Features

Grave errors Multimillionaire prime minister Rishi Sunak wants to dismantle the safety and employment laws protecting you. Top multinationals just ignore these laws anyway. And Britain just bagged the worst boss in the world award. Hazards editor Rory O’Neill warns an unprecedented workplace health crisis is set to get much, much worse. Hazards 160, October-December 2022

AI is not OK Your work van snarls ‘distracted driver!’, the biomonitor says your heart is racing but you’re off the pace, the hand-held scanner says get over there when you’ve barely got over here. Management by machine is hard at work, and it will take real union smarts to control Artificial Intelligence. Hazards 157, January-March 2022

Poisoned breath
A long campaign by Janice Martell has seen Canada recognise aluminium-related Parkinson’s as an occupational disease. Her dad Jim Hobbs, a former miner, is one of hundreds who may have died of the condition after being subjected to non-consensual exposure to dust “treatments” supposed to prevent silicosis. Hazards 157, January-March 2022

Fast and Furious You work hard, you hit targets, you survive another day. But then the targets ratchet up, enforced by AI systems, modern performance management or old-fashioned bosses just turning the screw. Hazards editor Rory O’Neill warns workers have good reason to be angry about the fast-paced disposable worker grind. Hazards 156, October-December 2021

Air force It causes lung and heart disease and cancer. It’s probably in your workplace right now. The Hazards Campaign’s Hilda Palmer and Désirée Abrahams of Global Action Plan spell out why air pollution is a major problem at work and what you can do about it. Hazards 156, October-December 2021

Sickening It’s a simple choice – your money or your life. In a perverse twist, millions of the workers at highest risk of Covid-19 because of their jobs have been left with access to little and sometimes no sick pay. Hazards 154, April-June 2021

Smoking gun Firefighters risk their lives to save ours. But work-related cancers caused by routine toxic exposures, both at incidents and in training, could be a far bigger risk to their health, warns Hazards editor Rory O’Neill.
Hazards 152, December 2020

Unravelling Art lecturer Kate Rawnsley knew a succession of maddening management decisions were pushing her to the verge of a breakdown. She tells Hazards editor Rory O’Neill how college bosses denied repeatedly responsibility for her symptoms. But their ‘totally dehumanising’ behaviour would be exposed in court.
Hazards 140, October-December 2017

Level thinking What should you do at work when an occupational hygienist calls? Hazards cautions that safety reps should make sure anyone used to assess workplace risks and exposure levels has the right skills, the right brief and the right oversight. Hazards 136, October-December 2016

Hard to swallow Both the government and employers seem terribly interested in your ‘well-being’. But the TUC’s Hugh Robertson says while they obsess about your diet and fitness, why is there fat chance they’ll show this level of concern about the damage wrought by your job? Hazards 132, October-December 2015

Well, then? Employers who create healthy workplaces can benefit from reduced employee absence and increased productivity, according to a TUC well-being guide. But Hazards editor Rory O'Neill says the new union blueprint differs from that of lifestyle evangelists, advising that the best way to improve well-being is to make the whole job healthier. Hazards 121, January-March 2013

Fit for purpose? For many employers there are two categories of employee - 'workers' and, for those who happen to be sick, 'shirkers'. But under a new 'fit note' system your doctor has different options, and can say you are either unfit or sorta-kinda-fit for work, as long as the employer takes certain action. Hazards examines the possibilities and pitfalls. Hazards 110, April-June 2010

Credit crunch Welfare reforms are demanding the sick and unemployed get into work, but the jobs don’t exist. And a new workplace safety strategy promises improvements, but the funds to deliver aren’t there. As the recession bites, Hazards editor Rory O’Neill argues that workers could get less of the credit and feel more of the crunch. Hazards 105, January-March 2009

You big fat liars Oh, they say it’s because they care. They’ll weigh us, keep tabs on our bad habits and ask questions when we are sick. And when we fall short of perfection, they label us shirkers, sickos and slobs. Hazards editor Rory O’Neill questions whether all this attention from employers is really for our own good. Hazards 104, October-December 2008

Spin cycle When research shows a chemical could be killing you, industry-backed scientists will quickly dispute the findings. David Michaels, author of Doubt is their product, exposes industry’s dangerous tactics. Hazards 103, July-September 2008

Food flavour wrecks lungs When dozens of US popcorn workers had their lungs destroyed by a flavouring chemical, it caused a national scandal. But it was seen as a US problem. It wasn’t, as Yorkshire factory worker Martin Muir can now testify. Hazards 101, January-March 2008

Dame blast The government’s ‘work is good for you’ push to make the sick work is overlooking one inconvenient truth. Hazards warns a combination of long hours, job insecurity, punitive sick leave policies, a failure to recognise the extent of the work-related health crisis and a lack of safety enforcement means for many work is bad and getting worse. Hazards 100, November 2007

OHS SOS A decent occupational health service (OHS) should is a real asset. It can troubleshoot health problems and it can help rehabilitate the sick or injured and accommodate those with disabilities. But OHS are rare and good ones rarer still. Simon Pickvance and Rory O’Neill spell out how to get the service you deserve. Hazards 99, August 2007

Futile Exercise? Workplaces make people sick. They kill tens of thousands each year. A new government workplace health strategy could make a difference. But Hazards discovered the government plan gives far greater emphasis to changing your lifestyle than changing your workplace. Hazards 93, February 2006

A job to die for? Whether it is cancer or heart disease, strain injuries or neurological disorders, work is claiming a massive, deadly and largely ignored workplace toll. And if you don’t count the bodies, the bodies don’t count. Hazards 92, November 2005

Burying the evidence Work cancers are killing unprecedented numbers in the UK. So why does the government’s Health and Safety Executive stick with a 25-year-old gross under-estimate of the problem, ensuring prevention doesn’t get the resources it deserves? Hazards 92, November 2005

Resources

Hazards sickness pages Hazards finds that instead of hounding the sick back to work, it would be more productive all round if employers introduced supportive sickness absence policies.

Hazards rehabilitation pages Firms must stop shirking on rehabilitation and prevention.

NASUWT Work health webpages

Unhealthy Work

News

Britain: Study finds night shifts impacting rail workers' health
A report from the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union has highlighted the damaging effects of night shifts on rail workers’ health and family life. Based on interviews with employees from Network Rail, London Underground, and London North Eastern Railway, the study revealed widespread chronic fatigue, health problems like heart disease and diabetes and strained family relationships.
The Morning Star. 26 October 2024

Britain: Ten million workers lack workplace health support
A report from the Royal Society for Public Health says nearly half the UK workforce, over 10 million people, lack access to essential health support like routine health checks and flu vaccinations. The report, released ahead of the Employment Rights Bill debate, supports the Bill's provisions for day-one sick pay and default flexible working but stresses the need for broader reforms including a mandatory health and work standard, immediate sick pay, occupational health training, incentives for SMEs, enhanced data collection. The RSH report said the economic impact of ill health is around £100 billion annually, and called for the universal ‘right to a healthy workplace.
RSH news release. 21 October 2024

Britain: Employers should face fines for unhealthy workplaces
The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has called for employers to be fined or publicly censured for failing to ensure a healthy work environment. The think tank suggests introducing a “do no harm duty,” with regulatory action taken against companies that neglect employee health, such as not providing access to nutritious food. IPPR’s Chris Thomas said the role of the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) should be expanded to address work-related health issues, including obesity, anxiety, and depression. The think tank has proposed a similar model to the Financial Conduct Authority’s consumer duty, which penalises firms for foreseeable harm to customers.
The Guardian. 16 October 2024

Britain: Out of work due to ill-health growing by 300,000 a year
Health and care charity the Health Foundation has said the number of UK working-age people leaving their jobs due to ill health is growing by 300,000 annually - totalling four million people currently off work sick. Those with health conditions are three times less likely to return to work. The Foundation is calling for improved government action to help sick workers return to work.
The Guardian. 3 October 2024

Britain: Whitty warns another pandemic as severe as COVID-19 is inevitable
England's chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, has warned that another pandemic as severe as COVID-19 is inevitable. Addressing the UK’s COVID-19 inquiry, Whitty called the country's low intensive care capacity a "political choice" that left the NHS overwhelmed in 2020. He stressed the need to address critical workforce shortages and expand ICU capacity to better prepare for future pandemics. He also called for faster scientific research and reduced health inequalities to mitigate future outbreaks.
The Guardian. 26 September 2024

USA: Nursing aides suffering PTSD after COVID-19, little help provided
Nursing aides at a state-run Massachusetts veterans home like Debra Ragoonanan, working in long-term care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic have been plagued by PTSD, brain aneurysms, and trauma. Despite witnessing numerous veteran deaths and hazardous work conditions, these front-line workers have received little support. The facility changed facility leadership and paid settlements to veterans’ families, but caregivers have continued to struggle with mental health and limited aid.
NPR. 25 September 2024

Global: Forum urges action on air pollution toll of seven million deaths
On World Lung Day - 25 September - the Forum of International Respiratory Societies (FIRS) called for stronger global action against air pollution. It emphasised the connection between air quality and lung health, noting that 99 per cent of the world breathes unsafe air. Air pollution contributes to seven million annual deaths from conditions like COPD, lung cancer, and asthma.
News Medical Life Sciences. 25 September 2024

Britain: PM says long-term sick should seek work
Prime minister Keir Starmer stated that long-term sickness benefit claimants should be expected to seek work, while acknowledging the need for support to alleviate anxieties about returning to employment.
BBC News Online. 25 September 2024

Britain: New 'Sick Man of Europe' braiding as long-term illness soars
A report by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) says Britain is “the sick man of Europe,” with nearly 3 million workers facing long-term illness, a rise of 900,000 since 2019. The report says the economic impact from lost productivity is an estimated tax loss of £4.5 billion in 2023 alone. It calls for measures including neighborhood health centres, sick pay from day one, higher taxes on unhealthy products and improved public health initiatives.
Morning Star. 17 September 2024

Britain: Eavesdropping workplace helpline has accreditation suspended
The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) suspended Health Assured’s accreditation after a BBC investigation revealed corporate clients were allowed to "eavesdrop" on confidential calls without caller consent. Health Assured, the UK's largest workplace mental health services provider, serves 13 million workers. The company faces scrutiny for allegedly breaching privacy and ethical standards. Health Assured has welcomed the investigation and denied wrongdoing.
BBC News. 5 September 2024

Britain: Study fineds Concussions in amateur sport not linked to cognitive decline
A large-scale study has found no significant link between concussions in amateur sports and long-term cognitive decline. The research, which analysed concussion histories from over 15,000 participants aged 50-90, suggests playing sports may offer a "protective" effect on brain health. The study, published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, is the largest of its kind and challenges previous concerns about the long-term cognitive risks associated with sports-related head injuries.
The Guardian. 4 September 2024

Britain: Workplace health checks launched in England to target preventable diseases
From 30 August, over 130,000 workers in England will benefit from new workplace health checks aimed at preventing diseases like cardiovascular conditions, the government has said. The checks, equivalent to an NHS appointment, will be available in industries such as construction, hospitality, and transport. The initiative aims to improve early detection and prevention, particularly among men, who are less likely to seek early help.
The Guardian. 30 August 2024

Britain: New research reveals economic impact of working sick
A new analysis reveals that workers continuing to work while ill, instead of taking time off, is costing the economy billions. The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) has highlighted the urgent need for a “transition to a health-led economy.” Professor Cary Cooper gives the reasons for presenteeism as insecure work, high workloads and management culture. The IPPR report found individuals with lower education levels and income, those in less skilled occupations and those from minority ethnic backgrounds more likely to continue working while sick.
The Independent. The Guardian.31 July 2024

Britain: Hospital consultants feel overworked and undervalued
A survey by the British Medical Association (BMA) has revealed hospital consultants are experiencing significant disenfranchisement, feeling overworked and undervalued within the healthcare system. The BMA highlights systemic issues contributing to low morale and high stress among medical professionals.including heavy workloads, insufficient support and a lack of appreciation for their contributions. These issues are affecting their overall job satisfaction and mental health.
Morning Star, 11 July 2024

Palestine/Global: Scientists call for rebuild to make Gaza livable again
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has caused severe environmental impacts which pose grave health risks. This new commentary from 40 health scientists highlights the need to rebuild healthcare and infrastructure to create a livable environment, especially for the vulnerable. Immediate cessation of violence is crucial. Environmental remediation should be central to international reconstruction efforts, aiming for lasting peace, health, and sustainable development, in line with international human rights obligations.
London, L., Watterson, A., Mergler, D. et al. A call from 40 public health scientists for an end to the continuing humanitarian and environmental catastrophe in Gaza. Environ Health 23, 59 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12940-024-01097-9, 28 June 2024

Britain: Paid menstrual leave would bring many benefits
GMB Congress has said paid menstrual leave would combat absenteeism, reduced productivity, and stress. Conference delegate Charmaine Weston-Porter highlighted that countries like Japan, Taiwan, and Indonesia already have such policies. Paid leave would acknowledge it as a health concern, allowing women to manage symptoms without financial penalty and promoting gender equality.
GMB news release, 12 June 2024

Britain: 'Mad cow disease' case found on farm in Scotland
The Scottish Government has identified a case of BSE on a farm in Ayrshire. The animal did not enter the food chain but it is unclear if farm workers have been exposed. Precautionary measure have been applied to the farm and three other sites.
BBC News Online, 10 May 2024

Britain: Workplace mental health service firm faces investigation
Claims about one of the UK's biggest providers of workplace mental health services are to be investigated by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), it has said. One caller to Health Assured claims he was advised "to go on a date" with his wife after he said he was having suicidal thoughts, with staff instructed to refer no more than 1-in-5 callers for counselling.
BBC News Online. 12 March 2024

Global: Short-term air pollution exposure kills one million people a year
A global study by researchers at Monash Universty reports that globally more than one million deaths per year are explained by exposure to short-term (hours to days) fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in air pollution.
Monash University News release. 7 March 2024
Wenhua Yu, Rongbin Xu, Tingting Ye, and others. Estimates of global mortality burden associated with short-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2·5), The Lancet Planetary Health Volume 8, Issue 3, March 2024, Pages e146-e155.

Britain: People in 20s more likely to be out of work sick
Young people are more likely to be out of work because of ill health than people in their early 40s, a report calling for action on Britain’s mental wellbeing crisis has found. The Resolution Foundation research, which calls for government action, also found that 79% of 18 to 24-year-olds who are workless due to ill health only have qualifications at GCSE level or below, compared with 34 per cent of all people in that age group.
The Guardian. BBC News Online. 26 February 2024

Britain: Tory legacy is long-term sickness and bad jobs
The legacy of the Conservative’s lengthy term in office is low pay, ill health and more insecure jobs, the TUC has said. The union body was responding to latest ONS labour market figures, which show real wages still below their level in 2008, more than a million people on zero-hours contracts, and 2.8 million people not working due to long-term sickness.
TUC news release. 13 February 2024

Global: Potential effect of low dose radiation on cardiovascular deaths
In a systemic review of the literature up to 2022, researchers have found a higher risk of heart disease deaths in workers exposed to low-dose ionising radiation, particularly for ischemic heart disease (IHD) mortality in studies up to 2022.
Exposure to low-dose radiation in occupational settings and ischaemic heart disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Cheryl E Peters, Emma Kathleen Quinn, Laura Andrea Rodriguez-Villamizar, Heather MacDonald, Paul J Villeneuve. (19 October 2023). 5 December 2023

Global: Worldwide surge in work-related fatalities and disabilities
A study by researchers from Tampere University, Finland, and the International Commission on Occupational Health (ICOH) highlighted a global surge in work-related fatalities and disabilities. Analysing data from 2011 to 2019, researchers noted a 26 per cent increase in work-related disease fatalities. The study assessed the impact in terms of lost healthy years and economic loss relative to GDP. Findings revealed 2.9 million deaths linked to work, with circulatory diseases causing the most deaths globally. Work-related diseases' burden rose by 26 per cent, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) increased by 47 per cent.
Takala J, Hämäläinen P, Sauni R, Nygård C-H, Gagliardi D, Neupane S. Global-, regional- and country-level estimates of the work-related burden of diseases and accidents in 2019. Scand J Work Environ Health – online first. 29 December 2023

Europe: Toxic air killed over 500,000 in in the EU in 2021
In 2021, toxic air caused caused 500,000 deaths in the EU, with half preventable by adhering to recommended pollution limits. PM2.5 particles alone accounted for 253,000 deaths, surpassing WHO guidelines. Despite a 41 per cent decrease in PM2.5-related deaths from 2005 to 2021, urgent action is required as air pollution remains the primary environmental health threat.
The Guardian, 24 November 2023

Britain: HSE publishes work-related ill health and injury statistics for 2022/23
Nearly two million workers in Great Britain reported suffering from work-related ill health in 2022/23. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has published its annual statistics on work-related ill health and workplace injuries. The statistics reveal that 1.8 million workers were suffering from work-related ill health in 2022/23, with half - 875,000 - of the cases down to stress, depression or anxiety; higher than the pre-pandemic level. Work-related ill health or injury accounted for an estimated 35.2 millionlost working days.
HSE news, 22 November 2023

USA: IAFF calls for broad strategy to end fire fighter cancer
The union representing US firefighters is calling on the fire service, government, industry, and scientific community to unite in support of a broad strategy to combat fire fighter occupational cancer.
Work cancer hazards, 20 October 2023

Canada: Ontario to create database to track workplace-related illnesses
The Ontario government is creating a database that will track workplace-related illnesses. The province said that many workplace illnesses go undiagnosed or are unreported due to a delay between exposure and symptoms.The Occupational Exposure Registry will track exposures, identify at-risk workers, and improve worker compensation and has the potential to expand the list of presumptive illnesses and help with early diagnoses.The Ontario Federation of Labour said in a statement that it supports the government’s proposal to create the registry, citing a study that found less than 10 per cent of Ontarians with occupational cancers get compensated for their illness.
CP24.com, 10 October 2023

Global: Work cancers in women go unstudied and unaddressed
A rare study of occupational hazards and ovarian cancer has found new evidence that many common jobs undertaken by women are associated with an elevated risk. After accounting for other risk factors, calculations using the Canadian job-exposure matrix (CANJEM) confirmed that working for 10 or more years as a hairdresser, barber, beautician and in related roles was associated with a three-fold higher risk, while employment for 10 or more years in accountancy was associated with a doubling in risk, and working in construction with a near tripling in risk.
Work cancer hazards, 5 October 2023

Global: WHO accused of ‘failure’ on women’s work cancer The UN’s top health and cancer agencies were accused in August 2023 of ‘institutional failure’ and of perpetuating the under-count of occupational cancers in women through “the publication of inaccurate statements about the adverse health effects of exposure to asbestos among females.”
Work cancer hazards, 5 August 2023

NHS staff sickness hits record high in England
Figures for 2022 show an absence rate - the proportion of days lost - of 5.6 per cent, meaning the NHS lost the equivalent of nearly 75,000 staff to illness. This is higher than during the peak pandemic years of 2020 and 2021 - and a 29 per cent rise on the 2019 rate.
BBC News Online, 29 June 2023.

Stress linked to heart disease and depression
A European trade union research organisation ETUI report has estimated the fractions of cardiovascular disease and depression attributable to five different psychosocial work factors. It concludes: “Our study showed a high burden of CHD and depression attributable to the studied psychosocial work exposures in the EU28 in 2015, with a higher burden for depression.”
ETUI publication notice and full report, July 2023.

Company fined after vibration injuries
A manufacturing company has been fined £200,000 after two of its employees were diagnosed with hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). The workers were employed at Ross & Catherall Limited – a company that manufactures and supplies metal bars for the aerospace and automotive industries – but didn’t look into the risks or the cause of the cases.
HSE news release, 13 July 2023.

Firefighters need 12-month maternity pay
Firefighters’ union FBU has called for 12 months of maternity leave on full pay for firefighters, citing research finding that exposure to contaminants while firefighting impacts the health of pregnant firefighters, fetuses, and babies. In a letter addressed to the Local Government Association, the FBU’s National Women’s Committee reports that many women feel they must return to firefighting duties once their pay is halved as they cannot afford to stay on maternity leave. 
FBU news release, 13 July 2023.

Britain: Inquiry must examine UK’s ‘broken sick pay’ system
The Covid inquiry must take an unflinching look at how the UK’s lack of decent sick pay left the country “brutally exposed” during the pandemic, the TUC has said. TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “Many workers simply couldn’t afford to self-isolate,” adding: “This pushed up infection rates, put a huge strain on our public services and ballooned the cost of test and trace.”
UK Covid-19 inquiry and module 1 on resilience and preparedness. The Guardian. 7 June 2023

Spain: Big win for hotel housekeepers on workload
More than 20,000 hotel housekeepers in the Balearic Islands, Spain, will benefit from a new methodology to regulate their workloads, taking into account the class of hotel, the specifications of each room and mandated requirements for cleanliness. The collective agreement addresses workload, breaks, overexertion around the moving of beds and trolleys, personal protective equipment (PPE), outsourcing, and the high turnover among the largely female workforce.
IUF news release. 31 May 2023

Britain: Hygiene consultancy fined after admitting failures
Hampshire-based Envirochem Analytical Laboratories Limited has been fined £2,000 and ordered to pay £6,583 in costs after admitting criminal failures that put workers at risk of exposure to hazardous substances. An exposure monitoring report provided to a firm by the hygiene consultancy firm was “deficient”, said the Health and Safety Executive.
HSE news release. 31 May 2023

Britain: HSE site inspection blitz to target lung health
Failure to prevent life-threatening diseases caused by dust at work is unacceptable, the the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has said. The regulator said an inspection initiative across Great Britain, which kicked off on 15 May, will involve inspections throughout May, June and July and will focus on respiratory risks from exposure to dust.
HSE news release.
ACTION! Send an e-postcard to HSE demanding it introduce a more protective UK silica workplace exposure limit. www.hazards.org/HSEstopkillingus 17 May 2023

Britain: MoD worker wins stress claim
An MoD cryptographic auditor who developed severe depression and anxiety when her employer suspended her and charged her with a disciplinary offence has secured compensation for disability discrimination and personal injury. Prospect member Dawn Malloy had to wait 18 months on suspension before the MoD issued her a first written warning.
Prospect news release. 17 May 2023

Britain: Record numbers not working due to ill-health
The number of people not working in the UK due to long-term sickness has risen to a new record, official figures have revealed. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) show more than two and half million people were not working because of health problems.
BBC News Online. 17 May 2023

Britain: Woman fired while battling breast cancer
A marketing manager who was sacked after bosses avoided criticising her because she had breast cancer has won a discrimination claim after successfully representing herself. Lucy Lyddall had been underperforming in her role at The Wooldridge Partnership construction company but was never told her managers were unhappy with her, an employment tribunal heard.
Daily Mail. Yahoo News. 10 May 2023

Britain: Unions want injuries council for Scotland
Trade unions from across Scotland have backed the calls from an MSP to establish a new expert council to support the delivery of a Scottish social security benefit to be paid to workers injured as a result of industrial harm. Lead union body STUC and its affiliated unions have backed the Scottish Employment Injuries Advisory Council Members’ Bill from Scottish Labour MSP Mark Griffin.
STUC news release and statement. 4 May 2023

Britain: Major push to test firefighters for work diseases
A life-saving firefighter cancer monitoring project has begun in Greater Manchester, as part of a new UK-wide research project commissioned by the firefighters’ union FBU. In total, 100 firefighters are participating by providing blood and urine samples to be analysed for the number of biomarkers of cancers and other diseases, and toxic chemicals.
FBU news release. Morning Star. 26 April 2023

Africa: New plan to protect health workers
In a move to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of health workers in African countries, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has embarked in a collaboration with the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The joint project will focus on placing safety at the centre of health care, promoting the rights of health workers to healthy and safe environments, and building capacities for improving working conditions in in the health sector.
WHO news release. 19 April 2023

Britain: Miserly sick pay is punishing low paid
Britain's “miserly” sick pay system is “punishing” low-paid workers, the TUC has said. Commenting on the Resolution Foundation’s Low Paid Britain Report, which criticises the UK’s lack of decent sick pay, TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said: “We must fix our broken sick pay system by making statutory sick pay available from day one and raising it to the level of the real living wage.”
TUC news release. Resolution Foundation news release and Low Paid Britain Report. Morning Star. 19 April 2023

Global: Medical guide a lifesaver for work at sea
A new medical guide for ships has been published by the global shipowners’ association, the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS). Welcoming the new guide, which was produced with input from the global seafarers’ union ITF, general secretary Stephen Cotton said “having up-to-date medical guidance to hand can make a real difference for limiting adverse health and safety outcomes for seafarers and fishers.”
ITF news release. 12 April 2023

Britain: Factory fined over vibration failure
Trucast Limited has been fined £120,000 and ordered to pay £12,204.06 costs for failing to adequately assess and control the risks to its employees when using vibrating tools. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that prior to June 2019, the manufacturer of turbocharger wheels for the automotive industry had failed to assess or take action to reduce the health risks to employees using vibrating equipment. The investigation also found the company failed to put in place an adequate health surveillance programme to monitor its workers’ health for vibration-related health effects.
HSE news release. 12 April 2023

Britain: Firefighter instructors at ‘high risk’ for diseases
Firefighter instructors, who train firefighter staff across the UK and typically face up to five to ten times the number of live fires compared to regular firefighters, have been found to have chronic inflammation leaving them at greater risk of cardiovascular diseases, infection and illness, according to new research by the University of Roehampton London.
lan Richardson and others. Inflammatory and psychological consequences of chronic high exposure firefighting, Journal of Thermal Biology, volume 111, 2023, 103399. doi.org/10.1016/j.jtherbio.2022.103399. 5 April 2023

USA: Workers' physical and mental health declining
Three out of four US employees have reported that their physical and mental health either declined or stagnated in 2022, a recent study has found, and this has impacted their productivity. Fortune magazine reports that although many employers have taken strides to provide mental health benefits, especially post-pandemic, workers are being deterred from utilising these benefits because they are overwhelmed by how to navigate the USA’s private health insurance and healthcare system.
Fortune magazine. 29 March 2023

Britain: Ministers put off state pension age change
Ministers have reportedly delayed plans to bring forward a rise in the state pension age. State pensions are currently payable at age 66, but this was due to rise to 68 after 2044.
Financial Times. The Guardian. 29 March 2023

Britain: Government to consult on OHS expansion
The government is to consult on measures to increase access for workers to occupational health services (OHS). The announcement, which formed part of the Jeremy Hunt’s Spring budget, will look at incentives like tax breaks for firms providing OHS and will expand the small and medium sized businesses pilot subsidy to £25m.
DWP news release. UK Spring Budget. FOM news release. SOM news release. IOSH magazine. 22 March 2023

Britain: Whisky plant worker get £45k for noise damage
A Dumbarton bottling plant worker has been awarded £45,494.13 in compensation after her employer didn’t do enough to protect her hearing from deafening workplace noise. Margaret Denny, 63, sustained permanent hearing loss and developing tinnitus whilst working from 1990 to 2018 at Chivas Brothers and its predecessors Allied Distillers.
Dumbarton Reporter. 15 March 2023

Britain: 'Life-saving' firefighter cancer monitoring study
A first-of-its-kind firefighter cancer and health monitoring has begun as part of a UK-wide research project commissioned by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU). Participating firefighters are volunteering to provide blood and urine samples to be analysed, with the results used to identify the number of firefighters with occupational cancers and other diseases resulting from exposure to toxic contaminants in fire.
FBU news release. 7 March 2023

Britain: Protecting information about workers’ health
Health information is some of the most sensitive personal information that might be processed about workers and must be protected, the TUC has said. Responding to an Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) consultation, the union body warned the draft guidance would not adequately support all the groups who might seek to use it, adding it needs more explicit recognition of the important role played by unions and equalities groups.
TUC update and TUC response to ICO on ‘Employment practices information about workers’ health’. 7 March 2023

Britain: 'Life-saving' firefighter cancer monitoring study
A first-of-its-kind firefighter cancer and health monitoring has begun as part of a UK-wide research project commissioned by the Fire Brigades Union (FBU). Participating firefighters are volunteering to provide blood and urine samples to be analysed, with the results used to identify the number of firefighters with occupational cancers and other diseases resulting from exposure to toxic contaminants in fire.
FBU news release. 7 March 2023

USA: Work is a ‘key social determinant of health’
Ignoring the work-related “social determinants of health” (SDOH) is a big mistake, US government occupational health experts have warned. “Work influences many aspects of life that affect health, including income, workplace hazards, social status, healthcare access, housing, economic security, and more,” the experts from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) note, but are overlooked in official analyses.
Andrea L Steege, Sharon Silver, Amy Mobley and Marie Haring Sweeney, NIOSH Science Blog, 16 February 2023. 22 February 2023

Britain: Doctors could be told to deny sick notes
The government could tell doctors to sign fewer sick people off work as part of a bid to boost the flagging performance of Britain's economy. People deemed ill enough to get a sick note would instead be “helped” to remain in work under plans reported by the Telegraph and under consideration in Whitehall, and includes changing advice to GPs to encourage people to stay in employment and to stress the “benefits of work.”
The Telegraph. The Independent. 22 February 2023

Britain: Government has got it wrong on labour supply
A drive by Rishi Sunak’s government to push people who have taken early retirement back to work to fix chronic staff shortages is addressing the wrong problem, according to a new report. The sharp rise in economic inactivity – when working-age adults are neither in work nor looking for a job – is more likely to be driven by people waiting for treatment as the health service struggles to cope, as well as by people who permanently live in poorer health, according to the consultancy LCP.
LCP news release. The Guardian. 22 February 2023

Britain: Work evacuation procedures leave disabled at risk
Disabled employees are being put at risk by bosses’ ignorance of safe workplace evacuation procedures, a study has found. West Midlands-based emergency evacuation chair manufacturer Evac+Chair International surveyed 490 small and medium business decision-makers nationwide and found a quarter were not aware of the number of mobility-impaired people in their organisation and 29 per cent have only “some” or “very little” understanding of their obligations when it comes to safe evacuations.
Risky business, Evac+Chair International, 2023. Morning Star. 15 February 2023

Britain: Labour vows to help ‘written off’ back to work
Labour plans to reach thousands of people with addiction or mental health issues “written off” by the Department for Work and Pensions to help them back into employment, with personalised support offered through treatment centres. Shadow work and pensions secretary, Jon Ashworth, said it was wrong to assume those undergoing treatment for drug and alcohol addiction or facing mental health crises did not want to find ways to work.
The Guardian. 8 February 2023

Britain: Employers guilty of ‘wellbeing washing’
Over half of employers are guilty of ‘wellbeing washing’, a snap poll by safety professionals’ organisation IOSH has found. The safety body said the term was coined to shame employers wanting to appear mindful of their workers’ wellbeing yet that fail to provide them with any real benefits.
IOSH News. 8 February 2023

Global: To be fair, ask ‘what work do you do?’
Asking what job a person does is ‘critical’ to addressing social inequalities in health, a new academic paper has concluded. “With work now being a recognised social determinant of health, use of work and employment information, including industry and occupation, is a critical component of core public health surveillance systems,” stated researchers led by Karla Armenti of the University of New Hampshire.
Karla Armenti, Marie H Sweeney, Cailyn Lingwall and Liu Yang. Work: A Social Determinant of Health Worth Capturing, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023; 20(2):1199. 1 February 2023 

India: Work deaths a ‘social problem’, says court
Deaths caused by overwork, stress and toxic work environments are a ‘social problem’ in India requiring an urgent, coordinated response, the Delhi High Court has warned. The court was hearing the case of Poonan Gupta, a worker who killed himself after being bullied at work.
Verdictum. Full Delhi High Court ruling. More on work-related suicide. 1 February 2023

South Africa: Union welcomes compensation for ex-miners
South Africa’s National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has welcomed a government commitment to identify and compensate former mineworkers suffering from work-related silicosis and tuberculosis. The Department of Health announced it is to roll out a massive screening, verification, medical examination and payment benefits programme for eligible former mineworkers who developed the conditions as a result of working in certain mines between March 1965 and December 2019.
COSATU news report. 1 February 2023

Britain: Sickness leaving over 50s unable to work
More than 1.6 million adults aged 50 and over are unable to work because of long-term sickness, according to the most detailed analysis yet of official data for this age group. The number has increased 20 per cent, or by 270,000 in three years, according to an analysis of Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures by Rest Less, a group that advocate for over fifties.
The Guardian. Morning Star. 1 February 2023

Britain: Workers’ health information must be protected
Workers’ health information must be protected, medical confidentiality rules respected and workplace practices agreed between employers and unions, the TUC has said. Responding to an Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) consultation on employment practices and data protection regarding information about workers’ health, the TUC added: “An online resource with topic-specific guidance on employment practices and data protection could be vital to workers, employers, trade unions and trade union representatives.”
TUC response to ICO consultation, Employment practices information about workers’ health. 1 February 2023

Global: Extreme heart linked to kidney disease in workers
Evidence of a deadly link between exposure to extreme heat and chronic kidney disease is emerging. As the world grows hotter and climate change ushers in more frequent and extreme heat waves, public health experts fear kidney disease cases will soar among laborers who have no choice but to work outdoors.
Washington Post 18 January 2023

Britain: Welcome for Labour’s return to work plan
A Labour Party plan to get people with health conditions and disabilities back into work has been welcomed by the safety professionals’ body IOSH. Ruth Wilkinson, the IOSH head of policy, said in statement: “With the size of the UK workforce still well below pre-Covid levels, the announcement by shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Ashworth of his party’s plans to support more people with health conditions and disabilities to return to work cannot be ignored.”
Labour Party news release. IOSH statement. 18 January 2023

Britain: Coroner rules Covid deaths from ‘industrial disease’
Two nurses who died with Covid both died of an industrial disease, an inquest has concluded. The coroner ruled Gareth Morgan Roberts and Dominga David, who lived in hospital accommodation, both died as a result of industrial disease.
Doughty Street Chambers news release. BBC News Online. The Guardian. 18 January 2023

Britain: Older workers not returning after ill-health
Figures from the Office for National Statistics show economic inactivity due to long-term sickness has increased most among 50- to 64-year-olds outside the capital since the Covid pandemic. Rates of economic inactivity – when working-age adults are neither employed nor looking for a job – have ballooned since the health emergency spread to Britain nearly three years ago, in an exodus from the workforce fuelled by rising ill-health and older workers retiring early.
The Guardian. 10 January 2023

Britain: Heads ‘at risk of heart attacks and strokes’
Headteachers are breaking down in tears, suffering migraines and even passing out, with six in 10 admitting they have considered changing jobs in the past year because of increased level of stress, education sector experts have warned. Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT), told the Observer: “The anger and even despair we are hearing from our members right now is unprecedented. School leaders are telling me they cannot continue to run their schools in the current circumstances.” Sinéad McBrearty, chief executive of Education Support, the charity which recently surveyed school leaders on their mental health, said: “Heads are at risk of heart attacks and strokes. They are asking ‘Do I choose my career or my health?’.”
The Observer. Education Support Teacher Wellbeing Index 2022. 10 January 2023

Britain: Firefighters hit by cancer, strokes and heart problems
Firefighters are far more likely to die from cancer, heart attacks and strokes than the general public, a new FBU backed study has found. Their mortality rate from all cancers is 1.6 times higher than the rest of the population, according to the research, conducted by the University of Central Lancashire for the union. The workers are also five times more likely to die from a heart attack and three times more susceptible to strokes, the paper revealed. Firefighters’ greater exposure to contaminants and fire toxins are almost certainly the cause, the union warned, calling for immediate preventive action.
FBU news release. AA Stec, A Robinson, TAM Wolffe, E Bagkeris. Scottish Firefighters Occupational Cancer and Disease Mortality Rates: 2000-2020, Occupational Medicine, kqac138, 10 January 2023. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqac138.
Morning Star. The Guardian. BBC News Online.10 January 2023

