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LATEST NEWS
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Hazards news, 30 October 2004
Britain:
TUC dismay at safety's "missed opportunity"
The TUC has expressed dismay the government's "disappointing"
response to a select committee report on workplace safety, particularly
its rejection of a call for stronger enforcement and more HSE
resources and safety representatives' rights.
Risks 180, 30 October 2004
 Britain:
Government "green light for killing", says Prospect
The government's dismissal of a select committee call for adequate
resources to safeguard UK workers will give rogue employers the
green light to continue maiming and killing employees, the HSE
inspectors' union Prospect has warned.
Risks 180, 30 October 2004
Britain:
Directors get off scot free, says CCA
The government's rejection of key recommendations of the Work
and Pensions Select Committee is a "knee-jerk deregulatory"
response, says safety justice watchdog CCA.
Risks 180, 30 October 2004
Britain:
Healthier approach to work sickness
A drive to help people who become ill to stay in their jobs and
to prevent them leaving the workforce prematurely has been announced
by the government.
Risks 180, 30 October 2004
Britain:
Britons want a national smoking ban
Nearly seven out of 10 Britons want to see smoking banned in restaurants,
pubs and offices, according to a new poll. Health secretary John
Reid has been warned by health campaigners not to try a "British
bodge" on workplace smoking restrictions.
Risks 180, 30 October 2004
Britain:
Tribunal changes could hush up whistleblowers
The government is facing a battle with MPs and peers over new
rules for employment tribunals which keep whistleblowing claims
over corruption, fraud, disregard of public safety and other misdeeds
under wraps.
Risks 180, 30 October 2004 •
Hazards
whistleblowers webpage
Australia:
Survey finds unlawful intimidation safety reps
One in three health and safety reps has been intimidated into
not raising health and safety concerns, a survey in the Australian
state of Victoria has found. The same number reported being bullied
after raising a health and safety issue in the workplace.
Risks 180, 30 October 2004
Australia:
New investigation unit to tackle work deaths
A world's first coroner's court investigative unit to probe the
causes of work-related deaths has been set up in Australia. A
specialist team of investigators and safety experts in the Work-Related
Death Investigation and Resource Unit is to examine all workplace
deaths in the state of Victoria in a bid to prevent further loss
of life.
Risks 180, 30 October 2004
Australia:
Company guilty of driving worker to death
A fine imposed on an Australian transport operator whose exhausted
driver was incinerated in a major highway smash has sparked calls
for safety watchdog WorkCover to go after the "Mr Bigs"
of road transport. Tranport union TWU says 37-year-old Darri Haynes
was killed in a 1999 fireball, after doctoring logbooks and consuming
methamphetamines in a bid to meet schedules.
Risks 180, 30 October 2004
Australia:
Millions for ousted bosses as asbestos fund runs dry
Seven figure pay-offs to two bosses forced to resign in a major
asbestos scandal have been condemned by unions. A fund set up
to compensate asbestos disease victims of James Hardie Industries,
meanwhile, faces a Aus$2bn (£815m) shortfall and could run
dry as early as April next year.
Risks 180, 30 October 2004
Europe:
Better planning could prevent site deaths
Up to 60 per cent of the accidents on Europe's construction sites
and over 25 per cent of fatalities could be avoided by more careful
design, planning and procurement before construction starts, according
to a new report from the Bilbao-based European Agency.
Risks 180, 30 October 2004
Germany:
Are your genes up to the job?
Top level consideration of a law that would allow limited genetic
testing for employees is causing consternation in Germany. In
jobs such as construction or public transportation, the law would
allow for genetic testing for symptoms of colour blindness among
other things.
Risks 180, 30 October 2004
USA:
Company admits falsifying safety data
Southern California Edison Co. used faulty workplace safety data
- and in some cases may have suppressed reports of workplace injuries
- over the last seven years to win performance-related bonuses
from the state, the company has admitted. It admits behavioural
safety schemes - including financial compensation and recognition
lunches - "may have discouraged the reporting of some incidents"
and may have produced "pressure to not report injuries."
Risks 180, 30 October 2004
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EARLIER NEWS
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Hazards news, 23 October 2004
Britain:
Overwhelming evidence for a UK workplace smoking ban
The TUC says there is now an unanswerable case in favour of workplace
smoking bans. Commenting on a new international review of research
into the health impact of smoking bans, TUC general secretary
Brendan Barber said: "The research proves that in the towns
and cities around the world where smoking has been stubbed out,
the positive health effects on workers previously exposed to tobacco
smoke are immediate and lasting."
