of the job due to the natural decline in fitness with age, they have to take a reduced pension.
FBU news release. Risks 710. 11 July 2015

Britain: Asbestos campaigners force cancer costs u-turn
The government has agreed to waive new court fees for cases involving asbestos-related disease in what has been hailed as a landmark decision for claimants. The Asbestos Victims Support Groups Forum UK brought the case alongside mesothelioma sufferers Ian Doughty and Carole Sloper.
Leigh Day Solicitors news release. The Law Gazette. Risks 710. 11 July 2015

Britain: Boss on Tory peer’s apple farm jailed over deaths
The manager of a fruit firm owned by a Tory peer has been jailed for the manslaughter of two workers who died after being sent into a nitrogen-filled tank while holding their breath. Andrew Stocker, who was boss of the fruit farm at Lord Selborne's Hampshire estate, was jailed for two-and-half years; the peer’s company, Blackmoor Estate Ltd, which pleaded guilty in January to three serious criminal safety offences, was fined £75,000 and ordered to pay costs of £30,000.
Hampshire Constabulary statement and earlier news release. Daily Mail. BBC News Online. Risks 710. 11 July 2015

Britain: Shell fined for leak on platform where workers died
Oil giant Shell has been fined after a diesel leak on the same North Sea platform where two workers died 12 years ago. Sean McCue, 22, and Keith Moncrieff, 45, lost their lives when they were overcome by gas while working on the energy firm’s Brent Bravo rig in 2003.
The Scotsman. BBC News Online. Risks 710. 11 July 2015

Britain: Offshore safety-critical maintenance backlog 'growing'
Industry body Oil and Gas UK has reported a growing backlog of safety-critical maintenance on offshore installations. Its annual health and safety report said the trend had been growing since companies began reporting in January 2009.
Oil and Gas UK news release and report. BBC New Online. Risks 710. 11 July 2015

Britain: Worker died in chocolate factory demolition
Euro Dismantling Solutions Limited has been fined for criminal safety failings after a man lost his life when his digger plunged from the fourth floor during demolition work. Bristol Crown Court heard how the work was taking place at the former Cadburys Somerdale factory, near Bristol on 9 November 2011 when 31-year-old James Stacey drove a mini digger out of a fourth floor opening.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 710. 11 July 2015

Britain: Chemical company fined for acid fumes exposure
A West Yorkshire chemical processing company has been fined after people at a neighbouring firm were exposed to nitric acid fumes. On 29 April 2014, employees from Joda Freight were exposed to the chemical fumes during transfer of the substance from a road tanker into a storage vessel at Airedale Chemical Company Ltd.
HSE news release. Telegraph and Argus. Risks 710. 11 July 2015

Britain: Window firm fined after teen loses four digits
A poorly supervised teenage carpenter had his thumb and three fingers severed while working with an industrial saw, a court has been told. Hammersmith Magistrates heard that, on 11 October 2013, Maple Windows Co Ltd employee George Warren Heath, who was 19 at the time, was cutting a small piece of uPVC using a powered saw.
HSE News Online. Construction Enquirer. Risks 710. 11 July 2015

Australia: Retailers drive deadly trucking pressures
Truck drivers forced to drive too fast for too long face deadly risks and jail terms while the companies imposing dangerous contracts are “making money out of this terrible tragedy,” a union leader has said.  Transport Workers Union national secretary Tony Sheldon told an Australian Senate inquiry that major retailers who use transport companies, including Coles and Woolworths, had created a “culture of risk-taking and law breaking in trucking.”
TWU news release and Safe Rates campaign. Sydney Morning Herald. Big Rigs. Risks 710. 11 July 2015

Canada: Deadly admission should lead to asbestos ban
The Canadian government has finally admitted there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos. In a call echoed in editorials in national newspapers, public sector union CUPE said the government rethink should lead to a national ban on asbestos.
CUPE news release. Health Canada. Toronto Star. RightOnCanada.ca. Sarnia Observer. The Chronicle Herald. The Globe and Mail. Risks 710. 11 July 2015

Germany: Robot kills worker at VW plant
A robot has killed a contract worker at a Volkswagen car factory in Germany. The tragedy happened amid concerns that new generations of technology could present new challenges at work, with developments reported this week including the increasing use of brain scanning ‘Smart Caps’ to monitor fatigue at work, and the introduction of “magic exoskeleton” suits, which are being touted for industrial, construction and military uses.
The Guardian. EHS Today. Financial Review. Ars Technica. Risks 710. 11 July 2015

USA: Manslaughter verdicts in trench collapse
The owner and project manager of a construction company have been convicted of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the cave-in death of a worker at a Californian home-build site in 2012, the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office has said. Authorities contended US Sino Investment Inc owner Richard Liu, 53, and project manager Dan Luo, 36, were criminally negligent when they went forward with the construction of a home in defiance of a stop-work order issued because of an unfortified 12-foot-tall dirt wall piled from material excavated from a hillside.
San Jose Mercury News. Risks 710. 11 July 2015

Hazards new, 4 July 2015

Britain: HSE’s academic experts lack workplace intelligence
The TUC has reiterated its concerns over a new Health and Safety Executive (HSE) workplace health expert committee (WHEC), set up “to provide independent expert knowledge and advice on workplace health”. The union body said an experts-only committee lacks the workplace level intelligence to inform their decisions, adding unions and employers on the other hand often identify issues years before the academics can show conclusively there is a health problem.
TUC health and safety facebook page. HSE news release and HSE’s WHEC community webpages. Refer an issue to WHEC. Risks 709. 4 July 2015

Britain: Don’t leave staff hot and bothered as temperatures soar
Half-baked dress codes should not leave workers cooking as summer temperatures soar, the TUC has said. The union body said that workers who are unable to dress in cool summer clothing and who work where there is no air-conditioning, fans or cold drinking water will feel lethargic, and lack inspiration and creativity.
TUC news release. Risks 709. 4 July 2015

Britain: Union victory on rail sewage dumping
An RMT campaign to stop train companies dumping sewage on rail tracks has scored a major victory.  A meeting between RMT reps and Scottish parliament transport minister Derek MacKay, ScotRail management and Transport Scotland officials ended in an agreement to bring forward the date for the elimination of the dumping of sewage by ScotRail trains, as well as vaccinations to reduce the risk to staff from untreated human excrement.
RMT news release. STV News. Morning Star. BBC News Online. Risks 709. 4 July 2015

Britain: Police refuse to come clean on undercover spies
The Metropolitan Police is refusing to respond to questions about its use of undercover officers to infiltrate union meetings about safety and other issues. Construction union UCATT said the refusal to answer its Freedom of Information requests was “reprehensible” and “underlines the urgent need for a full public inquiry into blacklisting.” UCATT news release. Morning Star. Risks 709. 4 July 2015

Britain: Mail workers take on dangerous dogs
The potentially deadly risk to postal workers posed by dog attacks has been highlighted in a week long campaign. This saw post workers’ union CWU and Royal Mail join forces for Dog Awareness Week, which concluded on 4 July 2015.
CWU news release and Dangerous Dogs - Bite Back campaign. Royal Mail news release. BBC News Online. Risks 709. 4 July 2015

Britain: RMT on heightened alert across transport services
The rail union RMT has said it is ‘on heightened alert’ across transport services ahead of the tenth anniversary of the 7/7 terrorist attacks on the London rail and bus system. General secretary Mick Cash said: “Once again the union will be raising with the employers the essential and safety-critical role that our members have to fulfil in terms of being the eyes and ears on our trains, the underground, buses and ferry services,” adding: “They are also the pivotal factor in safe and efficient evacuation in the event of an alert being raised.”
RMT news release and follow up release. BBC News Online . Risks 709. 4 July 2015

Britain: Admin worker broke her leg and lost her job
A prison administrative worker has received a £125,000 payout after a slip at work left her with a broken leg and lasting mental health problems. The PCS member, identified only as Julie, was working in a Young Offenders Institution in Dorset when she slipped on spilt liquid in front of inmates when walking to her office, with the injury and a related phobia of slipping eventually causing her to give up her job.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 709. 4 July 2015

Global: Cancer study casts doubt on chemical standards
Chemical exposure standards “should be revisited” because low level exposures to a mix of substances which individually might be harmless can together present a cancer risk, a major study has concluded. The Halifax Project, a high-profile taskforce formed in 2013 by the international organisation Getting to Know Cancer, involved 174 scientists in 28 countries and investigated 85 chemicals that were not considered to be carcinogenic to humans.
William H Goodson III and others. Assessing the carcinogenic potential of low-dose exposures to chemical mixtures in the environment: the challenge ahead, Carcinogenesis, volume 36, Supplement 1, pages S254-S296, 2015. Cancerhazards.org. Risks 709. 4 July 2015

Britain: Breast cancer charity urged to recognise risks
A newly merged breast cancer charity has been urged to acknowledge the environmental and occupational links to breast cancer and to back calls for prevention. An open letter signed by concerned organisations and scientists expresses the hope that the merger between Breakthrough Breast Cancer and the Breast Cancer Campaign will prompt “progressive changes to breast cancer prevention policies.”
From Pink to Prevention news release. Cancerhazards.org. Risks 709. 4 July 2015

Britain: NICE guidelines won’t change the working world
The National Institute for Clinical Governance (NICE) has produced guidance on “workplace policy and management practices to improve the health and wellbeing of employees”. TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson said overall the guidelines lack the necessary detail to be useful.
NICE news release and guidelines, Workplace policy and management practices to improve the health and wellbeing of employees. TUC health and safety facebook page. BBC News Online. Risks 709. 4 July 2015

Britain: Firm fined over five years after worker’s death
A Glasgow construction firm has been sentenced for serious safety failings over five years after a worker was crushed to death when a 1.6 tonnes frame fell onto him. Daniel Hurley, 31, who was fined £200,000 after pleading guilty to a criminal safety offence. HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. BBC News Online. Risks 709. 4 July 2015

Britain: Worker died as cooker filled with steam
A Staffordshire animal rendering and food waste recycling company has been fined £660,000 after a worker suffered deadly burns when the industrial cooker he was repairing filled with steam. Self-employed contractor Mark Bullock, 50, was carrying out repairs inside the cooker at John Pointon & Sons Ltd when the incident happened on 5 November 2011.
HSE news release and confined spaces webpages. Stoke Sentinel. Risks 709. 4 July 2015

Britain: Performing arts in dreadful safety performance
Injuries to workers in a RADA dance studio and a Stafford theatre demonstrate how workplace risks can occur in what the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) would dismiss as low risk workplaces and jobs.
HSE news releases on the dance academy and theatre injuries. The Telegraph. Risks 709. 4 July 2015

Europe: Stress and strains top work risks list
Stress and strains are the most widespread risks encountered in Europe’s workplaces, according to an EU-wide survey. The research found the key factors motivating firms to abide by their occupational health and safety management duties where complying with laws, meeting expectations of workers and their representatives and avoiding fines.
EU-OSHA news release and summary of the ESENER 2 findings. ETUI news release. Risks 709. 4 July 2015

USA: Chicken processor strained wrists and bladders
A chicken processing firm in the US enforced limb-crippling line speeds and didn’t like its workers leaving the line, even to go to the toilet. The Allen Harim Foods plant in Harbeson, Delaware, was cited by the Labor Department’s safety regulator OSHA for nine violations, with the proposed penalties totalling $38,000.
OSHA news release. The Pump Handle. Center for Progressive Reform blog. Risks 709. 4 July 2015

USA: DuPont kills four, not happy with fine
Global chemicals giant DuPont is contesting a five figure safety fine handed down after a chemical leak last year that killed four workers at its La Porte plant in Texas, USA. “DuPont should drop their legal challenge and put their money where it needs to be - with these workers' families and ensuring safety in this plant,” Frank Cyphers, president of the International Chemical Workers Union Council, said in a statement.
Houston Chronicle. Risks 709. 4 July 2015

USA: ‘Slow-motion’ tragedy for American workers
The power of industry to stall or stop lifesaving workplace rules in the US has been exposed in a Center for Public Integrity (CPI) investigation. CPI’s 18-month investigation “found that the epidemic of occupational disease in America isn’t merely the product of neglect or misconduct by employers,” explaining: “It’s the predictable result of a bifurcated system of hazard regulation - one for the general public and another, far weaker, for workers.”
Slow-motion tragedy for American workers, Center for Public Integrity report, 29 June 2015. Cancerhazards.org. Risks 709. 4 July 2015

Hazards news, 27 June 2015

Britain: HSE replaces accountability with ‘experts’
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has appointed a new committee “to provide independent expert knowledge and advice on workplace health”, a move that unions had earlier warned would be “problematic”. TUC warned hand-picked HSE experts “may have no knowledge of what is actually happening in the workplace,” adding: “They are also, it has to be said, often reliant on the government, or bodies such as the HSE, for much of the funding for their work.”
HSE news release. Risks 708. 27 June 2015

Korea: Union to sue FedEx over anthrax deliveries
A union in South Korea has accused global logistics firm FedEx of putting workers at risk of deadly anthrax infection. The Korean Public Service and Transport Workers' Union is considering legal action against FedEx Korea for the company's alleged failure to take safety measures in its delivery of live anthrax samples to a military lab in Korea from the United States.
Korea Times. Washington Post. BBC News Online. Risks 708. 27 June 2015

Britain: Midwife suffered two work stress breakdowns
A former senior midwife suffered two breakdowns caused by stress at work. Royal College of Midwives (RCM) member Angela Jommo, 58, who worked for South London Healthcare NHS Trust, lost her job and felt forced into taking early retirement at the age of 55.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 708. 27 June 2015

Britain: Stressed social workers face courts trauma
Heavy workloads are leaving more than nine in ten (90 per cent) social workers stressed and without enough time to prepare for court cases involving vulnerable children and families, according to a new report from UNISON. Half the social workers questioned (49 per cent) admitted they were not confident when appearing before a judge, with most concerned about the consequences of having their identity revealed in court.
UNISON news release. Risks 708. 27 June 2015

Global: ITUC push for independent FIFA commission
The global union umbrella group ITUC is calling on national football associations to push for genuine reform of FIFA through the establishment of an independent commission. The union body says footballing authorities must not blithely accept that FIFA can suddenly reform itself under a leadership which has failed to end corruption after years of multi-million dollar scandals.
ITUC news release. Playfair Qatar. Risks 708. 27 June 2015

Britain: Train firms in ‘lethal gamble’ on staffing
Train firms in the UK are laying plans for a national dispute as they seek to bulldoze through a ‘lethal gamble’ on driver only operation, the rail union RMT has said. The union says a report by a leading rail industry body funded by the train operating companies is advising rail bosses to plan for 10 days of industrial action to get rid of train guards and introduce driver only operation (DOO).
RMT news release. Risks 708. 27 June 2015

Britain: Teachers say their classrooms gave them cancer
Teachers must be protected from the “scourge of asbestos” in UK schools, the National Union of Teachers (NUT) has said. A report on the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme last week noted that between 2003 and 2012, 224 people in Britain whose last occupation was recorded as “teaching professional” died of the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma.
BBC News Online and Victoria Derbyshire programme. Risks 708. 27 June 2015

Canada: Union wants pay-before-you-pump forecourt law
Urgent action is needed to stop the ‘cash-and-dash’ fuel robberies from petrol stations that put forecourt workers at deadly risk, a Canadian union has said. The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is calling on Canada’s federal minister of labour, Dr Kellie Leitch, to use her position to encourage provinces nationwide to enact “pay-before-you-pump” legislation.
NUPGE news release. Risks 708. 27 June 2015

Britain: Scottish inquiry into the quality of work
The social and health impact of work is to be investigated by a key committee of Scotland’s parliament. The “major inquiry” by the Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee will investigate how employment and job quality has changed since the 2008 recession.
Scottish parliament Economy, Energy and Tourism Committee news release and call for evidence. BBC News Online. Risks 708. 27 June 2015

Global: Ionising radiation cancer risk at low exposures
Prolonged exposure to low doses of ionising radiation can cause cancer in nuclear workers, a study has found. Research coordinated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which looked at the exposures of over 300,000 nuclear workers in the UK, France and the US, found that protracted exposure to low doses of ionising radiation can cause the blood cancer leukaemia.
IARC news release. ITUC/Hazards cancer hazards website.
Klervi Leuraud and others. Ionising radiation and risk of death from leukaemia and lymphoma in radiation-monitored workers (INWORKS): an international cohort study, The Lancet Haematology, published online 21 June 2015. Risks 708. 27 June 2015

Britain: Review links pesticides to cancer
Three pesticides that have been heavily used in both agricultural and non-agricultural applications have been linked to cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) evaluated the carcinogenicity of the insecticides lindane and DDT and the herbicide 2,4-D.
IARC news release. Dana Loomis and others. Carcinogenicity of lindane, DDT, and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, The Lancet Oncology, published online 22 June 2015. Risks 708. 27 June 2015

Britain: He can’t walk or talk but DWP says work
The Department for Work and Pensions has been accused of “humiliating” a man who cannot walk, talk or feed himself by repeatedly asking him to attend a jobcentre interview or face his benefits being stopped. Nick Gaskin, from Quorn in Leicestershire, was diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS) 16 years ago.
Leicester Mercury. The Guardian. Morning Star. Risks 708. 27 June 2015

Britain: Manslaughter on Tory peer's estate
Fruit packing company manager Andrew Stocker has been convicted of the manslaughter of two employees who died after being instructed to retrieve apples from an oxygen-deprived storage unit without breathing apparatus. Scott Cain, 23, and Ashley Clarke, 24, were both found unconscious on top of crates of apples in a storage facility at the Blackmoor Estate owned by Conservative peer Lord Selborne, whose company pleaded guilty to three related criminal safety offences.
Daily Mirror. Daily Mail. BBC News Online. The Guardian. Risks 708. 27 June 2015

Britain: Technip UK Limited fined over death on vessel
A company has been fined following the death of rigger David Stephenson on the diving support vessel Wellservicer. Technip UK was fined £160,000 at Aberdeen Sheriff Court after pleading guilty to a breach of the Merchant Shipping and Fishing Vessel (Health and Safety at Work) Regulations 1997.
MCA news release. BBC News Online. Risks 708. 27 June 2015

Britain: Worker crushed to death under forklift truck
A Lincolnshire transport and storage firm has been handed a six figure fine after a father-of-two died when a metal frame being loaded onto a lorry trailer fell on top of him. Jonathan Newham, 52, of Skegness, died in hospital from head and chest crush injuries following the incident at George H Kime and Co Ltd on 10 July 2012.
HSE news release and lifting trucks advice. Risks 708. 27 June 2015

Australia: FIFO report a first step to halting suicides
Unions in Australia have said they will push hard to ensure sweeping reforms to reduce the rate of suicide and self-harm among ‘Fly-In, Fly-Out’ (FIFO) workers are implemented across isolated mining worksites in Western Australia. Improved rosters, better accommodation and reliable communications with home are among changes proposed in ‘The impact of FIFO Work Practices on Mental Health’, the final report of a bipartisan WA Parliamentary Committee.
AMWU news release. Manufacturing Matters. WA Today. The Conversation. The Australian. ABC News. Risks 708. 27 June 2015

Britain: Coach builder had a ‘reckless disregard’ for health
National bus and coach builder Alexander Dennis Ltd has been fined after it ignored multiple warnings about dangers to its workers’ health from overuse of hand-held power tools.  For several years, the Edinburgh-based company failed persistently to heed expert advice, specialist reports and complaints from workers of pain, discomfort, numbness and whiteness in their fingers.
HSE news release.  Risks 708. 27 June 2015

Britain: Steel firm fined after teenager is injured
Site Hire Services Ltd has been fined for its criminal safety failings after a teenage apprentice had his leg broken when a large steel sheet fell on it. The firm was fined £6,000 with £2,232.98 costs.
HSE news release. Risks 708. 27 June 2015

Britain: Four injured as roof trusses collapse
A Worcestershire firm has been sentenced for criminal safety failings after four workers were injured, one of them seriously, when a roof truss in a new extension collapsed triggering a domino effect collapse of other trusses. DP Designs Ltd was fined £24,000 plus costs of £1,106.15 after pleading guilty to two criminal safety offences.
HSE news release and work at height webpages. Construction Enquirer. Risks 708. 27 June 2015

Britain: Will we survive five more years?
The latest issue of the workers’ health and safety magazine Hazards is out now. The magazine includes a punchy, campaign-focused ‘Will we survive five more years?’ poster, showing David Cameron’s bloody footprints as he returns to 10 Downing Street. Will we survive five more years? Hazards magazine, number 130, 2015. Subscribe and support the work of Hazards. Risks 708. 27 June 2015

Hazards news, 20 June 2015

Britain: Tribunal fees review must not be a ‘political stitch-up’
The TUC has welcomed the announcement of a government review into the impact of employment tribunal fees, but warned that it must not be a “political stitch-up”. Under the fees system, workers can be required to pay up to £1,200 for taking a tribunal complaint about issues including victimisation for workplace safety activities.
MoJ review and tribunal statistics. TUC news release. Prospect news release. Personnel Today. Risks 707. 20 June 2015

Britain: Safety ballot at First Great Western
Rail firm First Great Western (FGW) could face industrial action if it fails to address job and safety concerns, the rail union RMT has warned. A ballot of the union’s members for strike action and action short of a strike was called after the introduction of new Hitachi Inter-City trains.
RMT news release. Risks 707. 20 June 2015

Britain: BBC Scotland faces bullying action
Workers at BBC Scotland are considering industrial action in a dispute over the handling of grievance and bullying allegations against one of its most senior executives. BBC Scotland’s then head of news and current affairs, John Boothman, was taped in February by camerawoman Zoe MacDonald as he made a series of highly personal and critical remarks about her in a private conversation with a personnel manager.
The Guardian. Risks 707. 20 June 2015

Britain: UNISON ‘sorely disappointed’ after safety rep sacking
A company’s decision to uphold the sacking of a UNISON representative after he raised serious safety concerns at work has ‘sorely disappointed’ the union. UNISON health and safety rep Robert O’Donnell was dismissed in May from his job at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC).
UNISON Scotland news release. Morning Star. Risks 707. 20 June 2015

Britain: Picket over ‘safety’ sacking of conductor
Grimsby Labour MP Melanie Onn has lent her support to a Grimsby train conductor sacked following an incident with an antisocial young person who was behaving dangerously on the side of his train. The MP said there was a “sense of injustice” over the dismissal.
RMT picket photo. Grimsby Telegraph. Risks 707. 20 June 2015

Britain: Deadly bosses evade justice, say campaigners
Firms guilty of deadly safety breaches too often escape with “just a slap on the wrist”, a union conference has heard. Hazards Campaign chair Hilda Palmer told the annual conference of the bakers’ union BFAWU in Southport that even firms guilty of deliberate acts of negligence that lead to deaths or serious injuries often receive small fines, adding that the Conservatives had made clear workplace safety was not a priority.
Morning Star. Safety reps and safety committees regulations ‘Brown book’. Hazards Campaign. Risks 707. 20 June 2015

Britain: Lessons must be learned from teacher stabbing
A 14-year-old boy has been charged with attempted murder after a teacher was stabbed at a Bradford school. Vincent Uzomah, 50, was attacked at Dixons Kings Academy on 11 June.
West Yorkshire Police and Crime Commissioner news release. West Yorkshire Police news release. NASUWT news release. ATL news release. BBC News Online. Risks 707. 20 June 2015

Britain: Recycling firm’s failings a ‘fatal combination’
A recycling company has been sentenced for serious criminal breaches after a worker was killed in an incident involving a six-tonne dumper truck. Ben Sewell, 30, was found lying on his back on a bank, a few metres behind the overturned dumper, on a sloping dirt track at Dittisham Recycling Centre in South Devon on 21 September 2012.
HSE news release and waste webpages. Risks 707. 20 June 2015

Britain: Builder jailed for exposing workers to asbestos
A builder has been jailed for six months after exposing workers to asbestos while working at a commercial unit on a Welsh industrial estate. Brian Roberts and three men working with him were exposed to potentially deadly asbestos fibres while working in the unit on the Mochdre Business Park in Colwyn Bay around 11 September 2012.
HSE news release and asbestos webpages. Construction Enquirer. Risks 707. 20 June 2015

Britain: Total fined over worker’s burns in molten sulphur
Total Lindsey Oil Refinery, one of Britain’s largest, has been fined after a worker suffered serious burns when he stepped into molten sulphur. Grimsby Magistrates heard that tanker driver Jack Vickers, 51, from Immingham, had just finished loading the dangerous substance into the vehicle and was attempting to detach the special loading lance from a loading arm when his foot went into the open lid and into the tanker.
HSE news release. Risks 707. 20 June 2015

Britain: Legionella bug may have hastened patient’s death
Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been fined for failing to control legionella. The Trust, which runs the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, was sentenced at Lewes Crown Court after a joint investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Sussex Police following the death of cancer patient Joan Rayment, 78, at the Royal Sussex on 9 November 2011 – eight days after she tested positive for the legionella bacteria antigen.
HSE news release. Risks 707. 20 June 2015

Britain: Pet food firm in double gassing
A pet food manufacturer has been sentenced after exposing its employees to chlorine gas during cleaning of equipment at its plant in Nottinghamshire. Nottingham Magistrates’ Court heard employees of Sarval Limited were also exposed to hydrogen sulphide fumes at the same premises whilst clearing a blockage from another piece of equipment.
HSE news release. Risks 707. 20 June 2015

Global: Union campaign on shipbreaking hazards
The global union IndustriALL has stepped up its campaign to improve safety standards in shipbreaking, the world's most dangerous job. It says the workers in this industry suffer precarious working conditions, lack training, and face serious hazards. IndustriALL says the industry “has a responsibility to provide, and workers have a right to expect, safe, healthy, clean and sustainable jobs.”
IndustriALL shipbreaking campaign. Risks 707. 20 June 2015