Britain: Pension age plan fails sick and injured workers
The UK government is failing to take account of workers being forced out of their profession due to ill-health and injury, as it prepares to increase the state pension age, research by the union Unite has revealed. A review of the state pension age is expected to report in early 2023.
Unite news release.10 January 2023

USA: Democrats push for rail paid sick leave
Rail workers in the US could get the paid sick days at the heart of their threat to go on strike – if the Biden administration steps in with an executive order. On 9 December, 70 Democrats in Congress signed a letter asking for the president Joe Biden or some federal agency to issue an order giving rail workers the seven sick days paid sick leave a year they were seeking, but had been refused by rail bosses in protracted negotiations with unions.
CNN News. 14 December 2022

Britain: Long Covid linked to labour market exit
Long Covid is likely to have contributed to the record number of people leaving the labour market in Britain, an Office for National Statistics (ONS) study has found. The analysis identifies for the first time a link between long Covid and the recent workforce exodus, which has seen 600,000 workers go “missing” from the job market since early 2020.
Self-reported long COVID and labour market outcomes, UK: 2022, ONS, 5 December 2022. Morning Star. 7 December 2022

Britain: Low paid workers cannot afford sick leave
Retail union Usdaw is reiterating its call for Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) reform after it found most low paid workers cannot afford to take sick leave. The union’s survey found that 76 per cent of respondents cannot afford to go sick on SSP of just £99.35 a week, rising to 9 in 10 for those on in-work benefits.
Usdaw news release. 7 December 2022

Britain: Health board workers got vibration syndrome
A Welsh health board has been fined £160,000 plus £5,599 costs after three employees were diagnosed with Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS). Powys Teaching Health Board had ignored requests from its own occupational health department to conduct a risk assessment.
HSE news release. 30 November 2022

Britain: NHS England workforce to get menopause rights
Menopausal women working in NHS England will be able to work flexibly should they need to under new guidance. The guidance aims to boost awareness as well as support the introduction of practical measures and flexible working patterns – including lighter duties, fans to make temperatures more comfortable, cooler uniforms and staff training.
Supporting our NHS people through menopause: guidance for line managers and colleagues, NHS England, 22 November 2022. The Telegraph. The Guardian. 23 November 2022

Severely ill can’t afford to go sick, say GPs
Ill patients are refusing sicknotes from their GP because they cannot afford time off work, while physicians suffer “moral distress” at their powerlessness to do more to help the most vulnerable, the new leader of Britain’s family doctors has said. Dr Kamila Hawthorne, the chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: “Recently I’ve had patients refusing sicknotes because they can’t afford not to work,” adding: “Quite often, when it’s clear that somebody needs some time off, they won’t take it.”
The Guardian. 23 November 2022

Britain: Highest ever levels of work-related ill health
The number of workers in Great Britain suffering work-related ill-health has increased again to a new all-time high. Latest Health and Safety Executive (HSE) figures put the total reporting work-related ill-health at 1.8 million in 2021/22, up from 1.7 million in 2020/21 – and is now almost 40 per cent higher than when the Tories came to power.
HSE news release and statistics, Health and safety statistics 2021/22, HSE, 23 November 2022. 23 November 2022

Britain: Tram workers defend terminally ill colleagues
GMB members on Nottingham’s tram network have backed strike action in defence of two terminally ill colleagues. The union said 94 per cent of the city’s tram workers have voted in favour of action over threats from company management to cut the pay of Robert Currie and David Brown as they battle life-threatening conditions.
GMB news release. 23 November 2022

Britain: Do not abandon workers with Long Covid  
The UK government must act now on an official recommendation from its experts that persistent ill-health related to Covid-19 infection be recognised as an occupational disease. Commenting on a report from the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC) – the body advising government on which diseases should be classified as work-related – which recommends that health and social care workers experiencing long term symptoms following Covid infection should be able to claim industrial injuries benefit, TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “It’s time to recognise this condition as occupational, and make sure workers who are living with post-Covid symptoms get the support they need.”
TUC news release. Covid-19 and Occupational Impacts, the report from the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council, 16 November 2022.  23 November 2022

USA: Work-related asthma linked to cannabis production
Exposure to cannabis dust, fume or smoke can lead to the development of work-related asthma, warns a new hazard alert from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries. Workers at risk include cannabis growers, production staff, extract manufacturers, retail stockers, laboratory and research personnel, and police and drug enforcement officers.
Washington State Department of L&I factsheet. Safety + Health magazine. 18 November 2022

Britain: Football governing bodies sued over dementia
A group of 30 former footballers and their families are suing football's governing bodies, claiming they failed to protect them from brain injuries. The Football Associations of England and Wales and the International Football Association Board (Ifab) are accused of “failing to take reasonable action” to reduce blows to the head.
BBC News Online. 18 November 2022

Britain: Back pain and long-term sickness rise linked to home working
Back and neck injuries caused by working from home during the Covid pandemic has been identified as a possible factor contributing to a sharp rise in people leaving the labour market over the past three years. The Office for National Statistics said there had been a marked increase in disabilities often associated by medical experts with excessive screen use, after the increase in the number of people home working while offices were shut during the pandemic.
ONS report, 10 November 2022. The Guardian. 18 November 2022

Britain: Protecting ill workers is an urgent priority
A coalition of unions, health and disability charities and civil society organisations is calling on the government to reform the UK sick pay system. The group – which includes the TUC, individual unions, the Child Poverty Action Group, and mental health charity Mind – has asked to meet the Mel Stride, the secretary of state at the Department of Work and Pensions, to find an equitable solution.
PCS news release. 18 November 2022

Europe: Airlines must act on cabin air standards
Aviation workers and safety experts are calling on airlines, plane manufacturers and the EU Aviation Safety Agency to immediately implement new cabin air quality standards designed to protect staff and passengers from chemical fumes. After more than seven years of work on the issue, the European Committee on Standardisation (CEN) has published a technical report including recommendations on how to prevent exposure to fumes through improvements in the design, maintenance, and operation of aircraft.
ETUC news release. 10 November 2022

Britain: Manager’s call to sick worker led to unfair dismissal
A Scottish bank worker who suffered severe anxiety has been awarded £22,304 compensation after her boss rang her while she was off sick to ask her not to post pictures of cakes on Facebook. The manager also told Victoria Lindsay to get her GP to reevaluate her medication for post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Employment Tribunal decision. Ms V Lindsay v Halifax Bank of Scotland (HBOS), Employment Tribunals (Scotland), Case No: 4103007/2022. The HR Director. 10 November 2022

Britain: College signs up to the Dying to Work Charter
Kirklees College has become the latest employer to sign up to the TUC’s dying to work charter, providing protection for their 884 employees. The Dying to Work campaign would like to see terminal illness recognised as a ‘protected characteristic’ so that an affected employee would enjoy a ‘protected period’ where they could not be dismissed as a result of their condition.
TUC news release. TUC Dying to Work campaign and Charter signatories. 10 November 2022

Britain: Surveillance software being used on tech workers
One in five tech workers are subject to employee monitoring or gathering technologies, according to a new Prospect survey of members and non-members in tech jobs. Only 11 per cent of respondents reported being very sure what data their employer collects about them and why.
Prospect news release. 3 November 2022

Britain: HSE must combat AI spying at work
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) must be empowered to combat the creeping use of artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor staff in the workplace, MPs have been told. Dr Matthew Cole from the Fairwork, which promotes better working practices for app-based employees, said:“HSE should play a greater role in the regulation of AI systems, to uphold standards of employment,” adding “excessive monitoring” can lead to “increased stress and anxiety and we know they can have significant negative impact on health.”
Connected tech: smart or sinister?, Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee investigation, 1 November 2022 oral hearings and video of evidence session. Fairwork. Morning Star. 3 November 2022

Britain: Many skip work and get sick over hygiene shame
People's inability to afford essential hygiene products is leaving many too ashamed to go to work and is adversely affecting their physical and mental health, a charity has revealed. Hygiene Bank suggests 3.2 million UK adults are affected by so-called hygiene poverty, where items like soap, toothpaste and period products are unaffordable - with 12 per cent saying they have avoided facing colleagues as a result.
Hygiene Bank: Hygiene Poverty 2022, October 2022. BBC News Online. 3 November 2022

USA: Surgeon general says work health risks a ‘priority’
The US Surgeon General has identified protecting workers’ mental and physical health as one of his top priorities. A new report from Vivek Murthy cites workplace trends like quiet quitting and the Great Resignation as signals of the damage done to Americans by problems like endless hours, unpaid leave, and chronic stress.
US Surgeon General priorities and US Surgeon General’s Framework for Workplace Mental Health and Wellbeing, October 2022. Stat News. 28 October 2022

Britain: Tesco sickness absence policy now covers menopause
Retail trade union Usdaw has welcomed Tesco’s agreement to change its sickness absence policy to better support staff experiencing menopause symptoms. Usdaw national officer Daniel Adams commented: “We welcome that Tesco has recognised that women experiencing the menopause need additional support and flexibility and that absence should be managed supportively, not punitively.”
Usdaw news release. 21 October 2022

Britain: Caped crusaders demand asbestos justice
Campaigners working with families hit by deadly asbestos diseases are demanding a donation of £10 million from the multinational Cape to fund research on a cure for the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma. The Asbestos Victims Support Groups Forum UK (the Forum) call came in a demonstration outside the Warrington offices of Cape/ALTRAD. Dressed as ‘Caped Defenders of Justice’, the protesters demanded Cape Intermediate Holdings Ltd pay up after the company lost a major Supreme Court case.
Asbestos Forum news release, campaign, video and Cape documents. Sign the petition urging Cape to pay up. Warrington Guardian. Risks 1063. 14 October 2022

Britain: Ill-health driving record numbers out of the job market
The number of people not looking for work because they are suffering from a long-term illness has hit a record high, latest official figures show. The jobless rate fell to 3.5 per cent in the three months to August, its lowest for nearly 50 years, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said as the economic inactivity rate increased to 21.7 per cent in the June to August period, with those inactive because they are long-term sick hitting a record high of nearly 2.5 million.
Labour market overview, UK: October 2022, ONS, 11 October 2022. BBC News Online Risks 1063. 14 October 2022

Britain: Protesters urge work disease centre rethink
Campaigners fighting to keep open a specialist occupational disease assessment site are to take to the streets in protest. Barrow's Phoenix House is among several sites across the country to have been earmarked for closure by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and processes benefits claims for people with industrial injuries.
North West Mail. Asbestos Forum. Risks 1062. 6 October 2022

Britain: Firms fined for workers’ excessive radiation exposure
A company that provides diagnostic imaging services, and its radiopharmaceutical subsidiary company, have been given six-figure fines following incidents at two sites in which employees were exposed to radiation. Medical Limited pleaded guilty to criminal breaches of the Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017 and was fined £300,000 plus £11,382 costs; Alliance Medical Radiopharmacy Limited, also pleaded guilty and was fined £120,000 with £11,382 costs.
HSE news release and advice, Health and Safety: Ionising Radiation. Risks 1062. 6 October 2022

Britain: Bosses failed to control risks from vibration
Two partners in a construction firm have been fined for failing to adequately control the risk to its employees from exposure to vibration, with one developing hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). Andrew Hatto and Paul Kiff, trading as Roywood Contractors, pleaded guilty to two criminal breaches of the Control of Vibration Regulations 2005 and were each fined £1,150 and ordered to pay costs of £3,500 each.
HSE news release. Risks 1060. 23 September 2022

Britain: HSE takes small step to reduce work silicosis risks
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) says it has ‘refreshed’ its silica guidance for brick and tile manufacturing, stonework and foundries ahead of manufacturing sector focused inspections later this year, in a bid to reduce the risk of related diseases including silicosis. However, HSE has faced sustained criticism for refusing to introduce a tighter exposure standard for respirable silica, with the current standard lagging significantly behind international best practice.
HSE news release, e-bulletin and short video.
ACTION: Send an e-postcard to HSE demanding it introduce a more protective UK silica standard no higher than 0.05mg/m³ and with a phased move to 0.025mg/m³. www.hazards.org/HSEstopkillingus. Risks 1059. 15 September 2022

Britain: Covid-19 after effects on brain can last years
Increased risk of some neurological and psychiatric conditions such as dementia, psychosis and seizures is still higher two years after Covid-19 compared to other respiratory infections, according to an observational study of more than 1.25 million patient health records published in The Lancet Psychiatry journal. Professor Paul Harrison, lead author of the study, from the University of Oxford said: “The results have important implications for patients and health services as it suggests new cases of neurological conditions linked to Covid-19 infection are likely to occur for a considerable time after the pandemic has subsided.”
Maxime Taquet, Rebecca Sillett, Lena Zhu, Jacob Mendel, Isabella Camplisson, Quentin Dercon, Paul J Harrison. Neurological and psychiatric risk trajectories after SARS-CoV-2 infection: an analysis of 2-year retrospective cohort studies including 1 284 437 patients, Published Online 17 August 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(22)00260-7. 23 August 2022

Britain: Contractors urged to follow Kier lead on sick pay
Campaigning by Unite has secured sick pay of up to £100-a-day for workers with the construction giant Kier. The union is now calling on other contractors to follow suit and boost their terms beyond the statutory rate, which can be as little as £16 per day.
Construction Enquirer. 23 August 2022

Britain: Better conditions key to solving crisis in social care
Low wages and inadequate sick pay are to blame for thousands of care workers quitting, UNISON has warned.  Commenting on a 4 August report from the House of Commons’ Levelling up, Housing and Communities Committee, which calls on the government to put more money into the social care sector, UNISON head of business and community Donna Rowe-Merriman said: “Low wages and inadequate sick pay explain why thousands of staff are quitting for better paid jobs elsewhere.”
UNISON news release.  House of Commons’ Levelling up, Housing and Communities committee news release and report. Risks 1055. 9 August 2022

Australia: Health scientists back call for sick pay for casuals
The Australian government is facing growing calls from epidemiologists, unions and others for sick leave to be extended to casual employees. Michele O’Neil, president of the national union federation ACTU, said: “Nearly one million ‘casual’ workers are effectively working permanent full-time hours,” adding: “These workers should have the right to be permanent with paid leave including sick leave provisions.”
The Guardian. More on health and safety and insecure work. Risks 1054. 3 August 2022

Britain: Poor conditions see teacher sick days soar
Increased workloads, ‘supersized’ classes, low pay and the Covid legacy are leading to more absences and an exodus of teaching staff, new figures suggest. Teachers have spent at least 1.5 million days off work in the last year as a result of stress and mental health issues, the figures in responses to Liberal Democrat freedom of information requests have revealed.
FE News. The Observer. Risks 1054. 3 August 2022

Britain: Sick days plunge at flex-working site firms
Four major construction contractors that took part in a ground-breaking flexible working pilot have all committed to continue flexi-working after finding work stress and sick leave plunged during the trial. The firms – BAM Construct, BAM Nuttall, Skanska UK and Willmott Dixon – all recorded a decline in the rate of sickness absence.
Timewise news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 1054. 3 August 2022

Britain: Protect services for workers made ill by their jobs!
A key service supporting people who become seriously ill as a result of work is under threat. Phoenix House in Barrow is a specialist site which processes claims for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit and compensation for asbestos-related cancer and pneumoconiosis – and unions are campaigning against DWP plans to shut it.
Sign the petition and share it in your networks and on Facebook, Twitter, and WhatsApp. Risks 1052. 19 July 2022

Britain: Number of fit notes issued hits record high
The number of fit notes issued to workers on sick leave has hit an all-time high, an analysis has found, with the number given out jumping more than 20 per cent in the last year. Research conducted by law firm GQ|Littler, based on NHS data for the year-ending March 2022, showed a 21 per cent yearly increase in the number of fit notes – up to 10.4 million from the 8.6 million issued in 2020/21 - figure stood at 10.2 million in 2019/20; 9.5 million in 2018/19; and 9.2 million in 2017/18.
GQ|Littler news release. People Management. Risks 1052. 19 July 2022

Britain: Most sick workers in Wales carry on working
A shocking number of people have continued to work while unwell during the pandemic, according to a new survey.  YouGov polling, commissioned by Wales Trades Union Congress (Wales TUC), reveals that two-thirds (65 per cent) of people who were sick in the last 12 months had carried on working.
Wales TUC news release. 29 June 2022

Britain: Absence of sick pay for care workers exposed
More than half of care workers employed in the private sector receive under £100 a week if they take time off sick, with many getting nothing at all, a UNISON survey has found. The results highlight the precariousness of low-paid care staff in unstable employment who fear the consequences of taking time off when ill, the union said.
UNISON news release. 29 June 2022

Britain: Ambulance staff unable to drive new vehicles
Dozens of staff at an ambulance trust are unable to drive its £54m fleet of new vehicles due to their height or body shape. Documents obtained by freedom of information requests reveal a string of problems with converted Fiat Ducatos, which replaced ageing Mercedes vans at the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST) – and the vehicles are part of an NHS drive to standardise its fleet and are being adopted by trusts across the country.
BBC News Online. The Guardian. 29 June 2022

South Korea: Truck drivers strike to defend safe rates
South Korean truck drivers have started an ‘unlimited’ national strike action in defence of the country’s ‘Safe Rates’ system. The KPTU-TruckSol union estimates 15,000 members participated in strike rallies held in 16 locations across the country on 7 June, and several thousand more drivers, both members and non-members, joined the strike in solidarity.
ITF news release. 8 June 2022

USA: ‘Essential’ workers bore brunt of Covid deaths
Most working age Americans who died of Covid-19 during the first year of the pandemic were so-called ‘essential workers’ in labouring, service and retail jobs that required on-site attendance and prolonged contact with others, a study has found. The investigation of Covid deaths in 2020 affirms that those who could not work from home and who toiled in low-paying jobs with few or no benefits, such as paid sick leave and health insurance coverage, bore the brunt of deaths during the pandemic’s first year, said Jason Salemi, an associate professor in the University of South Florida College of Public Health and a co-author of the study.
Pathak EB, Menard JM, Garcia RB, Salemi JL. Joint Effects of Socioeconomic Position, Race/Ethnicity, and Gender on COVID-19 Mortality among Working-Age Adults in the United States. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022; 19(9):5479. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19095479. Miami Herald. 8 June 2022

Britain: Furniture firm fined over vibration disease
A North Wales company that manufactures sofas and chairs has been fined £150,000 and ordered to pay costs of £14,033.50 after failing to ensure the risks to workers from vibrating tools was sufficiently risk assessed and managed. Westbridge Furniture Designs Limited required at least two employees to carry out their normal duties, even though they had been diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome, with one suffering permanent nerve damage and now no longer able to work.
HSE news release. 8 June 2022

Britain: Warning on NHS ‘no breaks, no food’ culture
Overstretched NHS staff often have no time for breaks or food during their shifts and are worried this is affecting their ability to do their jobs, according to a UNISON survey. More than half (53 per cent) said they are unable to take regular breaks and almost one in six (16 per cent) only have time to grab snacks like crisps or chocolate during busy shifts.
UNISON news release. 8 June 2022

Britain: Council fined over vibration disease cases
Lancashire County Council has been fined £50,000 plus £10,366,78 costs after several employees carrying out work in the highways department developed a debilitating vibration-related occupational disease. Health surveillance records had not been acted upon promptly to reduce or stop exposures when symptoms were reported, and most of the cases were reported late.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 1044. 10 May 2022

Britain: NHS staff with long Covid will ‘feel forced out’
Anxiety, fear and ‘shockingly bad’ treatment from bosses is forcing staff who are still suffering from long Covid to return to the workplace early, a UNISON health worker survey has found. UNISON’s head of health Sara Gorton called for long Covid to be treated as a disability, to protect workers.
UNISON news release. Morning Star. Risks 1043. 4 May 2022

Britain: Long Covid means absence policies must change
Company absence management policies must be amended to support employees with long Covid, so they are not pressured to return to work before they are fully recovered, the retail union Usdaw has said. The union’s deputy general secretary Dave McCrossen said: “Those who have been left with long Covid deserve better. They have every right to expect support from their employer.”
Usdaw news release. Risks 1043. 4 May 2022

Britain: Sainsbury’s Covid absence policy warning
A change to Sainsbury’s Covid absence policy that came into effect on 1 May puts both workers and shoppers at risk, Unite has warned. Previously, Sainsbury’s staff with Covid were entitled to sick leave that did not not count towards the total amount of time they could be absent before a disciplinary procedure can be triggered, but the change now counts time off due to Covid in the maximum absence of three per cent of annual contracted hours – about a week and a half - that can lead to sanction or dismissal if exceeded.
Unite news release. Risks 1043. 4 May 2022

Britain: GMB to take 'callous' Yodel to tribunal
Parcel delivery firm Yodel is to face an employment tribunal over its “callous” move to sack a disabled worker. The union GMB said Tony White, 56, who has several conditions including a spinal issue, was fired after 19 years of service on “capability grounds.”
Morning Star. Risks 1042. 26 April 2022

Britain: Tiny sick pay rise ‘an insult to working people’
Retail trade union Usdaw has repeated its call for reform of Statutory Sick Pay (SSP). The union, commenting after the ‘miserly’ £3 taking it to just £99.35 a week from 6 April, said sick pay needs to be paid from day one, at an individual’s normal rate of pay.
Usdaw news release. BBC News Online. Risks 1040. 13 April 2022

Britain: Improving work will reduce health inequalities
A major new review of health inequities lays out a roadmap for the role of industry in ‘levelling up’ by improving working conditions. The UCL Institute of Health Equity launched ‘The Business of Health Equity: The Marmot Review for Industry’, which proposes three ways business can improve people’s lives by reducing health inequality: ensure healthy working conditions; ensure good physical and workplace health; and provide sufficient pay and in-work bargaining.
UCL Institute of Health Equity news release and full report, The Business of Health Equity: The Marmot Review for Industry, April 2022. Risks 1039. 6 April 2022

Britain: Care workers plunged back into ‘sick pay poverty’
Care workers could be plunged back into sick pay poverty, with the end of a pandemic scheme on 1 April, unions have warned. Under the axed Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme, many employers could receive funding from the UK government to provide full pay for any Covid related absence.
GMB news release. UNISON news release. Risks 1039. 6 April 2022

Britain: Statutory sick pay remains below the ‘survival rate’
Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) rates are still set below the ‘survival rate’ despite a small increase, the TUC has said. The increase in statutory sick pay by £3 to £99.35 a week comes a fortnight after the closure of the Coronavirus Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme, and just over a month after the end of the £500 self-isolation support payment for people on low incomes who test positive.
The Mirror. iNews. Risks 1039. 6 April 2022

Britain: Sickness is forcing workers out of their jobs
Thousands of older workers are being forced out of the labour market by ill-health, a TUC report has warned. The analysis by the union body shows that the number of older workers who have left the labour market due to sickness and ill-health (97,000) is nearly twice the rate of those who have retired (50,000) during the pandemic. 
TUC news release and report, Older workers after the pandemic: creating an inclusive labour market, 23 February 2022. Risks 1034. 2 March 2022

Britain: Changes to sick pay rules creates a pandemic threat
Imminent changes to sick pay rules will leave those off work due to Covid-19 just £38 to get through the first week of their illness, the TUC has warned. The Tory government’s decision to end day-one statutory sick pay payments (SSP) for Covid from 24 March will put millions of workers at risk of extra hardship, the union body said.
Prime minister’s 21 February statement to the House of Commons, related Number 10 news story and COVID-19 Response: Living with COVID-19. GMB news release. Morning Star. Risks 1034. 2 March 2022

Canada: Miner’s daughter exposes toxic aluminium ‘treatment’
A decade-long campaign led by the daughter of a deceased Canadian uranium miner has led to a major victory for workers struck by Parkinson’s disease after being subjected to aluminium dust inhalation “treatments” in their jobs. Supported by her union, the United Steelworkers (USW), and other worker advocacy organisations, Janice Martell waged a relentless campaign to compel Ontario’s Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) to recognise Parkinson’s as an occupational disease linked to the use of McIntyre Powder in mining and other industries.
USW news release. McIntyre Powder Project. Ontario WSIB McIntyre Powder update. Canadian Occupational Safety.
Janice Martell and Tee Guidotti. Breathe Deep, Boys: Voices of the McIntyre Powder Project Miners, New Solutions: A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy, 9 February 2022. https://doi.org/10.1177/10482911221079056. Risks 1033. 17 February 2022

Britain: Long Covid has hit half of firms, survey finds
A quarter of UK employers say long Covid is now one of the main causes of long-term sickness absence among their staff, a study has found. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development’s (CIPD) survey of 804 organisations, representing more than 4.3 million employees, found that one in four put it among the top three reasons for long-term absence and half had staff who had suffered from long Covid in the past 12 months.
CIPD news release and report, Working with long COVID: Research evidence to inform support, 8 February 2022.
Long Covid: a guide for supporting our members, TUC – use the interactive guide [takes approx. 25 minutes]. Workers’ experiences of long Covid: A TUC report, June 2021 and summary. Risks 1033. 17 February 2022

Global: Stricter diesel exhaust rules would save many lives
A substantial number of lives would be saved each year by implementing a stringent workplace diesel engine exhaust exposure limit, a study has concluded. Risk assessment experts from Utrecht University calculated implementing the proposed health based DEE limit would reduce the ELR by approximately 93 per cent, while the proposed regulatory limits of 10 and 50  µg/m3 would reduce the ELR by 51 per cent and 21 per cent, respectively.
Roel Vermeulen and Lützen Portengen. How serious are we about protecting workers health? The case of diesel engine exhaust,  Occupational and Environmental Medicine Published Online First: 11 February 2022. doi: 10.1136/oemed-2021-107752 Risks 1033. 17 February 2022

Britain: New study exposes UK inaction on diesel controls
A new evaluation of the protective health effect of tight workplace exposure standards for diesel engine exhaust has exposed the potentially high cost of the UK’s continuing failure to introduce any standard and its refusal to regulate diesel exhaust as a workplace cancer risk. The Utrecht study would indicate enforcing the EU standard would save over 300 lives a year in Great Britain from lung cancer alone.
Control of diesel engine exhaust emissions in the workplace, HSE, 2012. IARC Monographs – volume 105, Diesel and gasoline engine exhausts and some nitroarenes,  IARC, 2012.
Roel Vermeulen, Debra T Silverman, Eric Garshick, Jelle Vlaanderen, Lützen Portengen, and Kyle Steenland. Exposure-Response Estimates for Diesel Engine Exhaust and Lung Cancer Mortality Based on Data from Three Occupational Cohorts, Environmental Health Perspectives, volume 122(2), pages 172-7, February 2014 (first published online 22 November 2013). 
The burden of occupational cancer in Great Britain: Lung cancer, HSE, 2012.
Fuming feature, Diesel out prevention factsheet and Die diesel die pin-up-at-work poster. Hazards 144, October-December 2018.
Diesel exhaust in the workplace: A TUC guide for trade union activists, October 2018. Unite diesel emissions register. Risks 1033. 17 February 2022

Britain: Covid sick pay non-payment strike threat
GMB is warning private contractor G4S that denying full sick pay to hospital workers may result in strike action. The outsourcing giant, which holds the cleaning and portering contract with Croydon University Hospital NHS Trust, has stopped paying Covid sick pay to employees, leaving workers reliant on statutory sick pay of under £100 a week.
GMB news release. Risks 1030. 26 January 2022

Britain: Long Covid hitting NHS staff hard
NHS trusts in England lost nearly 2m days in staff absences due to long Covid in the first 18 months of the pandemic, according to figures that reveal the hidden burden of ongoing illness in the health service. MPs on the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on coronavirus estimate that more than 1.82m days were lost to healthcare workers with long Covid from March 2020 to September 2021 across England’s 219 NHS trusts.
The Guardian. Risks 1030. 26 January 2022

Britain: Fab firm fined after workers get vibration disease
Metals fabrication company MTL Advanced Limited has been sentenced for a criminal breach of health and safety law after several workers were diagnosed with hand arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) or carpal tunnel syndrome. Sheffield Magistrates’ Court heard that the company was visited by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in March 2018 after an employee raised concerns.
HSE news release. Risks 1029. 19 January 2022

Britain: Self-isolation cut won’t fix UK’s sick pay problem
Reducing the self-isolation period won’t fix the UK’s fundamental sick pay problem, the TUC has warned, as a new government policy move reduced self-isolation from seven days to five days. The union body said workers on low or no sick pay still face the impossible choice of self-isolating and facing hardship or putting food on the table but potentially spreading the virus.
TUC news release. ONS private sector self-isolation figures, 13 January 2022. The Guardian. BBC News Online. Risks 1029. 19 January 2022

Global: Infected meat workers forced to work
Workers employed in a South Australian meat processing plant co-owned by one of the world’s largest agribusinesses are being forced to report for duty at one of its giant abattoirs even though they have tested positive for Covid and are actively infectious, unions have revealed. Teys Australia is forcing workers to wear special yellow hairnets as a sign of their Covid status; the company is the country’s second largest meat processing company and is a joint venture between Teys Brothers and the multinational Cargill.
ACTU news release. CBC News. Risks 1028. 12 January 2022

Britain: Government must reverse fit note relaxation
Unite is calling on the UK government to abandon a relaxation to the fit note system the union believes is ‘dangerous’ and could damage workers’ health. The changes, announced before Christmas and set to run until at least 26 January, mean an employee who is off sick can only ask for a fit note from their GP after 28 days of absence, rather than the usual seven days.
Unite news release. Risks 1028. 12 January 2022

Britain: University slammed as sacked lecturer gets payout
Lecturers’ union UCU has condemned the University of Huddersfield after a sacked lecturer secured a £100,000 award because the institution refused to reinstate him, despite being ordered to do so by an employment tribunal. The tribunal ruled in July 2021 that Jonathan Duxbury, who had stress and mental health problems related to poor management practices, had won the right to return to work and should be reinstated by the university into his role as a senior lecturer in the department of accounting, finance and economics.
UCU news release. Risks 1028. 12 January 2022

Britain: Long Covid drives workers to the food bank
Two Bedford Borough Council care workers are relying on food banks to survive, after Long Covid saw them use up all their sick pay allowance. Their union Unite said the cases – which followed catching Covid during a large outbreak in their workplace - raised issues for other UK workplaces where employees also suffer from chronic after effects of the infection.
Unite news release. Risks 1028. 12 January 2022

Britain: Amazon’s high churn, high pace work model slammed
Amazon’s high turnover, high paced work model is hurting us all, a new report has warned. ‘Fast and furious’, publishing in the union safety journal Hazards, noted: “Excessive pace of work is becoming the norm – driven by performance management systems, reward systems and piece work, job insecurity and old fashioned management because-I-say-so.”
Fast and furious: Amazon’s high churn, high pace work template hurts us all, Hazards, number 156, December 2021. Fast and furious pin up at work poster.
When AI is the boss: An introduction for union reps, TUC, December 2021. Risks 1027. 4 January 2022

Britain: Real sick pay falling as Omicron strikes
The UK now has the lowest statutory sick pay in real terms in almost two decades, according to a new analysis by the TUC. The union body is calling on ministers to deliver decent sick pay for all – which it says is a “vital public health tool” in the fight against the virus - it wants the UK government to extend statutory sick pay protection to every worker by removing the lower earnings limit and to increase statutory sick pay to at least the value of the real Living Wage – £346 per week, compared to the current figure of under £100 a week.
TUC news release. Risks 1027. 4 January 2022

Britain: Royal Mail sickness absences almost double
Royal Mail has confirmed that absence levels are almost double those seen in 2018 before the coronavirus pandemic. In an open letter, Terry Pullinger, deputy general secretary of postal at the CWU, indicated the blame lies with “managerial capability issues,” saying that “postal workers and the public deserve better.”
BBC News Online. Personnel Today. Risks 1026. 15 December 2021

Britain: Most firms say statutory sick pay should be higher
The statutory sick pay (SSP) system is broken and needs urgent reform, the CIPD is warning. The professional body for HR and people development made the reform call in a new report, ‘What should an effective sick pay system look like?’, which includes a survey of over 1,000 employers and found nearly two-thirds believes SSP was too low.
CIPD news release and full recommendations. What should an effective sick pay system look like?, CIPD, December 2021. Risks 1026. 15 December 2021

Britain: Furlough and sick pay guarantees now essential
There must be UK government guarantees on furlough, sick pay and workers’ safety in the wake of the Covid Plan B measures announced by the prime minister, the union GMB has said. Dan Shears, GMB national health and safety director, said: “If Covid restrictions lead to employers calling for help or laying off workers - GMB supports reintroduction of the furlough scheme, or something very like it,” adding: “As during previous waves of Covid, GMB will be calling for full sick pay for all workers who suffer Covid-related absence, so no one has to make a choice between the greater good and feeding their families.”
GMB news release. Risks 1026. 15 December 2021

Britain: Payout for worker sacked while battling cancer
A man who was made redundant after battling cancer has been compensated after it was found he had been a victim of disability discrimination. Unite member Gary Hall, a father of two from Stevenage, had been working for NextGenAccess Ltd in Hatfield - initially as a contractor and later as an employee - since 2017.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 1023. 23 November 2021

Britain: Manufacturing firm fined over vibration disease
A company that manufactures and sells medical devices for the healthcare industry has been fined after two workers developed an occupational disease caused by vibrating tools. Newport Magistrates’ Court heard that employees of Frontier Plastics Ltd worked at the company’s Blackwood site in Gwent using vibrating tools including strimmers, hedge cutters, grinders, drills and linishers, without suitable controls to reduce the risks.
HSE news release. Risks 1020. 4 November 2021

Global: Workplace health promotion benefits ‘marginal’
Workplace interventions to address unhealthy worker ‘behaviours’ such as physical inactivity, an unhealthy diet, high alcohol intake and smoking show only ‘marginal gains’ and are ‘disappointing’, workplace health researchers have concluded. The editorial in the Scandinavian Journal of Work Environment and Health is critical of the wide adoption of health promotion programmes focusing only on lifestyle and not on work-related factors, despite significant ‘knowledge gaps’ on their effectiveness.
Robroek SJW, Coenen P, Oude Hengel KM. Decades of workplace health promotion research: marginal gains or a bright future ahead, Scandinavian Journal of Work Environment and Health, volume 47, number 8, pages 561-564, 2021. doi:10.5271/sjweh.3995 Risks 1020. 4 November 2021

Britain: Fitter compensated for biomass-related asthma
A worker whose career at Drax power station was cut short by an industrial disease, has secured ‘significant’ damages in a Unite backed claim. Neil Lindridge, 57, became unwell after being exposed to the burning of biomass at the plant for several years.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 1016. 29 September 2021

Britain: Engineering firm fined after work asthma 
Lantern Engineering Ltd has been prosecuted for a criminal health and safety offence after workers were exposed to metal working fluid (MWF), one developing occupational asthma as a result. The firm pleaded guilty to a criminal safety breach and was fined £15,000 and ordered to pay £7,500 in costs.
HSE news release and metalworking hazards webpage. Risks 1016. 29 September 2021

Global: New work deaths figures must spur action
New estimates jointly released jointly by two UN agencies that indicate 19 work-related risk factors cause approaching two million deaths each year fall substantially short of the real toll, the global union confederation ITUC has warned. The figures were announced by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and World Health Organisation (WHO), with WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus commenting: “Our report is a wake-up call to countries and businesses to improve and protect the health and safety of workers by honouring their commitments to provide universal coverage of occupational health and safety services.”
ILO news release. WHO news release. ITUC news release.
WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease and Injury, 2000-2016: Global Monitoring Report, WHO/ILO, September 2021. ILO List of Occupational Diseases, Recommendation 194. World Congress on Safety and Health and related media advisory. Risks 1015. 23 September 2021