Risks 179, 23 October 2004
Britain:
Leaked report highlights passive smoking threat
Breathing in secondhand smoke massively increases the risk of
lung cancer and heart disease, an official UK report shows. Ministers
have sat on the results for months amid fears it will fuel calls
for a ban on smoking in public places, claim campaigners.
Risks 179, 23 October 2004
Britain:
MPs call for workplace smoking ban
Members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Smoking and Health
have this week called on health secretary John Reid to include
smokefree legislation in the forthcoming White Paper on public
health.
Risks 179, 23 October 2004
Britain:
Liverpool bids to be UK's first smoke-free city
The decision to make Liverpool the UK's first smoke-free city
has been welcomed by health campaigners.
Risks 179, 23 October 2004
Britain:
Workplaces are unsafe and unseen
The lives of workers and members of the public are being put at
risk because too few employers are receiving visits from official
health and safety inspectors, according a new TUC safety survey.
The interim findings show almost four in ten (39 per cent) of
the union safety reps questioned by the TUC said that their workplace
had never been inspected by either the Health and Safety Executive
(HSE) or by a local authority safety inspector.
Risks 179, 23 October 2004
Britain:
Pilots' union investigates air quality dangers
Pilots' union BALPA is investigating flight deck air quality because
it says there is growing evidence of factors which may have short,
medium and long-term effects on the health of pilots.
Risks 179, 23 October 2004
Britain:
Minister urges docs to stop signing sick notes
The government is urging doctors to encourage people to stay in
or get back to work when they suffer sickness or injury. Work
and pensions secretary Alan Johnson said: "For people who
are able to work again, a job can itself be an important step
in the road to recovery and rehabilitation."
Risks 179, 23 October 2004
Britain:
New report highlights nanotech problems
New HSE-backed research has shown that TUC concerns about nanoparticle
safety are clearly justified. It concludes that "there is
little evidence to suggest that the exposure of workers arising
from the production of nanoparticles has been adequately assessed."
Risks 179, 23 October 2004
Global:
Cleaning chemicals health risks revealed
Common cleaning products could be making cleaners sick, new research
suggests. It found air fresheners and other household sprays could
damage pregnant women and new-born babies.
Risks 179, 23 October 2004
Britain
: New union-friendly accident book
A new version of the official HSE accident book has been published
by HSE. The accident book was revised to take account of comments
from TUC and now allows safety reps have access to the information
they need to monitor reportable accidents in their workplace.
Risks 179, 23 October 2004
Australia:
Landmark award for asbestos fears
A former asbestos mine worker has won a landmark court ruling
in Australia. The Supreme Court in Perth has ruled that a former
worker at the Wittenoom asbestos mine in Western Australia, who
has a psychiatric disability caused by fear of dying from asbestos
disease, is entitled to compensation from his former employer.
Risks 179, 23 October 2004
China:
Over 140 feared dead in mine blast
A 20 October gas explosion at a coal mine in central China has
killed at least 60 people. Earlier reports said 88 others were
missing.
Risks 179, 23 October 2004
Malaysia:
Compensation for those injured on way to work
An employee involved in an accident en route to work is entitled
to compensation, the Malaysian High Court has ruled, with the
payout allowed even if the worker wasn't commuting from their
own home.
Risks 179, 23 October 2004
New
Zealand: Solvent tragedy raises cancer fears
Solvents commonly used by hundreds of painters are being blamed
for a young Christchurch worker's shock death from leukaemia.
Jason Gibson, 29, experienced irrational mood swings, headaches,
chronic lethargy and nosebleeds in the months before being diagnosed
with acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APML).
Risks 179, 23 October 2004
USA:
What a difference a President makes
Unions, consumer and environmental groups would have good reason
to support John Kerry for President, recent media coverage suggests.
While President Bush has been a good friend to the business lobby
and has taken regular chunks out of worker and environmental protections,
Kerry has been a long-term supporter of stricter regulation.
Risks 179, 23 October 2004
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EARLIER NEWS
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Britain: TUC calls for end to building
site deaths
TUC is calling on the government and employers to dramatically improve
Britain's construction safety record. It says three construction
workers die at work in Britain every fortnight, but the government
has yet to introduce corporate manslaughter legislation to punish
negligent bosses.
