Global:
Asbestos interests block global safety move
Asbestos producer nations have blocked the addition of chrysotile (white)
asbestos to the UN list of highly dangerous substances that cannot be
exported to developing countries
without their knowledge and agreement.
25 September 2004
Britain:
HSC pushes forward with its enforcement-lite plan
The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) is pushing ahead with a controversial
plan to provide advice "free from the fear of enforcement."
The approach, criticised at this month's TUC Congress, is part of a
new HSC strategy that has been descried by critics as "enforcement-lite"
and "resource rationing".
Risks 175, 25 September 2004
Singapore:
Warning on "deadlier than Sars" disease
Authorities in Singapore have expressed concern about the rising death
toll from the tropical disease melioidosis. Official guidance notes
that those are greatest risk are the sick but adds: "Healthy people
can also get the disease if they work in muddy soil without good hand
and foot protection," putting construction and agricultural workers
at risk of another "new" occupational disease.
Risks 175, 25 September 2004
Britain:
Changes to working time rules satisfy no-one
European Commission plans for the revision of the EU Working Time Directive
would leave workers at risk of dangerously long working hours, the TUC
has warned. Proposals published this week include the continuation of
the opt-out for UK workers from the 48 hour working week ceiling.
Risks 175, 25 September 2004
Australia:
Unions say mind games are off the rails
Australian train drivers are being tested on letter shapes, personality
and computer game style skills to determine whether they are safe enough
to drive a train. Rail unions have now started dispute procedures with
train company RailCorp over a suspended driver and say question marks
remain about the validity of the company's "psychometric"
tests.
Risks 175, 25 September 2004
Britain:
Unions reject government safety plan
Unions have said a resounding "no" to the government's strategy
for workplace health and safety and have called for a greater emphasis
on enforcement, more rights for safety reps and more resources for the
Health and Safety Executive.
Australia:
Inquiry leads to jail calls for James Hardie boss
A company boss is facing the threat of the sack and jail time for misleading
the stock market in a bid to evade asbestos disease compensation liabilities.
Besieged James Hardie Industries faces intense pressure to pay its full
asbestos disease liabilities of up to $2.24 billion (£0.9bn) and
sack its chief executive Peter Macdonald after a damning report by a
special inquiry.
Risks 175, 25 September 2004
Britain:
Study exposes CBI's sick lies
Contrary to claims from bosses' organisation CBI, UK workers are not
malingerers - in fact they are among the work horses of Europe. A major
new study in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine shows
they are much less likely to take a sickie than workers in the UK's
major European Union competitors.
Risks 175, 25 September 2004
Japan:
Easier worker-related suicide payouts planned
The Japanese authorities are to ease the workers' compensation qualification
for work-related suicide, where employees kill themselves because of
depression related to work. The Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry says
there has been a sharp increase in "karojisatsu", work-related
suicide.
Risks 175, 25 September 2004
Britain:
Liberals drop safety standards
A senior adviser to the Liberal Democrats who quit his role as chair
of its working group on employment earlier this year claims the party
has been "hijacked by a coterie of laissez-faire economists"
determined to reject EU minimum standards in the workplace, including
proper health and safety standards.
Risks 175, 25 September 2004
Global:
Journalists sign up to new global safety campaign
The International Federation of Journalists and other press freedom
and human rights groups have launched a new global initiative aimed
at reinforcing international efforts to make journalism safer around
the world.
Risks 175, 25 September 2004
Britain:
HSE upbeat on rail safety as nine workers die
The Health and Safety Executive's annual rail safety report has put
a positive spin on Britain's rail safety record. The report's assessment
came despite a 50 per cent increase in the number of rail employees
killed at work.
Risks 175, 25 September 2004
Britain:
Union concern as retail violence soars
Unions have expressed serious concerns as new figures reveal a shocking
risk in attacks, abuse and threats suffered by shopworkers.
Risks 175, 25 September 2004
Britain:
Green alert on long hours
Flexible working is being used by UK employers to force employees to
give up their rights and work the longest hours in Europe - widening
the poverty gap and forcing thousands to suffer long-term ill-health,
warns Flexible working: A work-life balance or a balancing, a Green
Party report.
Risks 175, 25 September 2004
Britain: Get ready
for Hazards 2005!
It's the biggest and best health and safety event on the UK union calendar
- and next year it will be in Leeds. The National Hazards Conference
will run from 29-31 July 2005 and looks like being the best yet, building
on the runaway success of the 2004 event in Manchester.
