AUSTRALIA
The drug tests don’t work, they make it worse
Punitive workplace drug and alcohol testing regimes are unfair and self-defeating,
according to a top pharmacologist. Expert witness Dr Judith Perl told
a transport industry forum in Sydney that punishment based on random
drug testing will do nothing to make workplaces safer and will lead
"to many, many mistakes."
Risks
116, 26 July 2003
USA/INDIA
Dow told to accept responsibility for
Bhopal
Eighteen members of the US Congress have sent a letter to Dow boss William
Stavropoulos demanding that his company assume liability for the wrongdoings
of Union Carbide in Bhopal. The group are demanding that Dow - the company
took over Union Carbide after the disaster - provide medical rehabilitation
and economic reparations for the victims of the tragedy, undertake an
environmental clean up, and ensure the company appears before the Chief
Judicial Magistrate's court in Bhopal where it faces charges of culpable
homicide.
ICJB
news release, 22 July 2003
THAILAND
Talking responsibility is not taking responsibility
Unions in Asia have accused Thai multinational Charoen Pokphand (CP)
Group of "window dressing" after the company that co-owned the deadly
Kader toy factory that burned causing 188 deaths boasted at a human
rights conferences of its corporate responsibility.
Asian
Food Worker, July 2003 • Risks
116, 26 July 2003
BRITAIN
HSC to blame for deadly smoking inaction
The Health and Safety Commission is to blame for bar, restaurant and
other workers not having protection from potentially deadly exposures
to tobacco smoke. The Royal Environmental Health Institute of Scotland
(REHIS) said current legislation to protect people from passive smoking
is too vague and called on HSC to quit stalling and establish a code
of practice to tighten safeguards.
Risks
116, 26 July 2003
GLOBAL
Workplace SARS victims remembered
Health care workers who died of SARS in the recent global outbreak have
been remembered in Canada and Singapore.
Risks
116, 26 July 2003
BRITAIN
Widow denied asbestos compensation
A woman whose husband died a lingering death from asbestos-related cancer
has had her compensation hopes dashed by Appeal Court judges - because
she left it too late to sue his former employers after a diagnosis mix-up.
Risks
116, 26 July 2003
AUSTRALIA
Unions win mines hours reduction
Tasmanian mine operators have been ordered to reduce working hours on
safety grounds in the first legally binding instruction of its kind
in Australian history. The Australian Workers’ Union (AWU), hailed the
orders as a "huge victory that will flow on to every other state and
territory."
Risks
116, 26 July 2003
BRITAIN
Nine out of 10 small firms are law breakers
Nine out of 10 small firms are falling illegally short of minimum safety
duties, threequarters have dealt with a 'substantial' injury in the
last year, and more than four out of five are concerned the threat of
jail time will force them to go safe.
Risks
116, 26 July 2003
USA
Hawaii governor says "don’t book him, Dano"
Hawaii Republican Governor Linda Lingle is rewarding her industry pals
with promises of an enforcement-lite approach to workplace safety. Lingle
told the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii that HIOSH, Hawaii‘s state run
equivalent of US national safety enforcement agency OSHA, will no longer
be an enforcement agency, but instead will become a "consultation" agency.
Confined
Space
BRITAIN
Move towards work drug testing
Four out of five employers would be prepared to drug test their employees
if they thought productivity was at stake, a survey found. The research
for the Independent Inquiry into Drug Testing at Work found that very
few firms at present test their workers for banned substances.
Risks
116, 26 July 2003
BRITAIN
HSE pushes new stress solutions
Employers can recognise stress but can be clueless when it comes to
tackling it, the Health and Safety Executive has said. It is publishing
new guides to better stress prevention and rehabilitation of affected
workers.
Risks
116, 26 July 2003
BRITAIN
Stress top cause of long-term sick leave
Stress is the top cause of long-term sick leave in non-manual workers,
and has reached 'alarming levels' in the public sector, a new study
has found.
Risks
116, 26 July 2003
BRITAIN
CBI in new attack on workers
Bosses’ organisation CBI has launched another ill-founded attack on
workers. Just weeks after castigating workers for "throwing sickies"
when its own study found sick leave was at a record low, it has launched
a renewed attack on the "have-a-go mentality" of victims of workplace
ill-health and injuries at a time when compensation claims are falling.