Global: Child labour in agriculture website
The International Partnership for Cooperation on Child Labour in Agriculture, a grouping that includes UN agencies and the global food and farming union IUF, has launched a website to bring together information and news on the elimination of child labour in the sector.
International Partnership for Cooperation on Child Labour in Agriculture website. Paving the way to decent work for young people, ILO, June 2015. IUF alert. Risks 707. 20 June 2015

Canada: Manitoba gets presumptive stress law
The government of Manitoba in Canada is amending its Workers Compensation Act to recognise post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as an occupational disease. “This legislation would be unique in Canada and would truly support workers who experience a traumatic event or events in the workplace that lead to PTSD,” said provincial premier Greg Selinger, adding: “Under this new law, the Workers Compensation Board would presume their condition was caused by the job, making it much easier to access supports, treatment and compensation.”
Manitoba Premier’s news release. MfL news release. NUPGE news release. The Canadian Press. Risks 707. 20 June 2015

New Zealand: Disaster lessons are being lost
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has been told urgent reforms promised after a devastating mine disaster are being quickly discounted. Commenting after the ILO presentation, CTU president Helen Kelly said: “New Zealand is now falling behind international standards on health and safety because the National government is indulging the desire of some of our most dangerous employers to exclude workers from proper employee participation in health and safety.”
NZCTU news release. Risks 707. 20 June 2015

USA: Bigger union role follows heat deaths
Family members of two farm workers who died from suspected heat-related illnesses and a union have settled lawsuits against California on the condition that the state does more to ensure labourers are safe when temperatures rise. Under terms of the settlement, the state's Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) has agreed to improve enforcement of newly improved safety regulations and to allow the United Farm Workers to play a watchdog role in the process.
Times Union. Risks 707. 20 June 2015

USA: Three years jail for illegal asbestos removal
A New Jersey man has been sentenced to three years in prison for using inmates from a halfway house to illegally remove asbestos from a former South Jersey hospital, causing the release of toxic dust and debris. Frank Rizzo, 57, who ran South Street Fillit Recycling, last year admitted using day labourers, including inmates from Clinton House in Trenton, to remove asbestos from the former Zurbrugg Memorial Hospital without a permit.
NJ Attorney General’s Office news release. New Jersey News. Risks 707. 20 June 2015

Hazards news, 13 June 2015

Global: G7 starts to address workplace safety
World leaders at June’s G7 Summit took a “huge step” on workplace safety, the TUC has said. The union body was commenting after a G7 leaders’ declaration on 8 June included a commitment to establish a workplace health and safety ‘Vision Zero Fund’ in cooperation with the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
G7 news report and G7 leaders’ declaration. TUC Stronger Unions blog. ITUC news release. ILO news release.
TUC call on G7 leaders to enforce labour rights in global supply chains. Risks 706. 13 June 2015

Global: TUC welcome for overdue Rana Plaza payouts
The TUC has welcomed the announcement that the Rana Plaza Donors’ Trust Fund has finally met its compensation target of $30 million. This means that full compensation can be paid to the victims of the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory in April 2013, which killed almost 1,200 workers and left hundreds more with serious injuries.
TUC news release. ILO statement. ITUC news release. Clean Clothes Campaign news release. Joint news release from global unions IndustriALL and UNI. Risks 706. 13 June 2015

Britain: Union push for a Scottish Hazards Centre
Trade unions in Scotland are backing a new Scottish Hazards Centre and say it must be given the funds to enable it to undertake lifesaving work from its scheduled August 2015 launch date. STUC and trade unions say the much needed resource will provide advice, training and support services to Scottish workers and their families, to ensure health and safety issues are tackled before they cause debilitating illness or loss of life and limb. STUC news release. Risks 706. 13 June 2015

Britain: Unite takes on toxic air cases
Seventeen former and serving cabin crew are planning legal action against British airlines saying they have been poisoned by contaminated cabin air. The cases are backed by the union Unite, which represents 20,000 flight staff.
BBC News Online. Risks 706. 13 June 2015

Britain: Union rejects blacklisting pay offs
Blacklisted workers have rejected a “derisory” compensation offer from construction firms trying to head off embarrassing and potentially costly action in the courts. After a preliminary court hearing last month, leading up to the scheduled two-month trial set for May 2016, solicitors acting for major construction firms offered a group of 11 workers blacklisted for their union and site safety activities settlements ranging from £10,000 to £60,000, adding up to £415,000 in total.
Morning Star. The Guardian.  Evening Times. LabourList. Risks 706. 13 June 2015

Global: GMB warning on hormone disrupters
The union GMB has warned Europe’s lawmakers not to sacrifice safety regulations as part of on-going trade treaty negotiations with the US. It says the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) treaty under discussion between the US and EU “could open the door to a range of chemicals linked to infertility and male reproductive dysfunctions, birth defects, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and neurobehavioural and learning disorders to be used across the EU.”
GMB news release. Morning Star. Risks 706. 13 June 2015

Britain: UNISON warning on safe staffing guidance
The decision by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to suspend its work developing guidance on safe staffing levels in health care has been greeted with “deep concern” by UNISON. The union was speaking out after NHS England instructed NICE not to proceed with planned new activity in its well-regarded safe staffing programme.
UNISON news release. NICE news release. Risks 706. 13 June 2015

Britain: Major fire risk at the UK’s first PFI hospital
Britain’s first NHS hospital financed and built by private capital is a “major” fire safety risk, the firefighters’ union FBU has said. An independent report commissioned by the NHS trust that manages the hospital found that fire proofing materials installed by the private company did not meet the required protection standard to allow for save evacuation and prevent a fire from spreading across the building.
FBU news release. The Independent. Risks 706. 13 June 2015

Britain: Son fights for justice after dad’s clay cancer death
The son of a former clay dryer is appealing to his late father’s former colleagues in St Austell, Cornwall for information on the working conditions he endured. An inquest into the death of Walter Patton, 83, found that he died in February 2013 of bronchial pneumonia, pulmonary fibrosis and lung cancer related to his employment.
Irwin Mitchell Solicitors news release. Anyone with information on the working conditions at English Clays Lovering Pochin & Company or ECC International Limited/Imerys Minerals Limited should contact Alex Shorey on 0121 214 5493 or email Alex.Shorey@IrwinMitchell.com Risks 706. 13 June 2015

Warning! Sedentary work can kill you
Office workers should spend a minimum of two hours on their feet at work – building up to an ideal four hours – in order to avoid the ill effects of a sedentary lifestyle, according to a study co-commissioned by Public Health England. TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson responded: “It is true that sitting down to long can be bad for your health, but so is prolonged standing,” adding: “The ideal solution is to give workers control over how much they need to sit or stand.”
John Buckley and others. Consensus statement: The sedentary office: a growing case for change towards better health and productivity. Expert statement commissioned by Public Health England and the Active Working Community Interest Company, British Journal of Sports Medicine, published online 1 June 2015. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2015-094618
London Evening Standard. The Guardian. Risks 706. 13 June 2015

Britain: Companies produce the gift of ill-health
Work is negatively affecting the health and wellbeing of workers, causing unnecessary suffering and also leading to a substantial loss of productivity, a survey has found. The study of 2,000 full- and part-time UK workers, published in The ‘Health in the Workplace Report’ by gift card firm One4all Rewards, highlights the importance of employers making a conscious effort to look after the welfare of their workers.
Health in the Workplace Report. Risks 706. 13 June 2015

Britain: Work experience turns out to be painful
A Maidstone company specialising in supplying agricultural machinery and motor vehicles has been fined after a teenager on paid work experience nearly lost the tips of his fingers in unguarded machinery. The injured young person, who was employed by Haynes Brothers Ltd, had been told to work alongside an experienced engineer to carry out a pre-delivery inspection of a new combine header unit at a company site in Great Chart, Ashford, Kent, when the incident happened on 16 July 2013.
HSE news release. Kent Online. Maidstone and Medway News. Risks 706. 13 June 2015

Britain: Wood job leaves teen with severe hand injuries
A timber mouldings manufacturer in Rochdale has been fined after a young apprentice lost two fingers off his right hand while working on machinery. The 16-year-old was an apprentice with Dresser Mouldings (Rochdale) Limited and was working alongside an experienced colleague on a moulding machine when the incident happened on 23 July 2014.
HSE news release and machinery maintenance webpages. Risks 706. 13 June 2015

Britain: Recycler guilty over young worker’s smashed arm
A Rotherham recycling firm has been sentenced after a 25-year-old worker had his arm broken in three places when it was drawn into unguarded machinery. Ryan Jackson also suffered a cracked shoulder blade and had a radial nerve shredded to the bone in the incident at the metal recycling company CF Booth Ltd on 4 December 2013.
HSE news release. Risks 706. 13 June 2015

Britain: Private school firm fined after tree felling injuries
A company operating several private schools has been fined and a cleaning contractor given a suspended jail term after a man sustained permanent spinal injuries while felling a tree on school grounds in High Wycombe. Alpha Schools Limited, which had a revenue of £38.7m in the six months to the end of February 2015, was fined £35,000 and ordered to pay £25,000 costs after pleading guilty to a criminal safety offence and Paolo Mule, 33, trading as P&X Complete Cleaning Services, was given an 18 month prison sentence suspended for two years and was ordered to pay £2,000 costs after pleading guilty to a criminal safety breach.
HSE news release. Bucks Free Press. Risks 706. 13 June 2015

Global: Temp agencies accused of ‘false advertising’
Ciett, the global lobbying body for temporary labour agencies, has been accused of ‘false advertising’ after claiming the International Labour Organisation (ILO) supports the expansion of agency work. Global union federation IUF, which represents unions in the food and farming sectors, dismissed Ciett’s assertion that the growth in business for temporary employment agencies advances the ILO's “decent work” agenda.
IUF news report. Ciett news release. Background report prepared by the ILO. More on the hazards of insecure work. Risks 706. 13 June 2015

Global: Qatar risks losing the World Cup
The scandal engulfing FIFA should not just lead to reform of the famously corrupt football governing body, but should also deliver better warning conditions for those building the facilities for football’s greatest showcase, the global union ITUC has said. It said the announcement that FIFA president Sepp Blatter will step down gives hope to Qatar's migrant workforce that FIFA may finally come onto their side, but exposes Qatar to the possible loss of the 2022 World Cup if it fails to reform its labour laws in the coming months.
ITUC news release. Risks 706. 13 June 2015

India: Most e-waste workers suffer breathing problems
Over threequarters (76 per cent) of electronic waste workers in India suffer from respiratory ailments including breathing difficulties, irritation, coughing and choking due to improper safeguards at dismantling workshops, an industry study has found. Research by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) found many of the affected workers are children and become incapable of working by the time they reach 40 years of age.
Assocham news release. The Hindu. Risks 706. 13 June 2015

Hazards news, 6 June 2015

Britain: The trade agreement that threatens our safety
There is still time to tell your member of the European Parliament (MEP) that a major trade deal should not be allowed to undermine workers’ rights and safety, the TUC has said. The union body warned last year that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) being negotiated between the European Commission and US government aims to reduce “barriers” to trade, a goal that puts hard-won rights to safe and decent work in jeopardy.
TUC Stronger Unions blog and update.
Tell your MEP to reject ISDS and reject the erosion of safety and employment rights. Risks 705. 6 June 2015

Bangladesh: Justice is needed for Bangladesh workers
Murder charges filed over two years after the devastating Rana Plaza factory collapse won’t remedy the deadly flaws in Bangladesh’s labour rights and safety system, the TUC has said. The TUC was speaking out after Bangladeshi police formally filed murder charges against 41 people for the Rana Plaza factory collapse over two years ago that killed 1,138 workers, most of them women.
TUC news release. BBC News Online. Common Dreams.
Also see the International Trade Union Confederation’s March 2015 summary of the failures of the Bangladesh labour law to address violations of workers’ rights. Risks 705. 6 June 2015

Britain: Are retired Tube trains heading for Wales?
Rail union RMT has called on rail chiefs to “come clean” after speculation that unsuitable old Tube trains were to be “dumped” on railway services across Wales. The union said any use of the refurbished Tube carriages would amount to a “cheapskate, rolling stock lash-up that raises both serious safety fears and a threat to the role of the guard.”
RMT news release. Wales Online. Risks 705. 6 June 2015

Britain: RMT slams Boris for ignoring sex attack warnings
Rail union RMT has criticised London mayor Boris Johnson for ignoring union warnings about the dangers of Tube staffing cuts. The union was speaking out after Transport for London (TfL) figures released on 27 May revealed reported sex offences on London Underground have risen by 34.7 per cent in a year.
RMT news release. TfL news release. Risks 705. 6 June 2015

Britain: Tanker reversed over waste water worker
A waste water worker from Cornwall has been awarded £9,500 after a tanker reversed into him, causing injuries to his neck and lower back. The incident happened at a sewage pumping station in Fowey, Cornwall, where South West Water was working alongside drainage company, Clearflow.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 705. 6 June 2015

Britain: Union steps in after drop-off car crash
A father-of-three injured in a head-on car collision on a busy Cornish road has secured compensation with the backing of his union Unite. Nick Brancher’s car was hit by an oncoming car which careered from the other side of the A38 in Glynn Valley.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 705. 6 June 2015

Britain: Council fined after a decade of asbestos neglect
A London council fined for its criminal failings on asbestos safety should listen more closely to its safety reps, a union has urged. UNISON reps on Waltham Forest Borough Council were speaking out after the local authority was fined for exposing members of staff and visiting contractors to the potentially lethal dangers of asbestos, which it knew to be present in the Town Hall basement.
UNISON Waltham Forest news release. HSE news release. Risks 705. 6 June 2015

Britain: Thousands of police officers in asbestos exposure alert
Up to 30,000 police officers might have come into contact with asbestos at training facilities, the Metropolitan Police has said. The force confirmed it was examining a number of buildings used for firearms training between 1980 and 2007 and added it was in the process of contacting “a large number of officers” who might have been affected. Metropolitan Police news release. BBC News Online. The Mirror. The Independent. Risks 705. 6 June 2015

Global: Low level solvent exposure linked to breast cancer
Women exposed to low levels of common organic solvents at work are 20 per cent more likely to develop breast cancer, a new study suggests. The authors say the study suggests that there may be an association between occupational exposure to aliphatic and aromatic solvents and the risk of breast cancer at the low levels of exposure experienced by women in their study.
DC Glass, J Heyworth, AK Thomson, S Peters C Saunders and L Fritschi. Occupational exposure to solvents and risk of breast cancer, American Journal of Industrial Medicine, published online ahead of print, 26 May 2015. doi: 10.1002/ajim.22478. Risks 705. 6 June 2015

Britain: ‘Risk of death’ basement led to court
London construction company Darma Limited has been fined over £13,000 after an unannounced inspection from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found dangerous conditions on a basement excavation site.
HSE news release. Risks 705. 6 June 2015

Britain: Paper shredder caused severe hand injuries
A UK multinational that specialises in destroying sensitive documents has been fined after an unsupervised new worker had his hand shredded in an inadequately guarded paper shredder. Shred-it Limited, which describes itself as an “information destruction partner” for business, appeared at High Wycombe Magistrates’ Court and was fined £18,000 with costs of £1,375 after admitting a criminal safety offence.
HSE news release and work equipment webpages. Risks 705. 6 June 2015

Britain: Paper company convicted after safety bypassed
A Swanley firm that makes paper products has been convicted of a safety crime after allowing workers to bypass interlocked guards on machinery, a practice that resulted in an employee trapping his hand. The Swan Mill Paper Company Ltd was aware that engineers would use interlock keys to override the guarding on machines for the purpose of diagnosing faults.
HSE news release and machinery safety webpages. Risks 705. 6 June 2015

Britain: Migrant workers and health and safety
‘Safety of migrant workers: A TUC guide for union activists’ has been produced to assist union workplace representatives in their work with migrant workers and to help protect the health, safety and welfare of these workers. The online guide deals with issues including employment status, risk assessments, accident reporting, welfare and first aid, personnel protective equipment, information and training, enforcement and working with others.
TUC publication alert, migrant workers health and safety webpages and full guide, Safety of migrant workers: A TUC guide for union activists, June 2015. Risks 705. 6 June 2015

Global: McJobs report documents global abuses
McDonald's fought a losing battle for years to keep 'McJobs' - generally defined as low-wage, insecure, dead-end work with no benefits - out of dictionaries. But global foodworkers’ union IUF and its North American affiliate SEIU says their new report, ‘McJobs: Low wages and low standards around the world’, should see “systematic rights abuses”, including safety abuses, added to the current definition.
IUF publication alert, and full publication: McJobs: Low wages and low standards around the world, IUF/SEIU, 2015. Risks 705. 6 June 2015

Qatar: The human toll of FIFA’s corruption
The Washington Post has flipped the focus from the financial corruption gripping football’s global governing body, instead highlighting concerns about the considerable and deadly human price paid as a result of FIFA’s failings. “If FIFA board members did indeed accept bribes from Qatar to let it host the 2022 cup, it would show how backroom corruption can have widespread and fatal consequences,” it notes.
Washington Post. TUC Playfair Qatar campaign. Risks 705. 6 June 2015

Japan: Government looks to eradicate overwork deaths
The government of Japan is seeking to use the law to eradicate deaths from overwork, or ‘karoshi’. A Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry panel has prepared an outline bill to promote measures to prevent these deaths.
Mainichi Japan. Japan Times. Risks 705. 6 June 2015

New Zealand: Concern at government backtracking on safety
Measures to improve New Zealand’s woeful workplace safety record after a 2010 mine disaster that killed 29 are already being diluted, with small businesses set to be exempted from some provisions, unions have warned. Unions are now concerned that the conservative National Party government is going to ditch from the Health and Safety Reform Bill a recommendation that there should be an empowered role for safety reps and safety committees in all workplaces.
NZCTU news release. EPMU news release. New Zealand Herald. 3News. Risks 705. 6 June 2015

USA: ‘Silent epidemic’ linked to work chemicals
Workplace chemical exposures are the eighth leading cause of death in the US, but the country lacks any prevention strategy, an advocacy group has warned. Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) said these exposures are responsible for more than 40,000 premature deaths each year.
PEER news release and Worker right-to-know chemical exposure database. Risks 705. 6 June 2015

Hazards news, 30 May 2015

Global: World Cup campaign increases pressure on FIFA
A major campaign initiative last week by unions and others campaigners has already succeeding in increasing pressure on FIFA head Sepp Blatter over exploitative working conditions in Qatar. After two days of bad publicity and customers emailing their CEOs, VISA issued a public statement on its website, saying: “We have expressed our grave concern to FIFA and urge them to take all necessary actions to work with the appropriate authorities and organisations to remedy this situation and ensure the health and safety of all involved.”
TUC Touchstone blog and Playfair Qatar campaign. VISA public statement. Send an email to the key sponsors. Risks 704. 30 May 2015

Britain: Dying to Work campaign for the Midlands
Workers with terminal illnesses need employment protection and support, unions in the Midlands have said. A new Dying to Work campaign in the region was launched after unions highlighted a loophole in the law that allows firms to dispense with dying workers because of their illness.
TUC news release. Risks 704. 30 May 2015

Britain: College staff worn out by work
Working in further education has become increasingly stressful over the past six years with staff worn down by constant change, says a report for the union UCU has concluded. ‘Taking its toll: rising stress levels in further education’ used the Health and Safety Executive’s stress management indicators and found the proportion of staff who agreed or strongly agreed with the statement 'I find my job stressful' rose to 87 per cent in 2014, up from 78 per cent in 2012 and 74 per cent in 2008.
UCU news release. Risks 704. 30 May 2015

Britain: Stress blame is stressing us out
A stigma-busting, stress-tackling campaign by the union Prospect is aiming to encourage union reps to seek out preventive measures to tackle the top workplace health problem. Prospect safety specialist Sarah Page is highlighting the union’s initiative after research published by AXA PPP Healthcare in April found two-thirds of managers don’t believe stress, anxiety or depression warrant sick leave.
Prospect health and safety blog, ‘Stress, Stigma, Solutions’ campaign and good work webpages. AXA PPP Healthcare news release. Risks 704. 30 May 2015

Britain: Concern about the impact of working longer
Trades unions need to campaign for proper research into the impact of working longer according to physiotherapist Fiona Hall, with particular attention paid to the effect on women and people with disabilities. Addressing the TUC’s disabled workers conference in London, she said the increased state pension age means that employees will be obliged to work into their late 60s or even longer before they can afford to retire.
CSP news report. Risks 704. 30 May 2015

Britain: Offshore strike ballot set to go ahead
Offshore unions are set to ballot for industrial action after talks failed to resolve a dispute over changes to working patterns. GMB and Unite officials held further talks on 20 May over unilateral changes to working conditions for workers covered by the Offshore Contractors Agreement (OCA) in UK waters.
GMB news release. Risks 704. 30 May 2015

Britain: CBI’s Europe plans could be deadly, says GMB
Demands from the business lobby for European Union reform could see a return to a system that caused deadly disasters, the union GMB has warned. The union was responding to comments made by CBI president Sir Mike Rake at the business lobby group’s annual dinner last week.
GMB news release. CBI news release and related release and response to the Chancellor’s speech. Risks 704. 30 May 2015

Britain: Depressed workers need more help
People with depression need more support to stay in and to return to work, a new report has concluded.  The paper from Lancaster University’s Work Foundation, ‘Symptoms of depression and their effects on employment’, considers the ways in which some of the symptoms associated with depression can affect an individual’s ability to remain in or to find work.
The Work Foundation news release and report, Symptoms of depression and their effects on employment. TUC report, Good practice in workplace mental health. Risks 704. 30 May 2015

Britain: BSG wants key role in undercover policing inquiry
The Blacklist Support Group (BSG) is applying to the Home Office for ‘core participant’ status in the Pitchford public inquiry into failures in undercover policing. The move follows claims in the book ‘Blacklisted’ by BSG secretary Dave Smith and investigative journalist Phil Chamberlain that undercover police officers spied on trade union activists from the construction industry and intelligence gathered was passed onto major construction firms.
Blacklist Blog. Risks 704. 30 May 2015

Britain: Skanska to require 360 vision on vehicles
Construction firm Skanska is to make it compulsory for all mobile construction machines on its sites to be fitted with 360 degree all-round visibility cameras. The firm says the new standard is being introduced to help reduce the risk of accidental contact between site operatives and plant, which the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) says is one of the top fatality risks on construction sites.
Skanska news release and film. Construction Enquirer. Risks 704. 30 May 2015

Britain: Businessman jailed after roof fall death
A businessman in charge of converting an old mill has been jailed, and his father, the owner of the building, given a suspended jail sentence following an incident in which a worker died in a fall. Ivars Bahmanis, a 55-year-old Lithuanian national living and working in Blackburn, was involved in building work at the former canal works building when he fell nearly eight metres.
HSE news release and work at height webpages. Risks 704. 30 May 2015

Britain: Fertiliser firm fined after worker crushed to death
A fertiliser company has been fined after one of its employees died when he became trapped in an agriculture spreader whilst carrying out maintenance. Kevin Alderton, 34, was working as a spreader operator for Bunn Fertiliser Limited in Seething, Norfolk, when the incident happened in February 2013.
HSE news release and agricultural machinery webpages. Risks 704. 30 May 2015

Britain: Medical firm in the dock over worker injuries
A medical equipment manufacturer has been fined after two workers were injured by dangerous parts of machinery in separate incidents at its premises in West Sussex. Welland Medical Ltd was prosecuted at Worthing Magistrates’ Court after an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) established that both incidents occurred because of guarding failures on machines.
HSE news release. Risks 704. 30 May 2015

Britain: Development firm guilty of repeated safety crimes
A development company has been sentenced for repeated criminal breaches of the Work at Height Regulations. Landrose Developments Limited was fined £16,000 with costs of £2,221, with HSE saying “this was a proactive prosecution for repeated work at height breaches on more than one site, without any adequate means to prevent persons, materials or objects falling and causing injury.”
HSE news release. Risks 704. 30 May 2015

Australia: Truck drivers protest at retail chain HQ
Truck drivers and family members left devastated by truck crashes stormed the headquarters of major Australian retailer Coles in Melbourne to demand that the firm sign up to a safety charter to stop “carnage” on the roads. The group delivered shopping trollies of evidence to Coles chief executive John Durkan, which they said showed how the company’s contracting practices put pressure on truck drivers to drive faster, for longer, with over-loaded vehicles and in a stressed and tired state.
TWU news release. Risks 704. 30 May 2015

Cambodia: Government to further weaken protections
Cambodia’s plans to further reduce its weak labour protections have come under attack from the international union movement. A series of new measures, being developed behind the scenes by the government, would further restrict rights for the country’s impoverished workforce.
ITUC news release. Letter from ITUC, IndustriALL and UNI to Cambodian prime minister HE Hun Sen. The Record. Risks 704. 30 May 2015

Europe: EU drops pesticide laws at US say so
The European Union scrapped planned pesticide regulations under pressure from US officials over the controversial transatlantic trade deal TTIP, newly published documents have revealed. Documents obtained by the Pesticides Action Network (PAN) Europe show a visit from high-level officials from the US Mission to Europe and the American Chambers of Commerce (AmCham) in July 2013 convinced the EU to drop planned rules that could have led to the banning of 31 hazardous pesticides.
EU health policy on endocrine disruption collatoral damage in Commission health service SANTE's power play, PAN Europe. A toxic affair: How the chemical lobby blocked action on hormone disrupting chemicals, Corporate Europe Observatory. ChemSec news report. The Guardian. The Independent. Risks 704. 30 May 2015

