BRITAIN
Just say no… to drug and alcohol tests
A TUC-backed report is warning that the law does not give workers sufficient protection against the increasing use of unjustified and degrading drink and drug testing at work. The "Testing times" report, published in the latest issue of the TUC backed Hazards magazine, asked UK unions if they had experienced problems with workplace drug testing and discovered serious concerns ranging from "chain of custody" of samples, to the use of drugs tests to harass "troublesome" workers.
Risks 134, 29 November 2003 • See: Hazards testing times webpage

USA
The chemical industry's secret toxics defence plan
A chemical industry covert plan to undermine safety campaigns, including the creation of phony front groups and spying on activists, has been unearthed in a memo obtained by Environmental Working Group (EWG). The memo recommends that the American Chemistry Council (ACC), the lobbying association for US chemical companies, hire a crisis communications firm that promotes itself as the attack dog of the public relations industry to fight back against California's adoption of laws and regulations that embrace the "precautionary principle" (PP).
Risks 134, 29 November 2003

INDIA
People's Court demands corporate accountability
Unions and pressure groups in India are demanding greater corporate accountability for workplace safety, environmental, labour and financial crimes. This month has seen the first in a year long series of "people's tribunals" on corporate liability and responsibility, bringing together activists, lawyers and trade union leaders.
Risks 134, 29 November 2003
Do something! Get involved with the Global Day of Action Against Corporate Crime, 3 December 2003

AUSTRALIA
First industrial manslaughter law passed
A new law industrial manslaughter law has been passed in the Australian territory that includes Canberra, the home of the business-friendly national government. The move, which has been welcomed by unions, came despite the strong opposition of business and the national government.
Risks 134, 29 November 2003

BRITAIN
Dismay at further deaths law delay
Laws aimed at making it easier to prosecute businesses responsible for deadly safety crimes have been left out of the government's legislative timetable.The move has angered unions, as the government had previously indicated a "corporate killing" law would be introduced in 2004.
Risks 134, 29 November 2003

BRITAIN
Workers lose billions in unpaid overtime
UK workers will put in more than £23 billion of unpaid overtime this year, according to a new TUC report. The TUC said around five million people work an average of seven hours and 24 minutes without pay every week - worth £4,500 a year.
Risks 134, 29 November 2003

AUSTRALIA
Teachers back cleaners' "give us time" campaign
Teachers across an Australian state are backing a campaign by school cleaners for enough time to do their job right. The New South Wales Teachers Federation has said it will support the "Keep it clean- Give us time" campaign by cleaners' union LHMU.
Risks 134, 29 November 2003

BRITAIN
Unions call for jail for workplace killers
Construction unions have renewed their call for jail terms for company directors who endanger their staff by flouting health and safety laws. The appeal came after Murli Thadani and his company, Marketing Exchange for Africa, were handed fines of £99,000 as a result of the New Cleveland Street warehouse collapse, which killed three Hull workmen.
Risks 134, 29 November 2003

EUROPE
Union triumph sees flawed ports law dumped
A proposed European Union ports law described by transport union TGWU as "a charter for privatisation" that "compromises the safety of our ports" has been defeated after a lengthy union campaign. A plenary meeting of the European Parliament in Strasbourg rejected the proposed EU Ports Directive by 229 votes to 209.
Risks 134, 29 November 2003

BRITAIN
Tube union sets 48-hour "go-slow" for safety
A Tube workers' union has announced a 48-hour "go-slow" on London Underground on 8 and 9 December in a row over safety. RMT members voted for industrial action after two derailments near Hammersmith and Camden last month.
Risks 134, 29 November 2003

BRITAIN
Medical experts call for public smoking ban
The Royal College of Physicians and other leading medical colleges have called for a ban on smoking in public places. In a letter to The Times they said there was now sufficient evidence to prove the dangers of passive smoking but that self-regulation in bars and restaurants has failed to protect the majority of staff or customers.
Risks 134, 29 November 2003