Britain: Work asthma costs health care housekeeper her job
A lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) at work left a health centre worker from Sheffield with an occupational disease and unable to work. Tracey Grayson, a 52-year-old UNISON member, who has received a five figure payout, used Chlor-clean about once or twice a week - without ever being supplied with the correct PPE.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 1013. 8 September 2021

Britain: Rising health issues behind driver shortages
Ill-health and illness is a major factor in the increasing shortage of lorry drivers, Unite has revealed. The union identified the ‘rising’ problem after making a freedom of information (FOI) request to the Driving and Vehicle Licensing Association (DVLA).
Unite news release. Risks 1013. 8 September 2021

Britain: Vibration disease strikes seven at site firm
Construction company Peter Duffy Ltd has been sentenced for criminal safety breaches after its workers were diagnosed with Hand Arm Vibration (HAVS). Leeds Magistrates’ Court heard that the company reported seven cases of HAVS, a potentially disabling condition, between November 2016 and August 2018.
HSE news release. Risks 1011. 26 August 2021

Britain: Access to OHS has been greatly exaggerated
A government-sourced statement that around half of the UK workforce has access to occupational health services (OHS) is based on unsubstantiated claims and is likely to be a significant over-estimate, a top occupational health expert has warned. In a Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM) blog posting, occupational doctor Paul Nicholson warns the evidence is “unreliable”, adding: “Data that is based on the estimates of ‘a couple of experts’ sounds rather slapdash” with “even published peer-reviewed expert opinion being the lowest quality evidence in most evidence hierarchies.”
SOM news release. Risks 1010. 19 August 2021

Britain: Shifts ‘significantly associated’ with heart problems
Long-term night shifts are “significantly associated” with heart-related health problems in UK workers, according to a new study. Researchers from China, Hong Kong, the USA and Sweden examined UK data and found working late hours was linked with irregular and fast heart rate, with women potentially at greater risk; working night shifts also increased the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), according to the paper published in the European Heart Journal.
Ningjian Wang and others. Long-term night shift work is associated with the risk of atrial fibrillation and coronary heart disease, European Heart Journal, 2021;, ehab505. Published 10 August 2021. https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehab505. The Independent. Risks 1010. 19 August 2021

Britain: Motorway workers protest over sick pay denial
Highways maintenance workers employed by construction giant Kier have protested at the company’s Basingstoke offices, over the company’s refusal to pay them sick pay. Unite said that despite being required to work day and night in all weathers the highways maintenance workers only receive statutory sick pay (SSP), which is worth just £96.35 a week, with this is in contrast to the office-based staff at Kier and the workers who are directly employed by the client Highways England who receive full sick pay from day one for a period of up to three months.
Unite news release. Risks 1010. 19 August 2021

Britain: Painful dermatitis led to worker being ditched
A Yorkshire grandmother, who developed a severe skin condition as a result of her work, has secured £50,000 in damages. BFAWU member Susan Robinson, 59, from Wakefield, worked at Speedibake – a factory in West Yorkshire that supplies muffins, cupcakes and other baked goods to big supermarket chains.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 1008. 4 August 2021

Britain: Missed chance to help disabled workers
A new UK government disability strategy amounts to a ‘missed chance’ to help disabled workers, the TUC has said. TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said:  “Disabled workers have a legal right to the reasonable adjustments they need – but two-fifths of disabled workers aren’t getting them.”
DWP news release, advice hub and National Disability Strategy. TUC news release. BBC News Online. Risks 1007, 29 July 2021

Australia: Unions call for national action on silicosis
Unions in Australia are calling on the federal government to take action to address deadly silicosis risks at work. National union body ACTU says a National Dust Disease Taskforce’s (NDDT) report fails to make meaningful recommendations on prevention of the devastating occupational lung disease.
ACTU news release. Risks 1006. 22 July 2021

Britain: Occupational health action call on long Covid
Poor access to occupational health services in Britain’s workplaces is exacerbating problems faced by workers with long Covid, according to the Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM). The organisation for occupational doctors says at least two million people in the UK have experienced ongoing debilitating symptoms following Covid-19 infection, but only half the UK workforce can access occupational health support to enable their return to work.
SOM news release.
Long Covid and the workplace, TUC webinar, Wednesday 30 June, 7:30pm – 8:30pm. Register on Zoom. Risks 1003. 30 June 2021

Britain: Amazon ridiculed over 'wellness chamber' for stressed staff
Amazon has faced ridicule after it announced plans to put ‘wellness chambers’ in its warehouses so that stressed workers can sit inside and watch videos about relaxation. In a now deleted video shared on its Twitter account, Amazon said the ‘AmaZen’ chamber would help staff focus on their mental health.
Motherboard. BBC News Online. AmaZen YouTube clip. Risks 999. 2 June 2021

Britain: Firm fined after allergic reaction to metalworking fluid
A Berkshire firm has been fined £100,000 after a worker was splashed with metalworking fluid and had a serious allergic reaction. The worker at automotive company Xtrac Ltd, based in Thatcham, experienced a painful burning sensation, and broken, oozing skin, the Health Safety Executive (HSE) said, suffering sensitisation that meant he had to leave his job.
HSE news release and metalworking fluids webpages. BBC News Online. Reading Chronicle. Risks 998. 26 May 2021

Global: Long working hours are a major heart killer
Long working hours are killing hundreds of thousands of people a year, according to UN agencies. The first global study of its kind showed 745,000 people died in 2016 from stroke and heart disease due to long working hours; the report for the UN’s World Health Organisation (WHO) and International Labour Organisation (ILO) warned the trend may worsen due to the coronavirus pandemic.
ILO news release. WHO news release. Frank Pega, Bálint Náfrádi, Natalie C Momena and others. Global, regional, and national burdens of ischemic heart disease and stroke attributable to exposure to long working hours for 194 countries, 2000–2016: A systematic analysis from the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease and Injury, Environment International, online 17 May 2021, Corrected Proof. BBC News Online. Risks 997. 19 May 2021

Britain: Disability discrimination success for MoD worker
A Prospect member who suffered a work-related physical and mental health breakdown has been awarded a five-figure sum in a disability discrimination case against the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Operations manager Paul Hollands has complex musculoskeletal conditions and required modified equipment and auxiliary aids to continue with his job, not all of which his employer agreed to provide.
Prospect news release. Risks 997. 19 May 2021

Britain: Government must increase self-isolation support
The UK government must increase self-isolation support to ensure the success of the vaccine rollout, the Nuffield Trust and the Resolution Foundation have said. The thinktanks warned that boosting compliance with self-isolation rules is critical to resist the threats posed by new variants of coronavirus and rising cases as restrictions continue to ease.
Nuffield Trust news release. Tackling Covid-19: A case for better financial support to self-isolate, Sarah Reed, William Palmer, Mike Brewer and Maja Gustafsson, Nuffield Trust/Resolution Foundation, May 2021. Morning Star. Risks 997. 19 May 2021

Britain: Long Covid compensation decision could take a year
A decision about whether key workers with long Covid should get compensation could take more than a year, government advisers have told the BBC. However, despite the advisers claiming the evidence is not yet available, many other national and regional jurisdictions already provide this compensation coverage for Covid-19 and long Covid.
BBC News Online. File on 4: The Cost of Long Covid, 18 May 2021. Risks 997. 19 May 2021

Britain: Compulsory vaccinations for care staff won’t work
Health and social care workers who felt under greater pressure from their employers to receive Covid-19 vaccination were more likely to decline it, according to preliminary new research highlighting factors influencing uptake. Sandra Mounier-Jack, an associate professor in health policy at LSHTM and a study author, said: “Our work shows a move towards mandating Covid-19 vaccination is likely to harden stances and negatively affect trust in the vaccination, provider, and policymakers.”
UNISON news release. LSHTM news release.
Sadie Bell, Richard M Clarke, Sharif A Ismail, Oyinkansola Ojo-Aromokudu, Habib Naqvi, Yvonne Coghill, Helen Donovan, Louise Letley, Pauline Paterson, Sandra Mounier-Jack. COVID-19 vaccination beliefs, attitudes, and behaviours among health and social care workers in the UK: a mixed-methods study. MedRxiv pre-print. Risks 996. 13 May 2021

Britain: Covid-19 heightening ‘always on’ work culture
Despite the sharp increase in homeworking and perceived flexibility benefits as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, more than threequarters (77 per cent) of employers have observed ‘presenteeism’ – people working when unwell – in employees who are working from home in the last year. The latest CIPD/Simplyhealth Health and Wellbeing at Work survey also found ’leaveism’ – working outside of contracted hours or using annual leave to work or when ill – is an issue, with seven in ten (70 per cent) employers observing this unhealthy behaviour over the same period.
CIPD news release. 2021 CIPD/Simplyhealth Health and Wellbeing at Work survey report. Risks 994. 28 April 2021

Canada: Quebec farmers to get Parkinson's compensation
For people working in the agriculture industry who have developed Parkinson's as a result of long-term exposure to pesticides, claiming benefits from Quebec's workplace health and safety board (CNESST) is about to get easier. With Parkinson's added to the province’s list of accepted occupational illnesses, people working on farms will no longer have to prove the disease is related to their work.
CBC News. Risks 992. 14 April 2021

Britain: TUC criticises ‘miserly’ increase to statutory sick pay
A 50p rise in statutory sick pay (SSP) from £95.85 to £96.35 a week has been criticised as ‘miserly’ by the TUC. The union body’s general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “No one should be plunged into hardship if they need to self-isolate. But more than a year into this pandemic many workers still don’t have access to decent sick pay.”
BBC News Online. Risks 992. 14 April 2021

Britain: Wilko workers ready to strike over sick pay
Wilko workers are ready to strike after bosses cut their sick pay entitlement - while management kept theirs. A consultative ballot saw 88 per cent vote for action up to and including a strike following the ‘savage’ cuts. GMB said the discount high street chain remained open throughout the pandemic thanks to the hard work and dedication of their employees.
GMB news release. Risks 990. 23 March 2021

Britain: Ill-health driving many out of work before retirement
Hundreds of thousands of older workers are retiring early and “consigned to poverty” due to ill-health, the TUC has said. A new report published by the union body shows that 1 in 8 (12 per cent) men and women are forced to stop working before state pension age due to ill-health or disability.  The report – Extending working lives: how to support older workers – finds that more than half a million (534,876) workers aged 60 to 65 have had to leave the workplace due to medical reasons.
TUC news release and report, Extending working lives: how to support older workers, March 2021. Risks 989. 16 March 2021

Britain: Foundry fined £500k after workers hit by vibration disease
A multinational building products giant has been fined £500,000 after its workers developed debilitating hand arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) caused by their jobs. Newcastle-under-Lyme Magistrates’ Court heard that three employees at the Saint-Gobain Construction Products UK Limited foundry in Telford were diagnosed with HAVS in 2016, but the company did not identify each employee’s daily exposure to vibration and did not measure cumulative exposures from using different vibrating tools throughout a shift.
HSE news release. Risks 988. 11 March 2021

Britain: Sick days hit new record low in 2020
Workplace absences are at the lowest level since records began in 1995, latest official figures show. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the coronavirus had caused many sick days, the measures taken to contain it, such as furloughing, social distancing, shielding and homeworking, appeared to have helped reduce other causes of absence.
Sickness absence in the UK labour market: 2019 and 2020, ONS, 3 March 2021. The Guardian. Risks 988. 11 March 2021

USA: Time off call for workers with vaccine side effects
Workers with temporary, unpleasant side effects from Covid-19 vaccines deserve appropriate time off without having to use up their regular sick leave or paid time off, US academics have said. Dorit Rubinstein Reiss from the University of California and Arthur L Caplan of New York University note: “Employees deserve to have the few days they need to recover from temporary, but unpleasant, Covid-19 vaccine side effects.”
Dorit Rubinstein Reiss and Arthur L Caplan. Workers With COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects Deserve Time Off To Recover, Health Affairs Blog, 5 February 2021. DOI: 10.1377/hblog20210204.959004
Hawkins D, Davis L, Kriebel D. COVID‐19 deaths by occupation, Massachusetts, March 1–July 31, 2020, AJIM, 1 February 2021. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.23227 Risks 984. 11 February 2021

FBU launches firefighter cancer and disease registry
Firefighters’ union FBU has launched a new nationwide database to assess the potential link between exposure to fire toxicants and the increased occurrence of cancers and other diseases among firefighters. The union, which has developed the registry with researchers at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan), is calling on every current and former UK firefighter suffering from a serious or chronic illness to add their name to the registry, a move it says will help save firefighters’ lives in the future.
FBU news release and UK Firefighters Cancer and Disease Registry (FCDR). Risks 984. 11 February 2021

Britain: TUC policy proposal for ‘sick pay that works’
A new TUC policy proposal spells out how to deliver ‘Sick pay that works’. The union body argues the rapid introduction of a comprehensive scheme could help tackle coronavirus and save many workers from hardship.
Sick pay that works: TUC report on the urgent need for reform, TUC, February 2021. Risks 983. 3 February 2021

Britain: Decent sick pay a ‘gaping hole’ in Covid strategy
The lack of decent sick pay has been a “gaping hole” in the government's Covid strategy, the TUC has said. The union body was commenting on a Resolution Foundation report on the government's failure to support workers to self-isolate with decent sick pay.
Resolution Foundation news release and report, Time out, Reforming Statutory Sick Pay to support the Covid-19 recovery phase, 8 December 2020. Sick pay and debt, TUC, 9 September 2020. Risks 977. 9 December 2020

Britain: Don't go to work when sick, 'peculiar' Brits told
Britons should stop “soldiering on” by going to work when sick and making others ill, the health secretary has said. Apparently oblivious to a mountain of evidence from the TUC, unions and others that poor or entirely absent sick pay and fear of disciplinary action stopped people taking sick leave, Matt Hancock said people in the UK were “peculiarly unusual and outliers” for still going to work when unwell.
Joint committee inquiry. BBC News Online. The Guardian. Sick pay and debt, TUC, 9 September 2020. Risks 975. 28 November 2020

Britain: Guarantee decent sick pay for every worker
The TUC is spearheading a #SickPayForAll campaign. The union body says no one should be faced with both illness and the fear of being plunged into debt.
Sign the #SickPayForAll petition. See the video featuring TUC safety specialist Shelly Asquith. Risks 975. 28 November 2020

Britain: Asthma risk linked to permanent night shift work
Shift workers, especially those working permanent night shift rotas, may be at heightened risk of moderate to severe asthma, new UK research has indicated. The new findings, published online in the journal Thorax, found there was a 36 per cent increase in the odds of having moderate to severe asthma in permanent night shift workers compared to those working normal office hours, while the odds of wheeze or airway whistling were 11-18 per cent higher among those working any of the three shift patterns.
Maidstone R, Turner J, Vetter C and others. Night shift work is associated with an increased risk of asthma, Thorax, Published Online First: 16 November 2020. doi: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2020-215218 Risks 974. 19 November 2020

Britain: DHL must adopt a sick and self-isolation pay scheme
Parcel courier DHL must adopt a “culture of responsibility” during the pandemic and introduce a genuine sick and self-isolation pay scheme for workers, the union CWU has said. The union’s petition is calling on DHL Parcel UK to introduce a proper pay plan for people who are sick with coronavirus or have been forced to self-isolate.
CWU news release. Risks 974. 19 November 2020.

Britain: Footballer’s dementia death ‘an industrial disease’
A former Wales international footballer died from dementia linked to repeatedly heading the ball, an inquest has heard. Coroner John Gittins concluded former midfielder Alan Jarvis died from Alzheimer's “caused by his occupation.”
BBC News Online. PFA dementia support. Risks 970. 24 October 2020

Britain: Rise in homeworking requires negotiation
Employers should reach homeworking agreements with unions to avoid an ‘industrial minefield’ when turning workers' homes into a place of work, Unite has said. It said the explosion in home-working caused by Covid-19, means trade unions will have an increasingly important role to play in minimising the dangers and maximising the advantages of working from home.
Unite news release and framework homeworking agreement. Risks 969. 17 October 2020

Britain: Coronavirus may cause 'wave' of neurological disease
Covid-19 can cause worrying neurological symptoms like a loss of smell and taste, but Australian scientists are warning the damage the virus causes to the brain may also lead to more serious conditions such as Parkinson's disease. Findings published in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease describe a “two-hit hypothesis”: The brain gets inflamed from something like a virus, then something else comes along later causing more damage and eventually Parkinson's disease develops.
Leah C Beauchamp and others. Parkinsonism as a Third Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic?, Journal of Parkinson's Disease, published online pre-press, 22 September 2020. ABC News. Risks 967. 3 October 2020

China: Factory leak spreads animal disease
Thousands of people in northwest China have been diagnosed with a highly infectious bacterial disease after an outbreak caused by a leak at a pharmaceutical company. Authorities in the city of Lanzhou confirmed that 3,245 people had tested positive for brucellosis caused by “contaminated exhaust” from a factory in Lanzhou producing vaccines for animals.
CNN News. The Independent.
Resources: Brucellosis in humans and animals, WHO. Risks 966. 26 September 2020

Britain: Many thousands of work Covid-19 cases unreported
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance outlining when employers should report work-related Covid-19 may miss ‘many thousands’ of cases and should be widened, according to a new study. Professor Raymond Agius of the University of Manchester’s Centre for Occupational and Environmental Health found the HSE guidance doesn’t correspond with Office for National Statistics (ONS) data on the highest risk jobs, adding: “Available evidence suggests that it might have failed in capturing many thousands of work related Covid-19 disease cases and hundreds of deaths.”
SOM news release.
RM Agius. COVID-19: statutory means of scrutinizing workers' deaths and disease, Occupational Medicine, kqaa165, 21 September 2020. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqaa165 Risks 966. 26 September 2020

Britain: IKEA agrees to continue virus sick pay
Furniture giant IKEA has said it will pay full wages to staff forced to self-isolate for 14 days during the coronavirus pandemic. The move was welcomed by retail union Usdaw. Dave Gill, the union’s national officer for IKEA, said: “We will continue to work with IKEA on their absence policy, and welcome the clarification that IKEA will continue to pay our members who are affected by the coronavirus their full pay for the duration of their sickness or isolation period and this will not be counted towards any absence trigger points.”
Usdaw news release. Daily Record. Risks 963. 6 September 2020

Britain: Banham Poultry must ‘step up’ on sick pay
Hundreds of workers at the Banham Poultry factory in Attleborough, Norfolk, and their families have been instructed to self-isolate. Authorities reported on 1 September that 104 staff had tested positive for coronavirus. Unite said the affected workers must receive ‘adequate sick pay’.
Unite news release. Norfolk County Council 28 August news update and 1 September update. Eastern Daily Press. Environmental Health News. BBC News Online. Risks 963. 6 September 2020

Britain: 'Paltry’ £13 a day is not enough to help self-isolate
The UK government’s pilot of payments of £13 a day to people on low incomes who need to self-isolate is insufficient, unions have warned. TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Every worker should have the right to decent sick pay so they can help stop the spread of the virus.”
Department of Health and Social Care news release. TUC news release. STUC news release. Risks 963. 6 September 2020

Britain: Call to allow disabled workers to work from home
Disabled employees working from home during lockdown say they have been more productive and took fewer days off sick than when they were doing their jobs in the office, according to a UNISON survey. The union is now calling on the government to give disabled people a new right to work from home if they wish and for employers to face penalties if they don’t comply.
UNISON news release and related news release. BBC News Online. Risks 962. 29 August 2020

Britain: Raise sick pay and extend furlough to tackle virus
Statutory sick pay should be increased and the furlough scheme extended on a flexible basis, a report from the Royal Society has concluded. Doing so would better manage a “crude” trade-off between lives and livelihoods as the UK economy reopens, Professors Sir Tim Besley and Sir Nicholas Stern state.
Royal Society news release and report, Economic Aspects of the COVID-19 Crisis in the UK, The DELVE Initiative,  August 2020. BBC News Online. Risks 961. 22 August 2020

Britain: Raise sick pay and extend furlough to tackle virus
Statutory sick pay should be increased and the furlough scheme extended on a flexible basis, a report from the Royal Society has concluded. Doing so would better manage a “crude” trade-off between lives and livelihoods as the UK economy reopens, Professors Sir Tim Besley and Sir Nicholas Stern state.
Royal Society news release and report, Economic Aspects of the COVID-19 Crisis in the UK, The DELVE Initiative,  August 2020. BBC News Online. Risks 961. 22 August 2020

Britain: Boss demands blood from isolating school worker
A self-isolating school worker was horrified when bosses from her academy turned up at her home and bullied her into taking a Covid-19 blood test. Her union GMB said the ‘terrified’ teaching assistant, who had already requested a test from the NHS, let them take her blood – even though the NHS does not recommend home antibody test kits, as it has not been confirmed they are safe and reliable.
GMB news release. Risks 960. 15 August 2020

Britain: Homerton hospital workers in sick pay victory
Homerton Hospital’s cleaners, porters and security staff will be paid the London living wage and NHS sick pay “from day one” of a renewed, five-year contract with facilities firm ISS. Over half of the 200 staff employed by ISS were only entitled to statutory sick pay, meaning they were paid nothing at all for the first three days of sickness and just £94.25 a week thereafter.
UNISON news release. GMB London news release. Hackney Gazette. Risks 959. 8 August 2020

Britain: TUC warning over ‘heartless and reckless’ work return plan
The TUC has urged employers to prioritise the safety of shielded workers and not demand that they return to workplaces immediately. Official guidance ends shielding from 31 July in Scotland, 1 August in England, and 16 August in Wales, so shielding workers may face demands from their employers to return to workplaces.
TUC news release and report, Job security: Saving the jobs of those who cannot work at home, July 2020. Daily Mail. Personnel Today. Risks 959. 8 August 2020

Britain: Serious concerns over shielding ‘pause’
Serious concerns have been raised about the UK government’s plans ‘to pause’ its shielding policy and the challenges that will then face thousands of extremely vulnerable people returning to the workplace. Unite said that the world of work had changed dramatically since the lockdown was introduced in March and questioned if ministers had thought through all the implications of ‘pausing’, as Covid-19 was still prevalent across the UK.
Unite news release. Risks 959. 8 August 2020

Britain: Government was told poor sick pay was an infection factor
An admission by the government’s top medical adviser that it failed to recognise the workplace circumstances that helped spread Covid-19 has been slammed by the union GMB. In evidence to the Commons Health and Social Care Committee on 21 July, chief medical officer Chris Whitty said “we hadn’t recognised what in retrospect are obvious but were not recognised at the time... people who were working at multiple homes. People without sick leave etc.”
GMB news release. The Times. ITV News. Risks 957. 25 July 2020

Britain: Food firm virus sick pay rethink welcomed
Unite has welcomed a u-turn by Covid-19 hit firm Rowan Foods which has now agreed to pay company sick pay to anyone testing positive or isolating. Unite regional officer Dave Griffiths, commenting after a meeting with the Wrexham firm, said: “Unite believes that the payment of sick pay for Covid affected workers at Rowan Foods will help enormously in containing this outbreak and limiting wider community spread.”
Unite news release. Risks 956. 18 July 2020

Britain: Sick easyJet redundancy scheme is unsafe, warns union
An easyJet plan to use sickness records in its selection of pilots for redundancy is ‘outrageous’ and unsafe, the pilots’ union BALPA has warned. The union was commenting after the airline announced its proposals to select 727 pilots for the axe.
BALPA news release. BBC News Online. Daily Mail. Risks 956. 18 July 2020

Global: OECD backs paid Covid-19 sick leave
Paid sick leave can be a particularly effective tool in addressing the coronavirus crisis, an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) analysis has concluded. The OECD concludes that paid sick leave can be a particularly effective tool, as part of a rigorous testing, tracking, tracing and isolating strategy
OECD TUAC news release. OECD policy brief on sick leave. Risks 955. 11 July 2020

Britain: Sick pay for outsourced civil servants must stay
All outsourced staff working on civil service contracts should be eligible for full occupational sick pay from day one, PCS has said in a letter to prime minister Boris Johnson. The union is launching a new national campaign, ‘Dying for Sick Pay’, to press the claim, after winning sick pay rights for outsourced civil servants for the duration of the coronavirus crisis.
PCS news release. Risks 951. 13 June 2020

Britain: ‘Massive’ GMB sick pay win at giant care provider
Care provider HC-One has pledged to pay full Covid-19 sick pay for all its 27,000 workforce, following a GMB campaign. The company, which operates about 350 homes, has also promised to retrospectively pay any carer who has been diagnosed since the outbreak began.
GMB news release. BBC News Online. Risks 949. 30 May 2020

Britain: All Covid-19 key worker deaths must be recognised
Firefighters’ union FBU is demanding that the government issue guidance to employers stating that the death of firefighters and key workers as a result of Covid-19 should be automatically recognised as work-related, allowing their families to receive compensation. In a letter to prime minister Boris Johnson and devolved administrations, the FBU says that the guidance must cover all of those officially recognised as key workers as well as those who have been required to continue to work by their employer.
FBU news release. Risks 945. 2 May 2020

Global: Covid-19 is an occupational disease, everywhere
Unions worldwide are calling for Covid-19 to be classified as an occupational disease in all affected groups of workers, to guarantee stronger workplace protections and access to compensation. The call from the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and its global union partners say there must be a “presumption” cases are work-related unless conclusive evidence is presented to the contrary, and includes a lengthy lists of jobs where presumption should occur.
ITUC news release and Council of Global Unions Statement on Recognition of COVID-19 as an Occupational Disease.
BWI news release. Education International news release. IndustriALL news release. ITF news release. PSI news release. UNI news release. TUC Workers’ Memorial Day news release. STUC news release.
Third ITUC Global Covid-19 Survey Key Findings and related ITUC news release. Risks 945. 2 May 2020

Britain: Work-related coronavirus cases must be reported – official
Dangerous occurrences and cases of actual ill-health related to coronavirus exposures have now to be reported, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has said. The safety regulator said the new legal reporting requirement under RIDDOR (The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013) applies “when an unintended incident at work has led to someone’s possible or actual exposure to coronavirus,” adding: “This must be reported as a dangerous occurrence.”
HSE news release. Risks 942. 11 April 2020

Britain: Work-related Covid-19 deaths ‘not a given’
The UK Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM) has said it does not believe that work-related fatalities due to Covid-19 were inevitable. Saying cases were ‘not a given’, SOM said the UK should have aimed for a target of zero work caused fatalities in this pandemic within the NHS, essential services and UK business.
SOM news release. Government/PHE/NHS England news release. Risks 942. 11 April 2020

USA: Worker health is public health
In the Covid-19 pandemic, worker health is public health - but worker safety and health is in crisis, a top US safety law expert has said. Debbie Berkowitz of the National Employment Law Project (NELP) said the US federal government “is failing to ensure the safety and health of workers - including those most at risk, health care workers. The government has also abandoned its role in keeping all other essential workers safe - those in supermarkets, delivery, warehouses, factories, public transportation and sanitation.”
OnLabor. Frogner BK. How many health care workers are at risk of being sacrificed to COVID-19 in the US?, Center for Health Workforce Studies, University of Washington, Mar 31 2020. Risks 941. 4 April 2020

Britain: Risk of lorry driver shortage unless medical rules are relaxed
Unite has warned that 10 to 20 per cent of drivers could be forced off the road unless the government relaxes the requirement for HGV drivers to have a medical. The union says there is already a shortage of HGV drivers, who are playing a ‘crucial’ role during the coronavirus crisis in maintaining the supply of food and medicines.
Unite news release. Risks 941. 4 April 2020

Britain: Norse Medway slammed for ‘dangerous’ approach
Unite has said it is ‘dismayed’ at council services outsourcer Norse Medway’s approach to social distancing for key workers as well as staff who need to self-isolate because of the coronavirus. On 24 March, the union said that Norse – which operates refuse collection, street cleaning, crematoria, gardening and other services for Medway council in Kent – is refusing to put workers who are self-isolating on medical suspensions.
Unite news release. Risk 940. 28 March 2020

Britain: Stena Line ferries slammed for suspending sick pay
Nautilus has protested 'draconian' steps taken by Stena Line ferries after it suspended its sick pay scheme without consultation with unions. The move, which the firm said was in response to the coronavirus crisis, has compounded a situation in which more than a thousand shore-based staff have been made redundant by the company in the past week, the union said. “This draconian step will impact on those unfortunate employees, who through no fault of their own, are unable to work due to severe illness when they have provided many years of loyal service to Stena Line,” Nautilus national ferry organiser Micky Smyth said. “We have serious concerns that employees who may be sick will return to their vessels, which may have serious medical implications for all those onboard including passengers, drivers and crew.”
Nautilus news release and Coronavirus Resources hub. Risk 940. 28 March 2020

Britain: Wilko scraps plan to slash sick pay following union campaign
Wilko has scrapped a plan to slash sick pay for tens of thousands of workers after a GMB campaign. The union said the company now acknowledges that, in the light of the Covid-19 outbreak, ‘now is not the time’ to slash sick pay for tens of thousands of workers.
GMB news release. Risk 940. 28 March 2020

India: Saint-Gobain worker dismissed for occupational illness
An employee of the global building materials giant Saint-Gobain in Bangalore, India, was fired for absenteeism after exposure to the highly toxic chemical cadmium left him with severe health problems, the global union IndustriALL has said. Valter Sanches, general secretary of the global union IndustriALL, has now written to the multinational demanding a proper investigation into the problems and measures to remedy the situation.
IndustriALL news release. Risks 939. 21 March 2020

Europe: Outbreak exposes danger of sick pay cuts
Europe’s trade union federation ETUC is calling for paid sick leave for all workers across Europe, warning the coronavirus exposes the danger to public health posed by the cuts made to sick pay by member states. ETUC general secretary Luca Visentini said: “It shouldn’t have taken a global pandemic to show that’s a bad idea, but the EU and member states now need to ensure that all workers have the right to paid sick leave and free health care.”
ETUC news release, resolution on coronavirus and Trade unions and the coronavirus resources webpages. GMB news release. Risks 939. 21 March 2020

Britain: ‘Massive backlash’ against Wilko plans to slash sick pay
Wilko must listen to the public and workers and cancel their ‘ill thought out’ plans to cut sick pay for tens of thousands of staff, the union GMB has said. The company has announced plans to cut sick pay entitlement for all 21,000 members of staff in stores and distribution centres.
GMB news release and earlier release. Retail Gazette. The Mirror. The Sun. The Express. Morning Star. Risks 938. 14 March 2020

Britain: Construction sick pay agreements should kick in early
Construction employers should relax sick pay rules immediately to help tackle the spread of the coronavirus, the union Unite has said. The union has written to several industry bodies signed up to industrial agreements asking that industry that enhanced sick pay is also paid from day one.
Unite news release. Personnel Today. Construction Enquirer. Risks 938. 14 March 2020

Britain: TUC calls for emergency coronavirus taskforce
The government must set up an emergency taskforce to deal with the coronavirus outbreak, the TUC has said. The union body said ministers should urgently pull together unions, employers and government agencies to come up with a plan for minimising the economic and health impacts of the virus.
TUC news release. Prime minister’s statement on the coronavirus and DWP statement, 9 March 2020. Thompsons Solicitors SSP briefing. BBC News Online. Morning Star.
RESOURCES: EU-OSHA coronavirus and the workplace resources guide. BMJ news and resources. JAMA Coronavirus Resource Center. Risks 938. 14 March 2020

Australia: Government bankrolls bid to cut sick leave
Whilst Australian workers face uncertainty and financial stress in the face of the coronavirus crisis, the federal government and business have been working to strip them of access to sick leave and other entitlements. Rather than throwing its full weight behind ensuring workers are supported through the emergency, it has emerged that prime minister Scott Morrison is spending taxpayers’ money to fight court battles that would strip ordinary Australians of their sick pay.
ACTU news release. Risks 937. 7 March 2020

Global: Union action call on ‘crucial’ coronavirus action
With over 90,000 people in dozens of countries currently infected by the coronavirus (Covid-19), ITUC is calling for urgent measures to ensure that workers who show symptoms can take sick leave without fear of losing their jobs or their incomes, and receive free health care.
ITUC news release. Risks 937. 7 March 2020

Britain: GMB wins full pay for ISS staff if self isolated
The union GMB has scored a big win for thousands of workers after private outsourcing company ISS promised full pay for all its health worker employees if they are forced to self-isolate due to coronavirus. The union said it has pressured NHS outsourcing companies – and the government - to ensure all workers are given full pay from day one if forced to self-isolate.
GMB news release and briefing on Coronavirus risks at work; GMB news release on the Channel 4 focus group findings. Risks 937. 7 March 2020

Britain: Government cuts created coronavirus ‘hygiene nightmare’
Government cuts have heightened public hygiene problems with the closure of more than a fifth of public toilets in Britain during the past decade, according to UNISON figures. People across the country are being urged to wash their hands frequently and thoroughly in a government information campaign aimed at containing the spread of Covid-19, or coronavirus, but new freedom of information (FoI) figures gathered by UNISON show there has been a 22 per cent drop in the number of public toilets maintained by councils since 2010, with the closure of 979.
UNISON news release. Risks 937. 7 March 2020

Britain: Patchy sick pay cover undermines coronavirus prevention
Leaving large sections of the workforce without sick pay is undermining the government’s plans to head off a possible coronavirus epidemic, unions have warned. They say the government needs to introduce emergency legislation to ensure that the millions of workers not entitled to statutory sick pay receive it from day one if they can’t work because of coronavirus.
Unite news release. Prospect news release. GMB news release and related news release. UNISON news release. Morning Star. The Guardian. Risks 937. 7 March 2020

Britain: No-one should miss out on sick pay, for safety’s sake
The TUC has urged the government to support workers who do not qualify for statutory sick pay (SSP) as the coronavirus spreads. After pressure from the TUC and unions, the government announced that workers will get statutory sick pay from the first day off work, not the fourth, to help contain coronavirus spread.
TUC news release and related news release, TUC blog and ‘Sick pay for all’ call for emergency legislation and research report. Prime minister’s statement, 3 March 2020 and government coronavirus action plan. GMB news release. UNISON news release and blog. NEU news release. RMT news release. Scope news release. BBC News Online and related story.
RESOURCES: COVID-19: guidance for employers and businesses, Public Health England and Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy, February 2020. RCM coronavirus briefing.
ACTION: Sign the TUC ‘Sick pay for all’ petition. Risks 937. 7 March 2020

Britain: Airlines must take action now on toxic cabin air
Airlines must take immediate action to stop ‘aerotoxic fume events’ occurring during flights, cabin crew union Unite has said. The union, which is taking several major airlines to court as a result of members suffering severe health effects caused by exposure to toxic cabin air, made the call after the dangers to pilots and cabin crew were highlighted in a BBC Radio File on Four programme.
Something in the air, File on Four, BBC Radio 4, 25 February 2020. Unite news release, aerotoxic campaign resources, fume events register, factsheet, poster and campaign card. US AFA fume event webpages.
EVENT: ‘Everybody flies’ aerotoxic syndrome documentary. UK cinema screening dates and locations in March 2020. Film trailer. Risks 936. 29 February 2020

Britain: Bad jobs link to ‘shocking’ life expectancy gap
Life expectancy has stalled for the first time in more than 100 years and even reversed for the most deprived women in society, according to a landmark review which shows the gap in health inequalities is yawning even wider than it did a decade ago. Sir Michael Marmot’s review, 10 years after he warned that growing inequalities in society would lead to worse health, calls on the government to reduce child poverty to 10 per cent, reduce “poor quality, low-paid and insecure” work, make sure the national living wage and benefits give people the minimum needed for a healthy life, and invest more in the most deprived areas.
Health Equity in England: The Marmot Review 10 Years On, Institute for Health Equity, February 2020; full report and executive summary. GMB news release.  The Guardian. BBC News Online. Risks 936. 29 February 2020

Britain: Welsh health board signs TUC’s dying to work charter
Hywel Dda University Health Board has become the latest employer to sign up to the TUC’s Dying to Work Charter, a measure aimed at helping employees who become terminally ill at work. The Dying to Work campaign is seeking greater security for terminally ill workers, with the charter offering affected individuals additional employment protections when they need them the most.
TUC news release and Dying to Work Charter. Risks 936. 29 February 2020

Britain: Car retailer’s neglect led to occupational asthma
A car retailer operating across the South East of England has been fined after a car bodywork sprayer developed occupational asthma. West Hampshire Magistrates’ Court heard that, between October 2011 and March 2018, an employee of Harwoods Limited at Audi Southampton had been spraying paints containing isocyanates without adequate control measures in place.
HSE news release and work-related asthma webpages. Risks 935. 22 February 2020.