Further details and sponsorship form. If you need more information,
you can email the Hazards 2005 organisers or phone on 0161 953 4037.
Risks
174, 18 September 2004
Britain: HSE
strategy shift threatens lives says Amicus
A sea change in strategy by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) will
reduce the number and frequency of workplace inspections, is reckless
and will endanger lives, says the union Amicus.
Risks
174, 18 September 2004
Britain: TUC's Barber
calls for fairness at work
The UK must retain a respect for fairness at work, TUC general secretary
Brendan Barber has said. He said the terrible tragedy of the cocklepicker
deaths in Morecambe Bay "shows exactly what happens in a globalised,
deregulated, casualised and non-unionised economy. It shows why our
vision has to prevail."
Risks
174, 18 September 2004
Britain: Food
retailers should use legal gangmasters says TGWU
Plough to plate trade union TGWU says major food retailers should use
their buying power to make sure the new gangmaster legislation works.
Risks
174, 18 September 2004
Britain: Challenging
the myths on agency workers
Agency workers are often employed on inferior terms and conditions,
without sick pay, pensions or training, and are exposed to greater health
and safety risks, retail union Usdaw has said.
Risks
174, 18 September 2004
Britain: Physios'
union offers a hand to injured workers
Physios' union CSP is alerting employers and unions to the part physiotherapists
can play in helping injured workers return to the job market. Latest
figures from the union show that over half a million people (501,700)
are currently off work and claiming benefits for musculoskeletal disorders
(MSDs).
Risks
174, 18 September 2004
Britain: Act now
on corporate manslaughter, says RMT
Bosses responsible for the deaths of workers must be held to account,
RMT general secretary Bob Crow has said. "As it stands the law
is a mess and the prospect of calling killer bosses to account is next
to zero."
Risks
174, 18 September 2004
Britain: Blair
promises unions movement on workplace safety
Prime Minister Tony Blair has said the government will honour commitments
made on workplace safety, including a corporate killing law and action
to protect migrant and agency workers.
Risks
174, 18 September 2004
Denmark: Night
shift work can be bad for pregnancies
Working a night shift can lead to longer pregnancies and lower birth
weight babies, researchers have found. The researchers examined Danish
statistics and concluded: "Night work may prolong the duration
of pregnancy and reduce fetal growth, especially among industrial workers."
Risks
174, 18 September 2004
Britain: Cancer
research body says smoking ban is the miracle cure
A law to ban smoking in public places could save more lives more quickly
than the development of a single new anti-cancer drug, according to
Cancer Research UK.
Risks
174, 18 September 2004
Britain: Unions
back new workplace asthma charter
Trade unions have backed a new asthma at work prevention charter. Asthma
UK's new guide, Asthma at work - your charter, sets out ten recommendations
to reduce the impact of asthma in the workplace and provides information
on asthma triggers and symptoms.
Risks
174, 18 September 2004
Australia: Situation
vacant - bully required
Psychometric testing is being used to identify bullies - then give them
jobs. The revelation came as a clinical psychologist revealed profiling
could identify "psychotic bullies" who terrorise workplaces.
Risks
174, 18 September 2004
Brazil: Asbestos
victims win £90m payout from EU multinational
A European multinational is facing an asbestos disease compensation
bill in excess of £90 million as a result of a Brazilian court
ruling. The landmark ruling against Eternit, and found the company responsible
for the ill-health of affected workers and directed the company to pay
compensation and medical costs.
Risks
174, 18 September 2004
Europe:
Dutch unions boycott EU "deregulatory" safety conference
Major union groups have boycotted a flagship European Union (EU) conference.
Dutch union federation FNV and Christian union CNV says the conference,
which took place in Amsterdam from 15-17 September, is a thinly veiled
attempt to push a health and safety deregulation agenda.
Risks
174, 18 September 2004
Global: Unions
unite to fight for asbestos justice
Global trade union organisations are stepping up international pressure
on the Australian building supplies company James Hardie to compensate
thousands of victims of asbestos diseases.
Risks
174, 18 September 2004
Britain: Ignorant
bosses put pregnant employees at risk
Lack of awareness could be putting the health and well-being of pregnant
women and their unborn babies at risk, says the shopworkers' union Usdaw.
And two other reports from the Equal Opportunities Commission also call
for workplace health and safety action.
Risks
173, 11 September 200
Britain: CWU issues
letter bombs warning
A spate of letter bombs in the post has triggered urgent action by postal
union CWU and the police. CWU members have been briefed about the need
for vigilance and advised about how to identify suspect packages.