BRITAIN
Jump to it before you jump to it
Employees might be encouraged to take part in warming-up sessions before work in the unlikely event government-funded research proves that they reduce back injuries. Health and Safety Executive backed researchers from Human Engineering, a Bristol-based firm specialising in office ergonomics, have been brought in to examine the evidence for and against.
Risks 134, 29 November 2003

USA
Chemical plant fined for latest work death
A South Carolina firm guilty of serious safety violations that led to the death of a worker has been fined $350 (£206). The fatality was the third at the plant in six years. The state Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined InChem Corp following the latest incident, the death of contract employee Emerson Sturgil in June.
Risks 134, 29 November 2003

BRITAIN
New deal to cut truckers' hours
A deal has been struck which will see more than 1,000 lorry drivers get a pay rise - and spend fewer hours on the road. Drivers with Chester-le-Street-based ACC Distribution are to get an 18.5 per cent pay rise over two-and-a-half years, coupled with a huge reduction in working hours.
Risks 134, 29 November 2003

GLOBAL
Dirty 15 block asbestos trade ban
Fifteen nations, headed by the world's biggest asbestos producers, have blocked a United Nations' supported proposal which would have effectively banned most international trade in white asbestos. Canada, with support from Russia and 12 other pro-asbestos countries, blocked until September 2004consideration of a proposed United Nations move to add white (chrysotile) asbestos to the list of substances requiring "prior informed consent" before they could be imported.
Risks 133, 22 November 2003

BRITAIN
NUT wins £86,487 for teacher bullied out of her job
A classroom teacher who was so bullied and harassed by her headteacher that she developed a phobic disorder and depressive illness has won £86,487 in damages plus costs in a case backed by her union, NUT.
Risks 133, 22 November 2003

USA
Schwarzenegger axes workers' compensation
California's new governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has followed the lead of his Republican president and made his first act in office an attack on workplace safety rights. Schwarzenegger took an axe to the state's workers' compensation budget in a move that has been welcomed by business but that will come at the expense of injured workers. His $11 billion (£6.5bn) cut is on top of a $5 billion (£3bn) cut pushed through in September, and has effectively halved the total compensation budget.
Risks 133, 22 November 2003

BRITAIN
BECTU ensures Sky's the limit for safety
Staff at a Sky TV studio in London are to benefit from a raft of safety improvements, thanks to action by their union, BECTU.
Risks 133, 22 November 2003

NEW ZEALAND
Unions call for corporate manslaughter laws
Company owners who show reckless disregard for the lives of their workers should face corporate manslaughter laws, New Zealand's top union body has said. Council of Trade Unions (CTU) president Ross Wilson was commenting on a case involving property developer Brent Clode and his companies, fined a total of NZ$89,000 (£33,400) following the death of Te Rue Tearetoa, an incident that saw Clode described by the prosecutor as "reckless in the extreme."
Risks 133, 22 November 2003

BRITAIN
Underground union votes for action over safety
RMT members on London Underground (LU) have voted to take industrial action over safety. The move follows heightened concern over safety after two derailments in October. It has also published an opinion poll that showed that 80 per cent of the public supported the right of Tube workers to take industrial action over safety.
Risks 133, 22 November 2003

BRITAIN
'Tis the season to be jolly - got it?
Shopworkers across Britain will face a very unwelcome tradition this Christmas - a surge in crime and genuine fear of being physically assaulted or verbally abused. Shopworkers' union Usdaw says retail crime doubles in the festive period.
Risks 133, 22 November 2003

UK/USA
Cape misses court date to avoid payout
The UK-based asbestos multinational that reneged on a compensation deal with dying South African asbestos miners is now trying to evade its North American compensation liabilities. Cape plc is deliberately not turning up in the US courts in an attempt to avoid having to make any payouts should it lose.
Risks 133, 22 November 2003

BRITAIN
Put down the mobile and walk away from the car…
Road safety minister David Jamieson has reminded motorists that they face a £30 fine if caught holding a mobile phone and driving. Initially offenders will be subject to a £30 fixed penalty fine, which can be increased to a maximum of £1,000 if the matter goes to court, or £2,500 for drivers of vans, lorries, buses and coaches.
Risks 133, 22 November 2003