Britain: Engineering firm fined for lube dermatitis risks
An engineering company has been fined for failing to control the risk of its employees developing dermatitis as a result of exposure to metalworking fluid. West Hampshire Magistrates’ Court heard that, between October 2017 and January 2019, employees of Lymington Precision Engineers Co Limited were exposed to metalworking fluid while working on conventional machines such as lathes and milling machines on the company site in Limington, New Forest.
HSE news release and work-related dermatitis webpages. Risks 935. 22 February 2020.

USA: Industry wide silica clampdown begins
As the US government’s respirable crystalline silica (RCS) standard takes full effect, its safety regulator OSHA has beefed up its National Emphasis Program (NEP) to ensure compliance with the new, more stringent exposure standard. The 0.05mg/m³ exposure standard is twice as stringent the current UK standard of 0.1 mg/m³ and six times more protective for the lung-destroying dust disease silicosis.
OSHA news release and National Emphasis Program. EHS Today.
Biting the dust: HSE defends a silica standard six times more deadly, Hazards, number 148, December 2019.
ACTION: Send an e-postcard to HSE demanding it introduce a more protective UK silica standard no higher than 0.05mg/m³ and with a phased move to 0.025mg/m³. www.hazards.org/HSEstopkillingus. Risks 934. 15 February 2020

Britain: Millions take sick leave because of ‘too painful’ work
Some 8.6 million people took sick leave last year because they found their jobs “too painful”, a survey has indicated, with even more feeling unable to take sick leave when too ill to work. Insight, a Fortune 500-ranked consulting firm, said its findings revealed a poor workplace culture drove both absenteeism and unhealthy behaviour in the UK workplace in the past year.
Insight news release. BBC News Online. Personnel Today. Risks 933. 8 February 2020

Britain: Ex-England footballer blames her dementia on headers
A pioneer of women's football has become the first female player to publicly blame her dementia on years of heading the ball. Sue Lopez, 74, was the first British woman to play semi-professionally abroad and represented England 22 times during a career spanning three decades.
BBC News Online. The Telegraph. Daily Mail. Pink Concussions. Risks 932. 1 February 2020

Australia: Deadly silica disease ‘worst crisis’ since asbestos
The rate at which stonemasons in Australia are contracting a deadly dust-related lung disease has almost doubled in a year, new figures have revealed. But while Australian unions have been campaigning for a stricter exposure standard for silica dust, the stone industry is pressing the federal government to allow it to ‘self-regulate’.
Courier Mail. Daily Mail.
We are union OHS reps petition. Risks 931. 25 January 2020

Britain: Suffering stonemason’s plea for action on deadly silica dust
A former stonemason suffering from lung disease is calling for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to introduce a tighter occupational exposure standard for crystalline silica dust. In 2014, David Wood was diagnosed with silicosis, a condition caused by inhaling crystalline silica dust that leads to hardening and scarring of the lungs.
Irwin Mitchell news release. David’s story is examined in detail in the new issue of the union safety journal Hazards. See: Biting the dust: HSE defends a silica standard six times more deadly, Hazards, number 148, December 2019.
ACTION: Send an e-postcard to HSE demanding it introduce a more protective silica standard no higher than 0.05mg/m³ and with a phased move to 0.025mg/m³. www.hazards.org/HSEstopkillingus. Risks 930. 18 January 2019

Britain: Investing in worker health leads to ‘productivity boost’
Over 90 per cent of companies investing in employee health and wellbeing have seen workforce productivity increase and an improvement in workforce relations, research by the manufacturing employers’ group Make UK has found. Tim Thomas, Make UK’s director of labour market and skills policy, said “there is still a lot more to be done and manufacturers must continue to work hard to put health and wellbeing at the heart of their business plans.”
Make UK news release. Risks 930. 18 January 2019

Britain: Teaching union launches new work health drive
Scottish teaching union EIS has published a new resource to promote health and wellbeing for teachers. It says its online guide is intended to support the union's current ‘Time to Tackle Workload’ campaign.
EIS news release and guide, A teacher health and wellbeing resource. Risks 930. 18 January 2019

Britain: Posties set to strike over ‘callous’ sacking
Walkouts by postal workers furious at the “callous and heartless” sacking of a delivery worker just before the festive season have been scheduled for 23 and 24 December. Paul Hollow, a postie at Keynsham Delivery Office in Somerset, was fired by Royal Mail under its absence procedure, but his colleagues voted to take strike action as his absences were due to a series of personal tragedies leading to depression.
CWU news release. Risks 928. 21 December 2019

Britain: Private firm denies low paid hospital cleaners sick pay 
Low paid GMB members working for facility services company ISS at Chelsea and Westminster and Homerton hospitals have said ‘all they want for want for Christmas is to be back in-house’ at protests outside the hospitals on 16 and 17 December. The union said ISS staff at the London hospitals are not given paid sick pay for the first three days of illness, meaning staff are forced to work even when they are ill.
GMB news release. Sign the GMB petition to bring cleaning services back in-house. Risks 928. 21 December 2019

Britain: ‘Fit for work’ man dies in job centre queue
A man collapsed and died while waiting for an appointment inside a Job Centre Plus - despite having been recently declared fit for work. The 65-year-old, who has not been named, was sat in the waiting area of Llanelli Job Centre Plus in Carmarthenshire, Wales, when he became unwell.
The Mirror. Morning Star. Risks 925. 30 November 2019

Britain: Property firm fined after five get white finger
A property management and development organisation has been fined after five employees developed Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS). Aylesbury Crown Court heard that between 2009 and 2014 five employees of Places for People Homes Limited used power tools to carry out ground maintenance tasks at sites in Milton Keynes, Rotherham and Hull.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 924. 23 November 2019

Britain: Cardiologists call for a ban on 'dangerous' vaping
E-cigarettes are “so dangerous and addictive” that countries should consider banning them, cardiologists have warned. The call came after new research suggested vaping could damage the brain, heart, blood vessels and lungs.
European Society of Cardiology news release. Marin Kuntic and others. Short-term e-cigarette vapour exposure causes vascular oxidative stress and dysfunction: evidence for a close connection to brain damage and a key role of the phagocytic NADPH oxidase (NOX-2), European Heart Journal, ehz772, published online 13 November 2019. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehz772.
Nisha Nair, and others. Life-threatening hypersensitivity pneumonitis secondary to e-cigarettes, Archives of Disease in Childhood, Published Online First: 11 November 2019. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2019-317889.
TUC’s updated Ensuring smoke-free workplaces guide, including an e-cigarettes section. Risks 924. 23 November 2019

Britain: Urgent research call on air pollution and outdoor workers
New research showing that hospital admittances related to cardiac arrests, strokes and severe asthma attacks go up when air pollution levels spike has prompted a new warning on the risks facing outdoor workers. Commenting on the data from King’s College London, Matthew Holder, the head of campaigns at the British Safety Council (BSC), said: “Although Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, said that King’s research provided the evidence of a ‘health emergency’, the government, the regulator and employers are complacent about this risk and are reluctant to take urgent and appropriate action.”
BSC news release. KCL news release and initial report. The Independent. BBC News Online. Sky News. The Mirror. The Guardian. Risks 921. 2 November 2019

Britain: Flybe was warned of drinking water problems months ago
Bosses at the airline Flybe had been alerted by Unite to the unhealthy quality of the water supplied its flight crews on several occasions before a contaminated batch led to disruption to flights on 23 October, the union said. Unite regional officer Peter Coulson said: “This was a serious health matter, which caused severe disruption and could have easily been avoided.”
Unite news release. BBC News Online. Risks 921. 2 November 2019

Britain: Ex-footballers at greater risk of degenerative brain diseases
A landmark study funded by the charitable arm of the UK footballers’ union PFA and the Football Association has confirmed former professional footballers are much more likely to die of degenerative brain diseases compared to the general population. Commenting on the findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine, lead author and consultant neuropathologist Dr Willie Stewart said: “This analysis revealed that risk ranged from a 5-fold increase in Alzheimer’s disease, through an approximately 4-fold increase in motor neurone disease, to a 2-fold Parkinson’s disease in former professional footballers compared to population controls.” 
PFA news release. University of Glasgow news release and FIELD study webpages. BBC News Online. BMJ research news.
Daniel F Mackay and others. Neurodegenerative disease mortality among former professional soccer players, New England Journal of Medicine, 21 October 2019. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMoa1908483  Related NEJM editorial. Risks 921. 2 November 2019

Canada: Rubber workers’ plight should inspire national action
Jim Brophy, one of Canada’s leading experts in workplace health issues, is calling for a large-scale public investigation into occupational health risks and the compensation system for workers in the country. Brophy’s plea comes after a series of scandals which have seen decisions to deny occupational cancer compensation to thousands of workers, but where campaigns by unions and victims’ advocacy organisations have secured recent reversals of these decisions affecting rubber and manufacturing plant workers.
The Record. Risks 919. 19 October 2019

Britain: Wales gets a new health at work partnership
A new partnership intended to improve the health of the workforce in Wales has been launched. The initiative was announced at the Wales Health at Work Summit 2019 hosted by the newly-formed Wales Health at Work Partnership (WHWP), ‘a coalition of organisations committed to improving workplace health and wellbeing in Wales’ and including the Welsh government, Public Health Wales and its ‘Healthy Working Wales’ programme, the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA), the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) plus the Wales TUC and other social partners.
HSE news release. Risks 919. 19 October 2019

Britain: Unite calls for inquiry into Crossrail health fears
Construction union Unite is calling on the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to undertake a ‘full inquiry into serious health concerns’ at Crossrail’s Bond Street station. The workforce on the multi-million pound section of the Crossrail project in London has been on stand down following reports that four workers operating on the project had died in their sleep.
Unite news release. Construction Enquirer and related story. Risks 918. 12 October 2019

Britain: Low pay means 1 in 10 women don’t get sick pay
A new TUC analysis has revealed 1 in 10 women workers don’t earn enough to qualify for statutory sick pay. The TUC research found women account for more than two-thirds (69 per cent) of the 2 million UK workers currently ineligible for statutory sick pay.
TUC news release, blog and Flex for All campaign. Morning Star.
More on the hazards of low pay. Risks 918. 12 October 2019

Britain: RMT confirms action on Tube track noise
Tube union RMT has confirmed a programme of industrial action to back up a demand for urgent action to address excessive Tube track noise. Drivers voted by more than 95 per cent in favour of industrial action in a ballot covering the Jubilee, Central, Northern and Victoria Lines.
RMT news releases. Risks 917. 5 October 2019.

USA: Severe cases of silica disease are being missed
Even severe and sometimes fatal cases of silica dust related diseases are being missed by the authorities, a US study has concluded. Researchers said only one US case in the engineered stone industry had been reported previously in the US, however, they discovered 18 cases of silicosis, including two fatalities, among stone fabrication workers in just four states.
Rose C, Heinzerling A, Patel K and others. Severe Silicosis in Engineered Stone Fabrication Workers — California, Colorado, Texas, and Washington, 2017–2019. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), volume 68, number 38, pages 813–818, 27 September 2019.
ACTION: Send an e-postcard to HSE demanding it introduce a more protective UK silica exposure limit no higher than 0.05mg/m³ and with a phased move to 0.025mg/m³. www.hazards.org/HSEstopkillingus. Risks 917. 5 October 2019.

France: Toxic exposure anxiety ruling to be broadly applied
A French Supreme Court decision that gave workers exposed to asbestos the right to claim compensation for emotional distress caused by the fear of contracting a serious disease can be applied more broadly, a new ruling has indicated. In its September decision, the same court expanded the scope of the April 2019 compensation ruling to include all ‘harmful or toxic substances’.
Lexology. Risks 916. 28 September 2019

Malaysia: Haze is an ‘occupational hazard’ say campaigners
The blanket of choking smog over Malaysia should be regulated as an ‘occupational hazard, a coalition of unions, environment, women’s and migrant workers’ groups has said. The Labour Law Reform Coalition (LLRC) says while flights have been re-routed or grounded and schools have been closed, “the nation’s workforce perseveres in daily routines with inadequate protection from the unknown long-term health effects of inhaling the carbon-rich smoke.”
Malaysiakini. Risks 916. 28 September 2019

Labour plans more rights for menopausal workers
Large employers would be forced to provide flexible hours to women experiencing the menopause under plans announced by Labour. Shadow equalities minister Dawn Butler said companies with more than 250 employees would also be required to train managers on the effects of the menopause so they can accommodate the needs of employees.
Speech by Dawn Butler to the Labour Party conference. Usdaw news release. BBC News Online. Personnel Today.
TUC guide to supporting women through the menopause. Risks 916. 28 September 2019

Britain: Unite calls for urgent cut to killer silica dust limit
Unite had given its strong backing to a campaign to force the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to halve the workplace exposure limit for silica dust, a move it says will save 4,000 lives a year. The union call came in response to a new ‘Choked’ report from Hazards magazine that presents evidence for cutting the current legal limit of 0.1 mg/m3 for respirable crystalline silica to no more than 0.05 mg/m3, a move the report says would dramatically reduce the incidence of the lung scarring occupational disease silicosis, lung cancer, autoimmune diseases and other silica-related conditions.
Unite news release and silica exposure register. Unite silica dust film.
Choked! The evidence for introducing a livesaving new silica dust exposure limit, Hazards, Number 147, September 2019.
ACTION: Send an e-postcard to HSE demanding it introduce a more protective silica standard no higher than 0.05mg/m³ and with a phased move to 0.025mg/m³. www.hazards.org/HSEstopkillingus. Risks 916. 28 September 2019

Britain: TUC push to protect terminally ill workers goes mobile 
The TUC’s campaign to protect terminally ill workers has taken to the road. The Dying to Work campaign began its national roadshow on 11 September at the TUC Congress in Brighton.
TUC news release and Dying to Work campaign. Risks 915. 21 September 2019

Britain: Council fined after seven get vibration disease
Dacorum Borough Council has been fined after seven grounds maintenance workers developed Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) caused by excessive, poorly controlled use of power tools. Luton Magistrates’ Court heard how the council reported seven cases of HAVS between May 2015 and June 2016.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 914. 14 September 2019

Britain: Medical screening must be available in toxics linked schools
The EIS has repeated its call for medical screening to be implemented at Buchanan and St Ambrose High school in North Lanarkshire for staff and pupils who wish it. The union call came on the publication of an expert criticism of the Independent Review of the school campus that concluded “not all the key questions about the site have been fully answered and not all the key evidence required has been collected and made available.”
EIS news release. STV News. The Times. Radio Clyde.
Andrew Watterson. Brownfields, contaminated land, blue water and broken bridges. Pollution, public health, trust and transparency: the communication and information gap and how to bridge it better. An analysis of the Buchanan High School/Ambrose High School Campus Independent Review and related issues at Coatbridge, Scotland. 2019. Risks 914. 14 September 2019

Britain: Asda ‘punishing’ workers by taking away sick pay
Asda is ‘punishing’ workers who haven’t signed a controversial new contract by taking away their sick pay, the GMB has said. The union was commenting ahead of protests across the country by Asda workers angry at the imposition of the contract. The company has told workers they must sign the 'flexible' Contract 6 - which will see them lose all their paid breaks and forced to work bank holidays – or be sacked on 2 November.
GMB news release. Risks 914. 14 September 2019

China: Rhinestone workers dying of silica dust disease
Workers making the rhinestones often found on high street jewellery, fashion and decorative items are developing the deadly lung disease silicosis, according to a new study. Researchers diagnosed 98 cases of silicosis between the years 2006-2012 in a single crystal rhinestone factory in Guangdong province, China.
C Wen and others. Silicosis in rhinestone-manufacturing workers in South China, Occupational Medicine, kqz107, published first online 22 August 2019. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqz107. Risks 912. 31 August 2019

Britain: TUC ‘respiratory health’ briefing, London, 27 September
‘Respiratory health – a workplace issue', a TUC briefing for trade union health and safety reps, will take place at the union body’s national HQ in London on 27 September 2019. As well as top speakers, the event will include presentations from the Health and Safety Executive, a union personal injury law firm and the Trade Union Clean Air Network.  
‘Respiratory health – a workplace issue', TUC briefing, Congress House, 23-28 Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LS, Friday 27 September 2019. Registration from 9.45am, event starts at 10.15. Lunch provided. Free event. Registration is required: phone 020 7467 1218 or email the TUC. Risks 912. 31 August 2019

Britain: Mental health problems now top cause of NHS sick leave
Mental health problems including stress, depression and anxiety are the most common reason NHS staff in England take sick days, according to latest NHS Digital statistics. Workers took a total of 17.7 million days of sick leave between December 2017 and November 2018, with almost a quarter, or 4.2 million, taken due to stress, anxiety, depression or other psychiatric illnesses.
NHS Sickness Absence Rates April 2019, Provisional Statistics, NHS Digital, published 22 August 2019. The Independent. The Metro. Risks 912. 31 August 2019

Britain: Quango discriminated against chronically ill lawyer
The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) discriminated against an associate lawyer who suffered severe fatigue caused by chronic kidney disease, an employment tribunal has found. According to the reserved judgment: “The discriminatory effect is considerable; because of his illness he performs poorly and because he performs poorly, he does not get a pay rise, does not get a bonus and loses the prestige of being regarded as a good performer.”
The Law Gazette. Personnel Today. Mr R Cunningham v Financial Conduct Authority, Employment Tribunal decision, 3201141/2018, August 2019. Risks 912. 31 August 2019

Britain: You can’t afford to go sick at Sainsbury's distribution centre
A new attendance procedure at a Sainsbury’s distribution depot could leave staff out of pocket if they are injured of get sick, their union has said. Usdaw members at Sainsbury’s Waltham Point depot are involved in a dispute that has already seen a series of one-day stoppages, with the union concerned at changes to the attendance policy which it says are being implemented unilaterally by the company.
Usdaw news release. Logistics Manager. Risks 912. 31 August 2019

Britain: TUC e-cigs warning vindicated after vaping-related death
A TUC warning on the dangers of allowing vaping in enclosed workspaces has been given added weight after US authorities confirmed a person had died after developing a severe respiratory disease due to the use of electronic cigarettes. US government experts are also investigating a spate of cases of a mystery lung disease linked to vaping.
BBC News Online. TUC’s updated Ensuring smoke-free workplaces guide, including an e-cigarettes section. Risks 912. 31 August 2019

Australia: Four in five workers injured or ill due to work
Nearly four in five (78 per cent) working people in Australia have been injured, or become ill, or both, as a result of their work, according to a nationwide union survey. A similar proportion (80 per cent) believe existing penalties for employers are not enough to make them take safety seriously, national union federation ACTU found.
ACTU news release and report. Risks 910. 17 August 2019

Britain: Unite calls for toxic cabin air inquiry
Airline cabin crew union Unite has called for an inquiry into toxic cabin air and fume events on board jet airliners. The move comes in the wake of an incident on a British Airways flight from London Heathrow to Valencia where the plane landed safely after the cabin filled with smoke.
Unite news release and toxic cabin air factsheet, poster and campaign card. Unite fume event register. Risks 910. 17 August 2019

Britain: Director gets curfew over vibration disease cases
The director of a company providing specialist services in rock drilling, cliff stabilisation and rock anchors has been handed a curfew and a suspended jail sentence after three workers were diagnosed with hand arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). Plymouth Magistrates’ Court heard how the employees of Celtic Rock Services Limited had developed and reported symptoms of HAVS but no action was taken.
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 909. 10 August 2019

Britain: Physios welcome government consultation on preventing ill-health
The physiotherapists’ union CSP has welcomed a government consultation on its plans for “advancing” health in England. Matt Hancock, secretary of state for public health and primary care, launched the open consultation document on 22 July.
Government consultation, Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s. The consultation closes on 14 October 2019. CSP news release.
UNISON resources: Aches, pains and strains – guide for safety reps; Aches, pains and strains – leaflet for members; and Aches, pains and strains – poster.  
Musculoskeletal disorders - HSE material for health and safety reps, TUC/HSE, September 2018.
Health is everyone’s business: proposals to reduce ill health-related job loss, DWP/DHSC, 15 July 2019. The consultation closes on 7 October 2019. Risks 909. 10 August 2019

South Africa: Court approves massive mines silicosis settlement
A Johannesburg High Court has approved a 5 billion rand (£285 million) class action settlement between gold mining companies and law firms representing thousands of miners who contracted the potentially fatal lung diseases silicosis and tuberculosis. The six mining companies who formed part of the class action agreement are African Rainbow Minerals‚ Anglo American SA‚ AngloGold Ashanti‚ Gold Fields‚ Harmony and Sibanye Stillwater and they will pay from R70,000 to R500,000 (approximately £4,000-£28,000), depending on the type of claim, to affected workers employed in the mines post-1965.
Silicosis settlement website. SABC News and related article. Fin24 News. Daily Maverick. Risks 908. 3 August 2019

Britain: London mayor launches Good Work Standard
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has launched a Good Work Standard, which is says is a new benchmark for high employment standards. The initiative, which includes a Healthy workplaces Award, has already attracted sign-ons from public, private and third-sector employers and union bodies including the TUC and UNISON.
London Mayor’s news release and Good Work Standard, Employment Rights Portal and the Healthy Workplace Award.  Risks 908. 3 August 2019

Britain: Outdoor workers at increased air pollution risk in hot weather
The British Safety Council (BSC) has warned that soaring temperatures don’t just present a danger from excessive heat, they leave outdoor workers at a heightened risk for air pollution. BSC chair Lawrence Waterman urged the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to provide guidance “in relation to outdoor workers who, as well as by heat, are affected by air pollution, particularly in Britain’s largest cities.”
BSC news release and the Canairy mobile app. Risks 908. 3 August 2019

Turkey: Faded denim comes at a steep price
Chemicals used to fade denim are making garment workers sick, a study has found. Clean Clothes Campaign Turkey investigated the denim industry's use of potassium permanganate. The campaign’s research found that workers in Turkey spraying the chemical are suffering skin and respiratory problems.
Clean Clothes Campaign news release. Potassium permanganate spray report, CCC Turkey, July 2019.
Abdulhalim Demir’s story. Fashion victims: Global pressure to drop worn jeans for health’s sake, Hazards magazine, number 113, 2011. Risks 907. 27 July 2019

USA: As black lung disease increases, care is cut
The number of black lung cases in the USA is growing at the same time funding has falling sharply for a federal programme to care for those with the disease. The debt-laden Black Lung Disability Trust Fund provides medical and financial assistance to certain miners who are totally disabled by the disease, but is facing penury exacerbated by this year’s 55 per cent decrease in the coal tax rate, declining coal production and coal company bankruptcies.
Washington Post. Black lung benefits program: Financing and Oversight Challenges Are Adversely Affecting the Trust Fund, GAO, 20 June 2019. Risks 906. 20 July 2019

Britain: MPs to investigate impact of silicosis on site workers
A parliamentary inquiry is to investigate the impact of the deadly dust disease silicosis on construction workers and their families. The All-party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Respiratory Health has joined forces with not-for-profit organisation construction benefits organisation B&CE to better understand why construction workers continue to suffer and die from silicosis caused by inhaling respirable crystalline silica.
BC&E news release. Personnel Today.
Resources on dust risks and controls: Guide to occupational hygiene for union health and safety representatives, TUC/British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS), November 2016. More on work-related dust diseases and risk assessment checklist.
Silica, part 2: A line in the sand, Hazards, number 127, 2014. Silica, part 1: Dust to dust: Deadly silica standard is killing UK workers, Hazards, number 126, 2014. Risks 906. 20 July 2019

Britain: Unilever signs up to TUC's Dying to Work charter
Usdaw, Unite and the GMB have welcomed soaps-to-soups giant Unilever adding its name to a charter protecting the rights of workers who become terminally ill at work. The formal signing of the charter took place at the company’s Port Sunlight site on the Wirral.
Usdaw news release. TUC Dying to Work campaign. Risks 905. 13 July 2019

Global: Work exposures linked to major degenerative diseases
Workplace exposures can lead to an increased risk of a number of life-threatening degenerative diseases, a major study has found. Swedish researchers reviewed 66 published studies on occupational exposures and the neurodegenerative diseases Alzheimer’s, Parkinson's and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Gunnarsson LG and Bodin L. Occupational Exposures and Neurodegenerative Diseases-A Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analyses, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, volume 16, number 3 page 337, 2019. ETUI news report. Risks 904. 6 July 2019

Britain: College backs TUC charter on terminally ill workers
Colchester Institute has added its name to a charter aimed at helping employees who become terminally ill at work. The TUC's Dying to Work Charter calls for greater job security for terminally ill workers, including protection from being dismissed because of their condition.
UCU news release. TUC Dying to Work Charter. Risks 903. 29 June 2019

Britain: Firefighter wins payout for breathing and back problems
A Dorset firefighter whose pre-existing asthmatic condition was made worse by his job and who also suffered a back injury at work, has been compensated in a Unite-backed case. Peter Eaton’s breathing became worse after he was exposed to diesel fumes at Boscombe Down military airfield’s fire station.
Thompsons Solicitors news release. Risks 903. 29 June 2019

Global: Burn-out classified as a work-related condition
Burn-out has been formally recognised as a work-related health condition by a UN body. A meeting of the World Health Organisation's (WHO) World Health Assembly in May declared burn-out to be an “occupational phenomenon”, a step that allows its inclusion in WHO's next edition of its International Classification of Diseases (ICD).
ETUI news report. WHO news release and QD85: Burn out, WHO International Classification of Diseases. Manila Bulletin. Risks 900. 8 June 2019

Australia: Dust disease is robbing young workers of life
A deadly disease caused by working with stone dust is affecting workers younger, harder and faster, with a 22-year-old Australian worker now believed to be the country’s youngest diagnosed victim. Silicosis victim Connor Downes can no longer work as a stonemason and says his days are instead filled with medical appointments.
Slater and Gordon Lawyers news release. ABC News. The Guardian. Risks 900. 8 June 2019

Australia: Silicosis epidemic leads to stonemason shortage
A Queensland government audit of the Australian state’s stone industry last year found 98 workers had contracted silicosis, with 15 of those cases considered terminal. But the news that the industry is killing its workers has had another consequence – a serious labour shortage in the industry.
RACP news release. Sydney Morning Herald. The News Daily. ABC News. Brisbane Times. Risks 896. 11 May 2019

India: Stone carvers demand silicosis protection
Hundreds of stonemasons took to the streets of Pindwara on 1 May, to protest at the deadly dust risks facing the workers building India’s temples. Union leader Ganesh, 31, was diagnosed with the frequently fatal lung scarring disease silicosis at the age of 29, led the rally because he said he wants to ensure that other workers do not suffer like him.
The Wire. Risks 896. 11 May 2019

Britain: London’s transport system 'soiled thousands of times'
Workers on London's transport system face routine exposure to vomit, urine, blood and faecal matter, according to new figures. Mick Cash, general secretary of the transport union RMT, said: “These shocking statistics show just what a dirty and disgusting job our cleaner members have to do.”
Evening Standard. BBC News Online. The Independent. ITV News. Risks 895. 4 May 2019

China: Work diseases victims call for release of supporters
Some 100 Chinese workers suffering from an often fatal work-related disease have signed a petition demanding the release of three prominent activists in southern China amid a crackdown on labour activism. Wei Zhili and Ke Chengbing, editors of a labour rights news site that reported on the workers’ cases, were arrested in March for “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” - a broad charge used by Chinese authorities to target activists and dissidents; and Yang Zhengjun, editor-in-chief of the iLabour news site, has been in police detention since January.
Devdiscourse. Hong Kong Free Press. Daily Mail. Risks 894. 27 April 2019

Korea: Samsung spied on work disease activists
The Samsung corporate star chamber has flouted laws and placed advocates for occupational disease victims under surveillance, independent daily Kyunghyang reported on 18 April, citing court records. Two confidential Samsung documents surfaced during a criminal hearing on 16 April for 32 Samsung Electronics Co Ltd directors and executive indicted on charges related to illegal union-busting, confirming long-held beliefs that Samsung had placed the advocacy group SHARPS under illicit surveillance.
SHARPS news report. Risks 894. 27 April 2019

USA: Wellness programmes at work don’t, well, work
A new Harvard University study suggests that the increasingly popular workplace wellness programmes yield unimpressive results and don’t leave workers in better health. The analysis, the first peer-reviewed, large-scale, multisite randomised controlled trial of a workplace wellness programme, found it had no significant effects on outcomes including 27 self-reported health and behavioural measures such as employees’ overall health, sleep quality and food choices; 10 clinical markers of health; 38 measures tracking spending and utilisation for doctor’s visits, medical tests, procedures and prescription drugs; and three employment outcomes - absenteeism, job tenure and job performance.
Harvard University news release. Zirui Song and Katherine Baicker. Effect of a Workplace Wellness Program on Employee Health and Economic Outcomes: A Randomized Clinical Trial, Journal of the American Medical Association, volume 321, number 15, pages 1491-1501, 2019. Kaiser Health News.
Your health at work: an indispensable guide to physical and mental well-being, TUC, 2018. Order form.  
Workplace well-being programmes: A guide for safety reps, TUC, 2015. Well, then? Healthier workplaces deliver healthier workers, Hazards magazine, 2013. Risks 894. 27 April 2019

Britain: Bristol toilet closures flush working conditions down the pan
A decision by Bristol council to close the vast majority of public conveniences in the city, is denying workers access to toilets and has forced some to quit their jobs, the union Unite has warned. In place of public toilets, the Bristol council scheme asks private businesses including pubs, cafes and shops to provide non-customers access to their toilets - however, Unite has found that this scheme is not effective for key workers who keep the city operating such as bus drivers, street cleaners and refuse collectors.
Unite news release and  toilet dignity campaign. Risks 894. 27 April 2019

USA: Amazon workers walk out over speed-up
After yet another speed-up in a workplace notorious for its lightning pace of work, workers at a Minnesota Amazon warehouse walked off the night shift for three hours. More than 50 workers walked off their shifts an hour early to participate in the action, in what Labor Notes reports could be the first coordinated strike at an Amazon facility in the US.
Labor Notes. Risks 891. 30 March 2019

Britain: Train refurb firm didn’t grasp vibrating tools risk
A train refurbishment company left its workers subject to ‘uncontrolled and unrestrained’ exposure to vibrating tools from 2005 to 2015 and at risk of a debilitating occupational disease. Employees at Tamworth-based Faiveley Transport Tamworth Limited were exposed to vibration while using tools including sanders and air-fed cutting equipment to refurbish train doors.
HSE news release. Risks 891. 30 March 2019

Britain: Sedentary work can kill you
Sitting or lounging around for long periods during the day could be the cause of almost 70,000 deaths in the UK and cost the NHS at least £700m a year, new research has revealed. The study published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health concludes: “Many individuals in the UK spend their leisure time in sedentary behaviour, and the workplace represents a significant proportion of unavoidable daily sitting time for many people,” adding: “Measures should be taken to reduce sedentary behaviour with the aim of improving population health and reducing the financial burden to the health service.”
Leonie Heron and others. Direct healthcare costs of sedentary behaviour in the UK, Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, published online 25 March 2019. doi:10.1136/jech-2018-211758  The Guardian. Risks 891. 30 March 2019

Britain: Every year on shifts ups heart disease risk 1 per cent
Working shifts increases a person’s chances of developing heart disease, with every year spent in this working pattern causing a 1 per cent rise in the risk, according to a new study. The research published in the journal Occupational Medicine is the largest ever study focusing on the risk of ischaemic heart disease in shift workers.
M Cheng and others. Shiftwork and ischaemic heart disease, Occupational Medicine, 29 March 2019. Risks 891. 30 March 2019

Korea: Samsung still denying work disease victims justice
Campaigners from SHARPS, the advocacy group for victims of occupational diseases contracted working for electronics multinational Samsung, say the company is failing to compensate many affected workers. SHARPS says it has calculated that the majority of more than 200 new occupational disease cases linked to exposures at Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and its affiliates are not covered by the compensation programme the conglomerate launched last year.
SHARPS news report. Risks 888. 9 March 2019

Britain: Firm fined after workers sensitised to chemicals
Teesside chemical manufacturing company Fine Organics Ltd has been fined after failing to manage the risks posed by hazardous substances, resulting in workers being exposed to chemicals that caused long term damage to their skin. Some lost their jobs as a result.
HSE news release. Risks 888. 9 March 2019

Britain: Survey shows work pressures are hurting NHS staff
The health and wellbeing of workers in the NHS is deteriorating and work-related ill-health is increasing, latest NHS staff survey results have revealed. The just released 2018 survey findings show there was “an overall decline in staff health and wellbeing,” with only 28.6 per cent reporting their organisation “definitely takes positive action on health and wellbeing”, 3 per cent down on 2017.
NHS staff survey 2018. UNISON news release. NHS Employers news release. Risks 887. 2 March 2019

Britain: New union passports to help disabled workers
A new union ‘reasonable adjustments’ passport has been launched to help the nearly 1 million (946,010) people with disabilities who fall out of work or switch employers each year. The joint initiative from the TUC and the union GMB hopes to ensure employers meet their legal duty to make – and keep in place – the reasonable adjustments necessary for them to do their jobs.
TUC news release. GMB news release. The full report, model workplace policy and model reasonable adjustments passport. Risks 887. 2 March 2019

Europe: Detecting work-related diseases using ‘sentinel’ events
A report from the European Agency for Safety and Health at work (EU-OSHA) has found systems used in European countries for the early detection of work-related diseases still leave many cases unacknowledged and uncounted. The report examines the effectiveness of 12 national schemes implemented operating in European countries and the United States, all of which help to spotlight health problems caused by bad working conditions and insufficient prevention measures.
EU-OSHA's web page on alert and sentinel systems and final report and summary ‘Alert and sentinel approaches for the identification of work-related diseases in the EU’. ETUI review. Risks 886. 23 February 2019

USA: Farming tasks increase rheumatoid arthritis risks
It has long been known that the hard labour common to many jobs in agriculture leads to osteoarthritis –pain and mobility problems caused by wear and tear in the body’s joints. Now a new study has found it also causes rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease.
Christine G Parks and others. Farming tasks and the development of rheumatoid arthritis in the agricultural health study, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, published Online First 13 February 2019. doi: 10.1136/oemed-2018-105361 Risks 886. 23 February 2019