India: Yellow taxis call daytime heatwave curfew
Taxi drivers in Calcutta should not work during the hottest part of the day during a deadly heatwave, their union has said. The West Bengal Taxi Workers' Union is urging yellow taxi drivers to stay off the roads from 11am to 4pm until the weather becomes less oppressive.
Telegraph India. Risks 704. 30 May 2015

Hazards news, 23 May 2015

Britain: Don’t get hurt, get organised!
TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson says the union body “has made organising for health and safety central to our approach.” As well as TUC training courses and guides, the TUC points to examples of good practice where union investigations, negotiations and action have led to safer, healthier work.
What did you do to make work safer and healthier? Email your examples to TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson. TUC health and safety organisation webpages. TUC news release. The Guardian. Risks 703. 23 May 2015

Britain: Cornered firms destroyed blacklisting evidence
There was stunned silence followed by audible gasps in the High Court last week when a barrister read out documentary evidence indicating that major firms had deliberately set out to destroy evidence of their complicity in a blacklisting conspiracy. Unions UNITE, UCATT and GMB and the law firm Guney, Clark and Ryan, acting for the Blacklist Support Group (BSG), are representing 581 blacklisted union members in group litigation against 40 of the UK’s largest construction firms, including Sir Robert McAlpine Ltd, Balfour Beatty, Carillion, Kier, Costain, Laing O’Rourke, Vinci, Skanska and Bam.
Blacklist blog. GMB news release. Risks 703. 23 May 2015

Global: World Cup sponsors must act on Qatar abuses
Top global companies must pressure FIFA to act on the deadly and exploitative working conditions at the 2022 World Cup building sites in Qatar, unions have said. International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) leader Sharan Burrow said the work conditions were “simply slavery”.
TUC Stronger Unions blog and related story. Play Fair Qatar. Email the CEOs of these sponsor companies. BBC News Online. The Guardian. Risks 703. 23 May 2015

Britain: TUC calls for action on glyphosate
The TUC is calling for union safety reps to ensure workers are not exposed to a cancer-causing pesticide. A new briefing says because of the unquestionable risks posed by glyphosate, which can also cause short- and long-term skin, eye and respiratory problems and serious liver and kidney damage, it is “necessary to try to prevent any workers coming into contact with glyphosate.”
TUC glyphosate briefing. ACP news report. Risks 703. 23 May 2015

Britain: School support staff face violence
With challenging behaviour from pupils on the increase, UNISON is urging the government to better protect school caretakers, cleaners, dinner ladies, classroom assistants and other support staff from violent attacks. A new UNISON guide, ‘Managing difficult behaviour in schools’, is intended “to give staff more confidence and practical help when dealing with difficult situations,” the union says.
UNISON news release. Risks 703. 23 May 2015

Britain: Scots teachers left exposed to aggression
Teachers in Scotland are being left at risk of violence and aggression from pupils in the classroom, a teaching union has warned. The annual conference of NASUWT Scotland heard concerns that many teachers are being taught crisis management techniques for managing pupil behaviour, but is concerned this could leave teachers vulnerable to accusations of assault from pupils.
NASUWT news release. Risks 703. 23 May 2015

Britain: Schools asbestos survey confirms union fears
Concerns about the standards of asbestos management in schools have been confirmed by a union survey. Just published findings of the online survey of a small sample of members of the teaching union NUT found 44 per cent of respondents had not been told whether their school contains asbestos.
NUT asbestos survey. The Guardian. Risks 703. 23 May 2015

Britain: Airport parking transfer marred by bullying
The company that lost the parking contract at Gatwick airport is bullying and denying legal rights to the workers that will have to switch to the new provider, their union has said. GMB said that Sara O'Toole, the human resources manager with outgoing parking contractor APCOA Parking, “is largely responsible for the breakdown in industrial relations and for the needlessly poor workplace culture.”
GMB news release. Risks 703. 23 May 2015

Britain: Road workers get UV beads as skin cancer risk alert
Road workers at highways specialist A-one+ are being handed strings of UV reactive beads to highlight sun exposure risks over the summer months. The solar beads are to be worn by road workers while working in the outdoors and change colour to warn of increased UV light levels; water bottles, sunscreen, fact sheets and posters are also being distributed to staff to raise awareness across the organisation.
Construction Enquirer. Risks 703. 23 May 2015

Britain: Animal feed worker was buried in wheat
An animal feed company has been fined £80,000 after an employee died when he was buried under tonnes of wheat being unloaded from a lorry. Andrew Scott Harrold, 33, was working at Transpan (Scotland) Limited’s Tore Mill site in Inverness, when the incident happened in February 2011.
HSE news release and transport tipping guidance. Risks 703. 23 May 2015

Britain: Trainee teen engineer electrocuted
An engineering company has pleaded guilty to criminal safety offences that led to the death of a teenage trainee design engineer. Nineteen-year-old Jake Herring was electrocuted while working for Grundfos Pumps Limited.
HSE news release and electrical safety webpages. Risks 703. 23 May 2015

Britain: Lorry leaked corrosive liquid for miles
A lorry continued to leak corrosive potassium hydroxide for a further 12 miles after the concerned driver, who wanted the emergency services called out, was instead instructed to return to the depot. The jerricans toppled over whilst being transported from Whitman Laboratories Ltd, in Petersfield, Hampshire, to Belgium, by a driver working for Allport Cargo Services Ltd, on 30 March 2014.
HSE news release. Risks 703. 23 May 2015

Britain: Hospital worker gets serious steam burns
Kettering General Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (KGH) has been fined for its criminal safety failings after an employee received serious steam burns. On 5 November 2012, a maintenance worker at KGH was stripping down a steam boiler for periodic examination, when he received the serious steam burn injuries to the lower half of his body.
HSE news release and boiler safety guide. Risks 703. 23 May 2015

Australia: Most work cancers go uncompensated
Less than 10 per cent of people diagnosed with occupational cancer in Australia get any compensation, a report has revealed. ‘Occupational Cancer Costs’, a new review of workers’ compensation claims undertaken by Cancer Council Australia, found an average of 395 claims a year were made nationwide for work-related cancers, resulting in payouts of Aus$30 million (£15m), but that was a fraction of those who could possibly apply.
Cancer Care Australia news release and report, Occupational Cancer Costs.
The Conversation. The West Australian. Risks 703. 23 May 2015

Europe: Transatlantic treaty threatens chemical safety
Ongoing Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations could undermine Europe’s chemical safety laws, a coalition of chemical safety, environmental and cancer prevention organisations has warned. The groups are concerned that the European Union’s chemical safety regulations are being wrongly characterised as barriers to trade that must be weakened.
ChemSec news release and Joint NGO letter. Risks 703. 23 May 2015

Global: Asbestos industry celebrates business as usual
Governments backing the asbestos industry have derailed attempts to require mandatory warnings on all its cancer-causing exports. Russia and Kazakhstan – the world’s biggest asbestos exporters – headed a group of just four governments that refused to allow chrysotile asbestos to be put on the Rotterdam Convention’s list of hazardous substances for which ‘prior informed consent’ is required by importers. RightOnCanada.ca. End asbestos website. International Chrysotile Association. Risks 703. 23 May 2015

Philippines: Row over blame for deadly factory inferno
A prominent safety institute in the Philippines has challenged official safety assurances about conditions at a slipper and shoe factory where at least 72 workers died in a fire. The blaze swept thro ugh the Kentex Manufacturing Corporation factory in Valenzuela City on 13 May.
IOHSAD statement. Working in These Times. UFCW Canada news report. CNN Philippines. New York Times. Partido Manggagawa (PM) statement. Risks 703. 23 May 2015

Hazards news, 16 May 2015

Britain: Don’t despair, organise!
The election of a Conservative government that signalled before the vote it intends further attacks on health and safety should spur unions to ‘support and develop’ union safety reps, the TUC has said. TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson said the TUC has an action plan, and “will be running campaigns on the issues that matter on the workplace.”
TUC Stronger Unions blog. DWP homepage. Tweeter? Check out the new #OHSforTories series by @hazardseditor. Risks 702. 16 May 2015.

Britain: Oil price hike should end offshore cuts
The recovering price of oil should bring an immediate end to the oil and gas industry’s ‘opportunistic’ campaign of job cuts and attacks on working conditions, offshore union Unite has said. The union call came in the wake of its consultative ballot which showed over 93 per cent support for industrial action among Unite members employed by firms in the Offshore Contractors Association (OCA).
Unite news release. Risks 702. 16 May 2015.

Britain: Groups demand ‘ethical’ public procurement
New public procurement rules in Scotland must tackle issues including blacklisting, zero hours contracts and climate change, according to a broad-based coalition. International development charities, environmental groups, voluntary organisations and trade unions are demanding that Scotland’s annual procurement spend of around £10 billion should promote key sustainable and ethical policy objectives.
Unite Scotland news release and the ‘Ten Asks’ document. Risks 702. 16 May 2015.

Britain: Green activists back blacklisted workers
A key blacklisting court case returned to the High Court this week, with 500 blacklisted workers taking on over 40 of the UK’s largest construction companies. The group litigation brings together cases backed by unions and the Blacklist Support Group, and is being backed by environmental activists who were on a parallel ‘greenlist’.
Blacklist blog. Risks 702. 16 May 2015.

Britain: Rail union warning on night Tube risks
Boris Johnson’s plan to recruit a student army to help run the new night Tube service could leave these young part-timers and the public at risk, rail union TSSA has warned. The London mayor and newly elected Tory MP was strongly criticised by the union over his plans to recruit up to 200 students to cope with the big crowds using the Tube on Friday and Saturday nights.
TSSA news release. Risks 702. 16 May 2015.

Britain: Van driver’s fall cost him his job
A delivery driver who suffered head and shoulder injuries after falling from a work vehicle ended up losing his job as a result. The 66-year-old Unite member has received a £75,000 payout after he suffered a head injury and damaged his left shoulder when he fell backwards from a seven-tonne van at a delivery depot.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 702. 16 May 2015.

Britain: Paper mill worker gets recurring nasal cancer
A man cured of a rare form of cancer caused by exposure to wood dust at work has been compensated – and can go back to the courts if the cancer returns. The 63-year-old, whose name has not been released, was diagnosed with nasal cancer in August 2010 after being exposed to wood dust while working at a Stora Enso Newton Kyme Limited paper and wood mill from 1973 until 2002.
Irwin Mitchell Solicitors news release. Risks 702. 16 May 2015.

Global: Safer chemicals bring more business and jobs
The worldwide market for safer chemicals has a growth rate massively superior to conventional chemicals, brings fewer risks and leads to substantially more jobs, a new report has concluded. The report, commissioned by the American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC) and the Lowell University-based Green Chemistry and Commerce Council found the market for safer chemicals is estimated to have 24 times the growth of the conventional chemicals market worldwide, from 2011 to 2020.
ASBC news release. Making the business and economic case for safer chemistry, Report for the American Sustainable Business Council and Green Chemistry and Commerce Council Prepared by Trucost, April 2015. Risks 702. 16 May 2015.

Britain: Steel firm fined over death at foundry
A steel foundry has been sentenced after a South Yorkshire worker was killed when he was struck in the face by a shard from an abrasive disc that exploded from a hand-held grinding machine. Stuart Stead, 49, was using the grinder while working on a casting at HI Quality Steel Castings Ltd in Sheffield, on 7 March 2012.
HSE news release. Risks 702. 16 May 2015.

Britain: Six figure fine for food firm after worker electrocuted
A fresh produce manufacturer with a multimillion pound turnover and that supplies food giants including McDonalds and Pret a Manger has been fined for its role in the electrocution of a worker. Chichester Crown Court was told that Bradley Watts, a 21-year-old sub-contractor, was lagging pipes in the loft space of Natures Ways Foods premises in Chichester, on 2 June 2011.
HSE news release. Risks 702. 16 May 2015.

Britain: Opiate maker caused job ending dermatitis
Edinburgh pharmaceutical firm Macfarlan Smith Limited failed to protect an employee from hazardous substances, which led to him developing allergic dermatitis and losing his job. The manufacturer of opiates and other controlled drugs, and which is part of the giant Johnson Matthey group, appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court and was fined £27,000 after pleading guilty to a criminal safety offence.
HSE news release and dermatitis webpages. Risks 702. 16 May 2015.

Britain: Famous food firm fined for finger failings
A world-famous food producer has been fined £6,000 after admitting to criminal health and safety failings which left an employee without full use of his hand. Kayode Ogundele had been employed by Baxters Food Group at its Fochabers plant between October 2012 and February 2014 when he was injured in an “entirely avoidable” incident, Elgin Sheriff Court heard.
HSE news release and food manufacturing webpages. Press and Journal. Risks 702. 16 May 2015.

Britain: National Hazards Conference, Stoke, 4-6 September 2015 
It’s time to book your place at the National Hazards Conference, the once a year chance to meet safety reps, exchange ideas and get inspired. The conference organised by the Hazards Campaign has the theme ‘Safety reps: Reclaiming the health and safety agenda’, and will have top headline speakers and workshops that will give you the knowledge and tools to make workplaces safer and healthier.
National Hazards Conference, 4-6 September 2015, Keele University, Stoke-on-Trent.  Sponsorship appeal and Booking form. Risks 702. 16 May 2015.

Global: Workers’ guide to health and safety
Workplace disasters, from Piper Alpha to Pike River to Rana Plaza, remind us periodically that health and safety tragedies have common causes wherever you live and work. But a new book recognises that they also have common remedies, based around the informed and empowered role of workers.
For further details and sample chapters, see: Workers’ Guide to Health and Safety, Hesperian, May 2015. Risks 702. 16 May 2015.

Global: Mineworkers confront Rio Tinto over casualisation
Mineworkers have confronted Rio Tinto over casualisation of coal mining jobs and its dangerous impact on mine safety. Speaking ahead of the global mining giant’s AGM in Perth, Australia, Andrew Vickers of the Australian mining and energy union CFMEU said that insecure work arrangements were a troubling feature of Rio Tinto’s mining operations worldwide and were “a disaster for mine safety.”
CFMEU news release. Mining Australia. More on the hazards of insecure work. Risks 702. 16 May 2015.

Global: Dumping e-waste is a costly and deadly crime
Up to 90 per cent of the world’s electronic waste, worth nearly US $19 billion, is illegally traded or dumped each year, according to a report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The UN body says discarded electronics are recycled in conditions that are hazardous to health, and typically lead to subsequent dumping of the majority of the waste, addding that promoting safe recycling is vital to a better waste management.
UNEP news release and full report, Waste crimes, waste risks: Gaps and challenges in the waste sector. Risks 702. 16 May 2015.

USA: Higher nurse-to-patient ratios are good for nurses
A Californian law requiring higher nurse-to-patient ratios is not just good for patient care, it dramatically reduces the injury risk to the nurses themselves. California is the only US state with a law governing minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios. Paul Leigh, from the medical school at the University of California Davis, said: “We found that the law was associated with 55.57 fewer occupational injuries and illnesses per 10,000 registered nurses (RNs) per year, a value 32 per cent lower than the expected rate without the law based on injury and illness rates before the law was enacted.”
NIOSH science blog. J Paul Leigh, Carrie A Markis, Ana-Maria Iosif, Patrick S Romano.
California’s nurse-to-patient ratio law and occupational injury, International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, volume 88, issue 4, pages 477-484, May 2015. Risks 702. 16 May 2015.

USA: New rules to govern poisonous nail salons
A growing body of medical research is linking the chemicals found in nail and beauty products to serious health problems affecting salon workers, a recognition that has led New York governor Andrew Cuomo to order new health and safety regulations. The action came after news reports revealed that while clients may be in and out of a nail salon within an hour, manicurists handle the hazardous chemicals and breathe their fumes for hours on end, day after day.
New York governor Andrew Cuomo news release. New York Times and follow-up story.Risks 702. 16 May 2015.

 

Hazards news, 9 May 2015

Britain: Stickers on a hat don’t make sites safe
Multinational waste firm SITA Sembcorp UK is putting the largely migrant workforce constructing a Teesside facility at risk, the union GMB has said. Minutes of an April 2015 site safety meeting obtained by the union stipulate: “English speaking stickers to be applied to relevant hats”, adding: “Confirmation of 1 in 10… English speakers assigned to each working party.”
GMB news release. Risks 701. 9 May 2015

Britain: Unite to tackle ‘Victorian’ Sports Direct practices
Unite has launched a confidential advice and support line to help confront abusive ‘Victorian’ work practices at Sports Direct and a culture of fear at the retailer’s Shirebrook warehouse in Derbyshire. Working conditions are underpinned by a ‘six strikes and you’re out’ disciplinary procedure, where workers can get strikes for long toilet breaks, excessive chatting and even having time off for sickness. 
Unite news release. Channel 4 Dispatches: The Secrets of Sports Direct. Risks 701. 9 May 2015

Britain: Terminally ill workers can be sacked, OK?
Terminally ill workers need greater protection from heartless employers who are utilising a loophole in the law to dismiss the dying due to their illness, according to the communications union CWU. Delegates to the union’s annual conference heard the loophole stems from the fact that the terminally ill are not classified as having a 'Protected Characteristic' as defined by the Equality Act.
CWU news release. Risks 701. 9 May 2015

Britain: Nationwide impact for 28 April campaign
In over 50 towns and cities and hundreds of workplaces people commemorated International Workers’ Memorial Day, the TUC has said.
TUC facebook health and safety page. Morning Star. TUC News Release on Workers Memorial Day  and UK 28 April events listing. ITUC/Hazards global 28 April events, news and resources webpages. Risks 701. 9 May 2015

Britain: Contractor fined for potential asbestos risk
A restaurant leaseholder has been sentenced after illegally removing asbestos from the building during refurbishment work. Aman Ullah was in control of construction work which included the removal of asbestos insulation board soffits from the premises.
HSE news release and asbestos webpages. Risks 701. 9 May 2015

Britain: Asbestos cancers highlight education risks
Recent reports of asbestos cancers in education workers have highlighted the potentially deadly risks in the sector. An inquest last month ruled that the mesothelioma that killed former psychology lecturer Gwyneth Bonnet was an industrial disease; former music teacher Julia Popple, who died aged 54 from mesothelioma, secured a £450,000 compensation settlement last month; and retired teacher Penny Devaney was reported to have developed mesothelioma.
9 Gough Square news release. North Wales Chronicle. Daily Mirror. Risks 701. 9 May 2015

Britain: UN warning on asbestos risk in Europe
One in three people in Europe are at risk from asbestos exposures, with the deadly fibre claiming thousands of lives each year, a United Nations (UN) report has warned. A high-level meeting on environment and health in Europe on 30 April ended with an urgent appeal to all European countries to eliminate asbestos-related diseases.
WHO Europe news release and mesothelioma costs table. United Nations news release. WHO guidelines on elimination of asbestos related diseases. Cancerhazards.org. Risks 701. 9 May 2015

Britain: Pirelli guilty after factory worker’s oven death
Tyre manufacturer Pirelli has been fined £150,000 after an employee died when he became trapped in an industrial autoclave for more than two hours. George Falder was found dead at the Carlisle factory on 30 September 2012 in a machine used to heat parts of tyres to temperatures of up to 145 degrees Celsius.
HSE news release and manufacturing webpages. BBC News Online. News and Star. Risks 701. 9 May 2015

Britain: Council fined after worker thrown from tractor
Bristol City Council has been fined for its criminal safety failings after a park keeper suffered serious injuries when she was thrown from a tractor as it overturned. The 51-year-old worker, who doesn’t wish to be named, broke her pelvis and badly damaged an Achilles tendon in the incident and remained off work for a year but has since returned and is undertaking an office job.
HSE news release and workplace transport webpages. Risks 701. 9 May 2015

Global: Gold mining causes deadly diseases
The deadly risks posed by silica exposures in gold mines are particularly pronounced in small-scale operations, a new study has found. Research published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, which looked at conditions in Tanzania, revealed that exposures to silica are more than two hundred times greater in small-scale artisanal mines than in larger mines.
Perry Gottesfeld, Damian Andrew and Jeffrey Dalhoff. Silica exposures in
artisanal small-scale gold mining in Tanzania and implications for Tuberculosis prevention, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, published online April 2015. DOI: 10.1080/15459624.2015.1029617. Occupational Knowledge International. Risks 701. 9 May 2015

Global: IFJ denounces the deadly war on journalism
Journalism is under attack through repressive press laws, arbitrary detention as well as killings, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has said. Speaking out ahead of World Press Freedom Day on Sunday 3 May, the global union urged the international community to take this intimidation seriously and to put pressure on governments to investigate it promptly.
IFJ news release. NUJ news release. Risks 701. 9 May 2015

Global: Report highlights deadly journalism risks
Journalism has never been more dangerous, and journalists say they have never felt so unsafe doing their jobs, according to ‘Under threat’, a new report from the International News Safety Institute (INSI). INSI found that even those who don’t work in hostile environments face greater dangers than they did in the past, with the majority of deaths over the last decade occurring during peace time.
Under threat: The changing state of media safety, INSI, April 2015. Risks 701. 9 May 2015

Ireland: Enforcer gives safety reps a boost
Ireland’s Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has published a new, free 278-page hazards guide for the country’s health and safety representatives. The new book, published on International Workers’ Memorial Day and produced after an approach by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), is based closely on the TUC's bestselling ‘Hazards at Work’ guide.
HSA news release and electronic version of the HSA guide.
All chapters from the TUC’s Hazards at Work guide are available on the TUC health and safety webpages. Risks 701. 9 May 2015

Hazards news, 2 May 2015

Britain: Happiness report points out some sad truths
The UK government’s way of deciding policy priorities places too much emphasis on economic factors at the expense of the well-being of the people, the World Happiness Report has indicated. The report published by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, an initiative under the United Nations, puts the UK at 21, squeezed between the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. World Happiness Report. Risks 700. 2 May 2015

Britain: Inquiry call into sheep dip poisoning scandal
Agricultural union Unite and over a dozen members of parliament are calling for answers after a government cover-up of widespread poisoning of farmworkers by sheep dip was revealed. A Health and Safety Executive (HSE) report concluded least 500 farmers across the UK were left with debilitating health problems after using organophosphate-based (OP) chemicals to protect their sheep against parasites, under a compulsory dipping programme that ran until 1992.
Guardian report and earlier story. Leigh Day and Co Solicitors. Risks 700. 2 May 2015

Britain: Tribunal victory for blacklisted Unite rep
John Kelly, a rigger/erector and Unite member who was blacklisted by his employer Interserve Industrial Services because of his union activities while working at a Runcorn power station, has won his employment tribunal (ET) case for unfair dismissal. Unite hailed the ruling as ‘a great victory which draws a line in the sand’ for construction industry bosses who victimise union representatives.
Unite news release and full ET judgment. Liverpool Echo. Risks 700. 2 May 2015

Britain: Postal workers warned about the blacklist
Postal workers have been urged to make official requests for any information held about them if they suspect their names were kept on a blacklist of thousands of workers. Dave Smith, secretary of the Blacklist Support Group, told a packed fringe meeting at the annual conference of the communications union CWU: “We knew people were being unfairly dismissed for trade union activities... There are almost certainly people in this hall who are on this list.”
CWU news release. ITV News. Risks 700. 2 May 2015

FBU says lessons not learned on deadly fire risks
Firefighters’ union FBU has warned that more firefighters could be seriously injured or killed at work if lessons are not learned from past fatalities. The union said a report by Stirling University, published earlier this year, found that in the last decade the number of firefighter deaths at fires in the UK had doubled from the previous decade. Between 1993/94–2003/04 there were six firefighter deaths at fires but that figure jumped to 14 between 2004/05–2013/14.
FBU news release. Risks 700. 2 May 2015

Labour promises action to protect workers’ lives
Labour shadow ministers Stephen Timms and Kate Green have said a future Labour government will take action to improve enforcement of safety standards, support union safety reps and will “prioritise occupational health and the prevention of occupational illnesses.” They indicate a Labour government “will commission a proactive research programme to provide evidence for policy, including on occupational carcinogens,” adding: “We will prioritise occupational health and the prevention of occupational illnesses, and establish a strategy for removing over time asbestos from the built environment.”
Labourlist. Risks 700. 2 May 2015

Britain: Charter for asbestos justice launched
The Asbestos Victims Support Groups Forum is seeking support for a new ‘Charter for Justice.’ The forum says its Charter sets out “easily affordable reforms” that would make a real difference to asbestos victims.
The Asbestos Victims Support Groups Forum UK website and Charter for Justice. Risks 700. 2 May 2015

Global: Roundup, WHO and the pesticide lobby
The food system must be ‘transformed’ to keep deadly pesticides out of the workplace and the food chain, the global farm and food union federation IUF has said. The union body was speaking out in the wake of a March 2015 report in the journal Lancet Oncology, which revealed the International Agency for Research on Cancer’s (IARC) new classification of glyphosate - the active ingredient in Monsanto's Roundup and the world's most widely-used herbicide - as “probably carcinogenic to humans.”
IUF report. The Lancet Oncology. Risks 700. 2 May 2015

Britain: Action needed to improve workforce health
The next government should review how it is using local organisations to encourage improvements in workforce health and wellbeing, a new report from The Work Foundation has recommended. ‘Healthy, Working Economies’, published by Lancaster University’s Work Foundation, recommends that a more standardised set of measures be included in the Joint-Strategic Needs Assessments that local Health and Wellbeing Boards are required to undertake, including measures of employment outcomes for individuals with health conditions.
The Work Foundation news release and Healthy, Working Economies report. Risks 700. 2 May 2015

Britain: Young worker’s electrocution leads to fine
Company director Mark Hammond has been fined £12,500 after a 21-year-old worker was electrocuted whilst carrying out work in a basement on a Westminster construction site. The victim, who was not named in a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) news release, is identified in HSE’s 2011 fatalities listings as Jon Valbuena.
HSE news release and 2011 fatalities listing. Jon Valbuena facebook memorial. Risks 700. 2 May 2015