BRITAIN
Reid stubs out hopes of smoking ban in public
Plans for a legally enforceable smoking ban in public places are to be abandoned by the government. A report in The Observer says health secretary John Reid has told colleagues that he favours voluntary codes by employers, pub owners and restaurants rather than resorting to legal bans.
Risks 133, 22 November 2003

BRITAIN
Safety call for road workers
A coroner is calling for improved safety for road workers after an inquest heard how a man working on a bypass in Shropshire was crushed by a lorry. A verdict of accidental death was returned on 43-year-old Stephen Hayward, from Birkenhead, who was directing traffic when the accident happened in October last year.
Risks 133, 22 November 2003

BRITAIN
HSC "disappointed" at work accident figures
Latest official statistics show Britain's workplaces remain a dangerous place to be. New figures from the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) show that 226 people were killed in work-related accidents around Britain in 2001/02, 25 fewer than 2001/02), and there were 28,426 major injuries, 415 more than 2001/02. Safety fines fell significantly, as did the number court actions taken by HSE, down 15 per cent on the previous year.
Risks 133, 22 November 2003

BRITAIN
HSE wants more "sharing" for call centre health
A new "community sharing" approach in the call centre industry could improve its occupational health record and benefit UK industry overall, according to a new report published by the Health and Safety Executive. It would see employers share information to identify existing problems, assess risks and share best practice.
Risks 133, 22 November 2003

BRITAIN
The UK's shaky approach to vibration
Workers across Europe are going to get explicit legal protection from vibration risks at work - but the new law will be a watered down version of the original draft after lobbying in Europe by the Health and Safety Commission (HSC).
Risks 133, 22 November 2003

AUSTRALIA
Ruling upholds drug testing at work
A West Australia company's move to implement a "fitness for duty" policy which involves testing for the presence of drugs irrespective of any impairment has been upheld by the WA Industrial Relations Commission. Senior Commissioner Andrew Beech declared that it was reasonable for Pioneer Construction Materials to conduct urine tests on its employees. The policy had been challenged by unions, who threatened to walk off the job if tests were introduced.
Risks 133, 22 November 2003

BRITAIN
TUC welcomes expected Euro crackdown on long hours
The TUC has welcomed indications that the European Commission is to crack down on the abuse of the UK opt out from the 48 hour average working hours ceiling. The European Commission's concerns where heightened following the publication of a two-year Cambridge University study which showed that "the way (British) employers have implemented the opt-out is a very abusive one," according to EC employment commissioner Anna Diamantopoulou.
Risks 132, 15 November 2003

USA
Study finds pain at work costs billions
One in eight US workers is in pain, losing productive time at work, at a cost to business estimated at $61.2 billion (£36.6bn) each year, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Risks 132, 15 November 2003

BRITAIN
Major award for safety campaigner Alan Dalton
Alan Dalton, Britain's premier grassroots workplace and environmental safety campaigner, has won the first Robert Tressell Award for "services to working people." Alan wrote Asbestos: Killer dust, the 1979 book that has become a lasting indictment of the asbestos industry's efforts to cover-up the impact of its deadly product, and which led to a high profile court case.
Risks 132, 15 November 2003

ROMANIA
Brutal child slave trade uncovered
A near-fatal accident on a pig farm in Romania has led to the discovery of a trade in forced labour in which poverty-stricken parents sell their children into slavery for as little as £70. Save the Children said: "The whole area has been poisoned by this new phenomenon. People are taking advantage of the naivety, desperation and poverty of these parents."
Risks 132, 15 November 2003

BRITAIN
No sex please, we're British workers
Almost one in five workers are being put off sex because of the long hours they are compelled to work, according to a union survey. The research by Amicus found a third of all respondents said that they didn't have enough time to spend with partners or children, 19 per cent said their sex life had suffered and up to 40 per cent said they don't have enough time to do work related training or any other kind of education.
Risks 132, 15 November 2003

AUSTRALIA
Fewer hours builds healthier workplaces
Workers at a construction firm that reduced its working week from six days to five reported lower levels of stress, sickness and improved workplace safety. The firm also found that "recovery time increased, productivity increased significantly and employees enjoyed the additional family and leisure time" as well as significant improvements in safety.
Risks 132, 15 November 2003