Risks
178, 16 October 2004
Britain:
TUC backs "carrot" approach to get sick and disabled
into work
The TUC has told the government that providing proper support
is the only acceptable and effective way to increase the numbers
of sick or disabled people in work and could save the government
millions.
Risks
178, 16 October 2004
Britain: TGWU puts
bus operators on hours warning
Bus drivers' union TGWU has urged members to step up the campaign
to reduce driving hours. In a co-ordinated action, the union's
sixty bus branches have put forward demands for a maximum continuous
driving shift of four and a half hours and a maximum driving time
of eight and a half hours in any one day.
Risks
178, 16 October 2004
Britain: Ho ho holidays
all round for shopworkers
Friday 15 October has been hailed as an historic milestone in
shopworkers' union Usdaw's long running campaign to ensure large
stores cannot open on 25 December. The Christmas Day (Trading)
Bill, sponsored by Labour MP Kevan Jones, has passed its final
Commons stage in time for this year's festive period.
Risks
178, 16 October 2004
Britain:
Work accidents and ill-health bill could top £30bn
The cost to society of work-related accidents and ill-health could
be over £30 billion each year, according to new Health and
Safety Executive estimates.
Risks
178, 16 October 2004
Canada:
"Safe" work solvent levels may affect IQ of fetus
Children born to mothers exposed to solvents in the workplace
appear to have significant developmental problems as a result,
according to new research.
Risks
178, 16 October 2004
USA:
Nerve damage linked to common work solvent
Long term exposure to high concentrations to a common workplace
solvent is highly damaging to nerves, new research has shown.
Researchers at the American Neurological Association annual meeting
in Toronto said 1-bromopropane (1-BP) is a powerful neurotoxin.
Risks
178, 16 October 2004
Global:
Workplace toxins linked to breast cancer
Exposure to industrial chemicals and radiation has contributed
more than previously thought to the rising incidence of breast
cancer, according to a new report. State of the Evidence 2004:
What is the connection between the environment and breast cancer,
released by two US advocacy groups on breast cancer, says fewer
than one in 10 cases of breast cancer occurs in women born with
a genetic predisposition for the disease.
Risks
178, 16 October 2004
Denmark:
Better work can reduce heart attacks
Improving the quality of a person's job can reduce their risk
of a heart attack, new research has shown. Medical and workplace
health researchers from Denmark found the benefits would be most
pronounced in unskilled workers and added: "Improvements
in psychosocial work environment, especially possibility for skill
development, could contribute to a reduction in the incidence
of MI and in social inequality in MI."
Risks
178, 16 October 2004
Britain: Docs slam
government for deadly smoking ban delay
Hundreds of workers have died this year as a result of the UK
government's failure to introduce a ban on smoking in public places,
says the British Medical Association.
Risks
178, 16 October 2004
Britain: First
Engineering fined £200k after sleeper horror
Rail maintenance company First Engineering Ltd has been fined
£200,000 at Glasgow Sheriff Court following the death of
an employee nearly two years ago.
Risks
178, 16 October 2004
Australia:
Beleaguered asbestos giant sinks further
An asbestos scandal that has already dislodged two top executives
of James Hardie Industries, prompted a national product boycott
and has led to worldwide protests, looks set to become to become
more serious still. The company may soon be facing contempt charges
in Australia and criminal investigation in the US.
Risks
178, 16 October 2004
Australia/Canada:
Construction workers protest at asbestos peddlers
Construction workers in Australia have protested outside the Canadian
High Commission in Canberra in a bid to highlight Canada's global
marketing push for the deadly asbestos industry.
Risks 178, 16 October 2004
Costa
Rica: Banana workers sue over pesticide
Thousands of banana pickers in Costa Rica have filed a lawsuit
in Los Angeles against two chemical companies and three major
US fresh produce companies, claiming that exposure to the toxic
pesticide DBCP caused a range of reproductive disorders. Chemical
companies Dow and Shell and banana multinationals Chiquita, Dole
and Del Monte declined to comment on the suit.
Risks
178, 16 October 2004
Europe:
Unions and employers agree workplace stress framework
Organisations representing unions and employers across Europe
have signed a framework agreement aimed at tackling workplace
stress.