Britain: Good jobs and support aid ill-health return to work
Good jobs and support from managers and colleagues, as well as a positive attitude, are most likely to enable a more long-term return to work for employees after a sickness absence, according to a new review of research led by the University of East Anglia (UEA). The review evaluated the impact of personal and social factors on sustainable return to work after ill-health due to musculoskeletal disorders, such as joint and back pain, and common mental health conditions, for example stress, depression or anxiety.
UEA news release. Abasiama Etuknwa, Kevin Daniels and Constanze Eib. Sustainable return to work: A systematic review focusing on personal and social factors, Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, published First Online 15 February 2019. Risks 886. 23 February 2019

Britain: Man wins fit-for-work appeal seven months after his death
The family of a man who spent the last 18 months of his life fighting a decision that he was fit to work has won his case – seven months after he died. Jeff Hayward, from Clitheroe, Lancashire, was 52 when he died of a heart attack in June last year, two weeks before he was due to go to a disability benefit appeal tribunal.
The Guardian. The Mirror. Daily Mail. Risks 886. 23 February 2019

Britain: Pollution is a workplace health issue for unions
A newly launched Trade Union Clean Air Network (TUCAN) says preventing environmental pollution is a workplace health and safety issue, with many workers facing high exposures ‘all in a day’s work’. In a bid to address the problem, TUCAN’s founding partners - the Greener Jobs Alliance, Hazards Campaign, University and College Union (UCU) and the National Education Union (NEU) - are promoting a Trade Union Clean Air Network Charter.
Trade Union Clean Air Network (TUCAN) Charter. Greener Jobs Alliance news release.
Diesel exhaust in the workplace: A TUC guide for trade union activists, October 2018. Fuming feature, Diesel out prevention factsheet and Die diesel die pin-up-at-work poster. Hazards 144, October-December 2018. 16 February 2019

Britain: Firefighters want protection from deadly work diseases
Fire service employers are falling short on their responsibility to protect firefighters from exposure to carcinogens, mutagens and reprotoxins (CMRs), the firefighters’ union FBU has warned. The union says there are stark differences in the range of cancers recognised as occupational diseases in different countries, with the UK trailing many other nations
FBU news release.
TUC occupational cancer guide. Work cancer hazards blog. Risks 884. 9 February 2019

Global: Future work report recognises ‘fundamental’ safety
A ‘universal labour guarantee’ including a recognition of workplace health and safety as a ‘fundamental’ human right is a central recommendation of a new report by the International Labour Organisation’s Global Commission on the Future of Work. Luc Cortebeeck, one of the three workers’ representatives on the Commission, commented: “The employment relationship remains the centrepiece of labour protection and the Commission recommends the establishment of a Universal Labour Guarantee, with freedom of association, collective bargaining, freedom from forced labour, child labour and discrimination, and very importantly: adequate living wage, limits on hours of work and safe and healthy workplaces.”
ILO news release. WHO news release.
Work for a brighter future, Global Commission on the Future of Work, January 2019. Executive summary and full report. Risks 882. 26 January 2018

Canada: Job-related deaths ‘dramatically’ under-reported
Close to 1,000 Canadians die each year because of their jobs, according to official numbers from Canada's workers' compensation agencies. But a new study says that figure ‘dramatically underestimates’ the true extent of work-related deaths across the country.
Steven Bittle, Ashley Chen and Jasmine Hébert. Work-related deaths in Canada, Labour/Le Travail, volume 82, pages 159-187, Fall 2018. CBC News. Risks 881. 19 January 2019

Britain: Care company fines workers £50 for calling in sick
One of Britain’s biggest providers of agency care workers has been fining staff who phone in sick £50, raising concerns that frontline employees are being forced to turn up for shifts when they are not fit for work and risk spreading illnesses to vulnerable patients. An investigation by the Guardian found Newcross Healthcare Solutions has failed to pay its employees if they cancel shifts because of illness without 24 hours’ notice, and has also docked money from their pay.
The Guardian and follow-up story. Risks 880. 12 January 2019

Britain: Diesel industry and regulators condemn thousands to die
A warning over 30 years ago that workplace diesel fume exposures were deadly went ignored, a ‘criminal’ move that condemned thousands of workers each year to an early grave, a report in Hazards magazine has revealed. The Hazards report says “the UK’s prevention strategy – or absence of one – is based on a fatal mixture of a lack of the right intelligence and lack of give-a-damn. All topped up with a dose of industry foul play.”
Fuming feature, Diesel out prevention factsheet and Die diesel die pin-up-at-work poster. Hazards 144, October-December 2018.
Diesel exhaust in the workplace: A TUC guide for trade union activists, October 2018. Risks 880. 12 January 2019

Britain: Bakery fined after workers suffer flour dust allergy
A bakery company has been fined for criminal safety breaches after employees suffered long term exposure to flour dust, a respiratory sensitiser. Leeds Magistrates’ Court heard that between April 2002 and April 2016 employees of Coopland & Son (Scarborough) Ltd were exposed consistently to risks to their health, with some being diagnosed with occupational asthma.
HSE news release. Risks 879. 19 December 2018

Britain: Work wellbeing ‘comprised’ by ‘incoherent’ practices
Employee wellbeing is being compromised by a lack of understanding of how to implement effective programmes, a safety body has found. A new British Safety Council (BSC) ‘comprehensive review of the existing literature and market intelligence’ found only one in six (17 per cent) organisations evaluate the impact of their health and wellbeing initiatives. It also reported that in nearly two-thirds of companies (63 per cent), other priorities take precedence over employees’ wellbeing.
BSC news release and full report, Not just free fruit: Wellbeing at work, December 2018.
Your Health at Work: an indispensable guide to physical and mental well-being, TUC, September 2018. Order form.
TUC Work and well-being’ guide and related article. Risks 879. 19 December 2018

Britain: Work ‘resilience’ programmes stop ‘meaningful activity’
Workplace resilience programmes are of no proven value but could deflect energy from ‘meaningful activity’ researchers have warned. The initiatives, which are intended to bolster mental health and wellbeing, might not make any difference at all, according to the study published online in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
Norman Jones and others. Resilience-based intervention for UK military recruits: a randomised controlled trial, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, e-publication ahead of print, 19 December 2018. doi:10.1136/oemed-2018-105503
Hugh Robertson. Resilience: A case of pointing the finger and missing the point, Hazards magazine, 2013. Risks 879. 19 December 2018

Global: World of false promises on occupational health
The UN agencies with a role in occupational health and safety have been given monumental tasks but only trivial budgets, a new analysis has found. The authors, members of the occupational health experts group the Collegium Ramazzini, warn that the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) have limited capacity to press for the changes necessary and are further compromised by interference from ‘vested interests’.
Joseph LaDou, Leslie London and Andrew Watterson. Occupational health: a world of false promises, Environmental Health, 17:81, 2018. Risks 878. 8 December 2018

Britain: Industry wants big boost in occupational health capability
Britain’s manufacturers are urging the government to use its review of occupational health provision in the UK to ensure all companies have access to an occupational health service (OHS). Manufacturers’ group EEF said this should be part of a wider ‘overarching strategy’.
EEF news release. Risks 877. 1 December 2018

Canada: Widow thrilled as anti-bullying law is introduced
A new bill to be introduced in a Canadian province is designed to offer better protection from bullying in the workplace. Prince Edward Island’s (PEI) Eric Donovan Bill is in memory of a man whose death was linked to harassment on the job.
CBC News. Risks 875. 17 November 2018

Korea: Samsung agrees to payouts after work disease deaths
A major campaign spearheaded by occupational disease victims and their families has forced Samsung to agree a wide-ranging compensation scheme. Those affected - and workers' children with related ailments - will receive up to 150m won (£102,907) per illness.
Sharps ‘Stop Samsung’ blog and SHARPS webpage. BBC News Online. Yonhap News. NDTV News. More on health and safety in the electronics industry. Risks 874. 10 November 2018

Britain: Over 30m days lost last year to work-related health problems
Health and Safety Executive (HSE) statistics show 1.4 million workers were suffering from work-related ill health and around 555,000 from non-fatal injuries in 2017/18. A total of 30.7 million working days were lost due to work-related illness and workplace injury; workplace safety crimes resulted in 493 convictions, with fines totalling £72.6 million – however the report shows HSE enforcement action has fallen sharply.
HSE news release and report, Health and safety at work: Summary statistics for Great Britain 2018, HSE, 31 October 2018. Risks 874. 10 November 2018

Britain: Government accepts compo call on hand disease
Thousands of former miners and other manual workers may soon qualify for state compensation for a debilitating hand condition caused by their jobs. After a long delay, the Chancellor’s autumn statement this week included provision for Dupuytren’s contracture to be added to the list of prescribed diseases qualifying for industrial injuries benefits.
Chancellor Philip Hammond’s 29 October 2018 Budget statement. Budget 2018: Policy document. Budget 2018: Policy costings. IIAC 2014 report. Risks 873. 3 November 2018

Europe: Unions and employers want reprotoxins action
The chemical industry and trade unions have agreed a future framework to better protect European Union workers from the risks associated with exposure to substances toxic to reproduction. In a joint declaration, the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), the union federation for the chemical sector IndustriALL Europe, the European Chemical Employers Group (ECEG) and the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) call on the European Commission to strengthen the current system of protection of workers’ reproductive health.
Joint ETUC-IndustriAll Europe-Cefic-ECEG news release and Joint Declaration, 16 October 2018. Risks 872. 27 October 2018

USA: Miscarriages linked to lack of protection at work
Pregnancy discrimination is widespread in corporate America. But for women who work in physically demanding jobs, pregnancy discrimination often can come with even higher stakes, with women suffering miscarriages, premature labour or, in one case, a stillborn baby after their employers rejected their pleas for assistance.
New York Times. Risks 872. 27 October 2018

Britain: Firm failed to assess vibration risks
British Airways Avionic Engineering Limited has been fined for failing to assess the risk to workers from vibration. Cardiff Crown Court heard how people working at the company were exposed to vibration from use of a wet blasting cabinet and vibrating hand tools – but it was not until late in 2013 that action was taken by the company to assess and reduce vibration risk, despite the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations having been in force since July 2005.
HSE news release. Risks 871. 20 October 2018

Britain: Police copped barring the sick from jobs
Public sector UNISON has expressed outrage at the revelation that the police operate a blacklist that can bar staff for life from jobs in the service based on their sickness record. The police ‘barred and advisory lists’, brought in by law less than a year ago, contain the names of police staff, special constables, and officers who have been dismissed, however UNISON’s police and justice conference heard inclusion on the lists is not limited to those fired for misconduct, but also includes workers dismissed over attendance and performance evaluations.
UNISON news report. Police Barred and Advisory Lists Regulations 2017. Risks 871. 20 October 2018

Britain: Electric cars halve taxi drivers' exposure to toxic emissions
Zero emission capable taxis can halve their driver’s exposure to toxic exhaust pollutants, according to new research. The study into air quality by King’s College London’s Environmental Research Group (ERG) found that drivers of diesel taxis are exposed to pollution levels 1.8 times higher than those driving less polluting and more air tight electric models.
Fleet News. IOSH news report. Air Quality News. Motoring Research. Risks 870. 13 October 2018.

Britain: Construction firms targeted in health inspections blitz
Construction firms across Great Britain will be targeted throughout October to check their health standards. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said it would be the first time its inspections had included a specific focus on respiratory risks and occupational lung disease, looking at the measures businesses have in place to protect their workers’ lungs from exposures including asbestos, silica and wood dust. HSE news release and free #DustBuster selfie cards. Risks 870. 13 October 2018.

Britain: B&CE launches site occupational health pilot
Construction benefits organisation B&CE has launched a pilot scheme involving 18 companies to help develop a new approach to improving occupational health provision across the construction industry. The new tech is intended to allow construction workers to access their site occupational health records on their mobile phones.
B&CE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 870. 13 October 2018.

Britain: Long hours on film and TV sets are bad for you
The mental health of workers in film and TV is being damaging by the sector’s long hours culture, the union BECTU has said. The union is calling for all parts of the industry to come together to form a commission dedicated to reducing the industry's reliance on a long hours working culture.
BECTU news release. Risks 870. 13 October 2018.

Vietnam: Workers get sick peeling shrimp for export
Tiger shrimps produced for export to European supermarkets are being processed in ‘outrageous’ conditions in Vietnam, a Danish labour standards group has found. Danwatch uncovered practices including 17 hour shifts and exposure to chlorine gas that has left workers with chronic, physical disorders.
Danwatch news release. Risks 869. 8 October 2018

Britain: Experts warn embracing vaping is ‘irresponsible’
Environmental health experts have echoed union concerns and urged ‘caution’ over calls to ease restrictions on e-cigarette use in public places and to promote their use in smoking cessation programmes. Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) head of policy Tony Lewis said: “Whilst we whole-heartedly support measures to encourage smokers to give up, we believe that the evidence gap on the long-term health implications of vaping needs addressing as a priority and more research carried out.”
CIEH news release. EHN Online. Risks 865. 8 September 2018

Britain: Lloyds signs up to TUC’s ‘dying to work’ charter
Lloyds Banking Group has added its name to a charter aimed at helping employees living with terminal illnesses. The firm is the latest to follow in the footsteps of employers including Rolls Royce, Royal Mail and the Co-op in signing up to the Dying to Work Voluntary Charter.
Accord news release. TUC news release. TUC Dying to Work campaign and signatories. Risks 864. 1 September 2018

USA: Lung Transplants on the rise for miners’ disease
The number and rate of lung transplants for black lung disease in the US is increasing, according to new research. A study by the US government’s occupational health research institute NIOSH reflects the rising prevalence of black lung disease among coal miners in the coal belt.
David J. Blackley, Cara N Halldin and A Scott Laney. Continued increase in lung transplantation for Coal Workers’ Pneumoconiosis in the United States, American Journal of Industrial Medicine, volume 61, issue 7, pages 621-624, 2018. Inside NIOSH, volume 4, number 2, August 2018. Risks 863. 25 August 2018

Britain: Firm fined after over 100 develop vibration disease
Nordam Europe Limited has been fined after workers faced over two decades of dangerous exposures to vibration at work. Cardiff Crown Court heard how around 100 employees of the company, which maintains and repairs aircraft components, were exposed and developed Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) over 22 years.
HSE news release. Risks 863. 25 August 2018

USA: Work injuries are fuelling opioid addiction epidemic
People injured at work are becoming victims of opioid addiction because of the failure of the US system to address work injuries, treatment and rehabilitation effectively. Workers suffering from painful injuries often have few options, the grassroots Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health (MassCOSH) has warned, noting: “inadequate workers compensation systems and the fear of losing their job leads people to return to work before they are healed and to work in pain, depending on painkillers to get through their day, leading to addiction and overdose.”
Workers Compensation Hub newsletter, Summer 2018. Risks 862. 18 August 2018

Britain: Unproven well-being schemes can’t replace good management
Well-being at work initiatives are becoming increasingly popular with employers, but what works is based more on guesswork than evidence, new research has found. The study by RAND Europe also warned that well-being initiatives should not substitute for better management of work.
RAND Europe news release and full report, Promising practices for health and wellbeing at work: A review of the evidence landscape, July 2018.
Forthcoming TUC guide: Your Health at Work: an indispensable guide to physical and mental well-being, TUC, release date 3September 2018. Order form. Risks 862. 18 August 2018

Britain: British Coal coke oven worker gets lung disease payout
A court judgment in a group action brought on behalf of 260 British Coal coke oven workers and their families, has seen another former miner awarded compensation, opening the way for many more settlements. Workers who contracted respiratory diseases including emphysema, chronic bronchitis and lung cancer, as well as skin cancer, they believe were caused by exposure to harmful fumes at coking plants in England and Wales are seeking compensation.
Irwin Mitchell Solicitors news release. Hugh James Solicitors news release. Devereux Chambers statement. Background: Relative risk - In the courts, it is relatively easy to evade work cancer justice, Hazards online report, June 2015. Risks 861. 11 August 2018

Britain: British Coal coke oven worker gets lung disease payout
A court judgment in a group action brought on behalf of 260 British Coal coke oven workers and their families, has seen another former miner awarded compensation, opening the way for many more settlements. Workers who contracted respiratory diseases including emphysema, chronic bronchitis and lung cancer, as well as skin cancer, they believe were caused by exposure to harmful fumes at coking plants in England and Wales are seeking compensation.
Irwin Mitchell Solicitors news release. Hugh James Solicitors news release. Devereux Chambers statement. Background: Relative risk - In the courts, it is relatively easy to evade work cancer justice, Hazards online report, June 2015. Risks 861. 11 August 2018

Britain: We are still sick, just not off sick anymore
The average number of sick days taken fell to an all-time low last year, however workplace experts have warned “unhealthy” working practices such as presenteeism are distorting the picture. Figures released by the Office for National Statistics showed that employees took an average of 4.1 days off sick in 2017 – almost half the 7.2 days taken in 1993, when records began.
ONS release. Personnel Today. The Independent. The Daily Mail. Risks 860. 4 August 2018

USA: Black lung hits a 25-year high in coal belt
One in five working US coal miners in central Appalachia who have worked at least 25 years now suffer from the coal miners' disease, black lung. In addition to the heightened rates of disease, the study found that the most severe form of disease – progressive massive fibrosis – now occurs in 5 per cent of veteran miners in the region, the highest rate ever recorded.
NPR News and black lung special series.
DJ Blackley, CN Halldin and AS Laney. Continued increase in prevalence of Coal Workers’ Pneumoconiosis in the United States, 1970–2017, American Journal of Public Health, 19 July 2018: e1-e3. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2018.304517. Published online ahead of print. Risks 859. 28 July 2018

Australia: 'Learn from asbestos' warning over silicosis risks
Stonemasons who have been diagnosed with a life-threatening lung disease are coming forward to call for regulation around dangerous workplace practices. At least six masons who have worked on dry-cutting artificial stone benchtops have been diagnosed with silicosis, an irreversible condition created by breathing in tiny particles of silica dust.
Sydney Morning Herald. Risks 859. 28 July 2018

Global: Health warning after ‘dramatic decline’ in work cancer studies
As evidence shows occupational exposures are responsible for a substantial proportion of many cancers, studies to identify the groups at risk and the substances causing problems are drying up, top occupational cancer experts have warned. Four papers in the August 2018 issue of the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine highlight a problem that could ‘stall’ efforts to reduce the burden of occupational cancer.
Work cancer hazards blog.
Aaron Blair and Lin Fritschi. Are we doing enough to identify and prioritise occupational carcinogens? Occupational and Environmental Medicine, volume 75, issue 8, pages 543-544, 2018. doi:10.1136/oemed-2018-105189
Claire Marant Micallef and others. Occupational exposures and cancer: a review of agents and relative risk estimates, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, volume 75, issue 8, pages 604-614, 2018. doi:10.1136/oemed-2017-104858
Dana Loomis and others. Identifying occupational carcinogens: an update from the IARC Monographs, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, volume 75, issue 8, pages 593-603, 2018. doi:10.1136/oemed-2017-104944
James K H Jung and others. Examining lung cancer risks across different industries and occupations in Ontario, Canada: the establishment of the Occupational Disease Surveillance System, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, volume 75, issue 8, pages 545-552, 2018. doi:10.1136/oemed-2017-104926 Risks 858. 21 July 2018

Britain: Long work hours linked to diabetes in women
Clocking up 45 or more working hours in a week is linked to a heightened risk of diabetes in women, a study has found. Research published online in the journal BMJ Diabetes Research & Care found there was no such heightened risk among women working 30 to 40 hours a week, prompting the researchers to suggest that sticking to this total might help curb the risk of the disease.
BMJ news release. Mahée Gilbert-Ouimet and others. Adverse effect of long work hours on incident diabetes in 7065 Ontario workers followed for 12 years, BMJ Diabetes Research & Care, 2018;6:e000496.doi 10.1136/bmjdrc-2017-000496. Published online 2 July 2018. Risks 857. 14 July 2018

Britain: TUC slams ‘national disgrace’ on workers’ health
Safety minister Sarah Newton has said the government is “certainly not ruling out” the idea of making it compulsory for employers to provide and invest in occupational health services for their employees as part of its review of workplace health. The statement prompted a sharp rebuke from the TUC, which said the government was guilty of a decade of inaction since an earlier review identified the need for immediate action.
Personnel Today. Risks 856. 7 July 2018

Britain: Balfour Beatty fined £500,000 for white finger
Balfour Beatty Utility Solutions Ltd has been fined after exposing workers to serious occupational disease risks over a nine-year period, with several workers permanently harmed as a result. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found workers at the company were exposed to hand-arm vibration between 2002 and 2011 which put them at risk of developing Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS).
HSE news release. Construction Enquirer. Risks 854. 23 June 2018

Global: Job strain knocks years off your healthy life
Individuals with job strain have a shorter health expectancy compared with those without job strain, a new study has found. The authors said their study, which looked at life expectancy among women and men from Finland, France, Sweden and the UK between the ages of 50 and 75 yearsm” suggested “that individuals with job strain have a shorter health expectancy compared with those without job strain.”
Linda L Magnusson Hanson and others. Job strain and loss of healthy life years between ages 50 and 75 by sex and occupational position: analyses of 64 934 individuals from four prospective cohort studies, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, volume 75, issue 7, pages 486-493, July 2018. Risks 854. 23 June 2018

Britain: Union win, as government bans sexist dress codes
Following years of trade union campaigning against sexist dress codes in the workplace, the Government Equalities Office (GEO) has now published dress code guidance for employers and employees. Unions and safety campaigners have been at the heart of the campaign against sexist dress codes, highlighting the discriminatory and sometimes hazardous nature of the codes.
TUC blog and TUC guide to working feet and footwear. Dress codes and sex discrimination – what you need to know, Government Equality Office, 2018.
Standing problem, Hazards magazine, August 2005. Risks 854. 23 June 2018

Global: Work stress is more deadly in men
Having a stressful job is far more likely to kill men with heart and metabolic problems like diabetes than women, a study found. Men with heart problems are six times more likely to suffer an early death if they have a stressful job - even if they keep fit and eat a healthy diet – the research suggests.
Mika Kivimäki and others. Work stress and risk of death in men and women with and without cardiometabolic disease: a multicohort study, Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, Online First, 5 June 2018. The Guardian. The Independent. Daily Mail. Risks 853. 16 June 2018

Britain: Stressful jobs linked to deadly heart rhythm disorders
Having a stressful job is associated with a higher risk of a heart rhythm disorder, according to new research. The study found the most stressful jobs, linked to a higher risk of atrial fibrillation, are psychologically demanding but give employees little control over the work situation – for example, assembly line workers, bus drivers, secretaries, and nurses.
ESC news release. Eleonor I Fransson, Maria Nordin, Linda L Magnusson Hanson, and Hugo Westerlund. Job strain and atrial fibrillation – Results from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health and meta-analysis of three studies, European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 30 May 2018. DOI: 10.1177/2047487318777387 Risks 852. 9 June 2018.

Britain: Security guards ‘die 20 years younger', says GMB
The UK’s security professionals have a lower life expectancy than people born in Afghanistan or Iraq, GMB has said. The union’s research found security guards die 20 years younger than the national average.
GMB news release. ONS life expectancy figures for security guards 2014-2016. WHO global mortality figures. Risks 852. 9 June 2018.

Global: Top experts back major reforms on work disease prevention
An international meeting of occupational health experts has called for a major global shake up to improve the prevention of work-related diseases. The 2,200 delegates to the International Congress on Occupational Health, held this month in Ireland, adopted the Dublin Statement on Occupational Health, backing wide-ranging action for prevention of occupational cancer and asbestos related diseases (ARDs) and calling for ‘decent work’.
Dublin statement on occupational health: New avenues for prevention of occupational cancer and other severe occupational health hazards, ICOH, May 2018. ICOH website. Risks 849. 19 May 2018

Britain: Spice epidemic putting prison nursing staff at risk
An epidemic of the use of the drug ‘spice’ in UK prisons is putting the nurses called in to treat inmates at risk, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has warned. It said it had members who had been left sick, unconscious or unable to drive after treating prisoners who had taken the illegal drug, which is a potent synthetic cannabis substitute.
RCN news release. Morning Star. BBC News Online. Risks 849. 19 May 2018

Britain: Exercise is good for you - but hard labour isn’t
Men who work as labourers or in other physically demanding roles have a greater risk of dying early than those with more sedentary jobs, a new study has found. The research, from an international team of researchers, reveals an apparent “physical activity paradox” where exercise can be harmful at work but beneficial to health when performed in leisure time.
Pieter Coenen and others. Do highly physically active workers die early? A systematic review with meta analysis of data from 193 696 participants, British Journal of Sports Medicine, published Online First, 14 May 2018. Time magazine. The Guardian. The Independent. Risks 849. 19 May 2018

Britain: Lords told construction industry must tackle its health risks
The construction industry should target health risks as well as safety and should ‘design out’ these risks, a House of Lords inquiry has been told. B&CE, a not-for-profit construction industry insurance and occupational health advice body, told a Lords select committee inquiry into ‘offsite manufacture for construction’ that more emphasis on tackling occupational health risks would reduce the likelihood of these conditions, improve productivity and reduce ‘the risk of workers developing latent health conditions.’
B&CE news release and written evidence to the Lords science and technology committee hearing. Risks 849. 19 May 2018

New Zealand: Work diseases a ‘significant’ workplace problem
A concern over unacceptable levels of highly visible work fatalities should not distract attention from the much greater toll of work-related diseases, the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions (NZCTU) has said. The union body’s president, Richard Wagstaff, said cancer, respiratory disease, noise related hearing loss, and ischaemic heart disease were some of the most common work-related chronic illnesses, adding “involvement of workers and their unions in assessing how to manage these risks.”
New Zealand Herald. Risks 848. 12 May 2018

Britain: Toxic cabin air warning should trigger public inquiry
The recommendations from an inquest into the death of a cabin crew member should be the ‘catalyst’ for a public enquiry, the union Unite has said. The union call came after Berkshire’s senior coroner in the inquest into the death of Matthew Bass, a Unite member and British Airways’ cabin crew, said he would write to the chief coroner asking him to warn all coroners in England and Wales of the need for additional tests where the cause of death could be toxic cabin air on board aircraft.
Unite news release and cabin air campaign. Why Matt died website. Risks 848. 12 May 2018

Britain: ‘Shocking’ numbers work while ill, survey shows
Employers are seeing more staff turning up to work while ill, according to a report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). CIPD surveyed more than 1,000 organisations this year and found that 86 per cent had observed staff attending work while ill, known as ‘presenteeism’; this compares with a survey in 2010 when just 26 per cent of employers observed the behaviour.
CIPD news release. BBC News Online. Risks 847. 5 May 2018

Britain: Occupational health action pays off, says study
Occupational health services (OHS) have a ‘clear value’ to workers, companies and the economy, a new study has found. The report from the Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM), the International SOS Foundation and KU Leuven University examines the value of occupational health from a global perspective and “provides a synthesis of global evidence on the effectiveness of occupational health interventions and cost effectiveness.”  
SOM news release and full report, Occupational health: The global value and evidence, SOM, May 2018. Risks 847. 5 May 2018

Britain: For firefighters like me, the hidden dangers can be worse
Firefighters’ union FBU is facing more than safety hazards; it is battling to highlight the risk of heart attacks, cancer and stress caused by heat and contaminants from fires and close proximity to tragedies. FBU officer Les Skarratts noted that at every turn the union faces barriers.
The Guardian. FBU blog. UCLAN news release. Anna A Stec and others. Occupational exposure to Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons and elevated cancer incidence in firefighters, Nature’s Scientific Reports, 8, Article number: 2476, 2018.
North American firefighters’ union IAFF publishes a list of presumptive legislation coverage on cancers, heart disease and other conditions in firefighters across North American jurisdictions. Risks 847. 5 May 2018

Britain: Workers hurt in ‘crisis’ ridden justice system
Workers in legal aid and advice organisations are at breaking point, according to a survey undertaken by their union Unite. The union’s survey of members at over 30 advice centres, law centres and Citizen Advice centres found in 78 per cent of cases members reported that they now feel more stressed at work, with 1-in-3 being forced to take time off due to work-related sickness.
Unite news release. Risks 846. 28 April 2018

Britain: Justice for DWP worker given warning after 'nearly dying'
A man who worked at the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) and who was given a written warning after ‘nearly dying’ at work has been awarded £26,000 in compensation. PCS member Barrie Caulcutt, who suffers from anxiety, chronic asthma and eczema, was given the written warning for taking 2.5 days sick leave after he suffered a serious asthma attack he believes was triggered by work-related anxiety.
Daily Post. Daily Record. The Mirror. Risks 845. 21 April 2018

Britain: Midwife fired after lack of loo breaks made her sick wins job back
A midwife sacked from Wakefield’s Pinderfields Hospital has won an appeal against her dismissal after more than 40,000 people signed an online petition calling for her to be reinstated. UNISON member Jane Greaves said she was last off work with a kidney infection she believed she contracted at Pinderfields Hospital’s birth centre - which doesn’t have a staff toilet.
Yorkshire Evening Post. The Independent. Risks 845. 21 April 2018

Zimbabwe: Tobacco work is harming children
Children and adults who work on Zimbabwe’s tobacco farms are facing serious risks to their health, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has warned. A new report from the organisation says child workers are exposed to nicotine and toxic pesticides, and many suffer symptoms consistent with ‘Green Tobacco Sickness’, nicotine poisoning from handling tobacco leaves.
HRW news release and report, A bitter harvest: Child labor and human rights abuses on tobacco farms in Zimbabwe, April 2018. Risks 844. 14 April 2018

USA: The 9/11 rescuers who died a day apart
According to records maintained by the Uniformed Firefighters Association of Greater New York (UFANYC) union, roughly one in eight firefighters who were at Ground Zero on 11 September 2001 have since come down with cancer. The New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (NYCOSH) says that about 6,000 of the 9/11 first responders are now living with cancer, with thousands more suffering breathing problems or mental health issues.
BBC News Online. NYCOSH World Trade Center Health Program webpages. Risks 844. 14 April 2018

Britain: Hull recycling workers strike for sick pay
Recycling workers working for FCC Environment in Hull have taken industrial action for decent pay sick pay. FCC Environmental is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas, a Spanish multinational that reported a 12.7 per cent increase in earnings in the first quarter of 2017, totalling $188m globally.
UNISON news release. Risks 844. 14 April 2018

Britain: Cancer common at work, rights often aren’t
More than half (53 per cent) of employees living with cancer do not know that their employer has a legal obligation to make reasonable adjustments for them to return to work, according to Macmillan Cancer Support. The charity’s latest estimates say the number of working age people living with cancer in the UK increased by almost 10 per cent between 2010 and 2015, from 810,000 to 890,000.
Macmillan Cancer Support news release. Personnel Today. Risks 844. 14 April 2018

Britain: Court victory on job loss from ‘symptomless’ chemical harm
A landmark judgment at the UK’s highest court has ruled that three former employees of the chemicals company Johnson Matthey should be compensated after they developed a sensitivity to platinum salts which led to them losing their jobs on medical grounds. The Supreme Court ruling means that if an employer has been negligent and that negligence causes a physiological change in the body, and that change results in economic loss, an employee may be entitled to claim compensation, even though the individual is symptomless.
Leigh Day news release. Supreme Court Ruling, 21 March 2018. Hertfordshire Mercury. Personnel Today. Risks 843. 7 April 2018

Britain: Death scandal spurs DPD to abolish sick leave fines
The courier company DPD is to offer all of its drivers sick and holiday pay and will abolish its controversial £150 daily fines for missing work. The move is part of wholesale reforms to its gig-working model sparked by the death of a driver, Don Lane, who was handed the cash penalty for attending a medical appointment to treat his diabetes and who later collapsed.
The Guardian and related article. Daily Mail. Risks 843. 7 April 2018

Britain: Court victory on job loss from ‘symptomless’ chemical harm
A landmark judgment at the UK’s highest court has ruled that three former employees of the chemicals company Johnson Matthey should be compensated after they developed a sensitivity to platinum salts which led to them losing their jobs on medical grounds. The Supreme Court ruling means that if an employer has been negligent and that negligence causes a physiological change in the body, and that change results in economic loss, an employee may be entitled to claim compensation, even though the individual is symptomless.
Leigh Day news release. Supreme Court Ruling, 21 March 2018. Hertfordshire Mercury. Personnel Today. Risks 843. 7 April 2018

Global: Heart disease risk from lead at very low exposures
Exposure to lead at levels a fraction those permitted in UK workplaces puts workers at a greatly elevated and previously grossly under-estimated risk of deadly heart disease and other health effects, a study has found. The US study that those individuals in the top 10 per cent for their initial blood lead concentration had a 37 per cent increase in all-cause mortality and a 70 per cent increase in cardiovascular disease mortality compared to those with a blood lead concentration falling in the lowest 10 per cent.
BP Lanphear, S Rauch, P Auinger, RW Allen and RW Hornung. Low-level lead exposure and mortality in US adults: a population-based cohort study, The Lancet Public Health, published Online First, 12 March 2018. CNN Health. Exposure to Lead in Great Britain 2016: Medical Surveillance of Blood-Lead Levels in British Workers 2015/16, March 2017. More on the hazards of lead. Risks 842. 24 March 2018

Europe: Agency goes online to prevent work diseases
The European Union’s thinktank on workplace health and safety is targeting prevention of work-related diseases. EU-OSHA says recent estimates indicated work-related diseases account for about 200,000 deaths each year in Europe.
EU-OSHA news release and new webpages on prevention of work-related diseases. Risks 841. 17 March 2018

Britain: Unite win establishes ‘pre-cancer’ disability protection
Workplace disability discrimination protection for cancer victims has been widened as a result of a landmark legal case taken by Unite. The legal victory will ensure that people suffering with ‘pre-cancer’ will be protected under the Equality Act 2010.
Unite news release. Risks 841. 17 March 2018

Britain: Fair managers care about sick employees
How a firm supports people returning to work from sick leave can have a big impact on whether a worker feels they are treated fairly by their organisation and their return is a positive and healthy experience. A new study by researchers at the University of East Anglia (UEA) and Stockholm University, found there is a clear link between a person’s health and their perceptions of fairness at work over time.
UEA news release. Constanze Eib, Claudia Bernhard-Oettel, Linda L Magnusson Hanson and Constanze Leineweber. Organizational justice and health: Studying mental preoccupation with work and social support as mediators for lagged and reversed relationships, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, online first, 5 March 2018. Risks 840. 10 March 2018

USA: When you increase wages, you reduce sick leave
When wages go up, workplace sickness absence goes down, a new study has found. Research by the University of California Davis, published in the current issue of BE Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, concluded better wages led to improved worker health, with improved job satisfaction and better safety programmes coming as part of the better pay package.
UC Davis news release. Juan Du and J Paul Leigh. Effects of Minimum Wages on Absence from Work Due to Illness, BE Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, volume 18, issue 1, January 2018. The Pump Handle blog. Risks 839. 3 March 2018

Britain: Government rejects compo call on miners’ hand condition
Thousands of former miners say they are being denied compensation for a debilitating hand condition caused by their jobs, despite an official recommendation backing payouts. The Department of Work and Pensions has refused to recognise Dupuytren’s contracture as a prescribed disease qualifying for industrial injuries benefits, a decision described by mining union NUM as ‘grotesque’.
NUM news release. IIAC 2014 report. Northern Echo. Risks 839. 3 March 2018

USA: Biggest cluster ever of fatal coal miners' disease
US government scientists say they have identified the largest cluster of advanced black lung disease ever reported. In a research letter published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), epidemiologists from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) confirm 416 cases of progressive massive fibrosis (PMF) or complicated black lung in three clinics treating coal miners in central Appalachia from 2013 to 2017.
NPR investigation and radio report. David J Blackley, Laura E Reynolds, Connie Short and others. Progressive massive fibrosis in coal miners from 3 clinics in Virginia, JAMA, volume 315, number 5, pages 500-501, 6 February 2018. The Pump Handle. Risks 837. 17 February 2018