BRITAIN
HSE union backs MPs' call for more port inspectors
The union representing Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors has backed a Transport Select Committee call for more dedicated port inspectors, but says this can't be done in the cash starved agency without additional resources.
Risks 132, 15 November 2003

EUROPE
Qualified welcome for Euro chemical safety plans
UK unions and chemical industry employers have welcomed new European chemical safety proposals, but warn outstanding concerns must still be addressed. The statement says: "The trade unions and chemical employers support the principle that appropriate information should be provided to employees, consumers and other interested parties and that this information should stem from the producers, importers, suppliers and users," but adds: "We were therefore disappointed to find that workers and trade unions appear not to have any role within the proposed regime."
Risks 132, 15 November 2003

BRITAIN
European support for union port safety campaign
Labour MEPs have said they will back the Transport and General Workers' Union and vote against the Market Access to Ports Directive when it comes before the European Parliament later this month. Voting against the directive will be at odds with the UK government's stance but the TGWU said it was right that the MEPs took a lead and supported the dock workers' two-year campaign.
Risks 132, 15 November 2003

AUSTRALIA
Charter demands respect for safety reps
A top Australian union body is to publish a charter that "defines the role, rights and activities of union health and safety representatives." The Victorian Trades Hall Council OHS unit says it is working with affiliated unions on the charter, which will demand employers and official safety watchdog WorkSafe Victoria recognise the legitimate role of union safety reps.
Risks 132, 15 November 2003

BRITAIN
Speeding charges dropped for emergency driver
Speeding charges against a driver on a medical emergency have been dropped. UNISON said it was delighted that the case against member Paul Stockbridge, the blood service driver accused of speeding had been dropped - similar charges against an ambulance driver were dropped last month.
Risks 132, 15 November 2003

BRITAIN
Will the UK get tough on the safety criminals?
A law to aid the prosecution of companies responsible for fatal accidents is expected to be enacted before the next general election. A 10 November 2003 article in The Independent says Home Secretary David Blunkett has won approval from the Cabinet to publish a draft Bill on corporate manslaughter - but there is no mention of jail time for dangerous directors.
Risks 132, 15 November 2003

CANADA
Unions welcome corporate safety crimes law
Unions in Canada say a new corporate safety crimes law will at last make dangerous employers accountable for dangerous workplace practices. Hassan Yussuff of the Canadian Labour Congress said: "This is a long overdue victory for workers and their families all across Canada. It is now the law of the land that corporations and their principals will be held criminally liable for negligence causing death or injury in the workplace."
Risks 132, 15 November 2003

BRITAIN
Rail union slams drink and drugs "kangaroo court"
Rail union RMT says 14 Tube track maintenance workers tested for drugs and alcohol but found to be entirely clean have been suspended and will still face a "kangaroo court" because alcohol was found in their changing rooms.
Risks 132, 15 November 2003

USA
Work is bad for you, no bones about it
Scientists say they have evidence that too much work could damage bones. Researchers writing in the Journal of Bone and Mineral Research say tests on rats show highly repetitive actions may damage tendons, ligaments and bones.
Risks 132, 15 November 2003

BRITAIN
Unions up the working time pressure
Patricia Hewitt, secretary of state for trade and industry, would like to keep the opt-out to the working time regulations that would otherwise put a limit of 48 hours on the working week. She might find this an unpopular move on two fronts, however, as the European Commission now seem likely to demand the closure of Britain's work hours loophole and unions continue their campaign for a working hours ceiling.
Risks 132, 15 November 2003

GLOBAL
The killer that won't die
The global asbestos industry isn't willing to give up on its deadly product just yet. Panicked by a growing international ban asbestos campaign, the industry has dismissed asbestos disease campaigners as a "group of militants from all over the place" and has redoubled its international PR offensive with two weeks of frenzied promotion in Canada, Zimbabwe and India.
Risks 132, 15 November 2003