Risks
178, 16 October 2004
USA:
Dangers in the night
Workplace accidents that result in injuries are much more likely
to occur at night than in daytime hours, studies suggest. Kenneth
N Fortson, writing in the Monthly Labor Review, says data from
Texas workers' compensation claims shows the injury rate is higher
late at night than during the regular 9-5 shift.
Risks
178, 16 October 2004
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NEWS
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Britain: Disability access law takes effect
The TUC is warning the many businesses may not have done enough
to make their buildings fully accessible and could end up facing
court action and hefty fines.
Risks 177, 9 October 2004
Britain:
Risk assessment failing causes back injury
A senior nurse who suffered a severe back injury lifting a hospital
theatre table has been awarded £29,739 compensation because
no risk assessment was carried out on the task.
Risks 177, 9 October 2004
 Global:
Seafarers push for global safety and security
A global union campaign has called for fair deal for seafarers
who are been denied shore leave and have faced heavy-handed treatment
under security measures put in place after the 11 September 2001
attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Risks 177, 9 October 2004
Britain:
Charity blasts "speak up or pay up" law
Ordinary employees are now first in line to be sued after disasters
and accidents, warns a new report. Whistleblowers' charity Public
Concern at Work says "botched" legislation passed last
October means employees now face paying unlimited damages if they
don't speak up about health or safety risks at work - even if
there is no negligence on their part.
Risks 177, 9 October 2004
Britain:
Workers struck by lung diseases
About 70 workers at a car engine factory in Birmingham have been
struck down with serious lung illness linked to mineral oils.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said it is investigating
cases of extrinsic allergic alveolitis (EEA) and occupational
asthma at Powertrain in Longbridge, and expects more cases to
be diagnosed.
Risks 177, 9 October 2004
Britain:
Six figure fines on rail death firms
Two companies have been fined on charges relating to a workplace
death that was ruled to be "unlawful killing" at an
earlier inquest. The six figure fines imposed on rail maintenance
company Balfour Beatty and the McGinley Recruitment Services agency,
the companies responsible for a 22-year-old casual rail worker
Michael Mungovan's death, have once again raised questions about
the adequacy of UK law to match the punishment to the crime.
Risks 177, 9 October 2004
Britain:
Government "nobbled" on death penalties
The death of Michael Mungovan has highlighted the inadequacy of
UK law to reflect the seriousness of workplace safety crimes.
Guardian columnist George Monbiot says a promised law to make
directors responsible has been "nobbled" by employers'
organisations.
Risks 177, 9 October 2004
Britain:
"Ongoing failures" led to Chunnel death
"Basic and simple precautions" could have saved the
life of a construction worker, a court has heard. Instead, three
construction companies have been prosecuted and fined a total
of £100,000 after pleading guilty to breaches of health
and safety legislation.
Risks 177, 9 October 2004
Britain:
Government "muddled and naïve" on working time
The government is denying "substantial evidence" of
the health effects of long hours and is giving a "muddled
and naïve" message on working time, says top thinktank
The Work Foundation.
Risks 177, 9 October 2004
China:
Toxic trade in computer recycling
A Sky News investigation claims Chinese workers are putting their
lives at risk processing parts to recover material from PCs sent
from Europe, America and Japan. It says recycling could be carried
out more safely in the UK if British consumers paid an extra £20
for their PCs.
Risks 177, 9 October 2004
Finland:
New law restricts workplace drug tests
Unions in Finland have welcomed new regulations on workplace drug
tests that on 1 October placed strict limitations on the use of
drug tests at work. The unions say the first role of the new law
is the protection of worker privacy.
Risks 177, 9 October 2004
Thailand:
Many deaths in illegal fireworks factory blast
An explosion at a fireworks factory in central Thailand has killed
at least 14 people and injured several others. The dead are said
to include a four-year-old boy, with several teenagers severely
burned - it is believed all the victims were inside the factory
at the time.
Risks 177, 9 October 2004
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NEWS
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Britain:
What should the safety watchdog do?
The Health and Safety Commission has kicked off
the latest stage in its development of an "interventions strategy"
- establishing the main techniques it will use as a regulator. The move
comes amid fevered debate over the UK's future health and safety strategy,
particularly the balance between enforcement and voluntary approaches.