Britain: Multinational fined after driver dies engulfed by soya
An animal feed multinational has been fined following the death of a lorry driver who was buried under a mound of soya meal. Malcolm Harrison, 64, was working at the Cargill terminal at Seaforth Dock in Liverpool on 6 September 2012 when a stockpile of soya meal collapsed on him.
HSE news release. Liverpool Echo. Risks 700. 2 May 2015

Britain: Whistleblower get site client in court
A construction client from Birmingham landed in court after a member of the public complained about safety standards on his site. Mark Hewitt was fined £3,000 and ordered to pay £1,255.30 in costs at Sandwell Magistrates Court after being convicted of a criminal failure to properly plan or manage construction work.
HSE news release and work at height webpages. Construction Enquirer. Risks 700. 2 May 2015

Britain: Worker hit by piling hammer on Costain’s site
A worker suffered fractures to his back, hip and leg after he was knocked over by a four-tonne piling hammer when it broke free while being lifted into position, a court has heard. Eric Wilson, 62, was controlling the piling hammer, suspended from an excavator, during work to renew a sewage outfall across the beach in Hartlepool when the incident happened on a Costain’s run site on 16 September 2012.
HSE news release and lifting machinery webpages. Risks 700. 2 May 2015

Britain: Worker suffers ‘life-threatening’ injuries in roof fall
Lockheed Martin UK Ampthill Limited has been fined £10,000 and ordered to pay more than £7,300 in costs after admitting a criminal breach of Work at Height Regulations. Appearing at Luton Magistrates’ Court, the manufacturing company pleaded guilty in relation to its role in an incident in January 2012, when a contractor fell through the roof at its site in Ampthill, Bedfordshire.
HSE news release. Risks 700. 2 May 2015

Global: Want to know what happened on 28 April?
International Workers’ Memorial Day this year broke all records, with more activities in more places. At one point on 28 April, tweets with the hashtag #iwmd15 were ‘trending’ on Twitter UK, getting as high as an eye-catching third on the listing.
ITUC/Hazards 28 April website. Risks 700. 2 May 2015

Bangladesh: ‘Industrial homicide’ compensation shortfall
Two years after the deaths of more than 1,100 workers in the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, the compensation fund for their families and for the thousands injured is still US$6 million short of the $30 million target. Sharan Burrow, general secretary of the global union umbrella group ITUC, said: “The Rana Plaza tragedy shows how destructive the global supply chain model of today is for working people.”
ITUC news release. Risks 700. 2 May 2015

Global: Paraquat ‘too big a risk to life and health’
Campaigners are pressing for the highly toxic pesticide paraquat to be added to a list of restricted products. Global agriculture unions’ federation IUF has produced with Pesticides Action Network (PAN) and the Swiss-based NGO, Berne Declaration, a report on the use of paraquat in India.
IUF news release and report, Conditions of Paraquat Use in India. Risks 700. 2 May 2015

Global: Worldwide appeal to control toxic substances
“Chemicals we would have imagined by now would be globally banned keep popping up,” ITUC general secretary Sharan Burrow has told reporters from the US Center for Public Integrity. “We see emerging fears around some of the new technological issues such as nanotechnology... it’s extraordinary, really… There’s a lot of fear amongst workers.”
CPI report. ITUC ‘stop deadly exposures’ guides. Risks 700. 2 May 2015

Philippines: Citra Mina workers remember the dead
Workers in the Philippines have stepped up pressure on a seafood giant known for its deadly record and abusive employment practices. The Citra Mina Workers Union and their national union centre SENTRO commemorated Workers’ Memorial Day on 28 April this year with the families of fishing vessel workers declared lost at sea.
IUF news release and release on the Seafood Expo demonstration. Risks 700. 2 May 2015

Hazard news, 25 April 2015

Britain: Grave reminder of the daily risks faced by workers
International Workers’ Memorial Day serves as a reminder to workers across the globe that many of them are at daily risk of accidents, injury and illness at work, says the TUC. This is the 23rd year it has been commemorated in the UK, and will be marked by a record number of activities nationwide.
TUC news release and UK 28 April events listing. ITUC/Hazards global 28 April events, news and resources webpages. TUC news release on Rana Plaza. Rana Plaza Fund. Risks 699. 25 April 2015

Britain: TUC guide to epilepsy at work
New guidance to help trade union representatives support members with epilepsy has been published by the TUC. ‘Epilepsy in the workplace – a TUC guide’ was written for the TUC by Epilepsy Action and is based on the social model of disability, which means epilepsy is not seen as a barrier to work - but it points out there may be external barriers to accessing work in the form of ignorance, prejudice and failure by employers to make workplace adaptations
TUC news release and Epilepsy in the workplace – a TUC guide. Risks 699. 25 April 2015

Britain: Sellafield construction workers back strike action
Unite construction members employed by Sellafield Contractor Group Limited have backed industrial action overwhelmingly in a dispute over union representation and safety. Unite said it had been trying for 10 months to have a union official appointed to a health and safety role at Sellafield, adding that talks have now broken down.
Unite news release. Construction Enquirer. Irish Times. Risks 699. 25 April 2015

Britain: Unite calls for an inquiry on cabin air safety
Airline cabin staff union Unite is calling for a public inquiry into the health effects of ‘fume events’ on airliners, amid warnings that there is insufficient monitoring and research into ‘aerotoxic syndrome’.  Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said that more needed to be done to understand illnesses caused by exposure to contaminated cabin air on jet aircraft, adding that airlines should be required to monitor air quality during all flights.
Unite news release. ITV News. Risks 699. 25 April 2015

Britain: Ten shopworkers attacked every hour round the clock
An average of 241 shopworkers are assaulted every day, a survey by the shopworkers’ union Usdaw has found. The survey of over 5,000 retail staff, which forms part of the union’s Freedom from Fear campaign also found that a third of shopworkers (33 per cent) were threatened by customers and over half were verbally abused.
Usdaw news release. Daily Mail. Morning Star. Risks 699. 25 April 2015

Britain: Risks mount from unsafe nurse staffing levels
Nursing staff to patient ratios have seen no improvement over the past year, despite government claims of increased nursing numbers, according to a survey of more than 5,000 nursing staff by UNISON. Newly published findings of union’s annual snapshot study, carried out on 10 February, “paints a worrying picture of an overstretched and demoralised workforce”, with almost half of those surveyed (45 per cent) revealing inadequate staff numbers to deliver safe, dignified and compassionate care.
UNISON news release and survey report, Red Alert – Unsafe Staffing Levels Rising. Daily Mail. Risks 699. 25 April 2015

Britain: Seafarers demand action after enclosed space deaths
Seafarers’ union Nautilus is calling on the UK to lead a “new and concerted drive to end the appalling litany” of seafarer fatalities in enclosed spaces. The union has written to shipping minister John Hayes following a 13 March incident, in which two seafarers died in the cargo hold of the Isle of Man-flagged Carisbrooke Shipping general cargo vessel Sally Ann C.
Nautilus UK news release. Risks 699. 25 April 2015

Britain: Race hate crimes up as rail staff fall
Rail union RMT has demanded an end to staffing cuts after new figures revealed the number of suspected race hate crimes taking place on the railways has continued to rise, with four incidents reported to police every day last year. British Transport Police have confirmed that they recorded a total of 1,468 allegations of racially or religiously aggravated offences in 2014 - a rise of more than 100 compared to the 1,364 in 2013 and a further increase from the 1,351 in 2012.
RMT news release. Daily Mail. Morning Star. Risks 699. 25 April 2015

Britain: Essex firefighters face deadly choices
Fire crews across Essex have been understaffed consistently with nearly a sixth of all shifts last year having fewer than the minimum recommended number of firefighters, new figures have revealed. Firefighters’ union FBU said members were being left the ‘horrendous’ choice of delaying lifesaving operations or risking their own lives.
FBU news release. Risks 699. 25 April 2015

Britain: Union welcomes Labour’s plan to end exploitation
Construction union UCATT has welcomed a Labour commitment to introduce measures to crackdown on the exploitation of migrant workers in industries such as construction. Labour said it will establish a special Home Office Enforcement Unit with more than 100 staff to root out illegal exploitation that undercuts wages and conditions.
Labour Party news release. UCATT news release. Risks 699. 25 April 2015

Britain: Worker crushed to death by steel tubes
A steel company has been sentenced after its criminal safety failings led to a 42-year-old worker being killed when he was knocked off his lorry and then crushed by a three-tonnes load of steel tubes. Father-of-three Robert Ismay, from Thirsk, was delivering two bundles of 7.5-metre-long tubes to Daver Steels Ltd in Sheffield when the incident happened on 6 December 2012.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 699. 25 April 2015

Britain: Worker dies at animal crematorium
Sally Williams, the owner of a pet and equine crematorium, has been fined after a self-employed worker died falling through a roof while carrying out repairs. Paul Hoskin, a self-employed agricultural engineer, was asked to repair holes in a cement fibre roof at the crematorium in Newton Abbot on 6 September 2013, when he fell 6.6 metres to the floor.
HSE news release and work at height webpages. Risks 699. 25 April 2015

Britain: Recycling firm sentenced over worker’s severed hands
A recycling firm in Southampton has been sentenced for serious criminal safety breaches after a worker had both hands severed while cutting metal strips on an industrial baler. Spanish-born Ivan Menendez, then 38, had been employed as an operative for seven months by Metal Processing Ltd at its site in Northam when the incident happened on 8 January 2014.
HSE news release. Risks 699. 25 April 2015

Britain: ‘Incompetent’ brothers jailed after building collapse
Two Sheffield brothers have been jailed for their ‘greed’ and criminal safety failures after a building collapse left three injured, up to 20 people temporarily homeless, and nearby properties evacuated. Naveed and Rizwan Hussain were prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) at Sheffield Crown Court following the collapse of a three-storey terrace in Brook Hill on 23 March 2013.
HSE news release and construction webpages. Risks 699. 25 April 2015

Global: ITUC health and safety e-news
A special issue of ITUC’s occupational health and safety e-news has a substances theme.
ITUC occupational health and safety e-news. To subscribe free, email ITUC. Risks 699. 25 April 2015

Bangladesh: Two years After Rana Plaza, problems remain
Garment workers in Bangladesh face poor working conditions and anti-union tactics by employers including assaults on union organisers, a new report from Human Rights Watch (HRW) has revealed. “If Bangladesh wants to avoid another Rana Plaza disaster, it needs to effectively enforce its labour law and ensure that garment workers enjoy the right to voice their concerns about safety and working conditions without fear of retaliation or dismissal,” said Phil Robertson, HRW’s Asia deputy director.
Whoever Raises Their Head, Suffers the Most’: Workers’ Rights in Bangladesh’s Garment Factories, Human Rights Watch report, April 2015 and news release. IndustriALL news release. The Guardian. Risks 699. 25 April 2015

Europe: Action call on workplace cancer risks
The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) has condemned the European Commission for delaying since October 2013 the adoption of legally binding exposure limits for chemicals that cause cancer and other serious health effects because it is conducting a review of ‘red tape’. The union body says this means that 150,000 have died while EC evaluates ‘better regulation’.
ETUC 28 April webpages and priority list of 50 of the most harmful chemicals. Risks 699. 25 April 2015

Global: If you expose us, we’ll expose you
Imagine a killer that strikes more than once every minute and that most of these deaths could be stopped with minimal effort, but preventive measures are being blocked. Well, warns International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) general secretary Sharan Burrow, that killer is occupational cancer and she asserts: “We make this pledge - if they expose us, we will expose them.”
ITUC article and ‘Toxic work – stop deadly exposures today’ guide. Annotated occupational cancer bibliography. ITUC/Hazards International Workers’ Memorial Day 28 April webpages. Risks 699. 25 April 2015

Global: ITF resolves to tackle toxics in transport
The global transport unions’ federation ITF is asking its affiliates to raise awareness about the issue of toxic gas and fumigation in containers with their members.  It says “this is an increasingly important topic for us given the tragedy in the port of Antwerp,” where three dockworkers died on 11 April.
ITF news release and statement on the Antwerp tragedy. ITF campaigns on container safety for dockers. Risks 699. 25 April 2015

Taiwan: Workers win RCA cancers case after 15 years
The owners of a Taiwan-based electronics firm have been ordered to pay millions in compensation to workers who developed liver, lung and other cancers after working on its production lines. On 17 April, a Taiwan district court ordered the parent firms of Radio Corporation of America (RCA) to pay US$18 million in damages to the former workers and their families, who the court heard were the victims of worst work-related health scandal in the country’s history.
China Post. Taipei Times. Taiwan News. GoodElectronics. Risks 699. 25 April 2015

Hazards news, 18 April 2015

Britain: Most paramedics are stressed out
Long hours, staff shortages and the mental demands of the job are placing an enormous burden on ambulance workers, with nine in ten (91 per cent) saying they are suffering with stress, according to new UNISON research. The survey of 2,977 ambulance workers found that threequarters (74 per cent) are suffering with sleep problems, 72 per cent said they felt irritable as a result and experienced mood swings, and more than half (56 per cent) suffer with anxiety.
UNISON news release. Morning Star. Risks 698. 18 April 2015

Britain: Union warning ignored before rail signal collapse
An incident this month where a rusted through signal collapsed on the Norwich to Lowestoft line has once again revealed how warnings from RMT union reps over serious maintenance problems are being ignored by senior managers, the union has said. The semaphore signal which came down at Cantley in Norfolk on 5 April had rusted right through at its base – an issue on this section of line that had been raised with management by RMT.
RMT news release. Risks 698. 18 April 2015

Global: Unions target World Cup corporate sponsors
Unions are urging the global corporations sponsoring the 2022 World Cup to make a stand against forced labour. The construction union UCATT said it is part of a global campaign applying pressure to end a system where migrant workers in Qatar are “forced to work in slave like conditions” to build the facilities for football’s most prestigious event.
UCATT news release and Qatar Campaign.
Sign the petition to corporations sponsoring the World Cup. Risks 698. 18 April 2015

Britain: Union secures payout for injured photojournalist
Media union NUJ has helped a photojournalist secure compensation after he seriously injured his ankle and finger when he tripped on a cracked pavement.  The union member was working as a freelance photojournalist when he suffered a serious spiral fracture to his ring finger and tore ligaments in his ankle in the fall in Hackney, London.
NUJ news release. Risks 698. 18 April 2015

Britain: Balfour Beatty worker trapped by track machine
Essex engineer Andrew Tiffin has been awarded ‘significant’ compensation from construction giant Balfour Beatty, after the RMT member suffered a severe crush injury while working at a maintenance depot in Colchester.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 698. 18 April 2015

Global: Intermittent jobs are bad for your health
People moving in and out of temporary or insecure work are at a heightened risk of physical and mental health problems. New research has found an ‘accumulation’ of health effects linked to multiple spells of unemployment, adding to evidence showing a pronounced health impact of insecure work.
The Age. More on the hazards of insecure work. Risks 698. 18 April 2015

[victmn] Britain: Welcome for Labour gangmaster and blacklisting pledges
Construction union UCATT has welcomed pledges in Labour’s manifesto to crackdown on exploitation by gangmasters and to end blacklisting. Steve Murphy, general secretary of UCATT, said: “These pledges demonstrate Labour is on the side of construction workers and that a Labour government will act to prevent exploitation and will deliver justice to workers who have been blacklisted.”
Labour Party manifesto 2015 [pdf]. Green Party manifesto. Plaid Cymru manifesto. UCATT news release. Risks 698. 18 April 2015

Britain: Tory plans on work rights and safety condemned
Construction union UCATT has condemned the Conservative Party’s proposals to slash workers’ rights and to further erode workplace safety. The union says the Tory manifesto plans would make it “virtually impossible to hold a lawful strike”, and adds the manifesto “strongly indicates” that the Conservatives are planning a fresh attack on workplace safety, as part of its promise to “cut a further £10 billion of red tape over the next parliament though our Red Tape Challenge and our One-In-Two Out role.”
Conservative Party Manifesto 2015. UCATT news release. Risks 698. 18 April 2015

Britain: Asbestos exposures killed art teacher
The family of a former art teacher who died from cancer after years of pinning pupils' work to classroom walls lined with asbestos is taking legal action against the local council. Jennifer Barnett worked Archway School in Stroud, Gloucestershire, between 1980 and 1997, when she left teaching.
Daily Mail. Risks 698. 18 April 2015

Britain: Runaway hire truck firm ends up in court
A Leicestershire tool and plant hire company has been fined after a worker was injured by a defective dumper truck it provided to a farmer. Derby Magistrates’ Court heard that JB Tool Hire had hired out a dumper truck and excavator to a farmer based near Hartshorne, Derbyshire.
HSE news release and work equipment approved code of practice and guidance. Construction Enquirer. Risks 698. 18 April 2015

Britain: Arm broken after safety mechanism is ‘tricked’
A Staffordshire company has been fined after an employee broke his arm in a machine that was ‘tricked’ into operating while in an unsafe condition. Roger Small, 49, was attempting to repair the computer-controlled machine at Key Precision Ltd on 17 January 2014 when it started working and his arm was caught by the machine’s internal arms. HSE news release. Risks 698. 18 April 2015

Britain: Chicken firm wrecked worker’s hand
A Southampton worker suffered serious injuries when his arm was dragged into an unguarded part of a conveyor belt at a chicken hatchery business in Romsey, a court has heard. Supervisor Andrew House was unable to work for several months after the incident at the Faccenda Foods hatchery on 17 March 2014.
HSE news release. Risks 698. 18 April 2015

Britain: Distressing result of mailing machine injuries
A Hertfordshire packaging company has been fined for criminal safety failings after a worker broke his arm in a poorly guarded mailing machine at a factory in Melbourn. Harry Bracewell, 20, required surgery to have metal plates and screws inserted into his arm as a result of the incident at Ampac Security Products Ltd on 12 February 2014.
HSE news release. Risks 698. 18 April 2015

Britain: Tool firm in court for lost finger
A Nottingham firm that makes garden and household tools has been prosecuted after a worker had to have his finger amputated as a result of injuries sustained when it was crushed in an unguarded machine. Nottingham Magistrates’ Court heard that 29-year-old shift manager Jamie Knighton was working at Fiskars UK Ltd’s Bulwell factory when the incident happened on 15 December 2011.
HSE news release and work equipment guide. Nottingham Post. Risks 698. 18 April 2015

Global: New 28 April ITUC hazardous substances guide
A new briefing from the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) spells out why trade unions should act to protect workers from hazardous substances. ‘Toxic work: Stop deadly exposures today!’ is a key part of a trade union tool box intended to support trade union activities for the International Day of Commemoration of Dead and Injured Workers on 28 April (also known as International Workers’ Memorial Day and the Day of Mourning), which is focusing this year on the need for removing exposure to hazardous substances.
Toxic work: Stop deadly exposures today!, ITUC, April 2015 (available in English, Spanish and French). ITUC/Hazards global 28 April webpages, including guides, videos and an events map. TUC Workers’ Memorial Day webpages and events listings. Risks 698. 18 April 2015

Asia: Warning about asbestos disease ‘tsunami’
Use of asbestos is increasing in Asia and the continent could face an asbestos disease ‘tsunami’ as a result, researchers have warned. Writing in the journal Respirology, experts from Australia, Indonesia and the UK note: “Reducing the risks of such diseases will require reduction in the use of asbestos, careful surveillance for asbestos related diseases and improved levels of training in the recognition and diagnosis of these disease, and cooperation among government and non-government groups in the prevention of these diseases.”
Su Lyn Leong, Rizka Zainudin, Laurie Kazan-Allen and Bruce W Robinson. Asbestos in Asia, Respirology, early view, published online ahead of print, 29 March 2015.
Paul Baas and Sjaak Burgers. ASIA: Asbestos stop in Asia, Editorial, Respirology, early view, published online ahead of print, 31 March 2015. Risks 698. 18 April 2015

Australia: Pressure brings more site suicides than fatalities
The statistics on suicide in Australia’s construction industry are alarming, with around 50 people taking their own lives each year in Queensland alone, with another 150 workers in the state permanently disabled following a suicide attempt. Suicide outstrips death by accidents in the construction sector six to one, something attributed to the industry’s long hours, high stress and transient lifestyle.
The Courier. Risks 698. 18 April 2015

Liberia: Unions key to stopping Ebola spread
In Liberia, no new cases of Ebola were reported in the first week in April and the overall death toll, while horrific at nearly 4,200, is far less than some health experts predicted last year - a result based in part on the coordinated efforts of the Liberian trade union movement.
Solidarity Center news report. Risks 698. 18 April 2015

USA: Even work’s dead go uncounted
In early 2014, North Carolina Labor Commissioner Cherie Berry had some good news to share. Workplace deaths dropped significantly, with only 23 people having died in accidents on the job in the past year. That count, though, captured only a sliver of the tragedies that met workers on the job, a newspaper investigation has found.
The News and Observer. Risks 698. 18 April 2015

Hazards news, 11 April 2015

Britain: Government gets a ‘fail’ grade on safety 
A government claim that its breakneck programme of health and safety deregulation has not reduced the protection afforded to workers is ‘clearly nonsense’, the TUC has said. The union body was commenting on the 25 March publication of a government ‘report book’ on its reform of health and safety legislation over the past five years. TUC Stronger Unions blog and TUC review of the government’s safety performance.
DWP news release and A final report on implementation of health and safety reforms, DWP, 25 March 2015. HSE statement.
Hugh Robertson. The Health and Safety at Work Act turned 40, Occupational Medicine, volume 65, issue 3, pages 176-179, March 2015 • Risks 697 • 11 April 2015

Britain: Relaxing mine safe rules 'could cost lives'
Changes to Britain’s mine safety rules will “save mine owners money but cost someone a life,” unions have warned. Measures that came into force this month include exempting mines from the previously compulsory Mine Rescue Service in the event of workers being trapped underground.
The Independent. Wales Online • Risks 697 • 11 April 2015

Britain: Job cuts accelerate North Sea ‘race to the bottom’
The announcement of further offshore job cuts marks a dangerous and quickening ‘race to the bottom’ in the industry, the union Unite has said. Its warning came after the 26 March announcement by oil giants Shell and Taqa that they would be axing a further 350 North Sea jobs.
Unite news release. Ten Pathways to death and disaster, Michael Quinlan, The Federation Press, ISBN 9781862879775. Hazards magazine • Risks 697 • 11 April 2015

Britain: Amazon ‘cover up’ on long term health risks
‘Impossible’ targets are imposing unbearable stresses and strains on Amazon workers who are then being invited to leave, the union GMB has claimed. Amazon has denied it is pushing through redundancies, instead saying it wants “an engaged, positive workforce” so is providing “employees who are ready for a new career with an opportunity to smooth their transition.”
GMB news release • Risks 697 • 11 April 2015

Britain: Clarkson axe is the ‘right decision’
Media and entertainment union BECTU has said the BBC’s decision to axe Jeremy Clarkson from its Top Gear programme is the ‘right decision’. The millionaire television presenter was dropped after an investigation found he landed a producer in hospital following an “unprovoked physical and verbal attack.”
BECTU news release and Creating without conflict guides. BBC News Online. Morning Star • Risks 697 • 11 April 2015

Britain: Resolving mental health issues at work
Workers have been experiencing a significant increase in stress, which in some cases has led to mental health problems, as a result of the impact of austerity on their work and home lives, a new TUC report has concluded. ‘Good practice in workplace mental health’ says although there is greater public awareness of mental health, the number of workers affected by mental health issues is ‘enormous’.
TUC news release and report, Good practice in workplace mental health. USI live • Risks 697 • 11 April 2015

Britain: Union warning on school asbestos toll
Asbestos is claiming the lives of up to 300 former pupils and 15 teachers a year, according to a report from the teaching union NUT. The union is calling for a national audit of all schools to assess the asbestos risk.
NUT news release. The Mirror. ITV News. Morning Star • Risks 697 • 11 April 2015

Britain: High tech stress and abuse faces teachers
Computers are being used to load out-of-hours work on teachers and to abuse them, surveys by the union NASUWT have found. Nearly 60 per cent of teachers responding to an NASUWT annual survey reported having had adverse comments posted about them on social media sites by pupils and parents, compared to 21 per cent in 2014.
NASUWT news releases on social media abuse and home invasion • Risks 697 • 11 April 2015

Britain: Appeal against tribunal fees gets the go ahead
UNISON has been granted permission by the Court of Appeal to proceed with appeals against the decisions of the High Court refusing its two Judicial Review applications challenging the lawfulness of employment tribunal fees. These appeals will be heard together in June. Under the fees system, workers can be required to pay up to £1,200 for taking a tribunal complaint about issues including victimisation for workplace safety activities.
UNISON news release. Unite news release. Morning Star • Risks 697 • 11 April 2015

Britain: Unions welcome MPs’ blacklisting inquiry call
A ‘damning’ report  by a House of Commons select committee calling for a public inquiry into construction industry ‘blacklisting’ has been welcomed by unions. Unite said it strongly endorsed the recommendation in a March ‘Blacklisting in Employment’ final report from the Scottish Affairs Committee.
Blacklisting in Employment: Final Report, Scottish Affairs Committee, 27 March 2015. Unite news release. UCATT news release. GMB news release. Morning Star • Risks 697 • 11 April 2015

Britain: Work compensation scheme is ‘an unholy mess’
Most UK workers suffering occupational cancer and other potentially lethal work-related diseases can forget about any government compensation, according to a new report by University of Stirling health researchers. The report, published in the new edition of Hazards magazine, found the current compensation scheme is an ‘unholy mess’ that excludes seven of the top ten entries on the official UK occupational cancer priorities ranking.
Stirling University news release. Mean test, Hazards magazine, number 130, 2015. STV News. The Herald • Risks 697 • 11 April 2015