BRITAIN
Working together keeps seafarers ship shape
A project to improve the health of seafarers has won a prestigious award. A project team, involving maritime unions, employers and government representatives, was honoured for "an outstanding example of pioneering work in occupational health" which will ensure each seafarer working on a UK-registered vessel will be medically assessed every two years.
Risks 132, 15 November 2003

BRITAIN
T&N asbestos protest, 27 November, Manchester
Since T&N went into administration two years ago, the company's asbestos disease victims have not received a penny in compensation. The same cannot be said for the UK and US administrators of what was Britain's biggest asbestos company. A coalition of asbestos victims' support groups is to protest at the payment of "fat cat fees" while the victims of deadly disease receive nothing. The administrators can afford to wait; cancer victims cannot.
Risks 132, 15 November 2003

BRITAIN
On-the-spot car phone fines
From 1 December is will be illegal to use a hand-held phone while driving. Breaking the rules means a £30 on-the-spot fine or up to £1,000 in court. TUC warns that any phone use can be costly while driving - it's the lack of concentration not the lack of hands that leads to accidents, studies show.
Risks 132, 15 November 2003

CANADA
Corporate killing law passed
A union backed corporate killing law has been been passed in Canada. United Steelworkers' national director Lawrence McBrearty said the passage in the Senate of the "Westray Bill" is a victory for working people, 11 years after the death of 26 miners at the Westray coal mine in Stellarton, Nova Scotia.
Risks 131, 8 November 2003

BRITAIN
We won't stand the heat, we'll get out of the kitchen!
A row over working conditions for kitchen staff at a Kirklees school has been temporarily resolved with contractors agreeing to make improvements within a month. Public service union UNISON had advised its members at Rawthorpe High School to walk out on 3 November unless the overheated kitchen was provided with a better ventilation system.
Risks 131, 8 November 2003

USA
Workplace ergonomics rules repealed
A law that has protected thousands of US workers from strain injuries has been dumped. Washington state's workplace ergonomics rules had survived lawsuits and a campaign through the state legislature - but couldn't survive a million-dollar TV campaign by business interests.
Risks 131, 8 November 2003

SWEDEN
Accident rates soar as standards fall
There has been a sharp rise in the number of reported work-related accidents and illnesses in Sweden, official statistics show. Accidents resulting in long-term absence from work increased by 50 per cent between 1997 and 2001, coinciding with government moves to erode Sweden's renown safety system.
Risks 131, 8 November 2003

BRITAIN
School death sparks call for new security talks
Teaching union NASUWT is calling for the government to reconvene a specialist school security forum. The union move comes after a 14-year-old Lincolnshire schoolboy, Luke Walmsley, was stabbed to death at school.
Risks 131, 8 November 2003

BRITAIN
Bank understaffing causing stress "epidemic"
Banking workers are facing an "epidemic" of stress caused by understaffing. A survey by banking union UNIFI found the problem is most acute in London and the south east, and blames understaffing stemming from recruitment and retention problems.
Risks 131, 8 November 2003

BRITAIN
Tube strike looms over sacked sick worker
London Underground (LU) workers from one Tube line are to go on a 24-hour strike in protest at the sacking of a union rep. The row flared after the man was seen coming out of a squash club while on sick leave. However, rail union RMT member says the member has medical proof saying sporting activity was part of his recovery programme.
Risks 131, 8 November 2003

BRITAIN
It's official - life is cheap
The Health and Safety Executive's top boss has slammed low penalties, down 21 per cent on last year, for workplace safety criminals. The average fine for health and safety cases across the UK fell by 21 per cent, from £11,141 in 2001/02 to £8,828 in 2002/03 - partly because there were fewer of the larger fines.
Risks 131, 8 November 2003

CHINA
Firework factory blast kills child labourer
A firework factory explosion in a Chinese village has killed a 14-year-old child labourer and left 11 seriously injured. The 19 October factory blast occurred in Dapingling village, Hunan Province.
Risks 131, 8 November 2003

BRITAIN
Outrage as workers lose on penalties
Last year's dramatic drop in the average penalty for criminal health and safety offences has been labelled an "outrage" by a top safety organisation. Mick Holder said: "Nothing will change until errant employers face real sanctions in the Crown Court, such as prison and much higher fines that reflect the seriousness of the crimes."
Risks 131, 8 November 2003