Risks
173, 11 September 2004
Britain:
Stabbing highlights need for more rail station staff
The tragic death of a member of the public stabbed on Wood Street station
underlines the need for adequate staff on all railway stations, rail
union RMT has said.
Risks
173, 11 September 2004
Britain: More delays
to corporate killing law
The government has insisted it will press ahead with plans for new corporate
killing laws, but conceded there will be further delays.
Risks
173, 11 September 2004
Global: Long-term
work stress is top heart attack risk
Stress is a cause of heart attacks, a major international study has
confirmed. A report in The Lancet on 4 September found persistent severe
stress makes it two and a half times more likely that an individual
will have a heart attack compared with someone who is not stressed,
with prolonged workplace stress the most dangerous risk factor.
Risks
173, 11 September 2004
Britain: Millions
"exposed to work smoke"
More than 2 million people in the UK are exposed to tobacco smoke in
their workplaces, anti-smoking groups say. A further 10 milion people
work in places where smoking is allowed somewhere on the premises, says
a new analysis from ASH and the Chartered Institute of Environmental
Health.
Risks
173, 11 September 2004
Britain: Scotland
smoking ban "workable"
A ban on smoking on public places in Scotland is "workable",
the Scottish Executive has said.
Risks
173, 11 September 2004
Britain: Firms
want clear guidelines on workplace drug testing
Few UK companies carry out any form of drug testing in the workplace,
but two-thirds want clearer guidelines on the issue, a new survey claims.
Law firm Blake Lapthorn Linnell found just 10 per cent of the respondents
to its survey actually carried out any form of drug testing and most
of these were overwhelmingly of the opinion that drug use was not an
issue for their organisation (75 per cent).
Risks
173, 11 September 2004
Britain: Port
operator fined £250,000 over trainee's death
Felixstowe Dock and Railway Company, the operator of the UK's largest
container port, has been fined £250,000 after a trainee dockworker
plunged nearly 120ft to his death from a crane.
Risks
173, 11 September 2004
Britain: New
improved TUC website
The TUC has relaunched its website with a new user-friendly look and
feel. The health and safety section is far and away the most busy part
of the TUC website, accounting for about a quarter of all the site traffic.
Risks
173, 11 September 2004
Europe: One
in seven education workers has been assaulted
Fifteen per cent of the 11 million employees in Europe's education sector,
from teachers and cooks to administrative staff, have suffered physical
or verbal abuse at work, usually at the hands of students and parents,
says a new report from the European Agency for Occupational Safety and
Health.
Risks
173, 11 September 2004
France: Farmer
shoots dead two labour inspectors
Two labour inspectors checking the contracts of seasonal plum pickers
in the southwestern French region of Dordogne were shot dead by a farmer
last week. Gerard Dubiau, 57, opened fire on the inspectors and then
tried to kill himself after his workers were asked to produce their
papers, legal sources said.
Risks
173, 11 September 2004
France: New
law calls for management of work strains
Reforms to French pension laws mean employers are now required to consult
with unions on the reduction of the physical strains of the job. Measures
to address problems could include early retirement or new work organisation
and safety measures to reduce risks.
Risks
173, 11 September 2004
South Africa: Lax safety
standards blamed for deadly chemical blast
Unions are demanding answers after a blast ripped through the Sasol
ethylene plant in Secunda, South Africa. So far, the company has refused
to say whether it will allow unions to participate in an investigation
into the tragedy, which killed seven and injured over 100 workers.
Risks
173, 11 September 2004
Turkey: Nineteen
die in mine fire
At least 19 workers died and 17 were injured in a fire at a copper mine
in north-western Turkey. Reports say that serious questions will be
asked about the incident as at first it seemed many more of the men
would be saved.
Risks
173, 11 September 2004
USA: Dramatic
shift away from safety enforcement
The US safety enforcement agency is planning a dramatic shift towards
more "voluntary protection programmes" (VPP) and away from
inspection and enforcement. However, the official justification for
the programme - that it saves lives and money - has been challenged
in official reports.
Risks
173, 11 September 2004
Global: ILO report
calls for bigger union role in safety
A new report from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) highlights
the crucial union role in securing safer, healthier work and “argues
strongly for a strengthening of collective voice as the primary means
of improving working conditions, and protecting workers’ health.”
Risks
172, 4 September 2004
Britain: Major
survey shows people join unions for safety’s sake
Concern over safety at work is a key factor in the recent increase in
trade union membership, a Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) report
has concluded. STUC’s “Unions Work” research indicates
that after pay and conditions, concerns about the working environment
are the most frequently given reason for joining a union.