Cambodia: Union action call after workplace faintings rise
Unions in Cambodia have called for more government action to protect workers’ health, after latest official figures showed a sharp rise in the number of garment workers fainting at work, with over 1,600 workers affected. Fa Saly, president of the National Trade Union Confederation, commented: “The government should thoroughly examine the fabric and surrounding environmental issues, especially the heat because it has gotten hot recently making it difficult for workers,” adding: “They are still eating insufficient food because wages are limited, which puts them at risk of fainting.”
Khmer Times. Risks 837. 17 February 2018

USA: Poultry workers win campaign against speed up
Poultry workers in the United States have won an important victory after campaigning against an industry’s attempt to remove the maximum line speed. If the petition by the National Chicken Council to the Food Safety and Inspection service (FSIS) had been successful it would have reversed an Obama administration decision to limit the number of birds processed to 140 per minute, a ceiling designed to protect workers from strain injuries and other risks.
IUF news report. UFCW news release. RWDSU news release. Confined Space blog. Risks 836. 10 February 2018

Canada: Court rules work injuries are a human rights issue
Canada’s highest court has ruled that a human rights duty to accommodate people with disabilities is applicable in the case of workplace injuries. The legal case was brought by public service union CUPE and injured workers’ groups in Ontario and Quebec.
Canadian Supreme Court ruling. CUPE news release. Risks 836. 10 February 2018

Britain: DPD courier fined for seeing a doctor dies
A courier for the parcel giant DPD who was fined for attending a medical appointment to treat his diabetes collapsed and died of the disease. Don Lane, 53, from Christchurch in Dorset, missed appointments with specialists because he felt under pressure to cover his round and faced DPD’s £150 daily penalties if he did not find cover.
Bournemouth Echo. The Guardian. Daily Mail. The Independent. The Mirror. Risks 836. 10 February 2018

Ireland: More than 2-in-5 report mistreatment at work
More than two out of five Irish workers have experienced mistreatment at work, despite most organisations having policies to prevent it, a study has found. Overall, 43 per cent said they have experienced ill-treatment, 47 per cent had witnessed it, and 6 per cent had experienced physical violence.
IOSH news release. Irish Examiner. Risks 835. 3 February 2018

USA: California passes hotel housekeeper injury rules
California’s workplace health and safety regulator has voted unanimously to introduce new rules to reduce the injuries commonly experienced by hotel housekeepers. Cal/OSHA approved the ‘Hotel Housekeeping Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention’ standard, which had been promoted by the union Unite Here, at a meeting attended by hotel housekeepers from across the state.
Unite Here news release and new California standard on Hotel Housekeeping Musculoskeletal Injury Prevention. IUF news release. Risks 834. 27 January 2018

Britain: Disabled DWP worker wins large unfair dismissal payout
A disabled member of PCS working in the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP), dismissed for non-disability related absences, has won her claim of unfair dismissal and discrimination. The member, who had worked for DWP for nearly four years, was awarded £110,165.14 in compensation plus 36 months pension contributions following her dismissal on 5 March 2016.
PCS news release. Risks 832. 13 January 2018

Britain: Pilot medical rules should be reviewed, says BALPA
British pilots’ union BALPA has called for a full review into medical restrictions for pilots, describing the current limitations as ‘outdated’. The union was speaking out after it was revealed in December 2017 that an aspiring pilot had been denied a job because of his HIV status.
BALPA news release and Class 1 Medical requirements on the CAA website. Risks 831. 6 January 2018

Britain: Unfairness at work ups risk of long-term sick leave
Staff who feel they are treated unfairly at work are at increased risk of being off sick more frequently and for longer, according to new research by the University of East Anglia and Stockholm University. The new study, published in the journal BMC Public Health, focused on the impact of ‘interactional justice’, which relates to the treatment of employees by managers.
UEA news release. Constanze Leineweber and others. Interactional justice at work is related to sickness absence: a study using repeated measures in the Swedish working population, BMC Public Health, volume 17, number 912, published online 8 December 2017. Risks 830. 16 December 2017

Gabon: Sick uranium miners fight for compensation
Hundreds of former Gabonese workers for La Comuf, an affiliate of the French group Areva, have been unsuccessfully demanding compensation for illnesses they believe are related to working in a uranium mine. The miners worked for an Areva subsidiary - the Compagnie des mines d'uranium de Franceville, better known by its abbreviation of COMUF.
Daily Mail. Risks 829. 9 December 2017

Britain: Housing association fined after vibration injuries
A South Wales housing association has been fined after workers developed a debilitating vibration-related occupational disease. Cwmbran Magistrates’ Court heard how Charter Housing Association Ltd reported six cases of Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) following a health surveillance programme launched in June 2015.
HSE news release. Risks 829. 9 December 2017

Britain: Why the wellness industry is, well, unhealthy
Channelling workers to workplace wellness practitioners but not addressing the problems rooted in the job is not going to make things better, a wellness practitioner has warned. Zoë Krupka, who is also a postgraduate researcher at the Faculty of Health Sciences at La Trobe University, Australia, commented: “We’re working longer hours than ever before, and as our employment conditions continue to worsen, they’re simply repackaged into a new version of normal in an effort to make the truly pathological state of many of our workplaces appear acceptable.”
The Conversation.
TUC Work and well-being’ guide and related article. Risks 827. 25 November 2017

Britain: ‘Shocking’ levels of mental illness expose bad bosses
A confidential survey of workers employed by Mears in Manchester and the Mears-run joint venture Manchester Working has revealed ‘truly shocking’ levels of mental health problems and stress among its workforce. The findings of the survey undertaken by the members’ union Unite, were released on 13 November to coincide with the resumption of industrial action in a long-running dispute.
Unite news release. Risks 826. 18 November 2017

Global: WHO mental health in the workplace guide
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued an information sheet on mental health in the workplace. In a list of ‘good interventions’, it highlights the importance of workforce participation, noting the necessity for “involving employees in decision-making, conveying a feeling of control and participation; organisational practices that support a healthy work-life balance.”
Mental health in the workplace: Information sheet, WHO, 2017. Risks 825. 11 November 2017

Britain: Nearly two million harmed by work last year
The latest annual injury and ill-health statistics from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show 1.3 million workers were suffering from work-related ill-health in 2016/17 and 609,000 more suffered workplace injuries. Top line statistics show that in 2016/17 there were 137 fatal injuries in Britain’s workplaces, 70,116 other injuries reported by employers, 12,000 lung disease deaths linked to past work exposures and 554 cases prosecuted, with fines from convictions totalling £69.9 million.
HSE news release and annual injury and ill-health statistics 2016/17 report. CWU news release. Risks 825. 11 November 2017

Britain: Mental ill-health sees 300,000 leave their jobs each year
Up to 300,000 people with long-term mental health problems have to leave their jobs each year, a report has concluded. The review makes 40 recommendations about how employers and the government can better support employees to remain at work, including the “government sets clearer expectations of employers through legislation, and makes Statutory Sick Pay more flexible to better support people with mental health problems to make voluntary phased returns to work where appropriate.”
DWP/DoH news release. Thriving at Work: a review of mental health and employers, an independent report for DWP/DoH, 26 October 2017 [pdf]. The Guardian. BBC News Online. Risks 824. 4 November 2017

Britain: Protecting mental health need rights and resources
Government plans to improve mental health at work will founder unless cuts to mental health services are reversed and workers are given better legal protection, unions have warned. Garry Graham, deputy general secretary of the union Prospect, said the government could not ignore the impact of funding cuts and other “aggravating factors in the increase of mental health, such as increased workloads, long hours working and work-related stress.”
Unite news release. GMB news release. Prospect news release. Risks 824. 4 November 2017

Britain: OHS nurse blows whistle on private health provider
A health care provider has been fined £550,000 after it failed to act on workplace health concerns raised by an occupational health nurse. Southwark Crown Court heard how on 28 June 2014 the nurse, Lynne Betts, raised concerns with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) relating to the running of the internal occupational health service of Ramsay Health Care (UK) Operations Ltd.
HSE news release. Risks 824. 4 November 2017

Britain: Three-fold difference in death rates between job groups
People who work in factories, construction and in housekeeping jobs are the occupational groups that have the highest mortality rates, according to a new study. The study, published in the Lancet Public Health, noted that pay and exposure to risks at work are the two major factors underpinning the differences in life expectancy.
University of Glasgow news release. Srinivasa Vittal Katikireddi, Alastair H Leyland, Martin McKee, Kevin Ralston, David Stuckle. Patterns of mortality by occupation in the UK, 1991-2011: a comparative analysis of linked census-mortality records over time and place, The Lancet Public Health, published online 23 October 2017. BBC News Online. Risks 823. 28 October 2017

Sweden: Reducing solvents protects painters and the public purse
Reducing exposure to toxic chemicals pays off by reducing both work-related disability and welfare costs, a new study suggests. The Swedish study concluded “it is reasonable to assume that the decrease in disability pension in neurological disorders is due to a change in the occurrence of neurological diseases and that the decreased use of organic solvents in paints has contributed to this decrease.”
Bengt Järvholm and Alex Burdorf. Effect of reduced use of organic solvents on disability pension in painters, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, volume 74, issue 11, pages 827-829, 2017. Risks 822. 21 October 2017

Britain: Council fined after worker gets vibration disease
Wrexham County Borough Council has been fined after a 57-year-old worker was diagnosed with Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS). An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the council had not addressed a HAVS risk following an audit in February 2011, which found it was not assessing the risk to employees from equipment such as lawn mowers, leaf blowers and strimmers.
HSE news release. BBC News Online. Daily Post. Risks 821. 14 October 2017

Global: WHO advice on prevention of ‘environmental’ diseases
A newly released publication from the World Health Organisation (WHO) highlights the ‘special relevance of environmental risks’ for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). WHO presents the burden of NCDs caused by environmental risks – a category that includes occupational risk factors - as well as the many areas where action is needed to reduce the burden.
WHO publication alert and report, Preventing noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) by reducing environmental risk factors. Risks 820. 7 October 2017

Britain: Study warns of crumb rubber health risks
Sports stars, amateur players and ground staff could be at risk as a result of a “remarkable” lack of occupational health checks on the effects of rubber crumb pitches, a study has found. The health of some people who work with surfaces made from recycled tyres – such as production workers, suppliers, installers and maintainers – may also be jeopardised due to inadequate monitoring, the Stirling University research suggests.
Andrew Watterson. Artificial turf: Contested terrains for precautionary public health with particular reference to Europe?, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, volume 14, number 9, 2017. Risks 819. 30 September 2017

Britain: Mental health staff on long-term stress leave soars
Soaring rates of mental health workers going sick through stress is a ‘real concern’, the union Unite has said. It added that many more working wounded will be ‘soldiering on’ despite being unwell.
BBC News Online. Risks 819. 30 September 2017

Britain: Bosses admit they are making you sick
The entrenched acceptance of work-related ill-health in British workplaces has become so taken for granted, even company bosses now admit they are making you sick. And they say too little is being done to address the problem, according to new research from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) that found more than two-fifths of businesses are reporting a rise in cases of long-term ill-health, with the majority (80 per cent) stating tackling this growing problem is a priority within their organisation.
HSE news release and Go Home Healthy campaign. Risks 818. 23 September 2017

India: Cashew nut workers at risk of monkey fever
Scientists have traced the source of a re-emerging disease, Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) or ‘monkey fever’, to cashew plantations in Goa. Cashew nut workers, some of whom have tested positive for the condition, face occupational exposure to KFD, the scientists report in a study in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases.
DY Patil and others. Occupational exposure of cashew nut workers to Kyasanur Forest disease in Goa, India, International Journal of Infectious Diseases, volume 61, pages 61-67, August 2017. Indian Express. Risks 817. 16 September 2017

Britain: Employers lack understanding on migraines
Many employers do not understand the terrible effects of migraines and could do more to support staff with the condition, three UK charities have said. They believe with one in seven people affected, more help and awareness from managers is needed.
Migraine Trust news release. BBC News Online. Huffington Post UK.
Timothy T Houle and others. Forecasting Individual Headache Attacks Using Perceived Stress: Development of a Multivariable Prediction Model for Persons With Episodic Migraine. Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, volume 57, number 7, pages 1,041-1,050, July/August 2017. Risks 817. 16 September 2017

Britain: More success for TUC’s Dying to Work Charter
Over half a million workers are now covered by the TUC’s Dying to Work Charter, which guarantees rights for workers facing a terminal diagnosis. The milestone was reached this month when Royal Mail Group, which has 140,000 employees, became the biggest signatory so far.
TUC news release and Dying to work campaign. Risks 817. 16 September 2017

Britain: TUC to tackle mental health problems head on
The TUC will spearhead a major national campaign to increase public awareness of mental health problems in the workplace. The commitment came as delegates at the union’s annual conference urged the government to make understanding of mental health a priority.
Usdaw news release. Morning Star. Risks 817. 16 September 2017

Global: ILO head calls for global safety coalition
Global action is needed to address the massive human and economic cost of occupational injuries and diseases, the head of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has said. “The global economic impact of the failure to adequately invest in occupational safety and health is roughly equal to the total GDP of the poorest 130 countries in the world,” ILO director-general Guy Ryder told nearly 3,500 participants during the opening ceremony at the World Congress on Safety and Health at Work in Singapore on 3 September.
ILO news release. Risks 816. 9 September 2017

Korea: Top court backs MS link to Samsung job
South Korea’s Supreme Court has ruled that a former worker in a Samsung LCD factory who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) should be recognised as having an occupationally caused disease, overturning lower court verdicts. In a milestone decision that could aid other sickened tech workers struggling to prove the origin of their diseases, the Supreme Court ruled there was a significant link between Lee Hee-jin’s disease and workplace hazards and her working conditions, and was critical of the Labour Department and the company for refusing to release exposure data.
Japan Times. SHARPS campaign. Risks 816. 9 September 2017

Canada: First responders suffer mental disorders
Results from Canada's first national survey looking at operational stress injuries among first responders such as police, paramedics, firefighters and emergency call operators suggests they are much more likely to develop a mental disorder than the general population. The research, published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, found of the 5,813 participants, 44.5 per cent “screened positive for clinically significant symptom clusters consistent with one or more mental disorders.”
R Nicholas Carleton and others. Mental disorder symptoms among public safety personnel in Canada, Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, published online, 28 August 2017. CBC News. Risks 816. 9 September 2017

Britain: Firm fined after young worker gets vibration disease
An engineering company has been fined after a 29-year-old worker was diagnosed with hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) – a potentially disabling condition causing tingling, pins and needles, numbness and pain in the affected person’s hands. Greater Manchester Magistrates’ Court heard how the employee, who was working in the trimming department at Taylor Engineering and Plastics Limited, was exposed to vibration from tools used to sand components.
HSE news release. Risks 816. 9 September 2017

Britain: Cleaners at high risk of deadly lung and heart disease
Cleaners are at much higher risk of death from lung and heart disease than workers in other occupations, a study has found. A survey by a Belgian university, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), found that the mortality rate from pulmonary disease was 45 per cent higher for men who had formerly worked in the cleaning sector, and 16 per cent higher for women in the same position, concluding the risks of death from lung and heart disease were much higher in those who had worked as cleaners.
Laura Van den Borre and Patrick Deboosere. Health risks in the cleaning industry: a Belgian census-linked mortality study (1991–2011), International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, first online 14 August 2017. ETUI news report Risks 816. 9 September 2017

Britain: One in three 'sick notes' for mental health
Nearly a third of fit notes issued by GPs are now for psychiatric problems. An NHS report says this makes them the most common reason for people to take time off work, ahead of musculoskeletal diseases.
NHS Digital news release and full report. BBC News Online. Risks 816. 9 September 2017

Britain: Government squanders millions hounding the sick
Ministers have spent almost £40m in an “appalling” attempt to use ‘fit for work’ tests to stop sick and disabled people receiving the financial help to which they are entitled. Freedom of Information requests by The Independent have revealed how taxpayers’ money has been spent on futile legal battles to prevent vulnerable people receiving help.
The Independent. Risks 815. 2 September 2017

Canada: Prolonged standing at work linked to heart attacks
Workers who stand on the job most of the time are at greater risk of heart disease than workers who predominantly sit, a new study has found. It suggests even after taking into account a wide range of personal, health and work factors, people who primarily stand on the job are twice as likely as people who primarily sit on the job to have a heart attack or congestive heart failure.
IWH news release. Peter Smith and others. The Relationship Between Occupational Standing and Sitting and Incident Heart Disease Over a 12-Year Period in Ontario, Canada, American Journal of Epidemiology, kwx298, August 2017.
More on the hazards of standing at work. Risks 814. 26 August 2017

USA: Workplaces are ‘physically and emotionally taxing’
The American workplace is physically and emotionally taxing, with workers frequently facing unstable work schedules and unpleasant and potentially hazardous working conditions, according to a new study. The findings, from research conducted by investigators at the RAND Corporation, Harvard Medical School and UCLA, are based on the American Working Conditions Survey - one of the most in-depth surveys ever done to examine conditions in US workplaces.
RAND news release and full report, Working conditions in the United States: A report on the 2015 American Working Conditions Survey. Fortune magazine. Risks 813. 19 August 2017

South Africa: Mining giant’s $101m lung disease contingency
British mining multinational Anglo American has set aside $101 million (£77.5m) to cover potential damages claims from former South African employees who contracted the fatal occupational lung disease silicosis. “We have made an accounting provision within our half year results this morning, acknowledging the progress that is being made towards an agreement as part of the working group of companies in the silicosis litigation in South Africa,” said an Anglo American spokesperson.
Anglo American half year financial report for the six months ended 30 June 2017, including statement on the silicosis set-aside, 27 July 2017. The Citizen. Risks 813. 12 August 2017

USA: Brain damage in American football players
A study of deceased American football players' brains has found that 99 per cent of professional National Football League (NFL) athletes tested had a disease associated with head injuries. All but one former National Football League player were found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) which is a degenerative disease found in people who have suffered repeated blows to the head.
Research abstract. Risks 811. 5 August 2017

Britain: Engineering firm gave workers vibration disease
An engineering firm has been fined for failing to control the risk of Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS), with workers using vibrating tools developing the debilitating occupational disease as a result. Manchester and Salford Magistrates heard how Newfield Fabrications Co Ltd (NFCL) failed to ensure the risks to its employees from exposure was adequately controlled.
HSE news release. Risks 809. 22 July 2017

Britain: Austerity implicated as life expectancy rise stalls
Rising rates of life expectancy are grinding to a halt in England after more than 100 years of continuous progress, a leading health expert has said, adding that poor living and working conditions could be among the factors responsible. University College London (UCL) expert Sir Michael Marmot said he was “deeply concerned” by the situation, calling it “historically highly unusual”.
Marmot Indicators 2017, Institute of Health Equity, 18 July 2017. BBC News Online. The Independent. The Guardian. The Telegraph.
Usdaw news release. UNISON news release. Prospect news release. STUC news release. Prime minister Theresa May’s speech at the launch of the Taylor Review. Risks 809. 22 July 2017

Britain: TUC call to bin pre-employment health screening
Pre-employment screening is unlawful and unnecessary and should be ‘binned’, the TUC has said. TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson said pre-employment screen is unlawful under the Equality Act 2010 in almost all circumstances, but hundreds of companies in the UK still offer the service.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Risks 809. 22 July 2017

Britain: Payout for cancer sufferer bullied by boss
A personal assistant at a London property investment firm who was harassed and discriminated against by her boss after being diagnosed with breast cancer has been awarded £47,000 in compensation. Eimear Coghlan, 34, was initially treated with “sympathy and concern” by Poonam Dhawan-Leach, chief executive of exclusive The Hideaways Club in Kensington, however, relations began to “fray” as Ms Coghlan needed to go for medical appointments.
Daily Mail. Evening Standard. CIPD blog. Risks 808. 15 July 2017

Global: US chipmakers outsourced their toxic problems
Twenty-five years ago, faced with studies highlighting miscarriage and other risks in US computer chip plants and highly critical media coverage, US tech companies pledged to stop using chemicals that caused miscarriages and birth defects. But they didn’t solve the problem, they outsourced it, leaving women overseas to face the risks.
Bloomberg Businessweek. Risks 805. 24 June 2017

Britain: China clay worker killed by dust exposure
The family of a former clay dryer who died of an occupational dust disease four years ago has received a five-figure compensation settlement. Walter Patton, from St Austell, died aged 83 in February 2013, with an inquest into this death finding his death was a result of kaolin pneumoconiosis linked to his employment at English Clays’ Lovering Pochin & Company (ECLP), latterly known as Imerys Minerals Ltd.
Irwin Mitchell news release. Cornwall Live. Risks 804. 17 June 2017

Britain: Looking after workers makes business sense
Providing workers with access to decent occupational health services is good for workers and good for the bottom line, according to a new report. The Society of Occupational Medicine (SOM) publication sets out ‘the value proposition for occupational health services’.
SOM report, Occupational health: the value proposition, and Why Occupational Health? website. Risks 802. 3 June 2017

USA: Tesla production drive hurts car workers
Tesla’s much-vaunted and highly automated “factory of the future” in Fremont, California, presents some old fashioned hazards for the workers making Elon Musk’s cutting edge electric cars. Reports have revealed the relentless work pressure from Musk’s aggressive production goals are causing high rates of sometimes life-changing injuries.
Capital and Main. The Guardian. American Prospect. Risks 801. 27 May 2017

Canada: Ontario vows to help ailing factory workers
Ontario will do the “right thing” for factory workers left fighting work-related cancer and other diseases but who have been routinely denied compensation, the province’s labour minister has said. The commitment from Kevin Flynn came in the wake of a 173-page report by General Electric (GE) retirees and the union Unifor documenting working conditions in a GE plant in Peterborough from 1945 to 2000.
Unifor news release and full report. Peterborough Examiner. Toronto Star. Risks 801. 27 May 2017

Britain: TUC concern over Tory mental health sticking plaster
The TUC has expressed scepticism about Conservative plans to ‘transform how mental health is regarded in the workplace’ while cutting mental health services and doing nothing on prevention. The union body was commenting on the Conservative Party election manifesto, which notes: “We will amend health and safety regulations so that employers provide appropriate first aid training and needs assessment for mental health, as they currently do for risks to physical health.”
TUC Stronger Unions blog and Mental Health in the Workplace workbook. TUC Touchstone blog. The Conservative Party manifesto 2017. Risks 801. 27 May 2017

Britain: Outrage at secret target to reject most benefit appeals
A government policy requiring Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) staff to reject 80 per cent of benefit appeals has been condemned by the civil service union PCS. Disability organisations have also slammed the ‘outrageous target’.
PCS news release. Daily Mirror. The Independent. Risks 801. 27 May 2017

Britain: Performers face pain and bullying
Performing for a living can come with unacceptable risks, Equity’s conference has heard. Delegates to the performers’ union conference this week heard bullying is so widespread in the acting profession that most actors admit having been victims and up to 60 to 70 per cent of dancers are injured a year.
Morning Star articles on the Equity conference’s bullying and dance injury debates. Risks 801. 27 May 2017

Britain: Few with long-term mental illness are in work
Only 1 in 4 people with a mental illness or phobia lasting for 12 months or more is in work, according to a new TUC report. ‘Mental health and employment’ contains a new analysis of official employment statistics, and reveals while 4 in 5 (80.4 per cent) non-disabled people are in work, people with mental illness, anxiety or depression have substantially lower employment rates.
TUC news release and report, Mental health and employment. Morning Star.
HSE summary statistics for Grea-t Britain 2016. Risks 801. 27 May 2017.

Global: Heart risk warning as inhaled nanoparticles found in blood
Researchers have issued a workplace health warning after a study showed gold nanoparticles can cross from the lungs into the blood, where they accumulate in fatty plaques inside arteries. The study of the effects of these tiny particles on human subjects by UK and Dutch researchers provides further evidence of a link between nanoparticles and cardiovascular disease, the authors warn, and has ‘major implications’ for risk management of engineered nanoparticles in the workplace and wider environment.
Full ACS Nano paper. Chemical Watch. Evening Standard. Risks 800. 20 May 2017

Britain: Tory mental health pledge worthless without cash
A Conservative election pledge on mental health mean nothing without a commitment to proper funding, critics have said. Theresa May said she would introduce a new Mental Health Treatment Bill and measures requiring large companies to train mental health first responders alongside traditional first aiders.
Conservatives news release. The Observer. BBC News Online. Morning Star. Risks 799. 13 May 2017

Britain: Tinnitus drove top drummer to suicide
The drummer with Manchester band Inspiral Carpets killed himself last year after struggling to cope with the effects of tinnitus, his widow has said. Speaking after an inquest recorded an open verdict on the death of Craig Hill, Rose Marie Gill said there needed to be a greater awareness around the damaging effects of the condition.
The Guardian. NME. The Sun. The Mirror. The Telegraph. More on work-related suicide. Risks 799. 13 May 2017

Britain: HSE expert advice lacks crucial intelligence
The Health and Safety Executive’s decision to use only experts from outside the workplace to advise on health hazards on the inside is leaving gaping holes in its intelligence, the TUC has warned. TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson was commented after HSE’s Workplace Health Expert Committee (WHEC), created in 2014, published its first four reports, covering stress, silica, musculoskeletal disorders, and health issues affecting bakers.
TUC Stronger Unions blog. WHEC webpage and reports on stress, silica, musculoskeletal disorders and health issues of bakers. Risks 799. 13 May 2017

Korea: Samsung job caused multiple sclerosis, court rules
In a ground-breaking judgment, a Seoul court has ruled that the multiple sclerosis suffered by a former worker on the LCD production line at Samsung Electronics is a work-related disease. While cancers and other disorders have been recognised officially at other Samsung plants, the 10 February ruling marks the first work-related disease to be recognised on Samsung’s LCD line.
SHARPS news report. The Hankyoreh. Risks 788. 18 February 2017

Britain: Disabled people hide impairments to stay in work
More than half of disabled workers have experienced bullying or harassment at work because of their impairments, a study has found. Nearly six out of 10 (58 per cent) disabled people feel at risk of losing their jobs and one in two (53 per cent) has experienced bullying or harassment at work because of their impairments, according to the research by disability charity Scope.
Scope news release. Morning Star. Risks 788. 18 February 2017

Britain: Public backs bid to save work diseases unit
A union campaign to save a highly skilled Barrow team who process claims for industrial illness benefits has received wide public support. Phoenix House in Barrow has been put at risk of closure under Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) plans to shut and relocate several health assessment offices and job centres across Britain.
PCS save Phoenix House petition. North West Evening Mail. Risks 788. 18 February 2017

Britain: Company didn’t grasp vibration danger to hands
A ground engineering company has been fined after a worker contracted severe hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court heard how an employee working at Keller Limited’s earth retaining division, known as Phi Group, was only diagnosed as suffering from ‘life altering’ HAVS after repeatedly flagging his symptoms to the company for over five years.
HSE news release. Risks 787. 11 February 2017

Canada: Plan for new work diseases response team
Ontario aims to have a dedicated occupational disease response team in place by the end of the year to improve prevention and enforcement, as well as help workers who get sick from chemical exposures file compensation claims. The move comes after press reports on the struggle of hundreds of former General Electric (GE) workers to get compensation for often terminal illnesses like brain cancer.
Toronto Star. IAFF presumptive laws webpages. Risks 784. 21 January 2017

Britain: Campaigners slam May’s ‘woeful’ mental health plan
Workplace campaigners have said a speech by Theresa May outlining her action plan for mental health fails to address root causes and the government-imposed funding crisis blighting mental health services. The union GMB said the prime minister was “in a dangerous state of denial” about the economic drivers of mental ill-health and the impact of government cuts on mental health services.
Prime Minister’s Office news release, Charity Commission speech and Huffington Post article. GMB news release. Hazards Campaign news release. Risks 783. 14 January 2017

Britain: British Airways fined for shaky practices
British Airways plc has been fined £6,500 for failing to protect its workers from exposure to vibration. Paisley Sheriff Court heard how employees working within the composite workshop at the firm’s Glasgow base were exposed them to the risk of hand arm vibration syndrome (HAVS), a condition that can cause potentially permanent symptoms such as tingling, pins and needles, numbness and pain in the hands.
HSE news release. Risks 782. 7 January 2017

Britain: Unite signs up to voluntary silica dust action pact
Unite has joined industry representatives, academics and safety and health professionals signing up to a voluntary 12-month plan of action to tackle the risks from inhaling silica dust at work. Respirable crystalline silica (RCS) is encountered in a wide range of jobs from construction, to mining, ceramics, stone masonry, quarrying, brickmaking and fracking – however the voluntary IOSH-backed pact falls short of a key union demand for a tighter silica exposure standard, backed up by rigorous enforcement.
IOSH news release, Tackling respirable crystalline silica together: a cross industry commitment and No time to lose campaign. ITUC/Hazards Work Cancer Hazards blog. Risks 782. 7 January 2017

Britain: Resources questionmark over health and work strategy
A new ‘health and work’ strategy launched by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) addresses some of the glaring omissions in previous strategy initiatives, the union Prospect has indicated, but raises questions about what can be achieved as the safety regulator struggles with a severe funding squeeze.
Prospect news release. HSE news release, health and work strategy webpages and document. HSE business plan 2016/17 and Helping Great Britain work well strategy.  Risks 782. 7 January 2017

Britain: New kitchen fashion is a killer
“Stone” worktops in kitchens are becoming very fashionable in Britain, yet how many people know that they are killing the workers who make or install them? TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson said he was made aware of the problem when he met with a lung consultant, who “mentioned that half of all lung transplants in Israel are due to work with engineered stone.”
TUC Stronger Unions blog. More on the UK’s inadequate exposure standard for silica. Risks 781. 17 December 2016

Britain: Ejector seat firm harmed its workers’ lungs
An Uxbridge manufacturer of ejector seats has been fined £800,000 after three workers developed debilitating lung conditions. The skilled CNC machine operators at Martin Baker Aircraft Company Limited developed extrinsic allergic alveolitis (EAA) after many years of exposure to metalworking fluid, used as a coolant and lubricant when machining metal.
HSE news release and metalworking webpages. Risks 779. 3 December 2016

Britain: Council fined £250,000 for work health blunders
A council has been fined after a worker was left with permanent health damage after being diagnosed with hard arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). Thanet District Council pleaded guilty to criminal breaches of the Control of Vibration at Work Regulations 2005 and was fined £250,000 plus £18,325.84 in costs.
HSE news release and HAVS webpages. Risks 778. 26 November 2016

Britain: Compensation changes to hurt work disease victims
Government plans to reform personal injury claims in England and Wales would take the compensation system back to the dark ages and would mean many occupational disease victims would lose out, lawyers have said. One proposal - raising the limit for cases in the small claims court for all personal injury claims from £1,000 to £5,000 – would mean most workers suffering an occupational disease would have neither the resources nor the legal support to pursue a genuine claim.
MoJ news release. APIL news release. Thompsons Solicitors news release. UNISON news release. UCATT news release. Unite news release. BBC News Online. Risks 778. 26 November 2016

Britain: Make sure work exposure standards measure up
A new guide to occupational hygiene for union health and safety representatives has been published jointly by the TUC and the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS). The report points out that 99 per cent of work-related deaths each year are the result of occupational diseases, with injuries contributing just 1 per cent to the occupational death toll.
TUC publication notice. BOHS news release. Occupational hygiene explained: A guide for union health and safety representatives, TUC/BOHS, November 2016. Risks 778. 26 November 2016

Britain: Heavy price to pay as work-related harm goes up
The number of workers in Great Britain suffering harm caused by their jobs has risen sharply, latest Health and Safety Executive (HSE) statistics have confirmed. HSE also reports that the ‘total costs’ bill for work-related injuries and work-related ill-health has not fallen in five years, with its costs breakdown showing that nearly 57 per cent of the cost of workplace injuries and new cases of work-related ill-health is borne by the individuals affected, compared to less than 20 per cent falling on employers, who also pay significantly less than the public purse.
HSE statistics webpages and summary statistics 2015/2016, latest cost estimates and work-related ill-health estimates. Risks 777. 19 November 2016

USA: Top hospital faces black lung class action
One of America’s most renowned medical centres - The Johns Hopkins Hospital - intentionally defrauded hundreds of sick coal miners out of compensation and health benefits while pocketing large sums from coal companies, according to a class action lawsuit filed by the families of two coal miners who died of black lung disease. The lawsuit, which also targets a long-time doctor at the Baltimore hospital, centres around a unit of radiologists who for decades provided coal companies x-ray readings that almost always said the miner didn't have black lung, helping the companies avoid paying benefits under a programme administered by the federal government.
Centre for Public Integrity. Class action lawsuit against Johns Hopkins. Risks 776. 12 November 2016.

Britain: Many cancer patients face work discrimination
Almost one-fifth of people (18 per cent) diagnosed with cancer face discrimination from employers or colleagues on return to work, research by the charity Macmillan suggests. The survey of 1,009 patients, all in work when diagnosed, indicated that 15 per cent returned to work before feeling ready.
Macmillan news release. BBC News Online.
Cancer in the workplace: A workbook for union representatives,  second edition, TUC, 2015. TUC guidance on occupational cancer prevention: Occupational Cancer - A Workplace Guide. Risks 776. 12 November 2016.

Britain: Fit note system and sick pay to be reviewed
The system of sick pay and GP “fit notes” is to be reviewed by the government. A draft consultation document published by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) will also examine changes to the controversial work capability assessments (WCA), with its scope including measures “encouraging employers to work with their employees with long-term health conditions to stop them from falling out of work.”
DWP news release and related webpages. The Guardian. Morning Star.
Work, health and disability: consultation. Closes 17 February 2017. Risks 775. 5 November 2016

Britain: Workplace stress drives cardiovascular disease
Economic globalisation may create stressful employment conditions in high-income countries, contributing to the worldwide epidemic of cardiovascular disease (CVD), a study has found. Peter Schnall and Marnie Dobson from the University of California, Irvine (UCI) and Paul Landsbergis from the State University of New York (SUNY) say their study pulls together a robust body of evidence documenting the effect of the work environment, including psychosocial job stressors.
SUNY Downstate Medical Center news release. Peter Schnall, Marnie Dobson and Paul Landsbergis. Globalization, work and cardiovascular disease, International Journal of Health Services, volume 46, number 4, pages 656-692, October 2016. Risks 773. 22 October 2016

Britain: MPs warn of ‘perfect storm’ facing occupational medicine
Occupational medicine in the UK is facing a ‘crisis’ caused by a ‘massive fall’ in the number doctors being trained in the specialism combined with a drop in the provision of workplace occupational health services, MPs have warned. A new report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health notes only 1 in 8 UK workers can access a specialist occupational physician, with the numbers of being trained in the specialism is now at “an all-time low”.
Occupational medical workforce crisis: The need for action to keep the UK workforce healthy, All-Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health, 18 October 2016. Ian Lavery MP news release. Risks 773. 22 October 2016.

Canada: Powder given to miners linked to brain disease
Thousands of Canadian miners deliberately exposed to aluminium dust that was supposed to protect their lungs may have developed brain and respiratory disease as a result. As many as 20,000 miners were exposed to a dust called McIntyre powder – the gold and uranium miners were told the powder would coat their lungs and prevent them from contracting deadly silicosis.
Sudbury Star. McIntyre Powder Project. Risks 771. 8 October 2016

Britain: Who’s protecting your occupational health?
TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson warns that occupational health provision in the UK is “appalling”, with Greece the only EU member state providing less cover. “So, unless you already know, why not ask your employer what level of occupational health they are providing, who they use, and why regular reports are not given to the joint safety committee?”
TUC Stronger Unions blog. Is my occupational health provider accredited? TUC guide for union safety reps, September 2016. Risks 771. 8 October 2016

Britain: Is your occupational health provider accredited?
The TUC is advising safety reps to ensure occupational health services used by their employer are up to scratch. ‘Is your occupational health provider accredited?’, a new guide from the union body, notes: “If your employer uses an occupational health provider for any purpose, it is important that you and your members know that they are up to the job.”
Is my occupational health provider accredited? TUC guide for union safety reps, September 2016. Risks 770. 1 October 2016.