BRITAIN
Minister welcomes HSE stress guide
The government's safety minister has welcomed new practical guidance to help employers and employees develop solutions to workplace stress problems. Speaking at the launch the new guide, minister for work Des Browne, said: "The government's approach is based on encouraging supportive organisational cultures where employers work with staff and their representatives to identify and address real employee concerns in a positive way."
Risks 131, 8 November 2003

HONDURAS/USA
P Diddy rapped by sweatshop campaign
A leading anti-sweatshop watchdog has condemned conditions in a Honduran sweatshop producing fashion items for sale in the US. Charles Kernaghan of the National Labor Committee (NLC) and 19-year-old Honduran garment worker Lydda Eli Gonzalez, said fashion and music entrepreneur, Sean "P Diddy" Combs, uses a sweatshop in Honduras that pays workers 24 cents (14 pence) to produce a t-shirt that he sells for $40 (£24) in the US.
Risks 131, 8 November 2003

BRITAIN
NHS staff fury at assault let off
Unions and staff at a Scottish hospital have hit out at a sheriff for failing to impose a sterner sentence on a patient who assaulted a nurse. The outburst came after a 44-year-old man, who struck a nurse while he was being treated in Raigmore Hospital Accident and Emergency department, was ordered to pay her £200 compensation and was then freed so he could take part in the New York marathon.
Risks 131, 8 November 2003

BRITAIN
It's about time… the government listened
TUC has produced a detailed briefing for MPs to support its case for an end to the UK opt out from the European working week ceiling. It says the UK is the only EU country that allows every worker to opt out of the 48-hour limit on the average working week.
Risks 131, 8 November 2003

AUSTRALIA
Job strain and insecurity is bad for you
Job strain and job insecurity are strongly linked with poor health, particularly mental health, a study has found. Researchers reporting in the November issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health found employment and high job strain showed strong, independent associations with physical and mental health, which persisted after adjusting for factors such as gender, education, employment status and personality.
Risks 131, 8 November 2003

AUSTRALIA
Unions condemn criminal logic
Unions in Australia are stepping up their campaign to collar the workplace safety criminals. Workers Online editor Peter Lewis concludes that "to argue that there should not be criminal sanctions for workplace deaths is to argue that workers are somehow worth less than other people. And that's an offensive argument, as offensive as $1800 for a life."
Risks 131, 8 November 2003

GLOBAL
UNI tackles workplace violence
A global union and its affiliates have won an International Labour Organisation code on violence in the service sector, in the face of stiff opposition from employers. Service sector union federation UNI says unions overcame "the determined opposition and obstructionism of employer delegates at a recent tripartite meeting of experts to help draft a new ILO code of practice on workplace violence in services."
Risks 131, 8 November 2003

JAPAN
Depressed workers win compensation
Two workers who suffered from depression after their employer left them nothing to do have qualified for workers' compensation. An increasing number of workers receive compensation because of overwork, but this is the first time it has been granted because "management stripped employees of duties."
Risks 131, 8 November 2003

TAIWAN
Authorities start safety clampdown
Safety authorities in Taiwan are pushing employers to abide by occupational health and safety regulations. A new Enhance Enforcement Programme (EEP) is targeting those companies with a high number of occupational fatalities or those who repeatedly violate safety regulations; inspections will target the most dangerous workplaces with between one to four inspections a month.
Risks 131, 8 November 2003

BRITAIN
Union victory on safety laws
Union have hailed new health and safety laws as a "significant development" for workers. After a legal challenge by firefighters' union FBU, unions can directly enforce health and safety laws against employers, backed up with the force of legal penalties where employers fail to comply.
Risks 130, 1 November 2003

ZIMBABWE
Minister defends asbestos trade
A Zimbabwean government minister has claimed asbestos is "environmentally friendly" and the country's asbestos mining industry is a "critical" source of US$40 million (£23.6m) in foreign revenue each year. Zimbabwe exports 93 per cent of its asbestos production, with exports this year expected to exceed 190,000 tonnes.
Risks 130, 1 November 2003