Risks
172, 4 September 2004
USA: Steel union
questions accident surge
So far twice as many members of US steelworkers’ union USWA have
died this year as in all of last year – and the union suspects
radical changes in the industry during a recent downturn may have made
mills more dangerous places to work. Now that demand for steel has increased
sharply and the industry has a chance to make money, steelmakers have
to produce more with fewer workers and many workers are performing jobs
that are new to them.
Risks
172, 4 September 2004
Britain: Hospital
asbestos blamed for death
A 60-year-old woman died after being exposed to asbestos dust while
working as a hospital cleaner, an inquest has heard. The West Yorkshire
coroner ruled that Vanda Johansson-Corcoran's death was caused after
years of being exposed to asbestos while cleaning a boiler room at Airedale
Hospital, Steeton, near Keighley.
Risks
172, 4 September 2004
Global: Bid to stop
asbestos company going Dutch on compo
An Australian asbestos giant that jumped ship to Holland could face
court action in the Dutch courts. Dutch justice minister Piet Hein Donner
said in answer to questions from federal MPs that his government would
consider any request for a judicial treaty with Australia which would
allow asbestos diseases victims of the James Hardie company to pursue
compensation claims in Holland.
Risks
172, 4 September 2004
China: Bosses buried
miner to conceal accident
Bosses at a private coal mine in China have been detained by police
for concealing a fatal mining accident on 7 July. In a bid to conceal
the accident, bosses asked a miner to bury the body and agreed to pay
him a “hiding fee.”
Risks
172, 4 September 2004
Britain: Voice loss
hits call centre workers
Call centre workers are suffering from a fast emerging industrial disease:
repetitive voice injury. According to the Royal College of Speech and
Language Therapists, increasing numbers of call-centre workers are being
referred to speech therapists because they are losing their voices,
with long hours and little opportunity for even a drink of water to
blame.
Risks
172, 4 September 2004 • Hazards
voice loss webpage
Britain: Airport staff
jam union bullying hotline
More than 150 cabin crew and ground staff at London's Heathrow and Gatwick
airports have called a new Amicus hotline to report bullying and abuse.
The complaints came in over a two-week period, said Amicus.
Risks
172, 4 September 2004
Japan: Nuke plant
head apologises for fatal accident
The boss of a Japanese nuclear power company has been ordered to apologise
for an accident that killed five workers.
Risks
172, 4 September 2004
Britain: Death charges
dropped against Railtrack
Charges of manslaughter against the now defunct Railtrack and one of
its senior managers over the Hatfield disaster have been dropped. In
June this year, Railtrack paid out £1 million to the widow of
Hatfield victim Stephen Arthur, after admitting liability for the crash.
Risks
172, 4 September 2004
Britain: Work
is breaking our bodies and our minds
Top workplace diseases in Great Britain are musculoskeletal strains
and sprains and mental ill-health, according to latest official figures.
The Health and Safety Executive’s Occupational Health Statistics
Bulletin 2003/04 draws on The Health and Occupation Reporting (THOR)
data provided by specialist doctors and other sources.
Risks
172, 4 September 2004
Britain: UK fails
to learn occupational health lessons
The UK safety watchdog has ditched crucial occupational health functions
despite its own evidence showing it is failing to meet its targets to
reduce occupational ill-health. A new report in the International Journal
of Occupational Safety and Health (IJOEH) warns that moves by the Health
and Safety Commission, including a decision to axe the post of HSE medical
director, “broke the link with the periodically radical and innovative
work of occupational physicians dating back to Sir Thomas Legge in 1898.”
Risks
172, 4 September 2004
Britain: Sick building
syndrome “slows down” workers
Poor indoor air quality is affecting the productivity of office workers,
researchers have found. Experts from the International Centre for Indoor
Environment and Energy measured how sick building syndrome – a
problem ranging from sore eyes and throat, to chest problems and flu-like
symptoms - could be damaging workers' performance.
Risks
172, 4 September 2004
Britain: Overwork
crisis must be tackled
Family life is being damaged by long hours working, so the individual
opt-out allowing parents to work over 48 hours a week must be abolished,
says a report from the TUC and charity Working Families.
Risks
172, 4 September 2004
Britain: Union
concern grows after another rail runaway
Rail union RMT has demanded to know how many more road-rail vehicle
and trailer runaways there have been since February’s Tebay incident
in which four workers died. The call came as a third previously unreported
runaway incident came to light, this time in Scotland.
Risks
172, 4 September 2004
Earlier
stories