Global: UK asbestos, Irish victim, US court case
A New York appellate court has ruled that a former mechanic in Ireland can sue Ford Motor Co in the US courts because the company’s “substantial role” in the design of car parts distributed by its UK subsidiary.
Law360.com • Risks 697 • 11 April 2015

Britain: More questions over drug test accuracy
Construction workers are questioning the accuracy of site drug tests, following a landmark case that saw a Bristol bus driver win his tribunal case. Alan Bailes was awarded unfair dismissal compensation from First Bus after proving he didn't take drugs. Construction Enquirer • Risks 697 • 11 April 2015

Britain: Campaigners want action to protect employees
Workplace safety campaigners are challenging Britain’s politicians to take action to protect people at work. The Hazards Campaign has come up with a 13-point plan for the new government to follow, setting out 10 steps for the politicians and three for workers and union safety reps.
Hazards Campaign 13-point plan. Morning Star • Risks 697 • 11 April 2015

Britain: Kayak firm fined for corporate manslaughter
A kayak maker convicted of corporate manslaughter after a dad was cooked to death in an industrial oven has been given a six figure fine. Supervisor Alan Catterall, 54, died when he was locked in the oven at Pyranha Mouldings' factory in Runcorn, Cheshire, in December 2010.
CPS news release. Runcorn and Widnes News • Risks 697 • 11 April 2015

Global: Workers’ Memorial Day? That’s 28April.org
The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and Hazards have launched their new, dedicated International Workers’ Memorial Day website, www.28april.org. The new resource includes a global event map and listing, videos, a #iwmd15 twitter feed and links to lots of useful information.
ITUC/Hazards International Workers’ Memorial Day website. TUC Workers’ Memorial Day webpages and events listings • Risks 697 • 11 April 2015

Global: Unions condemn UN asbestos junket
The appearance of asbestos industry lobbyists at a meeting organised by UN agencies and funded by the European Commission (EC) has been condemned as ‘farcical’ and a ‘junket’ by unions. Global building unions’ federation BWI said the event in Geneva on 30-31 March, ahead of a Rotterdam Convention conference in May, was hosted by the convention’s secretariat, the UN’s International Labour Organisation (ILO) and World Health Organisation (WHO) and funded by the EC.
BWI news report and model letter to labour and environment ministers • Risks 697 • 11 April 2015

Korea: Samsung’s payouts plan excludes most
A compensation scheme for people harmed by toxic exposures while working for Samsung places so many restrictions on eligibility that barely three in every 10 affected workers will receive anything. An analysis by Hankyoreh21 magazine found only 14 of 163 cases (8.5 per cent) examined definitely fell within the scope of the scheme. SHARPS report • Risks 697 • 11 April 2015

Global: Don’t privatise safety responsibility
An occupational health and safety management standard currently in preparation could undermine existing safety provisions, a global union has warned. PSI, the international union federation for public sector unions, said the standard being developed by the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) “grievously undermines the participation of workers at all levels of occupational health and safety management.”
PSI news report • Risks 697 • 11 April 2015

USA: Union mines are safer and more productive
Unionised coal mines are safer and more productive than non-union mines, a study has confirmed. Research by SNL Energy found that in 2013 unionised mines in the US coal belt produced about 94,091 tons of coal per injury versus 71,110 in non-union mines, despite research suggesting that unionised miners are more likely to report workplace injuries.
SNL Data Dispatch. AFL-CIO Now blog • Risks 697 • 11 April 2015

Hazards news, 28 March 2015

Britain: Unions make a difference on mental health at work
The prevalence of mental health problems among Britain’s workers is as bad as ever, and is being exacerbated by reductions in the funding of mental health services, the TUC has warned. But he said there is some good news, and that comes in the form of trade union initiatives to prevent work-related mental health problems or to support affected workers in their jobs.
TUC Touchstone blog and report, Good practice in workplace mental health, TUC, March 2015. Risks 696. 28 March 2015

Britain: Bus driver proved innocent after failed drug test
A Bristol-based bus driver has received compensation from First Bus after proving he didn't take drugs, despite failing a workplace drugs test. Unite member Alan Bailes, who had been employed as a bus driver for more than 22 years, was wrongly dismissed from First Bristol Limited for “gross misconduct” after testing positive for cocaine in a drug test at work.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Bath Chronicle. Risks 696. 28 March 2015

Britain: Union issues prison safety ultimatum
The government has been given four weeks to review the failing prison safety system before the prison officers’ union POA takes ‘appropriate steps’ to ensure the safety of prison staff and inmates. The 18 March statement from the union came after the Commons justice select committee found “it is not possible to avoid the conclusion” that changes in policy, including efficiency savings and staffing shortages, “have made a significant contribution to the deterioration in safety”.
POA news release. The Guardian. BBC News Online. Risks 696. 28 March 2015

Britain: Call for tougher sentences for dog offences
Stronger penalties are needed to tackle dangerous dog offences, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) has said. The union was speaking at the start of a Sentencing Council consultation on sentencing guidelines for dangerous dogs offences in England and Wales.
CWU news release. Sentencing Council news release. BBC News Online. Risks 696. 28 March 2015

Britain: Questions remain after firefighter death fine
The firefighters’ union FBU has welcomed the conclusion of a six year fight for justice after the death of member Ewan Williamson, but has warned that the underlying problems that led to the tragedy remain unaddressed. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) was fined £54,000 after earlier admitting criminal health and safety breaches that contributed to the 35-year-old firefighter’s death.
FBU news release. HSE statement. COPFS news release. BBC News Online. Risks 696. 28 March 2015

Britain: RMT steps up scrutiny of rail crowding dangers
Transport union RMT has said it will step up its monitoring of crowding and safety on both rail and Tube services after a three-year-old fell between a train and the platform at Baker Street. The union said the latest incident “raises serious questions about the safety of passengers while top transport bosses repeatedly ignore union warnings.”
RMT news release. London Evening Standard. Risks 696. 28 March 2015

Britain: Work injury cost chef her job
A chef who is no longer able to work after suffering serious injuries in a fall at work has secured a £16,250 compensation payout. UNISON member Yvonne Rupp, 62, was working for Avalon Nursing Home in Poole when she tripped on loose that had been reported to her employer on a number of occasions before the incident, but managers made no attempt to fix the hazard.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 696. 28 March 2015

Britain: Blacklisted agency worker failed by the courts
Building firms that ran a secret and illegal blacklist of workers who were union safety activists have received a Court of Appeal let-off. The test case was brought by engineer Dave Smith, who found it almost impossible to get work after raising safety fears on construction sites.
Court of Appeal ruling, 18 March 2015. Daily Mirror. Blacklist Support Group facebook page. Risks 696. 28 March 2015

Britain: Blacklisters get off, blacklisted get arrested
Blacklisted workers have vowed to bring an “even bigger crowd” to protest against anti-union practices in the construction industry after a high profile campaigner was arrested during a peaceful demonstration addressed by blacklisted workers and union officials. Blacklist Support Group (BSG) secretary Dave Smith was arrested at the 18 March protest outside the Construction News Specialists Awards dinner at the Hilton Hotel in London’s Park Lane, where they called for the reinstatement a union activist who complained about unsafe conditions on the Crossrail project.
Morning Star. Reel News video coverage of the arrest. John McDonnell MP on twitter. USi Live. ‘Blacklisted’ book. Early Day Motion 899, Covert surveillance of trade unions. Risks 696. 28 March 2015

Britain: Survey probes construction card fraud
Fraud in the construction skills card system is to be investigated by industry bodies. The action comes in the wake of this year’s National Crime Agency prosecution of an organised gang dealing in false identity documentation, including construction and security industry certification cards.
CITB news release. UCATT news release. Risks 696. 28 March 2015

Britain: Union concern at security guard licence fraud
The union GMB has said it is seriously concerned by revelations that thousands of licensed security guards could be working in the UK fraudulently after buying qualifications for cash. A BBC investigation has found some colleges were happy to sit or forge exams for untrained students for a fee.
GMB news release. BBC News Online. Risks 696. 28 March 2015

Britain: Skipper jailed after death of diver
A shellfish boat skipper whose criminal safety failings led to the death of a diver off the Scottish coast has been jailed for nine months. Guthrie Meville's boat The Solstice was fishing for razor clams in Largo Bay in the Forth Estuary, when diver James Irvine died on 24 March 2011.
COPFS news release. HSE commercial shellfish diving guide. BBC News Online. Risks 696. 28 March 2015

Britain: Toy firm and builder in court over fall death
A builder has been given a suspended jail term and a toy distributor a six figure fine after a worker plunged to his death through a warehouse roof. Craig Gray, 39, had been helping to clear debris from the roof when he fell nine metres through a fragile plastic panel at Halsall Toys Europe Ltd on 19 July 2012.
HSE news release and work at height webpages. Risks 696. 28 March 2015

Britain: Suspended jail term over asbestos exposure
A Leeds trader has been given a suspended jail sentence after exposing a household and workers to potentially dangerous levels of asbestos fibres at a home in Bramhope. Clive Raper, 49, trading as Bramley Asbestos Removals, took on a job to remove asbestos insulating board from the garage of a couple’s home despite the fact that he did not hold the legal licence required to carry out the specialist work.
HSE news release. Risks 696. 28 March 2015

Britain: Metals firm a ‘serial safety offender’
A metals business repeatedly risked workers’ lives by making them use dangerous machines – notching up a shocking 31 enforcement notices for criminal safety breaches in just three months. Sheffield Crown Court was told that Meadowbank Vac Alloys was a serial safety offender.
HSE news release. Risks 696. 28 March 2015

Britain: Two reversing forklifts, two injured workers
Two workers were seriously injured by reversing forklift trucks in separate incidents at the MyFresh Prepared Produce vegetable processing factory in Chicksands, Bedfordshire. The first serious incident at MyFresh Prepared Produce occurred on 15 January 2014 as The firm was fined £38,000 and ordered to pay £8,320 in costs after pleading guilty to criminal safety offences.
HSE news release. Risks 696. 28 March 2015

Bangladesh: Two years on, disaster fund has $9m shortfall
With one month to go before the 24 April second anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster, the organisations spearheading the campaign for justice have launched a countdown campaign to remind consumers, governments and major brands that this is still eluding the thousands of workers killed or injured. Global unions IndustriALL and UNI together with the Clean Clothes Campaign are ramping up demands on global brands linked to the disaster to fill an US$8.5 million gap in the funding needed to deliver full and fair compensation to each of the over 5,000 individuals with eligible claims.
IndustriALL news release. UNI news release. Clean Clothes Campaign news release. Risks 696. 28 March 2015

Canada: Public workers demand healthy workplaces
Canadians must be provided better public services delivered by public sector workers in healthy workplaces, unions in the sector have said. Robyn Benson, national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), said the ‘Together for healthy workplaces’ nationwide campaign launched at a 19 March day of action, was the start of a union drive “to negotiate measures for healthier workplaces.”
PSAC news release. Risks 696. 28 March 2015

Global: Outrage at India’s ‘discredited’ asbestos push
Dozens of prestigious scientific organisations and scientists from around the world have called on India to end its ‘discredited’ efforts to keep chrysotile asbestos outside the scope of a United Nations treaty on toxic exports. A study by India’s National Institute of Occupational Health is being used to support the Indian government’s argument, and concludes there is no evidence that chrysotile asbestos is harming workers in India.
RightOnCanada.ca news release and statement sent to the Indian government.
Study of health eazards/Environmental hazards resulting from use of chrysotile variety of Asbestos in the country, National Institute of Occupational Health (India). Rotterdam Convention. Risks 696. 28 March 2015

USA: McDonald's workers told to put mustard on burns
McDonald’s workers are filing official health and safety complaints in 19 cities in the US after suffering burns that some were told to treat with mustard, mayonnaise or other condiments. The official health and safety regulator OSHA has launched an investigation in response to 28 worker complaints stating workers often suffered burns, some of them severe, under pressure to filter oil for recycling while it was still hot, and from exposure to grills.
Fight for $15 petition and 'Burned at McDonald's, Treated with Mustard' video. IUF news report. The Independent. Risks 696. 28 March 2015

Hazards news, 21 March 2015

Global: McStandards are no substitute for real rules
TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson has warned that key decisions on health and safety rules being gifted to manufacturers and suppliers. “It is called standardisation, the process of setting standards,” he notes, citing examples like machinery safety and protective clothing where these “British, European and international standards are increasingly used instead of regulation.”
Stronger Unions blog. Standard Deviation, Hazards online report, March 2015. Risks 695. 21 March 2015

Britain: Covert police unit spied on union members
An undercover police unit that monitored political groups over a 40 year period gathered intelligence on members of at least five trade unions, a whistleblower has revealed. Former undercover police officer Peter Francis said he spent four years spying on political activists.
Home Office news release. CWU news release. GMB news release. UCATT news release. The Guardian, including full text of the statement from Peter Francis. The Mirror. Morning Star.
Change.org petition calling on Theresa May to ensure the OSA is not used against inquiry whistleblowers.
Blacklisted: the secret war between big business and trade union activists, New Internationalist, March 2015. ISBN 978-1-78026-257-4. eBook ISBN: 978-1-78026-258-1. £9.99. Book video trailer. Risks 695. 21 March 2015

Britain: INEOS safety reps plummet, safety breaches soar
A dramatic drop in the number of union safety reps at the giant INEOS oil processing site in Grangemouth has coincided with a marked upturn in enforcement action for criminal safety breaches. The union Unite says the number of union health and safety representatives at Grangemouth had dropped from 64 to single figures.
Sunday Herald. Rob Edwards’ website and leaked Gordon Milne email [word]. Risks 695. 21 March 2015

Britain: Clarkson probe a ‘test case’ for BBC bullying rules
The BBC’s handling of the Jeremy Clarkson fracas is a “serious test case” that will reveal if it has learned lessons about handling bullying and harassment claims, according to broadcasting union BECTU. The corporation is investigating allegations that the star of the successful Top Gear show, which makes millions of pounds for the BBC, threw a punch at a producer.
BECTU bullying guidance. The Guardian. BBC News Online. Risks 695. 21 March 2015

Britain: Asbestos in schools report finally emerges
A long-delayed report into the presence of asbestos in schools was finally published on 12 March, after “sustained pressure” from education unions. Asbestos Victims Support Groups Forum chair Doug Jewell said the report was “only one step on a long journey,” adding: “The findings of this review need to be built on and most importantly we need long term strategic policies that will eradicate asbestos from our schools.”
Department for Education asbestos review. NUT news release. GMB news release. IBAS news report. Asbestos Forum news release. Asbestos in Schools newsletter. BOHS news release. Morning Star. BBC News Online. Risks 695. 21 March 2015

Europe: Action on work cancers is decades overdue
More protective laws, effective enforcement and unrelenting union action are needed to address Europe’s ‘immense’ occupational cancer problem, a top safety researcher has warned. Laurent Vogel from the Brussels-based trade union research body ETUI points to research showing that cancers induced by working conditions kill over 100,000 people in the European Union each year.
TUC Stronger Unions blog and TUC 28 April 2015 webpages and events listing and ‘Stop the tears’ poster. This and a ‘Hell no!” ITUC/Hazards poster can be ordered from free of charge from Hazards Campaign, which can also provide purple ribbons for £30 per 100. Email or phone 0161 636 7557. ITUC/Hazards global 28 April webpages Risks 695. 21 March 2015

Britain: RMT demands summit into overcrowding and rail chaos
The rail union RMT has repeated it demand for a top level summit into overcrowding and the “continuing rail chaos”. The latest action call came on 16 March as broken down trains and electrical faults hit Thameslink and SWT services.
RMT news releases on the summit call and overcrowding. BBC News Online. Risks 695. 21 March 2015

Britain: Work injury ends firefighter’s career
An ex-firefighter who suffered a career-ending injury while working at Ilkley Fire Station in West Yorkshire has secured ‘substantial’ six figure damages in a union-backed case. FBU member Michael Hollings, who had been in the service for eight years, was seriously injured during a training exercise in May 2011.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 695. 21 March 2015

Britain: Austerity measures create ‘unsustainable stress’
Cuts to local authority budgets are having a profound effect on the services people receive and are leaving the staff delivering them facing “unsustainable stress”, a report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has found. The report also noted “frontline staff within local authorities are working very hard to cushion service-users from the worst impacts of the cuts, principally by taking on expanded workloads,” adding: “The level of stress this entails does not appear sustainable in the longer term and in many areas staff report feeling overwhelmed by the scale and nature of the problems they are dealing with.”
JRF publication alert. The cost of the cuts: the impact on local government and poorer communities, JRF, March 2015, summary and full report. STUC news release. Risks 695. 21 March 2015

Britain: Six figure fine after waste worker’s death
A waste management company has been fined £200,000 for its criminal safety failings after a worker was killed when he was struck by a vehicle at a Watford waste transfer station. Patrick Murphy, a 58-year-old father-of-two who had worked as a groundsman at the site since 2004, was struck and run over by a JCB loading shovel as he was clearing litter the FCC Waste Services (UK) Ltd waste transfer station on 17 August 2012.
HSE news release and workplace transport webpages. Risks 695. 21 March 2015

Britain: Worker crushed between two lorries
A Cheshire-based transport company has been fined £500,000 after a Hull employee suffered horrific injuries when she was crushed between two lorries. Warwick Crown Court heard that Jennifer Rose was lucky to be alive after the incident at Tip Trailer Services’ depot in Nuneaton on 9 April 2013.
HSE news release. Risks 695. 21 March 2015

Britain: Forfar firm fined after teen agency worker injured
A metal galvanising company has been sentenced after a teenage agency worker suffered serious leg injuries when a half-tonne A-frame slipped and fell onto him from a forklift truck. Robert Ramsey, 19, had been working at Forfar Galvanisers Ltd’s premises in Forfar for four months when the incident happened on 20 November 2013.
HSE news release and workplace transport webpages. Risks 695. 21 March 2015

Britain: Young employee loses his toes
A Kent engineering firm has been fined after a 20-year-old worker had three toes chopped off on one foot and every toe broken on the other when a metal sheet landed on his feet. Anton Hunter, an engineer with G&P Machine Shop Ltd in Queensborough, was helping a colleague unload a delivery of fabricated steel sheets at a nearby site when a 700kg sheet became dislodged from a magnet and fell directly on his feet.
HSE news release. Risks 695. 21 March 2015

Britain: Worker crushed by falling conveyor
Three companies have been fined after a worker was crushed and seriously injured by a falling section of conveyor at a major energy plant construction site in Sleaford. The incident happened during construction of the Sleaford Renewable Energy plant on 14 February 2013 when the 4.5 tonne conveyor section overturned during installation.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 695. 21 March 2015

Britain: Loft company in court after scaffold collapse
A loft conversion company has been fined for its criminal safety failings after an employee was injured in a dramatic scaffold collapse outside a private property in North London. The structure buckled, tipped towards the home and bent in on itself – effectively creating a chute that sent the worker and an array of materials, including plaster boards, wood and lead rolls, crashing six metres to the ground below.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 695. 21 March 2015

Britain: 28 April - put up a poster, put on an event
Unions are preparing for what is set to be the world’s biggest ever safety event. International Workers’ Memorial Day, held on 28 April each year, involves hundreds of thousands of workers worldwide. The TUC is ensuring the event has a high profile in the UK – a new ‘Stop the Tears’ poster is on its way to thousands of workplaces, spelling out the human costs of unsafe and unhealthy work and providing a ready-made events advert, with a space for you to fill in your 28 April event/time/place to promote local activities.
TUC 28 April 2015 webpages and events listing and ‘Stop the tears’ poster. This and a ‘Hell no!” ITUC/Hazards poster can be ordered from free of charge from Hazards Campaign, which can also provide purple ribbons for £30 per 100. Email or phone 0161 636 7557. ITUC/Hazards global 28 April webpages.
Usdaw and Unite Workers’ Memorial Day resources. Risks 695. 21 March 2015

Bangladesh: Outrage after another deadly building collapse
At least eight construction workers have died after a cement factory under construction partially collapsed in Bangladesh. Police say about 70 people were in the building in the port town of Mongla, 200km (125 miles) south-west of the capital Dhaka, when the roof gave way on 12 March.
BWI news release. IndustriALL news release. BBC News Online. Risks 695. 21 March 2015

Cambodia: Labour laws don’t protect garment workers
The Cambodian government is failing to protect the workers producing garments for international brands from serious labour rights abuses, Human Rights Watch has found. Its researchers discovered the predominantly female workforce often experience forced overtime, pregnancy-based discrimination, and anti-union practices that neither the government nor major brands have adequately addressed.
HRW news release and report, Work Faster or Get Out’: Labor Rights Abuses in Cambodia’s Garment Industry. IndustriALL news report. Risks 695. 21 March 2015

Global: Electronics industry challenged on toxic chemicals
Campaigners from over 200 groups worldwide have challenged the electronics industry to tackle the harm caused by its use of toxic chemicals. The call came on 16 March as the an industry association, the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC), met in Brussels to discuss chemical management strategies.
Good Electronics news release. EICC website. Risks 695. 21 March 2015

USA: ‘Vast’ gains in oil safety strike proposals
A safety strike by refinery workers in the US could be close to settlement after a tentative agreement was struck between oil giant Shell and the union USW. The deal, which has still to be ratified by the membership, requires an immediate review of staffing and workload assessments, with USW safety personnel involved at every facility.
USW news release. AFL-CIO Now blog. Risks 695. 21 March 2015

Hazards news, 14 March 2015

Britain: The menopause is a workplace health issue
The menopause is an overlooked workplace health and safety issue, teaching union NUT has said. ‘Working through the menopause’ notes it is “important to recognise that the menopause is an occupational health issue for women teachers, as well as being an equality issue.” 
NUT news release and Working through the menopause: Guidance for members in England and Wales.
Supporting women through the menopause: A TUC guide for union representatives. Risks 694. 14 March 2015.

Britain: Rail staff at London Bridge face passenger wrath
Rail staff have been threatened, had hot coffee thrown over them and been spat at by passengers at London Bridge railway station, the rail union RMT has said. The assaults and abuse occurred during continuing disruption caused by major engineering works. RMT news release. BBC News Online. Risks 694. 14 March 2015.

Britain: Pilots call for a ‘virtual’ black box
A year on from the disappearance of flight MH370, which is thought to have crashed into the Indian Ocean causing the deaths of 239 passengers and crew, British pilots are calling for more technical aircraft data to be transmitted to a ‘virtual black box’. They say this would mean when a flight gets into problems, the site and possible cause of a crash can be identified more quickly.
BALPA news release. The Guardian. Risks 694. 14 March 2015.

Britain: No public contracts for blacklisters says union
Construction union UCATT says companies involved in blacklisting can and should be barred from public procurement projects. The union is advising its members how to lobby public sector bodies such as local authorities and NHS Trusts to persuade them to adopt policies that will prevent companies involved in blacklisting from tendering for contracts.
UCATT news release and guide. Morning Star. Risks 694. 14 March 2015.

Britain: Kier boss targeted for his blacklisting role
Campaigners against construction industry blacklisting of trade unionists raising safety and other concerns on site have demonstrated outside the offices of a key firm involved in the practice. The latest leg of GMB’s ‘crocodile tears’ tour arrived on 10 March at the Plymouth offices of construction giant Kier, whose former boss Danny O’Sullivan was involved in blacklisting and was identified over 100 times in a secret blacklister’s database.
GMB news release. Morning Star. Risks 694. 14 March 2015.

Britain: Scottish mental health staff feel the pressure
Scotland’s over-stretched mental health staff are suffering from stress as they feel unable to deliver the service their patients deserve, a UNISON survey has found. The union said 84 per cent of respondents reported their workload had increased, and 76 per cent said cuts had affected the quality of patient care.
UNISON Scotland news release and full report, See us - mental health staff survey. Risks 694. 14 March 2015.

Britain: Remember the dead, fight for the living
Unions are preparing fast for International Workers Memorial Day, the annual 28 April commemoration and campaign which has become the biggest event on the global health and safety calendar. Public sector UNISON has just published its 2015 campaign materials.
UNISON news alert, International Workers' Memorial Day poster and leaflet. TUC 28 April 2015 webpages and events listing. ITUC/Hazards global 28 April webpages. Purple ribbons can be purchased from the Hazards Campaign, price £30 per 100; it can also supply free posters. Email or phone 0161 636 7557. Risks 694. 14 March 2015.

Britain: Sluggish roll-out for fit for work assessments
The government has published new guidance for workers, employers and GPs on the Fit For Work assessment service. Announcing the new guides, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) indicated the date for the already behind schedule roll-out has slipped further for England and Wales, with the government now advising the assessment service will not be fully available until autumn 2015, rather than in spring as previously indicated.
DWP Fit for Work webpages and guides for employers, employees and GPs. EEF briefing.
Fit For Work referrals- a TUC guide for union representatives, TUC, January 2015. Risks 694. 14 March 2015.

Britain: IOSH slams 'unwise' self-employed muddle
An amended government plan to deregulate areas of health and safety remains “unnecessary, unhelpful and unwise”, safety professionals’ body IOSH has warned. IOSH was commenting after the House of Lords last week passed a reworked government amendment to the Deregulation Bill, dealing with self-employment.
IOSH news release. Risks 694. 14 March 2015.

Britain: Court warning on prison passive smoking risks
Prison guards and inmates should be protected from passive smoking risks in communal prison areas, a High Court ruling indicates. The ruling was made after an inmate brought a case complaining about the health impact of secondhand smoke.
Leigh Day news release. BBC News Online. Risks 694. 14 March 2015.

Britain: Hormone-disrupting chemicals ‘cost billions’
Common industrial chemicals that disrupt human hormones and damage health could be costing Europe more than £110 billion a year, according to new research. The international team behind the research presented their findings on 5 March at the annual meeting of the Endocrinology Society in Brussels.
Endocrine Society website and news release. BBC News Online.
Leonardo Trasande, R Thomas Zoeller, Ulla Hass and others. Estimating burden and disease costs of exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals in the European Union, Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, published online 5 March 2015. Risks 694. 14 March 2015.