SPAIN
Cleaners face work asthma risk
Working as a cleaner may more than double the risk of developing asthma and other breathing problems, according to a story in the November issue of the journal Thorax.
Risks 130, 1 November 2003

BRITAIN
Rail union celebrates as maintenance goes in-house
Rail unions have welcomed the news Network Rail is to bring the maintenance of Britain's railways back in-house. Unions and passenger groups have long argued splitting up British Rail and passing its work on to private contractors has been inefficient, and detrimental to safety.
Risks 130, 1 November 2003

USA
Official asbestos warning is under attack
The US government's 17-year effort to warn motor mechanics of the dangers of cancer-causing asbestos in brakes is under attack. Dr Barry Castleman, an authority on asbestos and health issues, condemned the legal action. "In making this move on EPA, the law firm seeks to justify corporate suppression of warnings in the past with government suppression of warnings today," he said, and indicated the Canadian asbestos industry, a major asbestos exporter to the US, was behind the manoeuvre.
Risks 130, 1 November 2003

BRITAIN
Tube "failing safety standards"
London Underground (LU) is failing to meet engineering safety standards, official reports show. An internal Health and Safety Executive (HSE) report exposes thousands of examples of "substantial non-compliance" - most concerning the condition of the track.
Risks 130, 1 November 2003

SOUTH AFRICA
Productivity pressures blamed for mine deaths
Unions are blaming production pressures and poor enforcement of safety laws for the high number of fatalities and injuries in South Africa's mines. The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said all mining groups use bonus schemes to stimulate productivity and questioned if these schemes are compatible with efforts to reduce accidents.
Risks 130, 1 November 2003

RUSSIA
Disasters prompt calls for mine safety review
A week long safety drama in a southern Russian coal mine has ended with the rescue of 44 workers. One man is known to have died after being trapped in a flooded mine and another is still missing. Russian president Vladimir Putin said: "Unfortunately, these sort of events are becoming systematic in character. We have to carefully look into this." he said.
Risks 130, 1 November 2003

BRITAIN
Deaths highlight need for needlesticks action
Deaths of health care workers linked to needlestick injuries show the need for the NHS to respond positively to union campaigns for safer needles and work methods. Four UK health workers have died after being injured with needles used on patients infected with HIV, according to official figures.
Risks 130, 1 November 2003

EUROPE
European blueprint for a chemicals crackdown
Chemicals found in many household items are set to be more tightly regulated, under plans put forward by the European Commission. Draft proposals published on 29 October would require companies to disclose basic data on all the chemicals they produce.
Risks 130, 1 November 2003

BRITAIN
Nurse's £47,621 back injury
A former nurse who aggravated a spine condition while tending to a patient has been awarded a total of £47,621 compensation.
Risks 130, 1 November 2003

EUROPE
Unions say nothing justifies workplace gene screening
Europe's top union body has called for a ban on genetic screening in the workplace. The ETUC position was spelled out at a 29 October workshop, where it called for the prohibition to be included explicitly in a European Commission directive on the protection of workers' personal data.
Risks 130, 1 November 2003

BRITAIN
Back to work pilot scheme takes off
The government's "back to work" pilot scheme to get people on incapacity benefit back into the workforce is up and running. Work and pensions secretary Andrew Smith said: "This is not about forcing ill and disabled people into employment but giving people who can get back to work the support to do so."
Risks 130, 1 November 2003

AUSTRALIA
10,000 march for work death laws
Pressure is mounting on the on the New South Wales state government to introduce industrial manslaughter legislation. An estimated 10,000 workers chanted "jail bosses that kill" as they marched through Sydney and rallied in from of Parliament House to protest at workplace deaths.
Risks 130, 1 November 2003

CHINA
Workplace deaths up by 9 per cent
The number of workplace deaths in China has gone up by 9 per cent compared to the same period last year, according to latest official figures. Accidents in mines and factories killed 11,449 people in the first nine months of 2003, despite a nationwide safety crackdown. Some analysts blame the rise in accidents on China's shift to a market-style economy.
Risks 130, 1 November 2003

October 2003 stories

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