Britain: Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit - a TUC guide
The TUC has published a short guide to the government’s Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit scheme, which covers both injuries and certain occupational diseases caused by work, including occupational asthma, deafness and vibration disease, and some dust diseases, strain injuries and occupational cancers. The guide is an important resource for affected workers or for safety reps advising members on compensation claims and work-related benefits – which can be clawed back if a compensation claim against the employer is successful.
TUC publication notice and Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit - a TUC guide. Risks 679. 24 September 2016.

Britain: Campaigners show docs how to spot asbestos diseaseDoctors in Scotland are to be given new guidance on how to diagnose asbestos-related disease in the hope of improving care for sufferers. Campaigners from Clydeside Action on Asbestos (CAA), which helps people with asbestos cancers, has developed a new initiative designed to help GPs spot the signs of related diseases including mesothelioma quicker.
Evening Times. Clydeside Action on Asbestos. Risks 679. 24 September 2016.

Britain: Artificial enzymes are ‘potent allergens’ at work
Genetically modified enzymes used to create flavourings and aromas and boost the power of cleaning products and medicines, are “potent allergens” that can immediately sensitise those occupationally exposed to them, researchers have found. A paper published online in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine warns as yet there are no commercially available diagnostic tests to monitor the potential health risk posed by these new enzymes.
Lygia T Budnik and others. Sensitising effects of genetically modified enzymes used in flavour, fragrance, detergence and pharmaceutical production: cross-sectional study, Occupational & Environmental Medicine, online first 22 September 2016. Risks 679. 24 September 2016.

Britain: Health and work in numbers
Public Health England has published what the TUC describes as a ‘really useful set of health and work infographics’, in collaboration with The Work Foundation. The focus of the PHE infographics is primarily on the impact of health on work, with far less emphasis given to the impact of work on health, with no mention of big work-related killers like occupational cancer and occupational lung disease.
PHE publications announcement and PHE health and work infographics. Risks 768. 17 September 2016.

USA: Work is a pain in the neck – official
Work factors are a major pain in the neck, a study has found, but has highlighted the prevention measures that could put the problem behind us. Working with academics, investigators at the US government’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) confirmed the link between neck pain and specific psychosocial and organisational risks in the workplace.
NIOSH Research Rounds, volume 2, issue 2, August 2016.
Haiou Yang and others. Workplace psychosocial and organizational factors for neck pain in workers in the United States, American Journal of Industrial Medicine, volume 59, issue 7, pages 549-560, July 2016.
NIOSH resources: Persistent pain in the neck! What resources help you prevent MSDs in the workplace? Risks 765. 27 August 2016.

Britain: Hotel union challenges backbreaking work
Nine out of every ten hotel housekeeping workers in London suffers from back pain caused by their job, a union survey has found. Over threequarters of the chefs surveyed by Unite reported having witnessed an injury or a near miss caused by fatigue, with the union saying its report, ‘Unethical London’, exposes the low pay and exploitative work practices that have been allowed to flourish unchecked in the multi-billion hotel industry, which employs 100,000 people in London.
Unite news release and Unethical London report. Risks 765. 27 August 2016.

Britain: Study finds sedentary work is deadly
Desk-bound workers who do low amounts of exercise face a greatly elevated risk of an early death, a new study has found. A team of international experts found sitting for at least eight hours a day could increase the risk of premature death by up to 60 per cent.
Ulf Ekelund and others. Does physical activity attenuate, or even eliminate, the detrimental association of sitting time with mortality? A harmonised meta-analysis of data from more than 1 million men and women, The Lancet, published online 27 July, 2016. The Lancet physical activity series.
The Guardian and accompanying article. Sydney Morning Herald.
Workplace well-being programmes: A guide for safety reps, TUC, December 2015.
Hard to swallow: TUC warns that firms and government have an unhealthy preoccupation with your lifestyle, Hazards, number 133, December 2015. Risks 762. 6 August 2016

USA: Illnesses blamed on toxic coal ash exposures
Dozens of lawsuits are pending in the US as a result of a December 2008 dam collapse in Tennessee which saw workers exposed to clouds of toxic coal ash. An army of clean-up workers were drafted in after a dyke failure unleashed a billion gallons of ash from a Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) power plant 36 miles south-west of Knoxville.
Center for Public Integrity investigative report. Risks 761. 30 July 2016

Britain: Musicians to find out the score on health risks
The Musicians’ Union is backing an initiative to provide performers with advice on work-related health problems. The union says a programme of ‘Musicians’ Insights’ will raise awareness of key health issues for musicians and workshops will give self-help tips and expert guidance.
Musicians’ Union news release. Help Musicians UK. British Association for Performing Arts Medicine (BAPAM). Risks 760. 23 July 2016

Britain: Aquarium worker ‘scarred for life’ by fish disease
A Sheffield man was left permanently scarred by a rare illness described by experts as ‘TB for fish’. The fish technician, who wishes to remain anonymous, was diagnosed with ‘fish tank granuloma’ around a year into his work cleaning tanks and looking after fish for Dronfield-based JMC Aquatics.
Irwin Mitchell Solicitors news release. Derbyshire Times. Risks 758. 9 June 2016

Canada: Unions win work cancer evidence breakthrough
The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled 7-1 that workers made ill by hazardous substances at work don’t need to prove their case with scientific certainty in order to collect workers’ compensation. In its judgment in the case brought by three health union members, the Supreme Court ruled: “While the record on which that decision was based did not include confirmatory expert evidence, the Tribunal nonetheless relied upon other evidence which, viewed reasonably, was capable of supporting its finding of a causal link between the workers’ breast cancers and workplace conditions.”
HSA news release. Supreme Court of Canada judgment, 24 June 2016 [pdf]. I-Politics. Risks 757. 2 July 2016

Australia: Tougher controls needed 'to prevent black lung'
Tougher coal dust monitoring standards in Australian mines are urgently needed to prevent miners from developing black lung, medical experts have warned. A clinical focus on the condition, published in the latest edition of Medical Journal of Australia and written by experts in chronic lung disease, warned Australian coal dust exposure limits are not meeting international standards and should be more stringent to eradicate black lung, or coal workers’ pneumoconiosis (CWP).
Graeme R Zosky and others. Coal workers’ pneumoconiosis: an Australian perspective, Medical Journal of Australia, volume 204, number 11, pages 414-418, June 2016. Channel 9 News. Risks 756. 25 June 2016

Britain: Firm and safety consultant fined over dermatitis case
A Hereford rubber sealant manufacturer and its safety adviser have been fined after a worker contracted allergic contact dermatitis. Hereford Magistrates’ Court heard how the TRP Polymer Solutions Limited employee contracted the skin disease after being exposed to sensitising ingredients in rubber compounds.
HSE news release and chemical safety webpages. Risks 756. 25 June 2016

Britain: HMRC under fire over compensation cases backlog
Tax officials are breaching the human rights of bereaved spouses and the terminally ill by making them wait more than a year for essential employment records in work-related disease compensation claims. Lawyers say an average time of 383 days to retrieve historic work histories by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is denying claimants the right to pursue firms over sometimes terminal occupational diseases.
Irwin Mitchell Solicitors news release. Daily Mail. Risks 756. 25 June 2016

Global: Long working hours hurt women most
Women who put in long hours for the bulk of their careers are at greater risk of life-threatening illnesses, including heart disease and cancer. Work weeks that averaged 60 hours or more over three decades may triple the risk of diabetes, cancer, heart trouble and arthritis for women, a 30-year study by researchers from Ohio State University has found.
Allard E Dembe and Xiaoxi Yao. Chronic disease risks from exposure to long-hour work schedules over a 32-year period, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, online ahead of print, June 2016.
OSU news release. TUC Touchstone blog. Science Daily.  New York Daily News. Risks 756. 25 June 2016

USA: Stroke severity could be worse for shiftworkers
Shiftwork may increase stroke severity by interfering with the body's internal clock, with men faring worst, new research suggests. Study co-author David Earnest, of the Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, said: “A person on a shiftwork schedule, especially on rotating shifts, challenges or confuses their internal body clocks by having irregular sleep-wake patterns or meal times.”
David Earnest and others. Sex differences in the impact of shift work schedules on pathological outcomes in an animal model of ischemic stroke, Endocrinology, published online ahead of print, 2 June 2016. Medical News Today. Risks 754. 11 June 2016.

India: Quartz workers breathe the dust of death
For impoverished migrant workers in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh, the quartz crushing industry of Godhra provides an escape from debt. It also generates clouds of white dust, crystalline silica, the cause of the incurable occupational lung disease, silicosis.
Indian Express. Risks 752. 28 May 2016

Britain: Six figure vibration fine for pipe maker
A pipe manufacturing company based in Newport has been fined for criminal safety failings after seven reported cases of vibration-related hand arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) or carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) occurred at the firm between April 2014 and July 2015. Newport Crown Court heard that employees of Asset International Limited used vibrating tools without proper training or practical controls to reduce vibration risk.
HSE news release and vibration disease webpages. Construction Enquirer. Risks 752. 28 May 2016

USA: Unions essential to public health
Any decline in union power is a threat to public health, according to a paper in the latest edition of the American Journal of Public Health. Mike Wright, director of health and safety with the steelworkers’ union USW, notes that as well is improving workplace health and safety, unions negotiate better working conditions and access to health care, improve pay rates and benefits, protect workers from discrimination and unfair treatment and press for measures to reduce the environmental impact of production. Michael J Wright. The decline of American unions is a threat to public health, American Journal of Public Health, volume 106, number 6, pages 968-969, June 2016. Risks 751. 21 May 2016

Britain: Sickness absence and disability discrimination guide
‘Sickness absence and disability discrimination’, a TUC guide for union reps, seeks to increase understanding of the law and its limitations. The guide has been updated to take account of recent legal precedents.
TUC publication notice and guide, Sickness absence and disability discrimination, 2016. 21 May 2016

Britain: Is this man really fit for work?
A partially paralysed man with part of his head missing has been told he is fit for work by the government. As a result of the Work Capability Assessment for DWP by a private contractor, Kenny Bailey has lost £156 per fortnight, and will now have to survive on £470 every four weeks, his Personal Independence Payment.
The Mirror. Risks 751. 21 May 2016

Global: Too much dust disease, too little action
The contribution of exposures to dust and fumes at work to a major lung disease killer is higher than previously estimated, top occupational health researchers have warned. They add that the idea that some exposures at work are ‘nuisance dust’ suggests widespread complacency about the occupational risks of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the bronchitis and emphysema linked to thousands of work-related deaths in the UK alone each year.
Paul D Blanc and Kjell Torén, Editorial. COPD and occupation: resetting the agenda, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, volume 73, pages 357-358, June 2016 [abstract].
Resources: TUC dust in the workplace guide [pdf]. Dust up! If you want to breathe easy at work, be a nuisance on dust, Hazards magazine. Risks 751. 21 May 2016

Global: Unfairness at work can be bad for your health
Employees’ experiences of fairness at work can impact on their health, according to a new study involving the University of East Anglia (UEA). The researchers investigated whether perceptions of what they call ‘procedural justice’, and found that when perceptions of fairness changed, the self-rated health of employees also changed, with those who experienced more fairness on average over the period studied reported better health.
UEA news release. Constanze Leineweber, Constanze Eib, Paraskevi Peristera, and Claudia Bernhard-Oettel. The influence of procedural justice and change in procedural justice on self-rated health trajectories: Results from the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health, Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment and Health, published online first, May 2016. Risks 750. 14 May 2016

Britain: Low wages are an occupational health hazard
Low wages should be recognised as a genuine occupational health threat, US researchers have concluded. “Workers earning low wages may be at greater risk for disease and injury than workers earning high wages,” note J Paul Leigh and Roberto De Vogli of the University of California Davis School of Medicine in an editorial in the May edition of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, adding that low wages should be considered among the psychosocial factors - such as long work hours and high job strain - identified as occupational risks to health.
J Paul Leigh and Roberto De Vogli.  Editorial: Low wages as occupational health hazards, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, volume 58, issue 5, pages 444–447, May 2016. Science Daily.  Low blow: Low paid work comes with high work risks, Hazards, October-December 2014. Risks 750. 14 May 2016

Britain: NHS workers are being fed rubbish
Health service workers are begin compelled to eat unhealthy, poor quality food, with night shift workers particularly badly served, a survey from UNISON and the Campaign for Better Hospital Food (CBHF) has found. It discovered nurses and other health employees are being forced to survive on fast food – or on poor quality vending machine snacks - because hospitals are failing to provide proper facilities.
UNISON news release. Workplace well-being programmes: A guide for safety reps, TUC, December 2015. Other workers’ health resources. Risks 749. 7 May 2016

Britain: Two firms fined over two occupational diseases
Two Derbyshire-based construction firms have been fined for criminal safety offences as a result of separate investigations into reported cases of occupational diseases. Derby Crown Court heard how employees at Sandvik Mining and Construction Limited and Sandvik Construction Mobile Crushers and Screeners Limited were regularly exposed to hand arm vibration that led to separate reported cases of carpal tunnel syndrome and hand-arm vibration syndrome.
HSE news release. Risks 748. 30 April 2016.

Britain: Better pay can fix mental health problems
A new study has found that low-paid workers who received the national minimum wage in April 1999 reported a decline in symptoms of depression for at least 22 months afterwards. The researchers discovered that receiving the national minimum wage was equivalent to the effect of taking antidepressants.
University of Oxford news release. Aaron Reeves, Martin McKee, Johan Mackenbach, Margaret Whitehead and David Stuckler. Introduction of a national minimum wage reduced depressive symptoms in low-wage workers: a quasi-natural experiment in the UK, Health Economics, published online ahead of print, April 2016. Risks 747. 23 April 2016

Britain: Court of Appeal backs unions on sick absence
Civil service unions have recorded a major victory on sickness absence. A Court of Appeal ruling released on 15 April has confirmed that the Department for Transport (DfT) is unable to change contractual sickness absence rules without the agreement of unions.
Prospect news release. PCS news release. The appeal court judgment in full. Risks 747. 23 April 2016

Britain: Nudge theory isn’t evidence-based or the best option
The ‘nudge’ theory embraced by the government in a bid to change the population’s behaviour by stealth isn’t evidence-based and isn’t a satisfactory alternative to proper rights and properly enforced legislation, the TUC has warned. The union body was responding to a leader in New Scientist magazine that noted: “Nudge is an example of what is possible when you apply science to policymaking,” but cautioned “the well-intentioned politicians who want to use them should always remember: never let nudge turn to shove.”
New Scientist leader, 12 March 2016 and Hugh Robertson’s response, New Scientist, 2 April 2016. Behavioural Insights Team. Risks 744. 2 April 2016

Global: Industry funded studies deliver dangerously biased results
Occupational and environmental health studies with industry funding are more than four times as likely to report negative results, an analysis of hundreds of scientific papers has found. Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health also identified a ‘dose-response’ effect, meaning the greater the industry backing the greater the likelihood the study would find nothing to worry about.
Lee Friedman and Michael Friedman. Financial Conflicts of Interest and Study Results in Environmental and Occupational Health Research, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, volume 58, issue 3, pages 238–247, March 2016 [abstract]. Risks 743. 19 March 2016

Britain: FBU wants a supportive firefighter fitness system
Firefighters’ union FBU is looking to train fire service employees as personal fitness trainers in an effort to support firefighters to remain fit enough to do their physically demanding job. The move to provide FBU ‘personal training apprenticeships’ has attracted interest from more than threequarters of fire and rescue services in England, the union said.
FBU news release. National Joint Council for Local Authority Fire and Rescue Services guidance, March 2016. Risks 743. 19 March 2016

USA: Health workers crumbling under the weight
In the United States, where two-thirds of adults are classified as overweight or obese, larger patients are increasingly the norm, and the healthcare industry has evolved in many ways to accommodate them, from developing sturdier medical equipment to building heavier-duty hospital beds. The sector has been much slower, however, to tackle other, subtler ways obesity weighs on the healthcare system, such as the toll of physically handling larger patients, despite the vast medical and financial benefits of doing so, nurses and other medical experts say.
International Business Times. Risks 742. 12 March 2016

South Africa: Gold miners win landmark silicosis scheme
Former South African gold miners and relatives of deceased ex-miners have reached a landmark settlement in their long-running legal battle against Anglo American South Africa Ltd and AngloGold Ashanti Ltd. The 4,365 claimants sued the mining companies for the dust-related lung diseases, silicosis and silico-tuberculosis, which they claim resulted from working in unsafe, dusty conditions in the mines.
Leigh Day Solicitors. Risks 742. 12 March 2016

Britain: NHS staff need time to get healthy
A move by NHS England to improve the health of its 1.3 million staff by offering more support has received a qualified welcome from unions. They were responding after Simon Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England, said from April hospitals and other providers of NHS care will for the first time be able to earn a share of a national incentive fund worth £600m improve the support they offer to frontline health staff to stay healthy.
UNISON news release. CSP news release. NHS England news release. Risks 742. 12 March 2016

Britain: Don’t treat women like skivers, period
The decision by a Bristol company to implement a ‘period policy’, including the option for women to take time off has been met with a note of caution from the TUC. TUC women’s equality officer Scarlet Harris said: “Instead of menstrual leave policies, how about employers and government stop perpetuating the myth that workers on sick leave are workshy skivers?”
TUC Touchstone blog. The Guardian. The Independent. Risks 742. 12 March 2016

Australia: Union wins black lung public inquiry
An Australian union campaign to ‘Make Black Lung History’ has taken a big step forward with the announcement of a public inquiry into the devastating occupational lung disease. Tony Maher, president of the union CFMEU’s mining and energy division, said he was now confident there would soon be a solution to the growing health crisis.
CFMEU news release and Dust to dust: Make black lung history campaign. Risks 740. 27 February 2016

Britain: Mental health plan at risk from service ‘salami slicing’ A record of ‘short-termism’ and ‘salami slicing’ by government ministers could undermine a new blueprint to get more people suffering mental health problems back to work, Unite has said. The union was speaking out after the prime minister launched ‘The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health’, a report by the independent taskforce on mental health.
Prime Minister’s Office news release. Unite news release. BBC News Online. Risks 739. 20 February 2016.

Britain: Report slams ‘well-being vacuum’ at work 
Despite increased business awareness of the importance of actively supporting health and well-being in the workplace, there remains a stubborn ‘implementation gap’ in UK workplaces, human resources body CIPD has said. Its new report, ‘Growing the health and well-being agenda: From first steps to full potential’, states that fewer than one in ten (8 per cent) of UK organisations currently have a standalone well-being strategy that supports the wider organisational strategy.
CIPD news release and report, Growing the health and well-being agenda: From first steps to full potential. Workplace well-being programmes: A guide for safety reps, TUC, December 2015. Hard to swallow, Hazards magazine, Number 132, December 2015. Risks 737. 6 February 2016

Britain: Incidents highlight risks of ‘aerotoxic’ syndrome
The revelation that two flights in two days were forced to turn back to the UK last week following an outbreak of sickness among the cabin crew has added further weight to calls for a public inquiry into ‘aerotoxic syndrome’, the union Unite has said. The union said the abandoned flights, one to South Africa and one to the US, provided further evidence that leaks from aircraft engines are finding their way into the cabins causing the crew to feel sick but may also be further impairing the crew’s health.
Unite news release and Keep cabin crew safe campaign. Evening Standard. Risks 737. 6 February 2016

USA: Wellness programmes now come with threats
Dale Arnold, who worked for plastics maker Flambeau in Wisconsin, USA, chose not to take his work-sponsored health assessment and biometric screening. The company responded by pulling his health insurance coverage. Bloomberg News. Workplace well-being programmes: A guide for safety reps, TUC, December 2015. Hard to swallow, Hazards magazine, Number 132, December 2015. Risks 735. 23 January 2016

Global: Textile dust linked to rheumatoid arthritis
Occupational exposure to textile dust is associated with almost three times the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, according to new research published online in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. The research, which led the authors to call for better control of dust in the textiles industry, also linked exposure to genetic changes that hasten progression of the disease.
BMJ news release. Chun Lai Too and others. Occupational exposure to textile dust increases the risk of rheumatoid arthritis: results from a Malaysian population-based case-control study, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, 14 January 2016. doi 10.1136/annrheumdis-2015-208278 Risks 735. 23 January 2016

Britain: Woman finished for chemotherapy time off
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has been accused of sacking an employee just days before Christmas after telling her she had taken too much time off work while undergoing chemotherapy. Pauline Fisher, 65, who has been diagnosed with incurable kidney cancer, had worked at a DWP-run disability centre in Blackpool for 10 years before being signed off sick for six months last June.
ITV News. The Independent. The Mirror. Risks 735. 23 January 2016

Britain: Privatised back to work tests a failure
The government's privatised system of assessing sick and disabled social security claimants is still failing claimants and taxpayers, civil service union PCS has said. The union was commenting after a National Audit Office (NAO) report concluded the Department for Work and Pensions has not achieved value for money in its management of health and disability assessments for employment and support allowance (ESA) and personal independence payments (PIP).
PCS news release. NAO report and news release. Statement from Commons public accounts committee chair Meg Hillier. Morning Star. Risks 734. 16 January 2016

Britain: College student dies from Weil's disease
A student has died of Weil's disease after helping at an animal charity, Public Health England has confirmed. Following the death, a court order was granted which restricts public access to Northamptonshire Animals in Need of Nurturing and Adoption at Irthlingborough.
Northamptonshire Telelgraph. Northampton Chronicle. BBC News Online. Risks 733. 9 January 2016

Britain: Bad exposures not bad luck causes cancers
Workplace, environmental and other ‘extrinsic’ exposures cause of up to 90 per cent of cancers, researchers have concluded. The study by a team at Stony Brook University in the US was prompted by a heavily criticised paper in the journal Science which in January 2015 claimed ‘bad luck’ was behind most cancers.
Stony Brook University news release. Scientific American. BBC News Online.
Song Wo, Scott Powers, Wei Zhu and Yusuf A Hannun. Substantial contribution of extrinsic risk factors to cancer development, Nature, published online 16 December 2015. Risks 733. 9 January 2016

Britain: Unhealthy workplace trend confirmed by reports
Two new reports have confirmed an upward trend in work-related ill-health under the Conservatives. Since the Conservatives defeated Labour in 2010/11, self-reported work-related illness has increased by 7 per cent, up from 1.16m cases to 1.24m in 2014/15. 
Doctor? No: HSE defends its impotence in the losing battle against work’s diseases, Hazards, number 133, December 2015. IHE news release and preliminary Marmot indicators.
Hard to swallow: TUC warns that firms and government have an unhealthy preoccupation with your lifestyle, Hazards, number 133, December 2015.  Workplace well-being programmes: A guide for safety reps, TUC, December 2015. Risks 733. 9 January 2016

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Britain: Working wounded face multiple pressures 
High job demands, stress and job insecurity are among the main reasons why people go to work when they are ill, according to a new study by researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA) and Concordia University in Canada. The study found one of the most significant causes of presenteeism is the severity of organisational policies used to monitor or reduce staff absence, such as strict trigger points for disciplinary action, job insecurity, limited paid sick leave, or few absence days allowed without a medical certificate. und to be key reasons why people might not take a day off.  
UEA news release. Mariella Miraglia and Gary Johns. 'Going to work ill: a meta-analysis of the correlates of presenteeism and a dual-path model', Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, published online first, 9 November 2015. Risks 728. 14 November 2015   

Britain: Traffic wardens win proper sick pay  
Traffic wardens in Hackney, in east London, have secured the London living wage and a proper company sick pay policy after last ditch talks to avert strike action. The 30 Unite members at APCOA Parking, their private sector employer, won a sick pay scheme allowing 15 days paid sick leave over a rolling year, the London living wage backdated to November 2014, and a 1.5 per cent pay increase.” 
Unite news release. Risks 728. 14 November 2015

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Britain: HSE needs resources to tackle work diseases
The fall in fatalities at work in the Health and Safety Executive’s first 40 years is a testament to the value of a dedicated regulator, GMB has said. But the union warns funding cuts have left the watchdog ‘unprepared’ to tackle the much bigger toll of work-related diseases.
GMB news release. Risks 687. 24 January 2015

Britain: Mental health the top work-related health problem
New research shows that throughout the British Isles, mental health disorders are the most common work-related ill health problem. A team from Manchester University found mental health problems linked to work account for over half of all cases reported by occupational physicians.
SOM news release. A Money and others. Work-related ill-health: Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Great Britain 2005-2012, Occupational Medicine, volume 65, pages 15-21, 13 January 2015.
Promoting good practice in workplace mental health: A seminar for union officers, workplace representatives and activists, Congress House, Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3LS. 5 February 2015, 9.00-13.00. Register for the TUC mental health good practice seminar. Risks 686. 17 January 2015

Britain: Fit for work scheme starts to dribble into action
The government’s delayed nationwide ‘Fit for work’ system is easing into action, with an advisory service now up and running and a referral system in 20 GP practices in Sheffield starting work this week. The referral system is expected to be rolled out nationwide throughout the year.
Fit For Work referrals- a TUC guide for union representatives, TUC, January 2015. DWP Fit for Work guidance. Risks 686. 17 January 2015

Canada: Lead at work causes ALS
Individuals with chronic exposure to lead at work are 80 per cent more likely to develop Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Canadian researchers have concluded. Publishing the findings of the analysis of 13 studies of individuals with ‘Lou Gehrig’s disease’ in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the authors found people with a history of work-related lead exposure were 1.81 times more likely to develop ALS.
Ming-Dong Wang and others. A Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies of the Association Between Chronic Occupational Exposure to Lead and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, volume 56, number 12, pages 1235-1242, December 2014. The Pump Handle. Risks 685. 10 January 2015

Britain: Workers had massive blood lead levels
A Surrey-based civil engineering firm and a Hampshire fabrication company have been fined for exposing workers to lead during refurbishment work on the iconic Nab Tower in the Solent. Russell Leggett and Robert Peach required hospital treatment after inhaling dust and fumes when steel coated in lead paint was cut into and removed from the structure in July 2013.
HSE news release. More on the hazards of occupational exposure to lead. Risks 685. 10 January 2015

Britain: Watchdog and firms doing ‘sod all’ of use on stress
Workplace stress causes heart and other chronic diseases, higher rates of sickness absence and suicides. So why, asks TUC’s Hugh Robertson, are the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and employers doing ‘sod all’ of any use to tackle the bad management practices at the root of the problem?
Distressing failure: Who says work has to be like this?, Hazards magazine special report, December 2014. TUC Safety Reps Guide to the HSE Stress Management Standards. Risks 685. 10 January 2015

Britain: Does your asthma get worse at work?
Twenty years ago the TUC warned that one in five cases of adult asthma were related to work, a figure disputed at the time by both safety and medical authorities. Now the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) wants to evaluate the numbers adversely affected by exposures at work and the extent of those effects.
To take part in the study, email Jade Sumner at HSL. Telephone: 01298 218 803 • Risks 683 • 6 December 2014

Britain: Fat chance of avoiding night shift weight gain
Working night shifts can increase the risk of developing obesity as sleeping during the day burns fewer calories than at night, according to new research. The study found that night shift patterns disrupt the metabolism of employees, causing them to use less energy than they normally would over the course of a day.
Andrew W McHilla, Edward L Melanson, Janine Higgins, Elizabeth Connicke, Thomas M Moehlmana, Ellen R Stotharda, and Kenneth P Wright, Jr. Impact of circadian misalignment on energy metabolism during simulated nightshift work, PNAS, Published online before print 17 November 2014, doi: 10.1073/pnas.1412021111
The Guardian • BBC News Online • Risks 682 • 29 November 2014

Britain: Vector Aerospace workers get vibration disease
An international aerospace company based in Hampshire has been prosecuted after 13 employees were found to be suffering a debilitating nerve condition. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted Vector Aerospace International Limited, of Gosport, after investigating reports that workers were being diagnosed with Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS).
HSE news release and vibration webpages • http://www.tuc.org.uk/workplace-issues/health-and-safety/risks-newsletter/risks-2014/tuc-risks-680-15-november-2014• 15 November 2014

Britain: Maximus gets fit for work benefits assessments
The company selected by the government to run its new Fit for Work national occupational health service will also undertake all fit for work benefit assessments for the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). US multinational Maximus takes over from Atos in March next year as the agency undertaking the controversial Work Capability Assessments (WCA) for DWP.
PCS news release • DWP news release • Written Ministerial Statement • PR Watch on Maximus and outsourced contracts in the US. SourceWatch on Maximus • Risks 679 • 8 November 2014

Britain: Maximus gets fit for work benefits assessments
The company selected by the government to run its new Fit for Work national occupational health service will also undertake all fit for work benefit assessments for the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). US multinational Maximus takes over from Atos in March next year as the agency undertaking the controversial Work Capability Assessments (WCA) for DWP.
PCS news release • DWP news release • Written Ministerial Statement • PR Watch on Maximus and outsourced contracts in the US. SourceWatch on Maximus • Risks 679 • 8 November 2014

Britain: Physios calls for a new focus on health
A sharp rise in work-related ill-health should spur a 'renewed focus' on employee health, physios’ union CSP has said. CSP director of practice Natalie Beswetherick said employers need to recognise measures that cut sickness absence are good for individuals, employers and the economy.
CSP news release • Risks 679 • 8 November 2014

Britain: Union reps say stress is the UK’s top concern
Stress tops the workplace concerns of union health and safety reps, the TUC’s 11th biennial TUC survey has found. TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “It’s shocking that so many employers are breaking the law and putting their staff at risk of illness and accidents by their sheer negligence.”
TUC news release and full report, Focus on health and safety: Trade union trends survey, October 2014 • Risks 678 • 1 November 2014

Britain: Cuts are making civil servants sick
Cuts to jobs and increasing workloads are leading to more stress and ill-health in the civil service, according to new surveys for PCS. Two surveys carried out for the union by employment analysts and academics have revealed high levels of stress, longer working hours, and fewer opportunities to achieve a work-life balance.
PCS news release • Morning Star • Risks 678 • 1 November 2014

Britain: Selling or ditching airline medicals is too risky
Airline safety could be put at risk by proposals put forward by the industry regulator to either scrap or sell off its medical services, the union PCS has warned. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has launched a consultation on it plans; all UK pilots are required to obtain a medical licence from the CAA.
PCS news release • CAA news relase • Risks 677 • 25 October 2014

Britain: Tomatoes on the line fertilised by human waste
Human excrement dumped from trains straight onto the rail tracks has caused tomatoes to sprout on a key route into London. RMT general secretary Mick Cash, whose members have to work on the track, said: “It shames Britain's railways that tons of human excrement is being dumped straight on the tracks while the private train companies make huge profits and the government does nothing.”
RMT news release • The Mirror • The Standard • London 24 • Risks 677 • 25 October 2014

Britain: New name for the work and health service
The government’s Work and Health Service has been rebranded as ‘Fit for Work’ ahead of its launch later this year.  Disability and welfare reform minister Lord Freud – criticised after suggesting some disabled workers were “not worth the full [minimum] wage” - said: “Fit for Work will help employers and their staff to manage sickness absence and aid the return-to-work process and GPs will play a vital role in referring patients they think will benefit from it.”
DWP news release • TUC news release • Hazards magazine • BBC News Online • Risks 676 • 18 October 2014

Britain: Long hours at low pay linked to diabetes
Working long hours in ‘low status’ jobs can increase your risk for diabetes, a new study suggests. Researchers found that people who worked more than 55 hours a week at manual labour or other types of ‘low socioeconomic status jobs’ were 30 per cent more likely to develop diabetes than those who worked 35 to 40 hours a week.
Mika Kivimäki and others. Long working hours, socioeconomic status, and the risk of incident type 2 diabetes: a meta-analysis of published and unpublished data from 222,120 individuals, The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, Early Online Publication, 25 September 2014 • Orfeu M Buxton and Cassandra A Okechukwu. Long working hours can be toxic, The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, Early Online Publication, 25 September 2014 • CBS News • The Pump Handle • Risks 674 • 4 October 2014

Britain: More effort needed to keep workers fit for work
The government and employers must do more to help workers with long-term musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) stay in work, a new report has concluded. The authors of 'Self-management of chronic musculoskeletal disorders and employment', a report from the Fit for Work UK Coalition and The Work Foundation, note: “Our findings show that individuals’ health conditions and quality of life will continue to be damaged by work, with some leaving the labour market prematurely.”
CSP news release • Fit for Work UK news release and full report • Risks 671 • 13 September 2014

Britain: Mental health is a big issue at work
The cost of living crisis means workers are increasingly at risk of mental health problems, the union Usdaw has said. Paddy Lillis, the union’s deputy general secretary, told the TUC’s annual conference in Liverpool that trade union and workplace reps have a big role to play in supporting members coping with mental health issues.
Usdaw news release • The Guardian • BBC News Online • Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer • Risks 671 • 13 September 2014

Britain: Prospect’s new manifesto for ‘good work’
Civil service union Prospect is calling on politicians to take notice of its new stress-busting ‘Manifesto for Good Work’ in the run-up to the general election. The union has been consulting members on what they think makes work ‘good’.
Prospect news release and Good Work campaign resources and manifesto • TUC Touchstone blog • Risks 670 • 7 September 2014

Britain: Footballers back new head injury rules
New rules on the management of concussion and head injuries in football, produced with the support of the players’ union PFA, will take effect in the Premier League this season. The PFA said it will be offering an education programme to help raise awareness amongst players of the potential dangers, in conjunction with the Premier League, Football League and League Manager’s Association (LMA).
PFA news release and background briefing • BBC News Online • Risks 667 • 16 August 2014

Britain: Health and Work Service supplier announced
The government’s new Health and Work Service in England and Wales will be delivered by Health Management Limited, the government has announced. The company, which describes itself as “the UK’s leading occupational healthcare provider”, is part of the US multinational MAXIMUS.
DWP news release • Health Management Ltd news release • FOM/SOM news release • Risks 665 • 2 August 2014

Britain: Health ‘timebomb’ uncovered by site inspections
A series of intensive official construction site inspections has revealed a health ‘timebomb’ facing workers, UCATT has said. The site union was commenting after the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) visited 560 sites over two weeks, focussing on significant long-term health risks for workers including respiratory risks from dusts containing silica, exposure to other hazardous substances such as cement and lead paint, manual handling, noise and vibration.
UCATT news release • HSE news release • Construction Enquirer • Hazards ‘Dust to Dust’ report • Risks 665 • 2 August 2014

Britain: Aerospace firm lands workers with nerve damage
A Nottinghamshire aerospace engineering company has been ordered to pay more than £190,000 in fines and costs for failing to protect its employees from the effects of vibration. It total, 24 workers at SPS Aerostructures Ltd were diagnosed with debilitating nerve conditions.
HSE news release and vibration webpages • Risks 664 • 26 July 2014

Africa: Health workers killed in worst Ebola outbreak
Health care workers in Africa have died in the ‘worst ever’ Ebola outbreak because they did not have the necessary tools and equipment, Public Services International has revealed. The global trade union federation, condemning the “criminal neglect” that led to the preventable deaths of dozens of healthcare workers in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, warned the Ebola outbreak is “the worst ever and the first to spill widely across several countries.”
PSI news coverage and statement •  Interview with Paul Tilame of the PSI-affiliated National Private Sector Health Workers Union of Liberia (NPSHWU). IRIN News • Risks 663 • 19 July 2014