Britain: Nine in ten emergency staff are suffering stress
Britain’s frontline medics, police and firefighters are struggling with mental health problems but are too scared to ask for help, according to a Mind survey. The mental health charity found that almost nine out of ten (87 per cent) emergency services personnel polled admitted to stress, low mood and poor mental health.
Mind news release and Blue Light programme. FBU news release. The Mirror. Nursing Times. Risks 694. 14 March 2015.

Britain: Unprotected worker died in fall from roof
Northamptonshire roofing firm JBS Roofing Ltd has been sentenced for serious criminal safety failings, which emerged when a worker died after falling through a rooflight. Mark Cooper, 46, died three days after the incident at a commercial unit in Corby on 11 June 2011.
HSE news release and roofwork webpages. Northampton Chronicle. Construction Enquirer. BBC News Online. Risks 694. 14 March 2015.

Britain: Dangerous director gets fine and broken leg
A director of a building firm has been fined for criminal safety offences after he was partially buried when the high sides of an excavation he was working on collapsed on him, a court has heard. Paul Connolly, director of Bushey-based PNT Contractors Ltd, had to be rescued by workers digging him out by hand after the excavation collapse at a site in Essex in July 2014.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 694. 14 March 2015.

Europe: Work risks to women go ignored
Risks to women at work are under-estimated, under-researched and women continue to suffer as a result. This was a conclusion of a conference on women’s health and work, organised by the European trade union research body ETUI from 4 to 6 March in Brussels.
ETUI news report and video presentations. Risks 694. 14 March 2015.

New Zealand: Some port workers do 20-hour shifts
The Maritime Union of New Zealand has accused port companies of being more interested in avoiding liability than in fixing the root causes of injuries and deaths. The union was commenting after port incidents on 3 and 4 March left three workers injured, including one man with serious back injuries.
MUNZ news release. Radio NZ. Risks 694. 14 March 2015.

Ukraine: Deadly mine is site of another tragedy
More than 30 people are thought to be dead after a 4 March methane gas explosion at a notoriously dangerous coal mine in eastern Ukraine. Officials have so far refused to confirm a final fatality figure at the Zasyadko mine in rebel-held Donetsk, however it is thought it could significantly exceed the initial estimate.
ITUC news release. IndustriALL news release. Kyiv Post. The Telegraph. The Guardian. Risks 694. 14 March 2015.

[compo] USA: Work injuries force workers into poverty
Injuries at work force workers into poverty and keep them there, a new report from the US health and safety regulator OSHA has warned. Launching a new report, ‘Adding inequality to injury’, OSHA head David Michaels said: “These injuries and illnesses contribute to the pressing issue of income inequality: they force working families out of the middle class and into poverty, and keep the families of lower-wage workers from ever getting out.”
Adding inequality to injury: The costs of failing to protect workers on the job, OSHA, March 2015. OSHA blog. The Nation. The Pump Handle. Risks 694. 14 March 2015.

Hazards news, 7 March 2015

Britain: Government caves on self-employed exemption
In the face of a ‘tremendous’ union campaign, the government has at the 11th hour done an about face on its proposal to exempt almost all self-employed workers from health and safety law. In a 4 March House of Lords debate, government whip Lord Wallace of Saltaire presented a revised amendment to the Deregulation Bill.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Hansard report of the House of Lord Debate, 4 March 2015. Risks 693. 7 March 2015

Britain: Alarm sounds over outsourcing of aviation medicals
Passenger safety could be put at risk by a Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) decision to proceed with outsourcing of its medical services, unions have warned. Unions PCS and Prospect, which represent staff at the aviation regulator, were speaking out after CAA announced it will look to outsource the Aeromedical Centre (AeMC) that provides medical services to pilots and air traffic controllers, as well as expert advice to airlines.
Prospect news release. CAA news release and consultation response. Risks 693. 7 March 2015

Britain: One in five do work for nothing
UK workers gave their bosses nearly £32bn worth of unpaid overtime last year – an average of £6,050 each if these hours had been paid – according to new analysis published by the TUC. The TUC found that one in five (20.3 per cent) of the workforce regularly work extra hours for no pay.
TUC news release. NASUWT news release. Risks 693. 7 March 2015

Britain: Lessons must be learned from Crossrail death
The construction industry must learn lessons from the death of René Tkacik on the Crossrail project, site union UCATT has said. On 3 March an inquest jury gave a narrative verdict, while recording the death of the Slovakian national was accidental, but the jury found that “unclear” processes including the method statement and the definition of the exclusion zone contributed to his death.
UCATT news release. Leigh Day news release. Irwin Mitchell news release. BBC News Online. ITV News. Risks 693. 7 March 2015

Britain: Walkers pulls ‘insensitive’ crisp advert
Walkers pulled the plug on a new TV advert hours after construction union UCATT branded it “insensitive” and “offensive”. The controversial commercial featured ex-England footballer and now TV presenter Gary Lineker having wet concrete poured onto him from a great height for refusing to share his crisps; it aired during peak hours on Monday 23 February - the same day an inquest began into the death of René Tkacik, who died on the Crossrail project after being buried under nearly a tonne of wet concrete.
UCATT news release. Morning Star. Construction Enquirer. Walkers Crisps facebook page. Risks 693. 7 March 2015

Britain: Housing group caused carpal tunnel
A Bradford man developed debilitating carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) in both arms as a result of excessive and poorly managed use of vibrating tools. The Unite member, whose name has not been released, was employed by Incommunities Group plc worked on housing refurbishment schemes and used tools including drills, stihl saws, jigsaws and kango hammers. 
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 693. 7 March 2015

Britain: Police implicated in blacklisting spies scandal
An undercover officer with the Metropolitan Police’s Special Demonstration Squad (SDS) infiltrated UCATT and spied on members, the union has discovered. It says the revelation raises fresh questions about the role of the police in the blacklisting of trade unionists, an illegal practice frequently targeting workers who raised health and safety concerns. UCATT news release. The Guardian. The Mirror. Risks 693. 7 March 20152015

Britain: Network Rail boss attacks rail’s safety record
The head of Network Rail has said the industry’s unsafe working practices are causing “appalling tragedies” and hundreds of workplace casualties each year. Former oil industry executive Mark Carne, who became chief executive of Network Rail a year ago, suggested accident rates were 10 times those in the oil sector.
Network Rail news release and Mark Carne’s speech. RMT news release. The Guardian. Risks 693. 7 March 2015

Global: Fifa feels the heat on migrant workers’ plight
Football’s global governing body, Fifa, has been criticised for ignoring the plight of migrant workers enduring slave like conditions in Qatar. A Fifa taskforce reported on 24 February and recommended that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar should be moved to November and December, to avoid crippling summer temperatures, a move UCATT says fails to take into account that 2 million migrant workers, building the World Cup and the Qatar’s infrastructure, are working six days a week year round in temperatures which can reach 55 degrees celsius.
UCATT news release. BWI news release. The Guardian. Risks 693. 7 March 2015

Britain: Deadly basement jobs get two day blitz
A two-day inspection blitz of basement projects in some of the country’s wealthiest postcodes is to be carried out by the Health and Safety Executive. This action follows a succession of fatal incidents and serious injuries in the capital.
HSE news release. Risks 693. 7 March 2015

Britain: Farm worker killed by toxic gases
Dorset farm owner Clifford Owen Yeatman and his two businesses have been fined for serious criminal safety failings after 29-year-old worker Matthew Pitt died following exposure to toxic gases. Dorchester Crown Court heard that Matthew Pitt and David Bartlett were exposed during maintenance of an anaerobic digestion (AD) plant developed by Biogas Nord UK at the farm.
HSE news release and anaerobic digestion webpages. Risks 693. 7 March 2015

Britain: Cornwall health trust fined for dermatitis failings
The Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust has been fined after failing to report, prevent or monitor at least 23 cases of dermatitis among staff between 2007 and 2012. The Trust pleaded guilty to a criminal breach of health and safety legislation when it appeared before Torquay Magistrates.
HSE news release and dermatitis webpages. Risks 693. 7 March 2015

Britain: Liverpool NHS Trust exposed staff to asbestos risk
A hospital trust in Liverpool has been fined £10,000 after it emerged its workers may have been exposed to potentially-deadly asbestos fibres. The Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust failed to act on a survey carried out in 2006 which identified that an area of the basement may contain asbestos, and recommended that its condition should be properly assessed.
HSE news release and asbestos webpages. Risks 693. 7 March 2015

Britain: Recycling safety managers were a waste of time
A waste and recycling site in Carmarthen was in such a dangerous condition that visiting health and safety inspectors had to issue eight notices to immediately halt potentially deadly work activities. The site run by Mekatek Ltd was subject to a routine inspection by Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors on 20 May 2013 who discovered access to unguarded dangerous machinery, exposure to risk of electrocution and areas contaminated by asbestos containing materials. 
HSE news release. Risks 693. 7 March 2015

Britain: Young worker crushed by a two-tonne frame
Cumbrian engineering firm Tweddle Fabrications Ltd has been fined £12,000 after a worker suffered severe injuries when he was struck by a metal frame, weighing nearly two tonnes. The 21-year-old from Carlisle, who has asked not to be named, sustained multiple cuts and fractures to his left foot and leg, and has still been unable to return to work almost a year on from the incident.
HSE news release and workplace transport webpages. Risks 693. 7 March 2015

Blacklisted – the story of a secret war
A new book, ‘Blacklisted: the secret war between big business and trade union activists’, delivers a searing indictment of the collusion between the state and the construction industry that saw thousands blacklisted. Authors Dave Smith – a founder-member of the Blacklist Support Group – and investigative journalist Phil Chamberlain reveal how objecting to deadly working conditions could get you thrown out of work for good.
Blacklisted: the secret war between big business and trade union activists, New Internationalist, March 2015. ISBN 978-1-78026-257-4. eBook ISBN: 978-1-78026-258-1. £9.99. Book video trailer. Risks 693. 7 March 2015

Australia: Safety cost-benefit sums ‘inherently’ wrong
Workers bear most of the burden of workplace safety failures, research for the Australian government’s safety watchdog has found, with this proportion rising rapidly. The study by Macquarie University researcher Sharron O’Neill found employers are picking up hardly any of the cost at all.
The business case for safe, healthy and productive work – implications for resource allocation: Procurement, contracting and infrastructure decisions, Safe Work Australia. Safety at work blog. Risks 693. 7 March 2015

Australia: Call for manslaughter law for work deaths
Employers whose kill their workers should face the prospect of manslaughter charges, Australian construction union CFMEU has said. The union call came as Allscaff Systems Pty Ltd and company director Ralph Michael Smith faced the courts after the 2008 deaths of two workers on a Gold Coast construction site with “woefully inadequate” safety systems.
CFMEU news release. Gold Coast Bulletin. Risks 693. 7 March 2015

China: Apple not as rosy as claimed on the ground
The world’s most profitable company is proving less successful in sorting out worker exploitation in its supply chain, research has found. In late January 2015 Apple reported the largest quarterly profit ever in corporate history, but for many hundreds of thousands of young Chinese workers toiling on assembly lines producing Apple’s slick products, 2014 was not such a good year.
Truth Out. Good Electronics. Apple Supplier Responsibility Progress Report 2015 and Supplier responsibility webpage. Risks 693. 7 March 2015

Spain: Asbestos cancers not recorded or compensated
Almost all asbestos cancers are being missed by Spain’s official reporting system, a study has found, raising concerns that frequently terminally ill workers are also missing out on compensation. A team headed by Alfredo Menéndez-Navarro of the University of Granada estimate 93.6 per cent of cases of mesothelioma in men and 99.7 per cent in women are missing; for asbestos related lung cancers, the effect is worse still, with 98.8 per cent of bronchial and lung cancers in men and 100 per cent in women going unrecognised.
García-Gómez M, Menéndez-Navarro A, López RC. Asbestos-related occupational cancers compensated under the Spanish National Insurance System, 1978-2011, International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health (IJOEH), volume 21, number 1, pages 31-39, January-March 2015. Eurogip. Risks 693. 7 March 2015

Hazards news, 28 February 2015

Britain: Crossrail death inquest opens
An inquest into the death of a worker on the Crossrail project has opened. René Tkacik, 44, died on 7 March 2014 while working as a concrete sprayer at Fisher Street in Holborn, London.
ITV News. BBC News Online. Sky News. The Standard. Daily Mail. Risks 692. 28 February 2015

Britain: Crane tragedy shows the low value put on life
It took nine year gap from a crane collapse that killed two to the start of the related criminal court case. But in the intervening period the government said rules governing crane safety introduced in the wake of the tragedy were unnecessary ‘red tape’ and revoked them, said the union GMB.
GMB news release. Risks 692. 28 February 2015

Britain: Fire service admits criminal breaches after death
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has admitted criminal health and safety breaches in connection with the death of an Edinburgh firefighter. Ewan Williamson died in July 2009 after becoming trapped while tackling a blaze at the Balmoral Bar in the city.
BBC News Online. FBU news release. Risks 692. 28 February 2015

Britain: Union survey of stressed out Telegraph staff
Editorial staff at the Telegraph are being asked by their union about workload, work pressures and the effect cost-cutting changes at the paper have had on the quality of news. The NUJ said it was acting on concerns arising after a “brutal” spate of redundancies.
NUJ news release. Risks 692. 28 February 2015

Britain: Train driver injured on unsafe walkway
A train driver who fractured his calf bone when he tripped and fell while walking at St Pancras Station, has secured £20,000 in compensation. The 40-year-veteran had been told by a manager to exit his train in the sidings, which meant he had to walk along a poorly maintained pathway that runs adjacent to the rail line.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 692. 28 February 2015

Britain: Latest steps towards justice for blacklisted workers
Construction unions have renewed their appeal for blacklisted workers to come forward and join a claim for compensation for those whose lives were wrecked as a result. The Morning Star reports that UCATT and GMB have both issued the call after an initial court hearing on the compensation claims.
Morning Star. Liverpool Echo. Risks 692. 28 February 2015

Britain: UK body refuses to recognise two asbestos cancers
The Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC) has said cancers of the larynx or ovary linked to asbestos exposure should not be added to the list of prescribed industrial diseases. Cancer of the larynx caused by asbestos is already recognised for state compensation payouts in countries including Germany, France, Denmark and Italy.
IIAC summary and Cancers of the larynx or ovary and work with asbestos: IIAC information note, February 2015. IARC Monograph 100C, 2012. Risks 692. 28 February 2015

Britain: HSE defends its asbestos awareness campaign
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has said it is “surprised and disappointed” at criticism of its new asbestos awareness campaign. The HSE statement came after an asbestos industry training body said HSE’s Beware Asbestos app could encourage a DIY attitude to some short duration asbestos work.
HSE news release. Daily Star. Construction Index. Hazards magazine. Risks 692. 28 February 2015

Britain: IOSH says criminal safety penalties must deter
Safety professionals’ body IOSH has said penalties for criminal safety offences should help improve health and safety standards, remedy defects, deter future offending and reflect societal disapproval. IOSH – the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health - suggested that the use of ‘victim impact statements’ could also be considered, if those affected wished to provide them.
IOSH news release. Risks 692. 28 February 2015

Britain: Attacks on Tube workers soar
Labour has called for more protection for London Underground workers after figures showed a 44 per cent increase in assaults on staff since 2009. The figures sparked renewed concern from Labour and unions about plans to cut hundreds of jobs through the closure of ticket offices on the Tube.
Val Shawcross news release. The Standard. RMT ‘Every job matters’ campaign. Risks 692. 28 February 2015

Global: WHO calls for use of ‘smart’ syringes
Smart syringes that break after one use should be used for injections by 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said. Reusing syringes lead to more than two million people being infected with diseases including HIV and hepatitis each year.
WHO news release. BBC News Online. Risks 692. 28 February 2015

Global: Benetton agrees to pay Rana Plaza compensation
High Street fashion chain Benetton will compensate victims of the 2013 Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh. A statement from the company said the amount will be announced “in the next few weeks and in any case no later than April 24, 2015” – the second anniversary of the fire - and forms “part of a broader programme of further social engagement by the Group for 2015, the details of which will be announced in the coming days.”
Benetton news release. UNI news release. IndustriALL news release. Bangladesh Accord. Risks 692. 28 February 2015

Britain: Worker’s death exposes criminal safety failures
An investigation into the death of a worker installing guttering at a home in Llandudno discovered he was using a ladder in an “extremely poor state” that should have been taken out of service. Gethin Kirwan, 35, who lived in Hoole, Chester, was working at a property in the town on 4 April 2013 when he fell from the ladder, sustaining a fatal head injury.
HSE news release and falls webpages. Risks 692. 28 February 2015

Britain: New arrival killed in 5 metre asbestos roof fall
Aberdeenshire business Bruce of the Broch 1886 Ltd has been fined for serious criminal failings after a man died when he fell more than five metres through a fragile roof. Latvian national Nikolajs Naumovs, 57, had arrived in Scotland only two weeks before his fatal fall.
HSE news release. Risks 692. 28 February 2015

Britain: Tata sentenced over molten metal burns
Global steel giant Tata has been fined £200,000 after three employees suffered serious burns when tonnes of molten metal spilled onto the factory floor. Swansea Crown Court heard that trainee crane driver Kelvin Watts and two colleagues escaped from the top of a crane and over the boom when a huge ladle dislodged spilling the molten metal, which then caught fire, at Tata Strip Products in Port Talbot on 2 April 2013.
HSE news release and molten metals webpages. BBC News Online. Risks 692. 28 February 2015

Britain: National Hazards Conference, 4-6 September 2015
It’s time to book your place at the National Hazards Conference, the once a year chance to meet hundreds of safety reps, exchange ideas and get inspired. As ever, the conference organised by the Hazards Campaign will have top headline speakers and workshops that will give you the knowledge and tools to make workplaces safer and healthier. Topics covered include safety reps and organising, finding out what is harming members, making the most of the enforcement system, and dealing with risks. The event is union-supported and this year has the theme ‘Safety reps: Reclaiming the health and safety agenda’.
Safety reps: Reclaiming the health and safety agenda, National Hazards Conference, 4-6 September 2015, Keele University, Stoke-on-Trent. Booking form. Sponsor the conference. Risks 692. 28 February 2015

Global: ITF launches aircraft air quality group
The global transport union federation ITF has launched an air quality working group amid concerns about the health risks posed by contaminated air on commercial aircraft and at airports. ITF said it has long recognised the negative implications for flight safety and workers’ health of exposure to engine oil fumes on commercial and cargo aircraft.
ITF news release, cabin air qualitywebpages, GCAQE forum and aviation blog. The Independent. Risks 692. 28 February 2015

UAE: Fire kills migrant labourers in Abu Dhabi
At least 10 migrant labourers have been killed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by a fire that tore through the warehouse they were sleeping in. The workers were staying in the al-Mussafah district of Abu Dhabi, an industrial area filled with warehouses, factories and workshops on the outskirts of the capital.
The Independent. Washington Post. Sydney Morning Herald. Risks 692. 28 February 2015

USA: Nuke workers hurt by toxic exposures
Evidence “strongly suggests” a causal link between chemical vapour releases and ill-health in workers at a nuclear facility in the US. Since March 2014, nearly 60 workers at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation in Washington state have sought medical attention for on-the-job exposure to chemical vapours released by highly toxic waste stored at the site.
Working In These Times. Risks 692. 28 February 2015

USA: Refinery blast highlights oil strike concerns
An 18 February explosion at Exxon Mobil's refinery in Torrance, California, is raising new concerns about high risks, weak standards and lax regulatory oversight in the US oil refining sector. The incident is the latest in a spate of fires to strike US oil plants in the past few years.
USW news release. AFL-CIO Now blog. International Business Times. NBC4 News. Risks 692. 28 February 2015

Hazards news, 21 February 201

Britain: Union links inspection fall with sites deaths rise
The construction union, UCATT, has revealed a big drop in construction inspections in part of Britain that have also seen an increase in construction deaths.
UCATT news release. Risks 691. 21 February 2015

Britain: TUC puts responsibility back on employers
A poll conducted for the British Heart Foundation has shown that millions of workers feel their job is having a negative impact on their health. TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said “the answer is not just for employers to encourage their staff to change their lifestyle, it is for employers to improve working conditions, provide secure jobs and treat their workers like human beings rather than machines.”
CIPD news report. Risks 691. 21 February 2015

Britain: Thumbs up from unions to whistleblowing proposals
Health unions have welcomed recommendations on whistleblowing made by Sir Robert Francis. He has said that every NHS trust in England should appoint a guardian to support whistleblowers after warning that staff too often faced "bullying and being isolated" when they tried to speak out.
BBC News Online. Risks 691. 21 February 2015

Britain: Unions and HSE voice concern over offshore safety
Falls in the price of oil have lead to oil and gas companies reducing pay and conditions and putting safety at risk, leading to two unions deciding to ballot their members on strike action. Unite and GMB union members of the Offshore Contractor Association (OCA) will vote on whether to take industrial action after talks with industry bosses in London broke down.
GMB news release. HSE Blog. Risks 691. 21 February 2015

Global: TUC backs striking workers
The TUC has backed workers at nine US refinery and chemical plants who walked off the job earlier, marking the first nationwide oil strike in 35 years. The strikes are not only about, benefits, and work conditions, but also safety.
TUC news release. Risks 691. 21 February 2015

]Britain: GMB gives guarded welcome to mesothelioma payouts rise
The GMB union was said that changes to the way that victims of the cancer mesothelioma, caused by asbestos exposure, do not go far enough. GMB safety officer John McClean said the union was however “greatly disappointment that those victims and their families who received 80 per cent of the compensation since July 2014 will not be getting the missing 20%, and those victims who from February 2010, when the original consultation began, will receive nothing from this scheme.”
GMB news release. Risks 691. 21 February 2015

Britain: Housing workers exposed to asbestos
Construction union UCATT has exposed a significant scandal where several of their members were exposed to the killer dust, asbestos. The members were employed by Sanctuary Maintenance Contractors Ltd a subsidiary of Sanctuary Housing.
UCATT news release. Risks 691. 21 February 2015

TUC welcomes new proposed tougher sentences
The TUC has welcomed proposed new guidelines on sentencing for health and safety and corporate manslaughter offences. The Sentencing Council has published draft guidance for judges in England and Wales that could lead to considerable increases in punishments.
Consultation - justice gov . Risks 691. 21 February 2015

Britain: Warning on dodgy PPE
A supplier of workplace equipment has claimed that the problem of counterfeit and inferior personal protective equipment (PPE) finding its way into UK workplaces is growing. The firm, Slingsb, has welcomed proposed legislation from Europe that would make retailers and distributors responsible for ensuring products they sell meet the required safety standards.
Construction index. TUC Guide on PPE. Risks 691. 21 February 2015

Death ruled “accidental” despite series of safety failings
An inquest has decided that a worker was “accidentally killed” despite an employer having been handed four prohibition notices and one improvement notice for the circumstances that led to his death. Tomas Suchy, a food factory worker at Interfish in Plymouth was killed by “catastrophic” head injuries when a 'wall' of frozen fish pallets fell on top of him as he tried to rebuild a stack that had already toppled over once in a stock room with temperatures of -25c.
Plymouth Herald. Risks 691. 21 February 2015

Britain: Worker killed by snapped timber
A company has been fined £130,000 after a workman was killed by a piece of flying timber which struck him on the head while laying sewerage pipes in Swindon. Fredric March was working at the Cappagh Contractors Construction site in Swindon when a piece of timber being used as a cushion on the ends of the pipes being pushed in place by an excavator snapped.
HSE news release. Risks 691. 21 February 2015

Europe: New guide to electromagnetic fields
The European Trade Union Institute has produced a guide on preventing exposure to electromagnetic fields. It is also designed as an aid to understanding the new EU Directive on occupational exposure to EMFs (2013/35 EU), which will enter into force in 2016.
ETUI guide. Risks 691. 21 February 2015

USA: Keep nurses safe by protecting patients
US nursing unions are saying that the best way to keep nurses from injuring their back is to have safe staffing levels.  In the USA it is estimated by the American Nurses Association that 8 out of 10 nurses say they frequently work with joint or back pain, and the nursing profession has the highest rate of on-the-job injuries of any other in the country.
WXXI News. Risks 691. 21 February 2015

Hazards news, 14 February 2015

Britain: Court backs unions on sickness absence
The Department for Transport (DfT) broke employees’ contracts by introducing new, more punitive, sickness absence policies without reaching agreement with unions, the High Court has ruled. Prospect, the FDA and PCS brought breach of contract claims against the DfT on behalf of members in DfT’s central department and its agencies in November 2014.
Prospect news release. Risks 690. 14 February 2015

Britain: Fail grade for ‘insufficient’ plans on teacher workload
Government plans to reduce “unnecessary and unproductive” teacher workload at schools in England will not have the required impact, teaching unions have said. Deputy prime minister Nick Clegg and education secretary Nicky Morgan said a series of “decisive measures” to be introduced in England would include an end to major government reforms being introduced during the academic year, with schools also given notice of major changes.
DfE news release. Government response to the Workload Challenge, DfE, February 2015. NUT news release. NASUWT news release. ATL news release.
BBC News Online. Risks 690. 14 February 2015

Britain: Study explodes EU over-legislation myth
Government claims that the European Union has fuelled an increase in legislation have been proven to be a myth, the TUC has said. The union body was commenting after an an academic study concluded that far from producing too much legislation, the EU is only producing a small minority of the new laws coming into effect in Britain.
Stronger Unions blog. LSE Europp blog. Democratic Audit UK. Risks 690. 14 February 2015