Risks
116, 26 July 2003
BRITAIN
Get the guilty call after unlawful killing verdict
Four construction workers who died when they fell 80ft from a motorway
bridge were unlawfully killed, an inquest jury has ruled. The verdict
has led to calls from their union GMB and campaigners for the companies
involved and their top bosses to face manslaughter charges.
Risks
116, 26 July 2003
BRITAIN
Oil workers step up holiday fight
Rig workers’ union Amicus is considering legal action in its fight to
secure four weeks' paid holiday for thousands of oil workers.
Risks
116, 26 July 2003
BRITAIN
Will the government deliver on corporate killing?
Corporate killing legislation may take longer to deliver than campaigners
hope. Reports say when draft legislation is published at the end of
the year it will be sent out for industry-wide consultation - the third
corporate killing consultation in nine years, leading to accusations
that the government is "consulting us to death."
Risks
115, 19 July 2003
BRITAIN
Hatfield crash accused in court
The two companies and six men charged with manslaughter after the Hatfield
rail crash have made their first court appearance. If found guilty,
the individuals could face life imprisonment and the two companies could
be ordered to pay unlimited fines.
Risks
115, 19 July 2003
INDIA
Deaths cover-up in ship's graveyard
At least 25 casual workers have died and 50 others have been injured
in explosions at the Alang shipbreaking yard in Gujarat in the last
six months, Greenpeace has alleged. The campaign group says the yard
has mafia links and has suppressed information about the deaths, with
only two of the accidents officially reported.
Risks
115, 19 July 2003
BRITAIN
Jaguar attacks toilet breaks
Luxury car-maker Jaguar has come under fire from workers after slamming
the lid on toilet breaks. Paint shop workers have been told by personnel
chiefs at the Castle Bromwich plant they should not go to the toilet
during working time.
Risks
115, 19 July 2003 • Also
see the Hazards toilet breaks webpage
USA
Unions take the strain
Union members with strain injuries are far more likely to receive compensation
and less likely to suffer damaging social consequences after a work-related
injury than non-union workers, according to study in the July 2003 issue
of the American Journal of Industrial Medicine.
Risks
115, 19 July 2003 • Also see the Hazards union
effect webpages
BRITAIN
"Appreciable" evidence of breast cancer shiftwork
link
There is "appreciable" evidence of a link between breast cancer and
shiftwork, a report published by the HSE has found. HSE says four published
studies were identified that directly investigated whether shift work
is associated with risk of breast cancer. Each has different methodological
strengths and each found some statistically significant associations.
Risks
115, 19 July 2003
USA
Business seeks to vote away strains controls
Citizens of Washington State in the US are to face a referendum calling
for the state’s three year-old ergonomics standard to be axed, as the
result of a well-funded industry campaign. The standard has the strong
support of the state’s workplace safety agency and unions, but is under
threat after the business lobby won support for a vote with a campaign
founded on "outrageous lies."
Risks
115, 19 July 2003
USA
Asbestos deal criticised as a business bailout
The US Senate has taken a major step toward setting up a national fund
to compensate people whose health has been ruined by asbestos, but the
first and biggest beneficiaries of the plan may be companies, which
stand to save billions in asbestos compensation payouts.
Risks
115, 19 July 2003
BRITAIN
New law cracks down on air rage offenders
Air rage offenders could face up to five years behind bars under new
laws. The Aviation Offences Act increases the maximum penalty for the
most serious offence of endangering the safety of an aircraft from two
to five years, and gives police greater powers of arrest of suspected
offenders.
Risks
115, 19 July 2003
NEW ZEALAND
Unions file claims in drugs test case
Six aviation industry unions have lodged papers with the Employment
Court opposing a drug and alcohol-testing regime proposed by Air New
Zealand.
Risks
115, 19 July 2003 • Also see the
Hazards drink
and drugs webpages
AUSTRALIA
Qantas unions say no to testing
Unions at the Australian airline Qantas have told the company to "get
serious about safety" and want it to wean itself off its obsession with
alcohol and drug tests.