Risks 176, 2 October 2004
Britain:
Union hits out as another postie is attacked
Postal workers' union CWU has condemned Royal
Mail's "chronic inactivity" on union proposals to protect
delivery workers from attack.
Risks 176, 2 October 2004
Britain:
Hatfield train driver receives stress payout
A train driver who suffered post traumatic stress
as a result of the October 2000 Hatfield derailment in which four people
died has been awarded personal injury compensation.
Risks 176, 2 October 2004
Britain:
Working time fudge could leave workers stuffed
Amicus has said it is "dismayed at the confusing
mess of proposals that the Commission has made in respect of modifications
to the Working Time Directive." It says the proposal to increase
the reference period for the calculation of maximum hours from 17 weeks
to a year could leave some workers stuffed.
Risks 176, 2 October 2004
Britain:
NHS to recoup treatment costs from negligent employers
The government wants to recover the cost to the
NHS of treating people injured at work. The TUC has welcomed a new consultation
on draft regulations for an expanded NHS Injury Costs Recovery (ICR)
scheme.
Risks 176, 2 October 2004
Britain:
Government warned against "wildly illogical" smoke law exclusions
The government has been warned not to exempt pubs
and clubs from any new law ending smoking in workplaces.
Risks 176, 2 October 2004
Britain:
Make sure you talk to your physio
Good quality advice from a physio might be all
you need to sort out your bad back, a new study in the British Medical
Journal suggests.
Risks 176, 2 October 2004
Britain:
Too little sleep is not working
A new report says British adults now get an average
of 90 minutes less than they used to. Lack of sleep is leading to problems
ranging from irritable behaviour and inefficiency at work, to ill-health,
road accidents and even divorce, it says.
Risks 176, 2 October 2004
Britain:
Rail workers killed after being hit by repair truck
Two rail workers were killed this week when they
were hit by a repair truck at a project involving three firms under
contract to Network Rail. The accident happened days after latest Health
and Safety Executive figures revealed a 50 per upturn in track deaths.
Risks 176, 2 October 2004
Britain:
Mersey fire chiefs sue government over asbestos
The government is being sued by a fire service
for not warning firefighters about the dangers of asbestos. Merseyside
Fire Service has confirmed that it has started legal proceedings against
the government.
Risks 176, 2 October 2004
Britain:
Workplace bullying "widespread and rising"
Workplace bullying is widespread, with 87 per
cent of personnel professionals witnessing or being aware of bullying
in their organisation, and a third (33 per cent) reporting a rise in
incidents in the past two years, according to a survey.
Risks 176, 2 October 2004
Britain:
TUC construction information sheets for Euro Week
As part of its commitment to European Health and
Safety Week, 18-24 October, the TUC has produced six new information
sheets on construction issues.
Risks 176, 2 October 2004
Europe:
Integrating health and safety into education
Integrating occupational safety and health into
school and university education is the key to reducing the high incidence
of work-related accidents and illnesses in many EU industries, especially
among young staff, say a new European Agency report.
Risks 176, 2 October 2004
Australia:
u r brkng t saft law
A new breed of cyberbully is using texting, email
and mobile phones to harass colleagues - and is leaving employers open
to prosecution under workplace safety laws.
Risks 176, 2 October 2004
Global:
Asbestos scandal claims top bosses' scalps
The growing international scandal engulfing Australian
multinational James Hardie Industries has claimed its first boardroom
scalps. The company's chief executive and chief financial officer have
stood aside after an official inquiry into the troubled building products
company, which lots set to become the "asbestos Enron" as
it faces investigation by financial watchdogs in Australia and the USA.
Risks 176, 2 October 2004
UAE:
Collapse at Dubai airport kills eight
Eight workers have been killed and many injured
when a huge steel mesh wall at Dubai airport collapsed, burying labourers
under the rubble. Most of the victims were thought to be immigrants
from India and Pakistan, working for a UAE-British consortium, Al-Naboodah
Laing.
Risks 176, 2 October 2004
USA:
California weeds out back-breaking farm jobs
California's workplace safety agency has ordered
farmers to stop hand-weeding of commercial crops, becoming the first
US state to protect farmhands by limiting the back-wrenching work.
Risks 176, 2 October 2004
USA:
Modern slavery thriving in the US
A new report on forced labour in the United States
reveals in disturbing detail how thousands are forced through threats
or violence to work in deplorable conditions for little or no pay.
Risks 176, 2 October 2004
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