Britain: Government floundering on self-employed move
Government dithering on plans to exempt most self-employed workers from health and safety law does not mean the much derided proposals will be dropped, the TUC has warning. The union body has been joined by business groups and safety organisations in renewed calls on ministers to drop the exemption, progress on which stalled in a 3 February House of Lords debate.
Stronger Unions blog. Thompsons Solicitors news release. IOSH news release. Risks 690. 14 February 2015

Britain: BBC and unions agree bullying policy
Extensive discussions between the BBC and unions within the Federation of Entertainment Unions over a new policy to address complaints from staff and freelancers over bullying and harassment have led to an agreement.
GMB news release. Risks 690. 14 February 2015

Britain: Government plugs mesothelioma payouts hole
Sufferers of an asbestos-related cancer will in the future receive extra payouts after the government revised its mesothelioma compensation rules. Under new rules for the government’s Diffuse Mesothelioma Payment Scheme compensation will rise to match 100 per cent of average civil claims, up from the current 80 per cent.
DWP news release and ministerial written statement. Risks 690. 14 February 2015

Britain: Welsh asbestos NHS costs law overruled
The Supreme Court has sided with insurers who claimed a Welsh assembly law passed in 2013 to recoup asbestos treatment costs from employers’ liability insurers was outside its competence. The court said Welsh ministers had no right to impose charges to fund the NHS, and insurers should not be given extra liabilities for asbestos exposure which long predated the bill.
Supreme Court press summary. Welsh Assembly statement. Wales Online. Risks 690. 14 February 2015

Britain: Workers given baby wipes to wash off asbestos
A Suffolk building company has been fined after removing asbestos insulation board without a licence and failing to protect its workers from falls of up to four metres at a farm building in Waltham, Essex. Workers were potentially exposed to dangerous asbestos fibres and only provided with baby wipes or access to a hose for decontamination.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Ipswich Star. Risks 690. 14 February 2015

Britain: Don’t neglect work causes of cancer
There must be a far greater acknowledgement of the role of work in causing cancers, the Chartered Society for Worker Health Protection (BOHS) has warned. Commenting on World Cancer Day - 4 February -  BOHS said that neglecting to understand and control occupational exposures to carcinogens, by means of highly effective occupational hygiene solutions, threatens future progress in the battle against the disease.
BOHS news release. World Cancer Day. Global unions zero cancer campaign. Risks 690. 14 February 2015

Britain: Flawed drug-driving rules about to take effect
People who have been prescribed powerful anxiety or pain relief drugs are being told to be aware of a new drug-driving law. As well as outlawing driving while under the influence of illegal drugs, the new legislation will include some prescription medicines. DfT news release. Risks 690. 14 February 2015

Britain: Suspended sentence for corporate manslaughter
A Cumbrian building firm and its owner have been sentenced after pleading guilty to corporate manslaughter. On 3 February, Peter Mawson Ltd was fined £200,000 for the corporate manslaughter offence, and £20,000 for the safety breach and company owner Peter Mawson was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, was ordered to undertake 200 hours unpaid work and handed a publicity order to advertise what happened on the company website for a set period of time, and to take out a half page spread in the local newspaper.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. News and Star. Risks 690. 14 February 2015

Britain: Suspended sentences after scrap worker’s death
Two subcontractors have been handed eight-month prison sentences, suspended for 18 months, after a worker was killed when part of a 33-tonne metal barge he was dismantling collapsed on top of him. William Ward, 56, from Sheffield, sustained catastrophic crush injuries in the incident at European Metal Recycling Ltd’s Kingsbury depot in Warwickshire on 12 October 2011.
HSE news release and scrap recycling webpages. Sheffield Star. Yorkshire Post. Risks 690. 14 February 2015

Britain: Three firms sentenced after worker’s death
A renewable technology company and two subcontractors have been fined for safety failings after a worker was killed when he fell seven metres from a roof while installing solar panels. Kevin Brookes, 35, from Tamworth, suffered fatal injuries in the incident on a Southam industrial estate on 31 May 2012.
HSE news release and falls webpages. Risks 690. 14 February 2015

Britain: Stevedores fined for worker’s severe injuries
Briton Ferry Stevedoring has been fined for a criminal safety offence after an employee suffered severe leg injuries falling from a trailer. Nigel Preece, 58, was unloading steel coils from a flatbed trailer when he fell 1.3 metres, sustaining two broken legs.
HSE news release. Risks 690. 14 February 2015

Britain: Carpet firm in court after worker breaks leg
A Rossendale factory that makes carpet underlay has been fined after a worker was badly injured when he was struck by a 300kg bale of foam. The 59-year-old from Todmorden, who has asked not to be named, broke his left leg in two places and suffered damage to his knee as a result of the incident at Interfloor Ltd in Haslingden on 4 December 2013.
HSE news release and manufacturing webpages. Rossendale Free Press. Risks 690. 14 February 2015

Britain: Worker loses forearm in printing machine
An Edinburgh manufacturing company has been fined for serious safety failings that led to a worker having to have his arm amputated after it became trapped in a machine. Akshay Phale, then 27, was working at the rear of a machine at Farnbeck Ltd at its Leith premises when the incident happened on 5 June 2012.
HSE news release and machinery safety webpages. Scotsman. Risks 690. 14 February 2015

Central America: Sugar cane worker disease is occupational
The strenuous working conditions endured by sugar cane workers in Central America is response for an outbreak of deadly kidney failure, a study has found. The Boston University study, which was part-financed by the industry, found a clear connection between the kidney destroying disease and the work these men are doing.
Boston University news release. NPR blog. IJOEH abstract. Risks 690. 14 February 2015

New Zealand: Safer farms campaign gets it wrong
Workers in New Zealand are worried a flagship official safety programme on farm safety will not work because it overlooks the employment practices that are making the industry more dangerous. Helen Kelly, head of the national union federation CTU said she was “surprised” the government minister announcing the new programme run by the safety regulator Worksafe “does not see a strong role for health and safety inspectors in keeping farm workers safe.”
NZCTU news release. Safer Farms. Risks 690. 14 February 2015

UAE: Migrants silenced on safety fears
Migrant workers building a multibillion-pound cultural hub in the United Arab Emirates, which includes a New York University campus and new Guggenheim and Louvre museums, are facing destitution, summary arrest and deportation if they complain about their squalid and unsafe conditions, an investigation by Human Rights Watch (HRW) has found.
HRW news release and video report. Migrant Workers’ Rights on Saadiyat Island in the United Arab Emirates, 2015 Progress Report, HRW, 10 February 2015. The Guardian. Risks 690. 14 February 2015

USA: Oil safety strike grows
A strike by United Steelworkers (USW) members protesting at unsafe and unfair labour practices at US refineries has spread to BP facilities in Indiana and Ohio. The strike began on 1 February after major oil companies failed to address serious concerns regarding the health and safety of workers and their communities, according to the USW.
USW news release, audio report and petition. Labor Notes. AFL-CIO Now blog. Daily Kos. Risks 690. 14 February 2015

Hazards news, 7 February 2015

Britain: Stay of execution on deadly self-employed clause
Government plans to exempt most self-employed workers from safety law have stalled. A 3 February debate in the House of Lords to discuss the move, included in Clause 1 of the Deregulation Bill, was curtailed after the government said it needed more time to consider responses to a consultation on the measure.
Lords debate on the Deregulation Bill, Hansard, 3 February 2015. TUC news release. IOSH news release. Risks 689. 7 February 2015

Britain: Action call on preventable firefighter deaths
The deaths of some UK firefighters “could and should have been prevented,” a research report has concluded. Research commissioned by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU) looked into 14 deaths of firefighters in the last 10 years and warned “good practice” had sometimes been ignored.
FBU news release. BBC News Online. Morning Star.
Firefighter fatalities at fires in the UK, 2004-2013: Voices from the fireground, report by Andrew Watterson, Occupational and Environmental Health Research Group, University of Stirling, Scotland, January 2015. Risks 689. 7 February 2015

Britain: Offshore job losses risk ‘another Piper Alpha’
Jobs cuts across the UK offshore oil industry will compromise safety and lead to the loss of key skills, Unite has warned. The union said “the seeds of another disaster on the scale of Piper Alpha” could result from cutbacks linked to the oil price fall. Unite news release. BBC News Online. Risks 689. 7 February 2015

Britain: Treating rubbish should not mean rubbish treatment
Local authority waste management workers across Scotland are under pressure, facing increasing targets and declining budgets, a UNISON survey has found. Dave Watson, UNISON Scotland’s head of bargaining and campaigning, said local authorities in Scotland “can't expect staff to meet more stringent targets when they are being cut back.”
UNISON Scotland news release and full report, Dumped on: working in Scotland’s waste management services. UNISON news release. Risks 689. 7 February 2015

Britain: Tube ticket office closures a costly mistake
London mayor Boris Johnson has been accused of mounting his “biggest and most expensive vanity project” as his plan to close over 250 Tube ticket offices in London started to take effect. As the first offices were shut in the capital, rail union TSSA said the Tory mayor was rushing through the plan - and the opening of the Night Tube scheme in September - to boost his long term campaign to become the leader of the Conservative Party.
TSSA news release. The Standard. Risks 689. 7 February 2015

Britain: Glasgow protests over rail sewage dumping
Rail workers have highlighted the ‘continuing scandal’ of the dumping of sewage on the tracks in protests outside Glasgow railway stations. RMT members leafleted travellers outside Glasgow Central and Glasgow Queen Street stations on 3 February.
RMT news release. Risks 689. 7 February 2015

Britain: School support staff are feeling the strain
Threequarters of school support staff work over their contracted hours because their workload demands it, according to a survey by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL). Over 1,600 support staff working in UK state-funded schools responded to the survey and 21 per cent reported having to work between four and six extra hours a week.
ATL news release. Risks 689. 7 February 2015

Britain: Don’t punish workers for bad weather
When the weather burns bad, employers should not punish staff who find they are unable to make it in to work, unions have said. Midlands TUC regional secretary Lee Barron said bosses must not dock pay or force workers to take holiday if they are prevented from getting to work by hazardous conditions or if, for example, their child’s school has closed.
TUC news release. CWU news release. Risks 689. 7 February 2015

Britain: Assaults on prison staff hit a record high
Rising prisoner number and falling budgets are putting prison staff at risk, the union Community has said. The union was commenting after latest Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures revealed assaults on prison staff are at the highest level since 2006. Assaults on staff had increased to 3,470 incidents in the 12 months to end of September 2014 from 3,178 in the 12 months to end of September 2013.
Community news release. MoJ Safety in Custody update. Risks 689. 7 February 2015

Britain: Stuart Pearce admits deadly asbestos fears
England football star Stuart Pearce is warning tradespeople of the deadly risks posed by asbestos. The former electrician said he could have breathed in asbestos while working as an electrician before his football career took off.
HSE news release, Beware Asbestos app and asbestos webpages. The Mirror. Construction Enquirer. Risks 689. 7 February 2015

Britain: North Sea workers faced an asbestos risk
Hundreds of North Sea oil and gas workers could have been exposed to deadly asbestos while drilling offshore. Fears for their safety arose after a retired rigger was awarded a five-figure legal settlement after contracting asbestos-related pleural thickening, caused by asbestos used in Flosal, a powdered substance used in the 1970s to lubricate pipes being drilled into the sea floor.
Sunday Post. Risks 689. 7 February 2015

Britain: Company fined after offshore death
An offshore services company has been fined for serious criminal safety failings following an incident in which a worker died after plunging 23 metres from a platform into the sea. Lee Bertram, then 37, was working for Bilfinger Salamis UK Limited on a platform in the North Sea when the incident happened on 16 June 2011.
HSE news release and work at height webpages. Morning Star. Risks 689. 7 February 2015

Britain: Suspended sentence for deadly farm director
A Staffordshire dairy farm director has been handed a four-month prison sentence, suspended for a year, after criminal safety failings led to a 75-year-old worker being crushed by a bull. James Leech died in hospital nine days after he was rammed several times against a gate by a Holstein friesian bull weighing around a tonne.
HSE news release and agriculture webpages. Risks 689. 7 February 2015

Britain: Solar panel firm fined over roof fall death
A Preston-based company that installs solar panels has been fined £45,000 following the death of a worker who fell through a barn roof. Gregorz Sobko had been working on the roof of a cowshed when one of the clear plastic panels, designed to let in light, gave way.
HSE news release and falls webpages. Risks 689. 7 February 2015

Britain: Director fined for poor site standards
A Gloucestershire housebuilder and the company’s managing director have been fined after poor welfare facilities and unsafe excavation work were discovered at a construction site near Cinderford. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) identified a string of concerns at the new-build development in Buckshaft in December 2013.
HSE news release. Risks 689. 7 February 2015

Bangladesh: Plastics factory ‘kills at least 13’
A fire swept through a plastic packaging factory on the night of Saturday 31 January in the Bangladesh capital, Dhaka, killing at least 13 people, a fire department official said. Mohammed Farhaduzzaman said survivors told him about 70 workers were inside the building when the fire broke out at the five-storey factory in Dhaka's Mirpur district. Times Union. The Guardian. BBC News Online.
The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. Risks 689. 7 February 2015

Europe: Workplaces awash with cancer chemicals
Europe’s workplaces are using 5,675 chemicals that manufacturers or importers consider to be carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic for reproduction (CMR). The figures come in a January report of notifications to the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). ECHA compared the data supplied by manufacturers and importers when notifying the classification and labelling of hazardous substances under the classification, labelling and packaging regulations (CLP) with the registration dossiers submitted by firms handling larger quantities of chemicals under the REACH rules.
ETUI news report. ECHA news release and report. Risks 689. 7 February 2015

USA: Record levels of mine whistleblower victimisation
The US mine safety regulator MSHA took action on a record 49 safety whistleblower cases last year. The cases filed with the Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission (FMSHRC) involved allegations of discrimination made by miners who were fired, suspended of victimised for raising safety concerns.
MSHA news release. Risks 689. 7 February 2015

USA: Oil union goes on safety strike
Workers at US refineries and chemical plants took strike action last week after the firms and the union USW failed to reach agreement over pay, benefits and safety issues. USW international vice president Gary Beevers, who heads the union’s national oil bargaining programme, said: “This work stoppage is about onerous overtime; unsafe staffing levels; dangerous conditions the industry continues to ignore; the daily occurrences of fires, emissions, leaks and explosions that threaten local communities without the industry doing much about it; the industry’s refusal to make opportunities for workers in the trade crafts; the flagrant contracting out that impacts health and safety on the job; and the erosion of our workplace, where qualified and experienced union workers are replaced by contractors when they leave or retire.”
USW news release. Wall Street Journal. Labor Network for Sustainability. Risks 689. 7 February 2015

Hazards news, 31 January 2015

Britain: TUC talks the right language on migrant rights
New online guides from the TUC will help combat the exploitation of migrant workers, the union body has said. ‘Working in the UK’ is available in 13 languages, including Polish, Bulgarian and Romanian. The TUC says it provides workers with information and guidance on crucial issues such as pay, employment contracts, working hours, sick pay, and health and safety.
TUC news release. TUC Stronger Unions blog. The TUC Working in the UK guide is available in Polish, Romanian, Bulgarian, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Latvian, Slovakian, Russian, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, French and English. Risks 688. 31 January 2015

Britain: Unite rolls out its drivers’ charter
Transport workers’ union Unite is demanding for a fair deal for HGV drivers amid warnings they are being forced to put themselves and the public at risk by working more than a “whopping” 60 hours a week. Low pay and rising demands from employers to do more increase the chances of serious accidents on the roads, the union warned as it launched its professional drivers’ charter.
Unite news release and Unite drivers’ charter. TWU Safe Rates campaign. Risks 688. 31 January 2015

Britain: Firefighters oppose ‘unsafe’ terror drills
Firefighters should refuse to take part in terror drills as part of their ongoing dispute with ministers over pensions and the retirement age, their union has said. Firefighters’ union FBU “strongly advised” its members not to take part because of a work to rule over government plans to enforce an older retirement age of 60, which the union says will see many firefighters lose their jobs on fitness grounds.
Morning Star. Risks 688. 31 January 2015

Union raises concerns over rail policing
Rail union ASLEF has expressed concern over plans to split off the transport police service in Scotland. Smith Commission proposals require the devolution of ‘legislative competence in relation to railway policing in Scotland.’
ASLEF news release. Risks 688. 31 January 2015

Nautilus welcomes piracy ransom assurances
Nautilus has welcomed a UK government pledge not to outlaw ransom payments to secure the release of seafarers held hostage by pirates. In a response to Nautilus, Home Office minister James Brokenshire said the government intends to maintain the distinction between ransom payments made to criminals and those made to terrorists.
Nautilus news release. Risks 688. 31 January 2015

Global: TUC supports worker participation in Vietnam
The UK TUC’s global solidarity charity has been helping to give workers a voice at the Vietnamese furniture factories supplying British companies. TUC Aid has been supporting an Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) programme in Vietnam that aims to tackle health and safety problems and low wages.
TUC news release. Risks 688. 31 January 2015

Britain: Royal Mail fined after chemical burns failure
A caustic chemical leak that led to a CWU member requiring skin grafts has resulted in a £40,000 fine for Royal Mail. Dacorum Borough Council prosecuted the company for criminal health and safety breaches at the Home Counties North mail depot in Hemel Hempstead last year.
Dacorum Borough Council news release. Risks 688. 31 January 2015

Britain: Slip cost aircraft fitter his job
An aircraft fitter was forced to retire from work after falling at work and suffering severe back and leg injuries. Timothy Powell, 58, from Bristol, was working for GKN Aerospace Services Ltd when he slipped on a pool of water on the shopfloor after a machine used for polishing aluminium components leaked.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 688. 31 January 2015

Britain: Lawyers condemn ‘outrageous’ court fee hike
Government plans for dramatic increases in the cost of going to court could have a ‘profound impact on access to justice’, according to personal injury lawyers. “The government’s claim that fees are not a major factor in a person’s decision about whether or not to go to court is completely disingenuous,” said APIL president John Spencer, adding: “This move is bound to discourage people from making valid claims – people who have every right to make them.”
APIL news release. Risks 688. 31 January 2015

Britain: Physio killed by lorry while cycling to treat a patient
A community physiotherapist was the first cyclist killed on London’s roads this year. Stephanie Turner, 29, died in the 8am collision with a lorry on 20 January, as she cycled to a patient appointment.
The Standard. Stop Killing Cyclists news release. Risks 688. 31 January 2015

Britain: Oil firm messed up on 159 safety-critical jobs
A major North Sea oil firm failed to get approval for the deferral of 159 safety-critical work orders. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found 182 outstanding jobs when it carried out an inspection on Talisman Sinopec’s North Sea Clyde platform, 159 of which had not been approved for deferral.
Energy Voice. Evening Express. Risks 688. 31 January 2015

Britain: Metalworks boss sentenced for manslaughter
Mohammad Babamiri, the managing director of RK Metalworks, has been received a suspended jail term for manslaughter after one of his workers was crushed by heavy machinery. The victim, Shenol Shevka-Ahmed, was a Bulgarian national with a wife and two young sons at home in Bulgaria.
Metropolitan Police news release. Enfield Today. Risks 688. 31 January 2015

Britain: Ninth time unlucky for serial offender
A construction company with a lengthy record of endangering the lives of its workers has been fined after the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found once again it was putting workers at serious risk of falling from height. Inspectors who paid a routine visit to an AM Construction Ltd site in West Bromwich on 15 May 2014 found men working on the first floor without scaffolding, edge protection, airbags or other fall prevention or mitigation measures.
HSE news release and work at height webpages. Construction Enquirer. Risks 688. 31 January 2015

Britain: Vet in court over x-ray of employee’s foot
A director of a veterinary practice in Maidstone has been given a conditional discharge for allowing an employee to x-ray her own foot after a horse stamped on it. Maidstone Magistrates heard that the employee, a 25-year-old vet and equine intern at Pet Emergency Treatment Services Ltd, was afraid the foot was broken and she might be unable to do that evening’s on-call duty.
HSE news release. Risks 688. 31 January 2015

Britain: Worker loses arm clearing sawdust
A Powys firm has been fined for serious criminal safety failings after a woodworker had his right arm severed while clearing sawdust from underneath a circular saw. Brian Morris, 59, was working at Stagecraft Display Ltd’s factory just outside Llandrindod Wells when the incident happened on 23 February 2012.
HSE news release and woodworking machinery webpages. Risks 688. 31 January 2015

Britain: Worker paralysed in fall from farm shed
An East Lothian firm has been fined for serious criminal safety failings after a worker was left paralysed when he fell almost four metres through a fragile rooflight. Neil Knox, then 69, is confined to a wheelchair after suffering irreparable damage to his spinal cord in the incident on 14 March 2013 as he replaced plastic rooflights on a farm shed in Lauder, in the Scottish Borders.
HSE news release. BBC News Online. Risks 688. 31 January 2015

Australia: Study confirms firefighter cancer risk
Firefighters who worked at a training facility in the Australian state of Victoria have a higher incidence of skin, testicular and brain cancers, a comprehensive study has found. Victorian premier Daniel Andrews told reporters the research confirmed “beyond any reasonable doubt” that there was a statistically significant increase in cancers in firefighters who worked at the Country Fire Authority’s (CFA) Fiskville site.
Monash University news release and full report. UFU Victoria notice and news release. Victorian Premier Andrew Daniels’ news release. ABC News. The Age. The Guardian. Risks 688. 31 January 2015

Global: IndustriALL and Total sign global agreement
Global union federation IndustriALL has signed a landmark agreement with Total, the French oil and gas giant, guaranteeing employee rights across the company’s international operations. As part of the agreement, Total, which employs 100,000 workers in more than 130 countries, has undertaken to uphold the rights of workers to form trade unions and to “recognise that health and safety of contractor and supplier employees is as important as the health and safety of its own staff.”
Industriall news release and CSR Total Global Agreement. Risks 688. 31 January 2015

Italy: Garment sweatshops set the standard
New research into Italian shoe and garment factories shows that competition with Eastern Europe and Asia is driving down wages and working conditions in Italy. The survey conducted by Campagna Abiti Puliti, the Italian section of the Clean Clothes Campaign, found that big brands including Louis Vuitton, Armani, Prada and Dior are buying back old factories that were previously uneconomic.
Can you earn a living wage in fashion in Italy?, Clean Clothes Campaign report. Risks 688. 31 January 2015

USA: American Airlines sued by mechanics
American Airlines pressured workers to skimp on federal safety procedures and threatened discipline if they reported too many maintenance flaws, union reps have charged. The Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) said the actions by maintenance managers violated labour laws.
TWU Local 591 letter to the membership. American Journal of Transportation. Skift.com. Risks 688. 31 January 2015

Hazards news, 24 January 2015

Britain: Unite launches asbestos awareness campaign
Unite members who think they’ve been exposed to asbestos are being urged to join the union’s asbestos register. The call forms a part of the union’s new campaign to raise awareness about “the silent killer”.
Unite news release and online campaign pack on asbestos for Unite members. Risks 687. 24 January 2015

Britain: Violence against shopworkers is ‘still a big problem’
Violence, threats and harassment at work are still major problems facing shopworkers, surveys from their union and the retail industry have shown. John Hannett, leader of the shopworkers’ union Usdaw, launched the results of Usdaw’s latest Freedom From Fear survey, which tracks the levels of violence, threats and abuse against shopworkers.
Usdaw news release. BRC news release. Risks 687. 24 January 2015

Britain: Nautilus sinks plans to scrap ferry safety rules
Seafarers’ union Nautilus has welcomed the UK government’s decision to abandon controversial proposals to scrap rules requiring roll-on, roll-off (ro-ro) passenger ships to be fitted with lockers containing emergency equipment. Following an eight-week consultation and talks between the union and shipping minister John Hayes, the government said ‘persuasive’ arguments had been made in favour of retaining the regulations, which were introduced following the Herald of Free Enterprise disaster in 1987.
Nautilus news release. Risks 687. 24 January 2015

Britain: Pilots issue safety warning on offshore safety
North Sea aviation safety must not be put under threat by the industry downturn in the industry, helicopter pilots have warned. Their concerns were raised after BP said it would shed 300 jobs.
BALPA news release. BBC News Online. Risks 687. 24 January 2015

Britain: HSE needs resources to tackle work diseases
The fall in fatalities at work in the Health and Safety Executive’s first 40 years is a testament to the value of a dedicated regulator, GMB has said. But the union warns funding cuts have left the watchdog ‘unprepared’ to tackle the much bigger toll of work-related diseases.
GMB news release. Risks 687. 24 January 2015

Britain: Overworked nurses to 'make a stand'
Overworked and underpaid nurses are to take industrial action alongside other health service staff later this month in pursuit of better working conditions. The action comes on the heels of new official figures obtained by the Observer showing ‘soaring’ levels of stress in NHS nurses.
UNISON news release and NHS pay campaign. GMB news release. The Observer. Risks 687. 24 January 2015

Britain: Cotton gloves treatment gives machinist dermatitis
A machine operator who was provided the wrong gloves by his employer contracted occupational dermatitis as a result. Unite member Graham Taylor, from Telford, worked at Mahle Filter Systems where he welded components and dipped seals in ‘P80 solution’.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 687. 24 January 2015

Britain: Business boosting government boasts we are more lawless
The government’s frantic rush to ‘boost business’ by removing safety regulations has come at a cost, the TUC has warned. The union body was commenting after the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced that “84 per cent of health and safety rules will have been scrapped or improved in this parliament, freeing employers from unnecessary red tape.”
DWP news release. Risks 687. 24 January 2015

Britain: Forgers jailed for faking site and security certificates
Two men who made and sold thousands of counterfeit identity documents, construction skills certificates (CSCS) and licences to work in the security industry have been jailed, following an investigation by the National Crime Agency. Medi Krasniqi, 47, and Arsen Meci, 26, were arrested by NCA officers on 9 October 2014.
NCA news release. Construction Enquirer. CSCS safety test. Security industry licensing system. Risks 687. 24 January 2015