Risks
115, 19 July 2003 • Also see the Hazards drink
and drugs webpages
BRITAIN
Migrant workers - overworked, underpaid and
over here
A lack of legal protection for the thousands of migrant workers who
arrive in the UK each year is giving the green light to unscrupulous
gangmasters, agencies and employers to exploit them on a massive scale,
says Overworked, underpaid, and over here, a new TUC report.
Risks
115 ,19 July 2003
BRITAIN
Mass offshore safety reps resignation threat
over hours
Hundreds of North Sea health and safety reps are threatening to resign
because of the government's failure to fully apply the Working Time
Directive to the offshore sector. Rig workers’ union Amicus says small
print in the new working hours rules means offshore workers will still
not be entitled to four week's paid annual leave.
Risks
115, 19 July 2003
BRITAIN
Rail bosses to face crash death charges
In a move welcomed by unions, Network Rail, the maintenance firm Balfour
Beatty and six senior managers are to face manslaughter, gross negligence
and safety charges over the October 2000 Hatfield train crash in which
four passengers died.
Risks
114, 12 July 2003
JAPAN
Toyota widow compensated for work suicide
The widow of a Toyota Motor Corp employee who took his own life in 1988
as a result of overwork has been told by a High Court in Japan she is
entitled to compensation. Presiding Judge Katsusuke Ogawa said the 35-year-old’s
suicide was triggered by excessive hours and workload.
Risks
114, 12 July 2003
NEW ZEALAND
Unions challenge airline drugs tests
An airline’s plans to randomly test its employees for drugs and alcohol
are being challenged in a union test case. A group of six unions have
won the right to have their case against Air New Zealand considered
at a special judicial hearing in October.
Risks 114, 12 July 2003
NEW ZEALAND
Unions welcome stress action
New Zealand’s top union body says new official guidelines for managing
stress and fatigue in the workplace will highlight the "devastating
consequences" of stressful work.
Risks
114, 12 July 2003
AUSTRALIA
New law can jail dangerous employers
Employers will face jail if their negligence causes death or serious
injury to a worker, under tough new laws unveiled by the Western Australia
state government.
Risks
114, 12 July 2003
BRITAIN
GMB secures £4.35 million for injured worker
GMB member Tracy Henworth has been awarded £4.35 million compensation
for severe injuries sustained on the way back from a 1997 works christmas
party.
Risks
114, 12 July 2003
MALAYSIA
Chemicals cause 70 per cent of work diseases
Almost 70 per cent of all occupational diseases in Malaysia are due
to chemical exposure, the country’s top safety official has said.
Risks
114, 12 July 2003
USA
Asbestos fund still too small
A US Senate panel has voted to end the flood of asbestos lawsuits and
instead compensate asbestos disease victims from a privately funded
trust of up to $153 billion (£93.6bn). However, the vote of the Judiciary
Committee was close and largely on party lines and has been rejected
by criticised by unions and insurers, suggesting the proposal may still
face problems getting approval from the full Senate.
Risks
114, 12 July 2003
BRITAIN
Attacks against NHS staff soar
A record number of NHS staff were attacked at work last year, official
figures suggest. The Department of Health says there were 112,000 violent
or abusive incidents involving NHS staff between April 2001 and March
2002.
Risks
114, 12 July 2003
IRELAND
Builders want safety penalty points
Trade union groups have backed calls to introduce penalty points to
boost safety on Irish construction sites. The call was made by Paddy
O'Shaughnessy, general secretary of the Building and Allied Trades Union
(BATU).
Risks
114, 12 July 2003
BRITAIN
Will HSE dare to let site safety reps help?
The HSE is to investigate how union safety reps can help improve the
construction industry’s woeful safety record. In an "action plan" prepared
in response to a construction safety consultation last year, HSE lists
several measures aimed at "engaging the workforce."
Risks
114, 12 July 2003
BRITAIN
Work equipment laws led to cost-effective improvements
A European law on work equipment safety has led to cost-effective safety
improvements, researchers have found. UK employers, who originally objected
to the law, now concede the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations
(PUWER 98) and the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations
(LOLER) have been as success.
Risks
114, 12 July 2003
BRITAIN
Union pressure wins hours victory
New measures to protect over 400,000 additional workers from excessive
hours and unreasonable working patterns are to be introduced by the
government. The move, which follows extensive lobbying by the TUC and
unions, will extend the 1998 Working Time Directive provisions to employment
sectors previously excluded.
Risks
114, 12 July 2003
BRITAIN
Farms are workplaces not playgrounds
An opinion poll for rural workers’ union TGWU found nearly 20 per cent
believe there should be a total ban on children working on farms and
65 per cent said children should not be able to use farm equipment.
Risks
113 ,5 July 2003
AUSTRALIA
Union "gutless" jibe at "Ministry for smoking"
A move to partially phase out smoking in enclosed places in Western
Australian workplaces is "gutless," hospitality union LHMU has said.
LHMU’s Carolyn Smith said: "The government seems to have capitulated
to the pressure from the hospitality industry about their fears of loss
of revenues and profits, rather than listening to health experts and
worker representatives."
Risks
113, 5 July 2003
SOUTH AFRICA
Mining union calls for asbestos ban by 2008
The asbestos industry is claiming asbestos risks are "miniscule" in
a bid to frustrate a union’s campaign for an asbestos ban in South Africa.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) says it wants government to
impose a total ban on the use of asbestos fibre in South African industry
by 2008 at the latest.
Risks
113, 5 July 2003
BRITAIN
Government’s top doc backs work smoking ban campaign
The UK government’s top public health adviser has said introducing smoking
bans in public places including bars is "the only way" to successfully
tackle the health risks from second-hand smoke.
Risks
113, 5 July 2003
USA
President Bush shows disdain for workers’ pain
After axing the law intended to protect workers from strain injuries,
President Bush seems intent on erasing all evidence of the problem too.
The Bush administration on 1 July revoked a requirement that employers
keep records of ergonomics injuries.
Risks
113, 5 July 2003
BRITAIN
UCATT condemns construction carnage
There were 26 deaths in Britain's construction industry during the three
months April 1 to June 30 - a 44 per cent increase on 2001 when 105
fatalities during that year prompted the government to call a "Safety
Summit."
Risks
113, 5 July 2003
DENMARK
Unions fight for prevention system
Unions in Denmark are threatening legal action to block government moves
to dismantle a highly regarded safety system. They say a plan to introduce
private consultants to replace the BSTs, the country’s multidisciplinary,
local occupational health service system with a preventive focus, could
contravene European Union legislation.
Risks
113, 5 July 2003
BRITAIN
Our jobs make us sick - official
Going to work is making millions of us ill, new official figures show.
The latest HSE analysis of figures for self-reported illnesses suggest
that among males who have ever worked there is a higher prevalence of
musculoskeletal disorders (3 per cent) than females (2.2 per cent) whereas
the corresponding rates of stress, depression or anxiety were both the
same (1.3 per cent).
Risks
113, 5 July 2003
CANADA
Stressed out by hours and overload
Long working hours and work overload are stressing out Canadians, an
official study has found. Statistics Canada reports that in 2000, the
highest proportion of working Canadians - more than one-third (34 per
cent) - cited too many demands or hours as the most common source of
stress in the workplace.
Risks
113, 5 July 2003
BRITAIN
Construction blitz stops work on 332 sites
Work was stopped at almost a quarter of the 1,466 construction sites
visited by HSE inspectors during a two-week national blitz on falls
from height. Another five per cent of the sites visited were issued
with improvement notices.
Risks
113, 5 July 2003
SOUTH AFRICA
Business and labour should ensure safety at work
The time has come for both employers and employees to improve safety
standards in the workplace, a top South African safety official has
said. Esther Tloane, the Labour Department's executive manager for safety,
said: "Employers who put profit first before human life must be exposed
so as to ensure that corrective measures are enforced." She said her
department would not hesitate to close any business where workers' lives
were put at risk.
Risks
113, 5 July 2003
BRITAIN
Factory boss guilty of manslaughter
A factory boss has been found guilty of manslaughter after his negligence
led to the deaths of two employees who were overcome by solvents. Ian
Morris had denied failing to implement a safe working environment at
his paint-stripping factory, ENG Industrial Services.
Risks
113, 5 July 2003