Britain: Long working hours can drive you to drink
Individuals who exceed 48 hours per week at work are more likely to consume “risky” quantities of alcohol, researchers have concluded. Their overview of studies covering more than 400,000 people showed that long working hours boosted the likelihood of higher alcohol intake by 11 per cent overall.
Marianna Virtanen and others. Long working hours and alcohol use: systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies and unpublished individual participant data, British Medical Journal, volume 350, g7772, published online 13 January 2015. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g7772
BMJ 2015; 350 (Published 13 January 2015) Cite this as: BMJ 2015;350:
Cassandra Okechukwu. Editorial: Long working hours are linked to risky alcohol consumption, British Medical Journal, volume 350, g7800, published online 13 January 2015. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g7800
The Guardian. Risks 687. 24 January 2015

Europe: Debate about work cancer links hots up
A union thinktank has welcomed a call for more research and action on the prevention of work-related breast cancer, and has criticised a study that suggested bad luck was the major factor in cancer causation. The European trade union research institute (ETUI), which has its own health and safety unit, was commenting after the publication of two contrasting reports.
ETUI news report. Stirling University news release. Risks 687. 24 January 2015

Britain: Companies exposed plumbers to asbestos
Two plumbers were exposed to potentially-deadly asbestos because of criminal failures by two Barnstable companies, a court has heard. Employees of Pilkington Plumbing and Heating Ltd were allowed to carry out removal of a back boiler and to drill a wall panel at a North Devon Homes property in Ilfracombe, despite not receiving an asbestos survey from North Devon Homes.
HSE news release and asbestos webpages. North Devon Gazette. Risks 687. 24 January 2015

Britain: Builder jailed for manslaughter of young labourer
West Yorkshire builder Nigel Parker, 56, has been jailed after an inexperienced labourer was killed when a chimney collapsed on top of him while he was left to carry out work unsupervised. Danny Hough, 23, was crushed to death when two tonnes of masonry landed on top of him as he carried out work at a house in Batley.
Huddersfield Examiner. Yorkshire Post. Risks 687. 24 January 2015

Britain: Farming auction firm fined over worker's death
A major Scottish farming auction firm has been fined £30,000 following the death of a worker in who was crushed by his quad bike. Lawrie and Symington (L&S) employee Allan Frame was found dead on Bonnington Farm in Lanark on 17 September 2012. COPFS news release. The Herald. Risks 687. 24 January 2015

Britain: Digger bucket broke worker’s back
A building company has been fined for its criminal safety failings after employee Peter McGrellis broke his back when he was struck by the bucket on a digger.  RMC Building and Civil Engineering Ltd was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following an investigation into the incident at the Longleat Estate in Warminster.
HSE news release and construction webpages. Construction Enquirer. Risks 687. 24 January 2015

Britain: New consolidated listings of TUC resources
A consolidated alphabetical listing of all the TUC’s health and safety resources is now available online. The new resource pulls together the TUC’s health and safety publications and those on the same theme produced by TUC Education for union safety training courses.
TUC website: Guides and reports for reps. TUC Education health and safety resources webpage. Risks 687. 24 January 2015

Australia: Work drug tests ‘a waste of time and money’
Australia’s Immigration Department is wasting its time and taxpayers' money on forced drug tests for thousands of public servants, according to a leading workplace drug and alcohol expert. The tests will be no deterrent, enormously expensive and might even make matters worse by forcing drug users in the department on to harder substances, according to Dr Donna Bull.
Canberra Times. Risks 687. 24 January 2015

Canada: Work death jail terms still ‘too rare’
The short weekends-only jail terms handed to two corporate directors in Ontario, Canada following a workplace death are a step in the right direction “but do not address the crying need to enforce the Criminal Code when workers are killed on the job,” the United Steelworkers union (USW) has said. USW Canada national director Ken Neumann, whose union is running a high profile ‘Stop the Killing’ campaign, said: “We are determined to work with governments, Crown prosecutors, health and safety regulators and police across the country to ensure the law is enforced to the full extent whenever a worker is killed or injured.”
USW news release and Stop the Killing campaign. NUPGE news release. Rabble. Risks 687. 24 January 2015

Global: Chinese firms choke Ugandan workers
Residents of Kasenge ‘A’ village, a rapidly expanding industrial zone outside of the Ugandan capital Kampala, are learning the price of industrialisation – dangerous jobs and once clean air now choked with fumes.  The hamlet of about 1,000 homes is home to over 20 Chinese owned factories.
The Independent. Risks 687. 24 January 2015

USA: Republican regulatory moves threaten safety
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would have been prevented from issuing timely guidelines on protecting health care workers and first responders from the Ebola virus under a Republican proposed law. The Regulatory Accountability Act of 2015 (HR 185), which was passed by the House of Representatives– but which President Obama had at an earlier airing of the same legislation threatened to veto - would add dozens of new procedural and analytical roadblocks to any new enforceable rule such as workplace safety or consumer protection regulations and even to non-binding federal guidelines to protect workers and the public, such as the CDC’s Ebola guidelines.
Climate Progress. AFL-CIO Now blog. House of Representatives Committee on Rules statement. Risks 687. 24 January 2015

Hazards news, 17 January 2015

Britain: Fit for work scheme starts to dribble into action
The government’s delayed nationwide ‘Fit for work’ system is easing into action, with an advisory service now up and running and a referral system in 20 GP practices in Sheffield starting work this week. The referral system is expected to be rolled out nationwide throughout the year.
Fit For Work referrals- a TUC guide for union representatives, TUC, January 2015. DWP Fit for Work guidance. Risks 686. 17 January 2015

Britain: Seafarers’ union warning over car carrier safety
A stranded cargo ship which listed dramatically as it left a UK port has highlighted problems in the design and operation or car carriers, seafarers’ union Nautilus has warned. The 51,000 tonne transporter Hoegh Osaka was deliberately beached on 3 January at Bramble Bank, after it began listing as it left the Port of Southampton in Hampshire.
Nautilus news release. BBC News Online. Risks 686. 17 January 2015

Britain: Government does nothing on rail sewage dumping
Rail union RMT has stepped up demands for urgent government action to end the “shocking practice” of train companies dumping human sewage on the railway tracks. The union was speaking out as a BBC ‘Inside Out’ programme broadcast on 12 January revealed one in ten trains are still dumping human waste on the tracks and that exposure to this excrement has serious health implications for rail workers.
RMT news release. BBC News Online. Risks 686. 17 January 2015

Britain: Journalists show solidarity in Paris
Top officers from the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) this week attended events in Paris commemorating the deaths of eight journalists and four others in the attack on the Paris office of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. NUJ general secretary Michelle Stanistreet and assistant general secretary Seamus Dooley were among over 1m people to join the Paris event, adding an NUJ flag and a special ‘Je Suis Charlie’ NUJ placard to the flowers, pens and other tributes.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. BBC News Online. Risks 686. 17 January 2015

Britain: UNISON member gets car crash payout
A social worker who suffered nerve and soft tissue damage as a result of a road traffic accident unrelated to her job has secured £3,105 in compensation. The 64-year-old from Somerset was driving on the B3128 outside of Bristol, when another driver suddenly drove into the rear of her car, propelling her forward into a vehicle in front.   
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 686. 17 January 2015

Britain: Work oven death firm convicted of manslaughter
A kayak manufacturer has been found guilty of corporate manslaughter after a worker became trapped and died in an industrial oven in Cheshire. Alan Catterall, 54, tried to escape using a crowbar but suffered severe burns at the Pyranha Mouldings factory in Runcorn in 2010.
Daily Post. Western Morning News. ITV News. BBC News Online. Risks 686. 17 January 2015

Britain: Mental health the top work-related health problem
New research shows that throughout the British Isles, mental health disorders are the most common work-related ill health problem. A team from Manchester University found mental health problems linked to work account for over half of all cases reported by occupational physicians.
SOM news release. A Money and others. Work-related ill-health: Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Great Britain 2005-2012, Occupational Medicine, volume 65, pages 15-21, 13 January 2015.
Promoting good practice in workplace mental health: A seminar for union officers, workplace representatives and activists, Congress House, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LS. 5 February 2015, 9.00-13.00. Register for the TUC mental health good practice seminar. Risks 686. 17 January 2015

Global: Cancer agency slams cancer ‘bad luck’ paper
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has said it “strongly disagrees” with the conclusion of a scientific report  that concluded cancer was largely down to ‘bad luck’. IARC, the World Health Organisation’s specialised cancer agency, said the study, published in the journal Science on 2 January, had “limitations and biases in the analysis” and there was a “serious contradiction” between the widely reported paper’s conclusion and the extensive body of scientific evidence on cancer causation.
IARC statement, 15 January 2015. Risks 686. 17 January 2015

Canada: More evidence on wood dust and lung cancer
People with substantial exposure to wood dust at work have a greatly increased risk of lung cancer, a study has found. The paper published in January 2015 in the journal Environmental Health concludes there was “evidence of increased risk of lung cancer among workers with substantial cumulative exposure to wood dust.”
Eric Vallières, Javier Pintos, Marie-Elise Parent and Jack Siemiatycki. Occupational exposure to wood dust and risk of lung cancer in two population-based case-control studies in Montreal, Canada,  Environmental Health, volume 14, number 1, 7 January 2015. doi:10.1186/1476-069X-14-1. Risks 686. 17 January 2015

Finland: Crude oil exposure linked to kidney cancer
A study of refinery workers has found exposure to crude oil may lead to a marked increase in kidney cancer risk. Researchers looked at cancer patterns in 9,454 workers employed in the oil refinery industry in Finland in the period 1967 to 1982 and found there was a threefold increase in the kidney cancer risk for exposure to hydrocarbons in crude oil.
Ahti Anttila and others. Kidney cancer risk in oil refining in Finland: a nested case-referent study, Journal of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, volume 57, issue 1, pages 68–72, January 2015. Risks 686. 17 January 2015

Britain: Plans for NHS in Scotland to recoup asbestos costs
Plans for the health service in Scotland to recoup the cost of medical treatment from companies that exposed workers to asbestos have gone out to consultation. A bill lodged at the Scottish parliament by Stuart McMillan would introduce legislation to ensure that the NHS can claw back the money spent caring for people who have contracted conditions such as mesothelioma.
Stuart McMillan MSP blog. The Herald. Risks 686. 17 January 2015

 USA: More evidence on night shift link to diabetes
African-American women who work night shifts are significantly more likely to develop diabetes than those who have never worked night shifts, a study has found, with more years working the night shift resulting in a higher risk. The authors said their study “has important public health implications”, adding there should be “consideration of avoiding shift work in favour of other work arrangements when possible.”
Varsha Vimalananda and others. Night-shift work and incident diabetes among African-American women, Diabetologia, 14 January 2015. Risks 686. 17 January 2015

Britain: Changes afoot on site safety management rules
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has given the construction industry six months grace to switch over to the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015 (CDM), due to come into force from April. Under the CDM shake-up, changes to the original 2007 regulations mean there will no longer be an official role of CDM coordinator; instead, clients will need to appoint a Principal Designer and Principal Contractor to fulfil their duties.
HSE news release and draft industry guidance to the CDM Regulations 2015. Construction Enquirer. Risks 686. 17 January 2015

Britain: Farmer fined over driver’s electrocution
A Wiltshire farm owner has been fined after an HGV driver was electrocuted while making a delivery to his farm. Salisbury Magistrates’ Court heard that self-employed HGV driver Nigel Fox was delivering cattle feed to Tony Slade’s Chestnut Tree Farm in Sutton Mandeville on 2 November 2012. Mr Fox, who was 59 at the time, was raising the tipper body of his articulated lorry when it hit the 11kV overhead power line which crossed the farmyard close to the feed silo he was trying to fill.
HSE news release and guidance on working near overhead power cables. BBC News Online. Risks 686. 17 January 2015

Britain: Highways Agency gets a ticking off over death
The Highways Agency has been issued with a Crown Censure – an official ticking off delivered by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) - for its criminal safety failings after an experienced traffic officer was struck and killed by an out of control car on the M25. Grandfather John Walmsley, 59, was deployed with a colleague to an incident on the motorway, between junctions 4 and 5 clockwise, on 25 September 2012.
HSE news release. Risks 686. 17 January 2015

Britain: Ink firm’s failings led to worker’s death
A West Yorkshire company has been fined after a worker died when he was crushed beneath a one tonne silo of varnish that slid from a forklift truck and toppled onto him. Wayne Potts, 39, died from his injuries hours after the incident on 25 March 2011 at Gardiner Colours Ltd in Normanton.
HSE news release. Wakefield Express. Risks 686. 17 January 2015

Global: Trade ties tie Thailand to Russian asbestos
The Russian government is keen on expanding trade and joint ventures with Thai companies – and Thailand's industry minister admits asbestos trade is one of its targets. Chakramon Phasukavanich said the countries had discussed asbestos after environmental groups had asked the Thai government to ban imports, which mostly come from Russia.
Bangkok Post. Risks 686. 17 January 2015

Ireland: Union action call after sharp rise in work deaths
In the wake of figures showing a 17 per cent rise in work related deaths, the union SIPTU has called on the Irish government to stop cuts to the safety regulator and to oppose European Commission deregulation plans for safety. SIPTU health and safety adviser, Sylvester Cronin, said the Irish government must oppose the European Commission’s “attempts to deregulate occupational safety and health legislation or we will see more alarming increases in work related accidents, illnesses and deaths”.
SIPTU news release. Risks 686. 17 January 2015

USA: Public health body wants breast cancer prevention
An American Public Health Association (APHA) policy statement on ‘Breast Cancer and Occupation: The Need for Action’ is thought to be the first such call by a major public health body on breast cancer and the risks faced by women due to the hazards in the work environment. The policy statement says “gender and social class bias” could explain the lack of research and preventive efforts on occupational breast cancer.
Breast Cancer and Occupation: The Need for Action, APHA, posted online January 2015. Risks 686. 17 January 2015

USA: Wal-Mart locks staff in at night
Sick and injured workers at Wal-Mart stores in the US have found themselves trapped in locked stores, unable to get medical attention, a New York Times report has revealed. For more than 15 years, Wal-Mart Stores Inc, the world's largest retailer, has locked in overnight employees at some of its Wal-Mart and Sam's Club stores.
New York Times. Risks 686. 17 January 2015

Hazards news, 10 January 2015

Britain: HSE missing the point on safety myths
There are a lot of health and safety myths out there – like workplace safety regulations are a burden or there is a costly compensation culture gripping the country – but the safety regulator’s myth-busting mission is seriously off target, warns the TUC. The union body was speaking out after the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) published a report it commissioned from the University of Exeter that examined cases referred to HSE’s ‘mythbusters’ panel.
TUC Stronger Unions blog and TUC health and safety myths report. HSE news release. University of Exeter report. Risks 685. 10 January 2015

Britain: Watchdog and firms doing ‘sod all’ of use on stress
Workplace stress causes heart and other chronic diseases, higher rates of sickness absence and suicides. So why, asks TUC’s Hugh Robertson, are the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and employers doing ‘sod all’ of any use to tackle the bad management practices at the root of the problem?
Distressing failure: Who says work has to be like this?, Hazards magazine special report, December 2014. TUC Safety Reps Guide to the HSE Stress Management Standards. Risks 685. 10 January 2015

Britain: Unions condemn the killings at French magazine
Journalists’ unions have condemned the killing of 12 people in an attack on the offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in Paris. Eight journalists and cartoonists - including the magazine's editor - died along with two police officers, a maintenance worker and a visitor when masked men armed with assault rifles stormed the office on 7 January 2015.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. NUJ news release. IFJ news release and 2014 deaths report. EFJ news release. BBC News Online. Risks 685. 10 January 2015

Britain: UCATT safety survey exposes industry failings
An online survey of members of construction union UCATT has highlighted the massive safety failings that workers in the industry continue to face. Over a fifth (21 per cent) of the 750 respondents to the survey did not believe that their employer took their health and safety seriously.
UCATT news release. Risks 685. 10 January 2015

Britain: New tanker driver passport sees off cowboys
Cowboy fuel tanker operators face being driven off the road after a new Petroleum Driver Passport (PDP) covering over 6,000 tanker drivers across England, Scotland and Wales came into force on 1 January.  The passport, introduced by the Downstream Oil Industry Distribution Forum – a partnership of employers, industry bodies and the transport union Unite - is aimed at driving up health and safety standards.
Unite news release and guide. Risks 685. 10 January 2015

Britain: NUT ups its campaign on deadly asbestos in schools
Teaching union NUT is scaling up its campaign on the deadly risk posed by asbestos in schools, and is pressing the Department for Education (DfE) to come clean about the findings of a policy review. The union said it was unacceptable “that the DfE is delaying publication of the findings of its review of asbestos policy in schools, which could set an agenda for change.”
NUT news release – send a supportive email to your MP. Lancashire Evening Post. Risks 685. 10 January 2015

Britain: Equity secures £3.7m for injured stage manager
Equity member Rachael Presdee has been awarded £3.7 million compensation after suffering a life-changing injury at the Soho Theatre in London which means she now needs to use a wheelchair. Rachael was a stage manager on the Headlong Theatre production of Boys in 2012. On 9 June 2012 she fell through an unguarded backstage door and dropped three metres on to the open stage, suffering serious and permanent injury to her spine.
Equity news release. The Stage. BBC News Online. The Telegraph. The Express. The Guardian. Risks 685. 10 January 2015

Britain: Shamed fire chiefs agree to deaths payout
East Sussex fire bosses who forced the families of two fallen firefighters into a gruelling court battle have finally agreed to pay compensation. The announcement marks the final chapter in a painful struggle for the relatives of Geoff Wicker, 49, and Brian Wembridge, 63, who were killed by an explosion during a fireworks factory blaze at Marlie Farm in 2006.
ESFRS statement. Morning Star. Risks 685. 10 January 2015

Britain: Scissor-welding director wanted to ‘kill’ worker
A worker has received a £2,500 payout after a scissor-wielding company director threatened to kill him. BECTU member Peter Fermor was injured in the assault.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 685. 10 January 2015

Global: Cancer blame industry absolves industry’s real culprits
Bad genes, bad luck and bad habits are frequently blamed for cancers, but stronger evidence of the occupational and environmental origins of our cancers is much more likely to be disputed or dismissed. A December 2014 paper in journal Science, concluded two-thirds of the cancer types analysed were linked to chance mutations.
Cristian Tomasetti and Bert Vogelstein. Variation in cancer risk among tissues can be explained by the number of stem cell divisions, Science, volume 347, number 6217, pages 78-81, 2 January 2015.
Lifestyle behind more than half a million cancers in five years, CRUK news release, 26 December 2014.
Ted Schettler. Cancer, stem cells and bad luck, critical online commentary from the Collaborative on Health and the Environment, 6 January 2015.
Silent Spring commentary. BBC News Online on the ‘bad luck’ and ‘lifestyle’ cancer stories.
Risks 685. 10 January 2015

USA: Rotating night shift work is bad for your health
A new analysis of data from the world’s largest and longest-running study of women’s health finds that rotating night shift work is associated with higher death rates. The new findings add to a growing awareness that long-term night shift work comes with serious occupational health risks.
Fangyi Gu, Jiali Han, Francine Laden and others. Total and Cause-Specific Mortality of US Nurses Working Rotating Night Shifts, American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published online ahead of print, 5 January 2015. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2014.10.018
Eurekalert. The Pump Handle. BBC News Online. Risks 685. 10 January 2015

Britain: Call for regulation of mountain guides after fall death
The Scottish government should consider regulating mountain guides, a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) has recommended. Sheriff Derek Pyle made the recommendation following the inquiry into the death of Graham Paterson almost two years ago on the Isle of Skye.
Grough report. Sheriff Pyle’s determination. Risks 685. 10 January 2015

Britain: Young worker dies on first day at work
A 20-year-old man died on his first day at work for a new company when the four-tonne dumper he was driving toppled over a bank and crushed him. Daniel Whiston, from Dulverton, was allowed to drive the dumper, which had a number of serious defects, before it overturned down the embankment at Sweetings Farm, near Tiverton, on 27 October 2009.
HSE news release and construction webpages. BBC News Online. Construction Enquirer. Risks 685. 10 January 2015

Britain: Glass recycling firm kills temp on day 1
Glass recycling firm Recresco Ltd was fined £180,000 plus £38,693 costs after Ian Aliski, 29, was killed on his first day at work when the unsuitable forklift truck he was driving overturned. He had been hired on a temporary four-day contract.
HSE news release. Risks 685. 10 January 2015

Britain: Global recycling firm fined for work death
Global metal recycling company European Metal Recycling Ltd was £150,000 plus £80,000 costs after subcontract worker William (Billy) Ward, 56, was killed when part of a 33-tonne metal barge he was dismantling collapsed on top of him.
HSE news release. Risks 685. 10 January 2015

Britain: Home firm fined after lone worker dies
Barnet Homes Ltd was fined £37,000 plus £75,000 costs after heating engineer Alan Young, 68, was found dead in a communal boiler house on one of their housing estates. It is believed the lone worker, whose body was only discovered the next day, fell from an unsafe mobile scaffold.
HSE news release. Risks 685. 10 January 2015

Britain: Pheasant shoot business fined after worker dies
Malcolm John Reeve, a senior partner and co-owner of the Urra estate, was fined £20,000 plus £1,681 costs after occasional worker James Gaffney, 79, died in an overturned all-terrain vehicle on remote moorland, used by the business for pheasant shoots.
HSE news release. Risks 685. 10 January 2015

Britain: Three firms done after mining museum death
Yorkshire’s National Coal Mining Museum Trust and two companies were told to pay £590,000 in fines and costs after Michael Buckingham, 58, was crushed and killed at the museum in 2011. He died after he became trapped between a tunnel construction machine 138 metres below ground and a dumper loader that he was operating. His employer, Amalgamated Construction Ltd, was fined £110,000 plus £245,000 costs. Machinery supplier Metal Innovations Ltd was fined £80,000 with £110,000 in costs. The museum trust was fined £10,000 with £35,000 in costs.
HSE news release. Risks 685. 10 January 2015

Britain: Man crushed to death in quarry machine
Contractor Ward Bros (Plant Hire) Ltd was fined £85,000 plus £55,000 costs and quarry operator CEMEX UK Materials Ltd £60,000 plus £37,500 in costs after Gary Ian Ward, 43, went to investigate a problem with a large mobile crushing machine, which moved and crushed him causing death by asphyxiation.
HSE news release. Risks 685. 10 January 2015

Britain: Workers had massive blood lead levels
A Surrey-based civil engineering firm and a Hampshire fabrication company have been fined for exposing workers to lead during refurbishment work on the iconic Nab Tower in the Solent. Russell Leggett and Robert Peach required hospital treatment after inhaling dust and fumes when steel coated in lead paint was cut into and removed from the structure in July 2013.
HSE news release. More on the hazards of occupational exposure to lead. Risks 685. 10 January 2015

Global: Gear up for Workers’ Memorial Day, 28 April 2015
The theme for Workers’ Memorial Day 2015 will be “removing exposure to hazardous substances in the workplace”, global union confederation ITUC has announced. The union body says the theme includes an opportunity for unions to highlight chemical-related hazards, asbestos “as well as the Ebola virus and other potentially hazardous biological exposures.” It adds slogans, twitter hashtag suggestions and other communication tools will be posted on the ITUC/Hazards 28 April webpages. Europe-wide, the ETUC has already announced it will use the 28 April event to further its campaign on hazardous substances.
ITUC/Hazards and TUC 28 April 2015 Workers’ Memorial Day webpages. Risks 685. 10 January 2015

Canada: Lead at work causes ALS
Individuals with chronic exposure to lead at work are 80 per cent more likely to develop Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Canadian researchers have concluded. Publishing the findings of the analysis of 13 studies of individuals with ‘Lou Gehrig’s disease’ in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the authors found people with a history of work-related lead exposure were 1.81 times more likely to develop ALS.
Ming-Dong Wang and others. A Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies of the Association Between Chronic Occupational Exposure to Lead and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, volume 56, number 12, pages 1235-1242, December 2014. The Pump Handle. Risks 685. 10 January 2015

China: Bosses and officials jailed over fire deaths
Seven company bosses and eleven local officials have been given jail terms of up to nine years for their part in China’s worst factory fire in recent history. The fire at Baoyuanfeng Poultry Co killed 121 workers and injured another 76 in June 2013 when an electrical short circuit ignited combustible material inside the factory.
China Labour Bulletin. Risks 685. 10 January 2015

Europe: Political backing for cancer rules review
One of the final acts of the Italian presidency of the European Union, which ended on 31 December 2014, was to host a conference on future health and safety at work policy. The event on 4-5 December 2014 heard Laurent Vogel, a researcher with the European trade union research organisation ETUI, call for the Europe-wide directive on carcinogens and mutagens in the workplace to be overhauled. 
ETUI news report and Laurent Vogel’s presentation: The point of view of the European trade unions: It is urgent to revitalise the EU occupational health and safety policy. Risks 685. 10 January 2015

Europe: Dismay as Stoiber gets new deregulation role
Unions have reacted with dismay to the appointment of a deregulation-obsessed German right wing politician as a European Commission special adviser on ‘better regulation.’ The appointment came two months after the European Commission’s Stoiber-chaired High Level Group on Administrative Burdens published a deregulatory template described by TUC’s Hugh Robertson as “pretty dangerous.”
ETUC news release and better regulation webpages.
The crusade against ‘red tape’: How the European Commission and big business push for deregulation, Corporate Europe Observatory/Friends of the Earth Europe, October 2014. Risks 685. 10 January 2015

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