China: Court rejects shipyard diseases lawsuit
A Guangzhou court has dismissed a lawsuit brought by 34 shipyard workers who claimed their employer, CSSC Guangzhou Longxue Shipbuilding Co. Ltd, had colluded with its affiliated hospital to conceal the results of health checks which should have revealed the early stages of the deadly dust disease pneumoconiosis. The case originated in November 2012, when one worker left the company and independent tests showed he had the occupational dust disease, despite having been given the all clear by the factory hospital a week earlier.
China Labour Bulletin • Risks 663 • 19 July 2014

Turkey: The no occupational diseases illusion
Factory doctor Ahmet Tellioglu has seen how workplace exposures cause serious occupational diseases. But the Turkish medic says the official statistics don’t recognise the problem, with the authorities instead burying the evidence, noting: “According to official data, the incidence of occupational diseases in Turkey is 30 times lower than in the EU,” and “only 59 cases of death have been recorded to be an outcome of occupational disease in Turkey from 2004 to 2012.”
Global Labour Column • Risks 663 • 19 July 2014

Britain: Call to protect footballers from concussion risk
Decisions on whether a footballer can return to the pitch after a head injury should be taken by an independent doctor, and not the player or coach, a top medical journal has concluded. An editorial in The Lancet Neurology says these decisions should not be made “by those with a vested interest.”
Tackling the sports-related concussion crisis, The Lancet Neurology, Volume 13, Issue 8, Page 747, August 2014 • BBC News Online • The Guardian • Metro • Risks 663 • 19 July 2014

Britain: Performance pay is bad for your health
Performance-related pay is bad for your health, a new study has found. After analysing survey results of more than 2,500 people from across Britain. Aberdeen University researchers concluded “being in jobs with a performance pay element increases the likelihood of health deterioration.”
Keith A. Bender and Ioannis Theodossiou. The unintended consequences of the rat race: the detrimental effects of performance pay on health, Oxford Economic Papers, volume 66, Number 3, pages 824-847, 2014. Herald Scotland. More on the issue from Hazards and Karoshi.jp • Risks 661 • 5 July 2014

South Africa: Alarming level of TB among miners
For every worker who dies each year as a result of an accident in a South African mine, nine more die of tuberculosis, the country’s health minister Aaron Motsoaledi has said. “There are 41,810 cases of active TB in South African mines every year. It is 8 per cent of the national total, and 1 per cent of the population, very unfortunately,” he told parliament.
Cape Times • Fin24 • Risks 660 • 28 June 2014

Britain: Two week HSE focus on site health issues
The poor working conditions likely to lead to ill health on building sites is being targeted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) in a two week inspection drive. During the unannounced visits, HSE inspectors will be targeting respiratory risks from dusts including respirable silica, exposure to other hazardous substances such as cement and lead paint and manual handling, noise and vibration.
HSE news release and construction webpages • Risks 660 • 28 June 2014

USA: Government action on black lung scandal
The US Department of Labor has ordered officials who determine if coal miners are eligible for black lung benefits to no longer rely on the medical opinion of the Johns Hopkins Medicine doctor an investigation found systematically denied affected miners were significantly affected by the debilitating condition. From 2000, Dr Paul S Wheeler, who was head of the Johns Hopkins black lung programme, examined 1,573 miners' black lung x-rays and not once diagnosed the severe form of black lung that automatically qualifies for compensation.
AFL-CIO Now blog • ABC Eyewitness News • Risks 658 • 14 June 2014

Britain: Has CBI finally got the message?
A CBI report recognising the ‘real business benefits’ of keeping staff healthy could be a sign the consistently regulation averse business lobby group is on the verge of a change of heart, the union UNISON has said. Neil Carberry, director for employment and skills at the CBI, launching ‘Getting better: Workplace health as a business issue’ earlier this year, said: “Investing in the wellbeing of employees is not only the right thing to do, it has real business benefits.”
UNISON news release • CBI news release and report, Getting better: Workplace health as a business issue • International Business Times • Risks 658 • 14 June 2014

Thailand: Nappy-wearing bus conductors fight for rights
Stuck for hours each day in snarling traffic, bus conductors in Thailand’s sprawling capital have found a radical solution to a lack of toilet breaks - adult nappies. A recent survey found that 28 per cent of female bus conductors in Bangkok had worn nappies on a job that requires them to work up to 16 hours a day.
Gulf News • Risks 657 • 7 June 2014

Britain: Staff say ‘filthy’ BBC HQ is making them sick
BBC newsreaders have complained the corporation’s flagship £1 billion building is unclean and dangerous with a “trend of filth and human waste products”. The London Evening Standard reports that staff have called on management to intervene over the basement studio which they say is so unhygienic staff regularly become sick.
London Evening Standard • Risks 657 • 7 June 2014

Britain: Not that good work health scheme due
The Work and Health Scheme expected to make a delayed appearance towards the end of this year could end up as an inadequate and confusing mess, the TUC and doctors have warned. Under the new system, which it is anticipated will be rolled out to cover every general practice in England, Scotland and Wales by mid-2015, everyone who is absent from work more than four weeks because of illness will be given an assessment which will indicate if there is anything that might help their early return to work, with non-binding recommendations passed on to the employer.
TUC Stronger Unions blog • Risks 657 • 7 June 2014

Britain: Dangerous practices at naval base caused nerve damage
A company responsible for maintaining the grounds of a naval base in Cornwall has been fined after three workers were diagnosed with a debilitating condition that left them with permanent nerve damage. The three men, who do not wish to be named, were employed by Babcock Flagship Ltd to maintain the extensive grounds at HMS Raleigh in Torpoint, where they were exposed to high levels of hand arm vibration (HAV) caused by using tools such as hedge cutters and strimmers for long periods.
HSE news release and vibration webpages • Western Morning News • Risks 654 • 17 May 2014

South Africa: Mines ‘stalling’ on deadly silicosis payouts
Mining multinationals in South Africa have been accused of saving themselves millions by dragging out silicosis litigation and delaying payment of compensation to victims. As sufferers of the occupational dust disease die – and many have - the “pain and suffering” component of any payout is docked from the settlement made to their dependants. 
Business Day • The Guardian • Mining Weekly • Risks 653 • 10 May 2014

Britain: Call for health checks for construction apprentices
Tackling work-related ill health among construction apprentices could save the Scottish economy more than £30m over the next decade, new figures suggest. Constructing Better Health Scotland (CBH Scotland) is calling for baseline health checks for all apprentices entering the industry.
STV News • The Courier • The Scotsman • BBC News Online • Morning Star • Risks 653 • 10 May 2014

Britain: Factory workers exposed to high lead levels
Workers at a ceramic tile factory in North Wales had levels of lead in their blood that could leave them at risk of kidney and heart disease, brain damage, cancer and other serious disorders. The employees of specialist firm Craig Bragdy Design, of Denbigh, were tested after the issue came to light in February 2012 during a routine visit by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
HSE news release and lead webpages • More on the risks posed by lead • Risks 651 • 26 April 2014

India: When will the ‘world’s worst job’ finally end?
Clearing human excrement by hand – dubbed the world’s worst job - is continuing in India, despite laws outlawing it. There are still hundreds of thousands of ‘night soil workers’ in India – those who physically remove human excrement from ‘dry’ toilets, and there are millions more who perform the task of clearing human waste and general refuse by hand.
Equal Times • Risks 649 • 5 April 2014

Britain: Radiation testing worker gets massive x-ray dose
A Hartlepool firm that tests machine components using x-ray and gamma radiation has been fined after one of its workers suffered ionising radiation burns while carrying out tests on safety equipment. The Redcar man, who has asked not to be named, suffered severe tissue damage to the middle, ring and little fingers of his right hand in the incident at Mistras ETS Ltd on 19 September 2012, and received more than the maximum legal yearly radiation dose in a few seconds.
HSE news release and radiation webpages • The Northern Echo • ITV News • The Gazette • Risks 649 • 5 April 2014

Britain: Atos failure shows work tests should be in-house
As private firm Atos nears the end of its highly controversial stint assessing benefits claimants on their fitness for work, civil service union PCS says the work should be brought in-house. PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “Doctors, MPs and disabled people all believe the tests should be scrapped so, instead of replacing the failed Atos with another profit-hungry provider, the government should bring the work in-house and invest in it properly.”
PCS news release • Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland news release • Risks 649 • 5 April 2014

Britain: Atos quits government fit for work tests
Private company Atos is to quit its contract to assess whether benefits claimants are fit to work, the government and the company have announced. In a statement, Atos indicated problems related to the tests were the result of government welfare policy, not the company’s behaviour, citing a National Audit Office (NAO) report in support of the claim.
Atos news release • BBC News Online • Daily Mirror • Risks 648 • 29 March 2014

Australia: Power union presses defibrillator case
An Australian power company is being urged to roll out lifesaving defibrillators immediately, bringing safety standards for their predominantly rural and regional workforce in line with urban power companies. The Electrical Trades Union (ETU) in New South Wales commissioned independent research that found portable defibrillators provide an effective, affordable, reliable method to prevent accidental deaths among the thousands of workers who carry out dangerous maintenance and repair work on the state’s electricity poles and wires.
ETU news release • Risks 646 • 15 March 2014

Britain: UNISON attacks government’s sick ‘obsession’
Public sector union UNISON has attacked the government's ‘obsession’ with sickness rates, after figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that days lost due to sickness absence fell from 178 million in 1993 to 131 million in 2013. The union's head of health and safety Tracey Harding said: “These figures show the folly of this government's obsession with absence rates, rather than focusing on the underlying work-related health and safety issues.”
UNISON news release and guide, Making us better: Organising for health & safety: Sickness absence agreement: a guide for branches and safety representatives • Risks 645 • 8 March 2014

Britain: Sickness decline disproves ‘sickie culture’ claims
A dramatic decline in the number of days lost to sickness absence explodes the lie that Britain has a ‘sickie culture’, the TUC said. The union body was speaking out after figures released this week by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), showed that the average number of days lost to sickness absence has fallen by almost 40 per cent since 1993.
TUC news release • ONS statistics on sickness absence • The Guardian • Risks 644 • 1 March 2014

Britain: Cold storage firm done for multiple failings
A Nottinghamshire cold storage firm, Dawson Rental Portable Cold Storage Ltd, has been fined for criminal safety failings after one worker was injured by falling equipment and several others developed a disabling condition of the nerves and joints.
HSE news release and vibration webpages • Risks 643 • 22 February 2014

Britain: PCS calls for end to ‘demeaning work tests’
The government’s ‘demeaning’ fitness for worker tests should be scrapped and Atos, the private contractor conducting them, should be sacked, Jobcentre union PCS has said. Commenting ahead of a 19 February national day of action against Atos called by disability groups, PCS said support to help sick and disabled people find work if they can should be brought back in-house.
PCS news release • Unite news release • DPAC news release • Risks 643 • 22 February 2014

Britain: Sick slant is first mistake for the work health service
A new body which aims to get the long-term sick back to work more quickly in England, Wales and Scotland must have its focus on improving health not reducing sickness costs, the TUC has said. The union body was speaking out after the government announced its Health and Work Service, which from April will accept GP referrals of workers absent for over four weeks.
TUC Stronger Unions blog • DWP news release • BBC News Online • Risks 642 • 15 February 2014

Britain: Is the return-to-work service a healthy move?
More detail is needed on the planned role of the government’s new return-to-work service with worrying questions remaining about how it will treat sick workers, the union UNISON has indicated. The union is urging its members to take advice from their safety reps and stewards if they are likely to be off sick for lengthy periods of time and don't know when they will be fit to return to work.
UNISON news release and guide to managing sickness absence • Risks 642 • 15 February 2014

Britain: UK ‘worst’ on workforce mental health support
The UK is the worst performing OECD country when it comes to supporting workforce mental health, a new report has found. ‘Mental health and work: The United Kingdom’, published this week by the OECD, says better policies and practices by employers and the health system are needed to help people deal with mental health issues and get back to work.
The Work Foundation news release • OECD new release and report, Mental Health and Work: The United Kingdom • Risks 642 • 15 February 2014

Britain: Knee injury exposed metalworking asthma
A former tool maker has been awarded £33,000 in compensation after he developed occupational asthma from almost two decades of exposure to metalwork fluid mist at a Ford plant in Dagenham. Unite member Ronald Hymans, 60, suffered a knee injury requiring three months off work, during which time his doctor recorded that his breathing improved by a third leading to a diagnosis of occupational asthma.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 641 • 8 February 2014

Britain: Cuts fears prompt BMA occupational health action
The British Medical Association (BMA) is seeking assurances over the future of occupational health services for GPs and their staff amid reports they are about to be cut. Doctors leaders have written to the Department of Health requesting confirmation of the continuing provision of support for GPs and NHS staff suffering from stress and burnout.
BMA news release • Risks 638 • 18 January 2013

Britain: Government has inflated the fit for work figures
The government inflated estimates of people on a disability benefit subsequently found to be ‘fit for work’, a Labour MP has said. Work and pensions select committee member Sheila Gilmore MP said the admission she obtained from employment minister Esther McVey suggests “that rather than trying to fix the test to reduce the number of incorrect decisions, ministers’ priority is to fix the figures to downplay the extent of the problem.” Sheila Gilmore MP news release and letter to the minister • Response from employment minister Esther McVey • Risks 631 • 16 November 2013

USA: Scandal leads to shutdown of lung disease ‘denial’ clinic
Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore, a top US occupational medicine unit, has suspended its black lung programme after a media investigation found it was systematically denying sick coal miners were suffering the debilitating occupational lung disease. The Center for Public Integrity and ABC News investigation revealed how medical opinions from doctors at the prestigious hospital have helped coal companies thwart efforts by ailing mine workers to receive disability benefits.
CPI news release • Johns Hopkins Medicine statement • AFL-CIO Now • Risks 630 • 9 November 2013

Britain: Poorly controlled tools cost young dad his job
A young father of four who developed a painful and debilitating nerve condition through prolonged, unrestricted use of vibrating power tools is now unable to work as a result. Andrew Wood, 35, from Heathfield, East Sussex is likely to suffer chronic pain in both hands for the rest of his life as a result of his work for CJ Gowing and Son Ltd between July 2010 and March 2012.
HSE news release • Risks 628 • 26 October 2013

USA: Lawmaker attacks wellness programmes
A federal lawmaker is asking the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to investigate employer wellness programmes that demand intimate health information from employees, and to issue guidelines preventing employers from using these programmes to discriminate against workers. The request, by Louise M Slaughter, a Democratic congresswoman from New York, came after Pennsylvania State University suspended cash penalties linked to its new employee wellness programme that had drawn objections from staff. New York Times • Risks 625 • 5 October 2013

Britain: Site workers make healthy choices
Assumptions by scientists and health professionals that ill-health in construction workers is the result of their poor lifestyle have been blown out of the water by a new study. This suggests researchers may have consistency under-estimated the impact of work factors on diseases suffered by construction workers, instead wrongly attributing them to personal habits.
Construction Enquirer • Risks 625 • 5 October 2013

Britain: National Grid ‘ignored vibration risk’
A GMB member will suffer health problems for life after excessive exposure to vibrating work tools while employed by the National Grid. The man from Lincoln, whose name has not been release, had been employed as a craftsman by National Grid for 32 years, where his work regularly involved using tools such as jack hammers, whackers, rock drills and vibration rollers. 
Thompsons Solicitors new release • Risks 624 • 28 September 2013

Britain: Lung disease toll exposed
A comprehensive study of mortality rates across the Europe, carried out by the European Respiratory Society (ERS), has concluded that respiratory diseases across the continent cost nearly a million lives and 400 billion euros every year. The society’s European Lung White Book notes: “Overall, occupational agents are responsible for about 15 per cent (in men) and 5 per cent (in women) of all respiratory cancers, 17 per cent of all adult asthma cases, 15–20 per cent of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) cases and 10 per cent of interstitial lung disease cases.”
European Lung White Book and Occupational lung diseases and occupational risk factors sections • The Independent • TUC news release • Risks 622 • 14 September 2013

Britain: New emphasis on preventing workplace diseases
Greatly improved measures to reduce the deaths and suffering caused by workplace diseases are needed, unions have said. The motion passed at the TUC Congress also criticised the government for watering down legislation intended to help victims of the asbestos cancer mesothelioma.
UCATT news release • NASUWT news release • TUC news release • Risks 622 • 14 September 2013

Global: Taking care of workers is good business
When organisations search for ways to improve their financial performance, they should not overlook the importance of investing in the health and well-being of their employees. Emile Tompa, a Canadian health and labour economist, reports that several international studies have demonstrated the positive effects of preventive programmes, including workplace ergonomics interventions, on a company’s bottom line.
FIOH news release • Risks 621 • 7 September 2013

Finland: Making jobs better keeps you well
Cutting the mental and social strain caused by work can make workers healthier in the short and long term, new research has found. A Finnish study discovered the risk of an employee claiming a work disability pension due to musculoskeletal diseases can be decreased by up to 35 per cent by reducing the workplace strains.
FIOH news release and key papers and conference programme • Risks 620 • 31 August 2013

Britain: Textile worker dismissed after getting lung disease
A Suffolk textile firm that stopped health surveillance of workers using highly dangerous reactive dyes then dismissed a worker who developed lung disease as a result. The worker, who does not wish to be named, was employed at Gainsborough Silk Weaving Company Ltd in Sudbury as the dye house manager from 1993 to his dismissal by the company in 2012.
HSE news release and reactive dyes guide • Risks 619 • 24 August 2013

Britain: Limo firm fined after seven get hand disease
A Bolton limousine and hearse manufacturer has been fined after seven employees developed a debilitating hand condition over a six and a half year period. Woodall Nicholson Ltd was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) after the workers were diagnosed with Hand Arm Vibration syndrome (HAVS) as a result of almost daily use of hand-held equipment, such as grinders, saws and pneumatic tools, all of which constantly vibrate.
HSE news release and HAVS webpage • Manchester Evening News • Risks 619 • 24 August 2013

Britain: Rolls Royce fined for vibration-related wrist injury
British engineering giant Rolls Royce has been fined after an employee was diagnosed with a debilitating condition in both arms that has left him with permanent nerve damage. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted the company after Allan Thornewill, 55, from Derby, developed bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome after being exposed to high levels of vibration at the company's premises in Wilmore Road, Derby. HSE news release • Risks 619 • 24 August 2013

Britain: Factory noise led to tinnitus
A machine operator was left with serious hearing difficulties after his employers failed to provide him with appropriate hearing protection. Joseph Shaw now requires a hearing aid due to the damage caused by the noisy machinery at engineering firms Warrington Wheel and Titan Distribution and Thames Board Mills.
Irwin Mitchell Solicitors news release • Risks 617 • 10 August 2013

Britain: Office mould caused occupational asthma
An office worker has developed occupational asthma after being exposed to fungal spores at his place of work. UNISON member David Livingstone, 62, was working as a substance misuse specialist for Addiction Dependency Solutions Ltd when a fungus developed on the building’s damp exterior wall less than 2ft away from his desk. Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 617 • 10 August 2013

Britain: Payout for a life wrecked by solvents
A paint shop supervisor whose life was wrecked by exposure to solvents at work has received a ‘substantial’ payout. Adam Coventon, who was employed by Prior Scientific Instruments Ltd, developed myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) after being exposed to the industrial solvent and known neurotoxin trichloroethylene, because his employer failed to properly install a new piece of machinery.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 616 • 3 August 2013

Britain: Hundreds of former coke oven workers seek justice
More than 300 former coke oven workers are taking legal action against British Steel and British Coal in a battle for justice for cancers and respiratory diseases they are now suffering because of exposure to harmful dust and fumes decades ago. Last week law firms Hugh James and Irwin Mitchell confirmed they had jointly issued a letter of claim against British Coal and British Steel on behalf of 300 former coke oven workers who became ill after working at coking plants and steel works across the country.
Hugh James Solicitors news release • Irwin Mitchell Solicitors news release • Risks 616 • 3 August 2013

Britain: Poor protection hurt worker
A factory worker fractured his wrist at work after a global manufacturing company failed to provide him with correct personal protection equipment (PPE). David Morrell, from Neath, South Wales, had worked for the Morganite Electrical Carbon Ltd as a maintenance fitter for 34 years.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 616 • 3 August 2013

Britain: Supermarket shunt led to back injury
An Asda employee who injured his back after a vehicle collision at work has been awarded compensation. The 52-year-old GMB member from Burbage, Leicestershire, was getting out of the picker truck he had been driving when a colleague in a reach truck turned a corner without looking and collided into the side of his vehicle.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 616 • 3 August 2013

Britain: BOHS wants work disease reporting widened
The list of work diseases covered by official reporting requirements must be widened, the Chartered Society for Worker Health Protection (BOHS) has announced. The professional body indicated it was pleased the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) had backtracked on plans to exclude almost all occupational diseases from the RIDDOR reporting regulations “but is still concerned about the lack of data being collected on long latency diseases such as silicosis.”
BOHS news release • Risks 615 • 27 July 2013

Britain: Fit for work assessments fail
More than four out of every 10 fit for work tests were of the lowest standard, the government has admitted. The government’s Work Capability Assessments, conducted by the private firm Atos Healthcare, have been criticised consistently since their introduction, with unions and disability organisations saying they are frequently wrong, unfair and distressing for those being tested.
DWP news release • Scope news release • BBC News Online • Morning Star • Risks 615 • 27 July 2013

China: Denim workers pay a deadly price
Governments and companies must take urgent action to stamp out the continued use of sandblasting and other unsafe finishing processes in the manufacture of denim jeans, campaigners have said. The call comes in a new report into conditions in six denim factories in the Chinese province of Guangdong, a region responsible for half of the world’s entire production of denim jeans.
Clean Clothes Campaign news release and report, Breathless for Blue Jeans: Health hazards in China’s denim factories • Huffington Post • Risks 613 • 13 July 2013

USA: Waistline policing is bad for you
Company health initiatives targeting staff are increasingly being accompanied by threats and punishments for those who don’t measure up, recent US evidence suggests. And it is about to get worse - the Departments of Labor, Treasury and Health and Human Services have just ruled that from next year companies can charge workers up to 30 per cent of their insurance premiums for failing to meet certain health goals.
Truthout • Risks 612 • 6 July 2013

Britain: Home Office ignored job switch advice
A Home Office worker put in a job for which he was poorly suited and who occupational health advisers said should be transferred to another post has won an unfair dismissal claim. Prospect member Vaithilingam Mohanarajan, who worked as a senior scientific officer in the government department, was dismissed for poor performance, despite an occupational health report stating he had been moved to the wrong job a couple of years earlier and was “a fish out of water.”
Prospect news release • Risks 612 • 6 July 2013

Britain: Vibration risk red light came too late
A union member from Gateshead has been awarded “substantial” compensation for vibration white finger (VWF) in a GMB-backed court case against his employer. The joiner, whose name has not been released, began experiencing the typical symptoms of VWF – including numbness and tingling in his fingers and hands – whilst at work. Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 611 • 29 June 2013

Britain: Mad dash for seats is bad for workers
Forcing workers into a Ryanair style dash for a seat in the office lowers morale and hits workers' health, according to the union UNISON. This “dehumanises workers”, the union says, adding rules forcing workers to clear their space each evening and hot desk every morning make them the human equivalent of “battery hens”.
UNISON news release • Risks 611 • 29 June 2013

Britain: Vibration risk red light came too late
A union member from Gateshead has been awarded “substantial” compensation for vibration white finger (VWF) in a GMB-backed court case against his employer. The joiner, whose name has not been released, began experiencing the typical symptoms of VWF – including numbness and tingling in his fingers and hands – whilst at work. Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 611 • 29 June 2013

Turkey: Firms must provide work health experts
Turkey has extended a law requiring firms to provide occupational health experts to include most workplaces. The original law, targeting firms employing more than 50 workers, took effect at the start of the year. But from 30 June the requirement to provide workers with access to occupational health expertise is to be extended to smaller workplaces including shops and hair salons.
Today’s Zaman • Risks 610 • 22 June 2013

Britain: Firms say ‘fit notes’ don’t work
The ‘fit note’ system introduced by the government in a bid to reduce sickness absence isn’t working, the manufacturing sector lobby group EEF has said. It says its survey found employers have lost faith that the programme is getting people back to work.
EEF news release • Risks 610 • 22 June 2013

Britain: Bromley must not penalise sick employees
The London Borough of Bromley must drop its “extreme, dangerous and vindictive” proposal to withhold cost of living pay rises from genuinely sick employees, GMB has said. The union has been in consultation with the council for a number of weeks regarding a proposal to move to local pay bargaining; one change would mean any employee could have their pay rise withheld for unsatisfactory “performance” – and that includes sickness, according to the council.
GMB news release • Risks 609 • 15 June 2013

Britain: Doctors protest at 'cruel' disability tribunals
Doctors in Scotland have hit out at a system of fitness-to-work benefits assessments which they say is failing the sick and placing the most vulnerable patients at risk of suicide. A campaign, backed by leading medics, charities and unions, now intends to encourage GPs to use little-known regulations to challenge cases where declaring patients fit to work would place them in danger of physical or mental harm.
Black Triangle Campaign and letter • Sunday Herald • BBC News Online • Risks 604 • 11 May 2013

Britain: More care for NHS staff is better for patients
A report from King’s College London (KCL) has concluded that improving the health, safety and wellbeing of NHS staff is essential if the government wants to improve patient care. The study found that staff in many settings experienced high job demand and low control over their work, leading to emotional exhaustion, stress and for some burnout.
Does NHS staff wellbeing affect patient experience of care?, Policy+, Issue 39, King’s College London, May 2013. UNISON news release and Making us better sickness guide for safety reps • Risks 605 • 18 May 2013

Britain: Little interest in NHS lifestyle promotion at work
An NHS ‘Champions for Health’ pilot health promotion scheme attracted little interest from staff – and this interest quickly waned for the tiny minority who did give it a try. Just 1,300 out of NHS Wales’ 72,000 staff signed up last year for the high profile initiative, and two-thirds of these had dropped out before the end.
NHS Wales news release and Champions for Health webpages • Work and well-being, TUC guide, February 2013. Hazards magazine 'Well, then?' guide • Risks 601 • 20 April 2013

USA: Get well soon - or you’ll be sorry
Employers are using incentives and increasingly penalties to persuade workers to make better lifestyle choices, even though there is no compelling evidence these programmes actually work. Programmes that seek to impose consequences on workers, for example making them to pay a surcharge for failing to take steps to lose weight or quit smoking, have come in for criticism by those who have argued that the policies are invasive and can punish people for health problems that not are always easy to fix.
New York Times • The Nation • Work and well-being, TUC guide, February 2013. Hazards magazine ‘Well, then?’ guide • Risks 599 • 30 March 2013

Britain: Long term failings led to long term damage
GKN Aerospace has been fined for failing to heed safety regulations for at least six years, leaving a group of employees with permanent nerve damage. Portsmouth Magistrates were told that five workers based at GKN on the Isle of Wight had been left with long-term damage to their circulation and nervous system after contracting hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS).
HSE news release and vibration webpages • Risks 599 • 30 March 2013

Britain: HSE backtracks on disease reporting
A highly unpopular Health and Safety Executive (HSE) proposal to remove the duty on employers to report most work-related diseases has been dropped by the watchdog. The proposal to end disease reporting was opposed by unions, occupational doctors and the safety professionals’ body IOSH.
Minutes of the January 2013 HSE board meeting • BOHS news release • Risks 599 • 30 March 2013

Britain: TUC workplace health resources
Following up publication of the new edition of its best-selling and seriously large ‘Hazards at work’ guide for safety reps, the TUC has issued a tranche of straightforward short guides on issues free ranging from chicken pox at work to skin problems, vibration and noise. These guides are written for employees, and give straightforward advice on diseases, risks and employers’ duties.
Hazards at work: Organising for safe and healthy workplaces • New TUC guides on workplace substances and skin problems, working with asbestos, noise at work, hand-arm vibration syndrome, chicken pox in the workplace and mental health conditions • Risks 598 • 23 March 2013

Britain: Health surveillance needs worker involvement
New health surveillance guidance has been launched by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The online guide is clear that involving the workforce is critical, noting: “Employees should be encouraged to get involved in developing and using health surveillance because it is only effective with their co-operation.”
HSE news release and health surveillance webpages and information on employee involvement • Risks 598 • 23 March 2013

Britain: Tax breaks for workplace health interventions
Employers will be able to access tax relief for health-related interventions recommended by the forthcoming health and work assessment and advisory service, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in this week’s Budget. George Osborne said the move, flagged up in the government’s January 2013 response to the sickness absence review commissioned from workplace health czar Dame Carol Black and former business lobbyists David Frost, will “recycle funding into creating the health and work assessment and advisory service for those in danger of long-term sickness absence.”
HM Treasury: Budget 2013 • BBC News Online and Budget summary • Risks 598 • 23 March 2013

Britain: Insiders criticise ‘dire’ occupational health system
Former Health and Safety Executive (HSE) occupational physician Morris Greenberg has said the UK’s occupational health provision is in a dire state. “The acceptance of the gross decline in the UK's occupational health practice firmly indicates the disrespect with which it is held,” he wrote in the British Medical Journal, adding: “Nothing short of a ministerial inquiry will remedy the dire state of health and safety at work, whether in office, shop, factory or hospital.”
After Mid Staffs: the NHS must do more to care for the health of its staff, BMJ, volume 346, published 7 March 2013 and response from Morris Greenberg, 11 March 2013 • Risks 597 • 16 March 2013

Britain; Revised ‘fit note’ guidance launched
Staff on sick leave will have better support to get back into work through new fit note guidance, the government has said. It says the guidance advises doctors on how they can give the most useful advice about what patients can do at work and how they can return to the workplace as soon as possible.
DWP news release and fit note webpages • CSP news release and Allied Health Professions (AHP) Advisory Fitness for Work Report • Risks 597 • 16 March 2013

Japan: Fukushima firm criticised over radiation exposures
Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) failed to submit radiation dose data to an industry database, government officials have said, compromising the health of 21,000 people who worked at the Fukushima No.1 nuclear plant after the March 2011 meltdown. The official criticism reinforces concerns about inadequate production for radiation exposed workers.
Asahi Shimbun • Greenpeace news release • BBC News Online • WHO news release • Risks 596 • 9 March 2013

Britain: Police fitness test 'unfair to women'
Scotland’s new national police service has been urged to scrap a make-or-break fitness test for new recruits, after claims it “disproportionately disadvantages women”.  The call, from the Scottish Women's Development Forum (SWDF), a gender equality working group of the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), came as the new Police Service of Scotland (PSoS) considers how to test officers for fitness.
The Herald • Risks 596 • 9 March 2013

Britain: Jobs cause hypertension
Low job control is associated with an increased risk of hypertension among men, a study has found. The research by Canada’s Institute for Work & Health (IWH) and the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES), found the proportion of cases of hypertension among men that could be attributed to low job control was 12 per cent, which is higher than the proportion of cases that could be attributed to poor health behaviours such as smoking, drinking, not getting enough exercise, and not eating enough fruits and vegetables.
IWH news release • Work and well-being, TUC guide, February 2013 • Hazards work and health webpages • Risks 596 • 9 March 2013

Britain: Pensions move will hurt firefighters
The majority of firefighters could face the sack as the get older, as a result of government plans to extend their working lives but only retain those who meet an unrealistic fitness standard.
FBU news release and model letter to MPs • Risks 596 • 9 March 2013

Britain: The role of the occupational physician
A handy new guide to the role of occupational physicians has been published by the British Medical Association (BMA). Although BMA says the intended audience for ‘The Occupational Physician’ is occupational physicians, employers and organisations offering occupational health services, it is also an extremely useful resource for union safety reps, providing clear guidance on the rules covering referrals to occupational physicians, related ethical issues, good practice and a useful summary on the regulations on access to medical records and issues including sickness absence and ill-health retirement.
The Occupational Physician: Guidance for specialists and others practising occupational health, BMA, 2013 [full guide] • Risks 594 • 23 February 2013

Britain: Joiner developed life-threatening wood allergy
A joiner developed a wood allergy which could have killed him after working without adequate protection from Iroko hardwood dust. Brian Ogden, 57, was first exposed to the toxic dust at Classic Joinery Manufacturers in Oldham over 20 years ago.
Manchester Evening News • Risks 594 • 23 February 2013

Britain: Survey raises work heart attack concerns
More than half of British businesses do not have a defibrillator, a new poll has found, despite the impact the device has on cardiac arrest survival rates. Safety professionals’ organisation the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) commissioned the survey of 1,000 business decision makers across the UK and found that 513 did not have the lifesaving equipment at work.
IOSH news release and YouTube film on defibrillators at work. Morning Star • Risks 594 • 23 February 2013

Britain: PCS calls for an end to privatised 'fitness tests'
Controversial assessments run for the Department for Work and Pensions by private contractor Atos should be scrapped and the work brought back in-house, civil service union PCS has said. The union, which represents almost 80,000 of the DWP's 100,000 staff, was commenting after MPs on the public accounts committee criticised the government for its treatment of sick and disabled people forced to undertake a work capability assessment.
PCS news release • Public accounts committee report, 8 February 2013 • The Guardian • Risks 593 • 16 February 2013

Britain: Healthier workplaces deliver healthier workers
Employers who create healthy workplaces can reduce employee absence and boost productivity, according to a new TUC guide. ‘Work and well-being’ aims to promote healthier working and help union safety reps identify what in their workplaces is making staff ill.
TUC news release • Work and well-being, TUC guide, February 2013 • Risks 593 • 16 February 2013

Britain: Workplace blighted by vibration disease
A Sheffield steel firm has been forced to pay out hundreds of thousands of pounds in compensation after 19 workers developed a debilitating condition caused by work with vibrating tools.  In one of the highest awards ever paid out by the courts, the Community members at Sheffield based metals company, Firth Rixon, have, in total, been awarded over £812,000 in compensation after suffering from vibration white finger (VWF).
Community news release • Risks 590 • 26 January 2013

Britain: Government action on sickness ‘burden’
The government has announced a series of measures to address what it describes as the ‘burden’ of sickness absence on businesses, taxpayers and people who “get trapped on benefits”. The response to a sickness absence review authored by former top business lobbyist David Frost and government workplace health czar Dame Carol Black gives top billing to the creation of a new independent assessment and advisory service.
DWP news release, review webpage and full response: Fitness for work: the Government response to 'Health at work - an independent review of sickness absence' • The Work Foundation news release • IOSH news release • FOM/SOM news release • CIPD news release • Risks 590 • 26 January 2013

Britain: Sickness strategy is prevention free
The government’s sickness absence review would have worked better if the focus had been less on getting the sick back to work and more on preventing ill-health in the first place, workplace safety campaigners have said. Responding to government initiatives on sickness absence announced last week, the Hazards Campaign said two major conceptual flaws undermine the strategy: That Britain has a ‘sicknote culture’ and that any work is good for you.
Hazards Campaign news release • UNISON news release • Risks 590 • 26 January 2013

Britain: Cleaning jobs linked to asthma
There is strong evidence cleaning jobs increase the risk of developing asthma, a new UK study has concluded. Researchers at Imperial College London tracked the occurrence of asthma in a group of 9,488 people born in Britain in 1958. The study, published in the journal Thorax, found risks in the workplace were responsible for one in six cases of adult onset asthma - more than the one in nine cases attributed to smoking.
Imperial College news release and report, RE Ghosh and others • Asthma and occupation in the 1958 birth cohort. Thorax, 22 January 2013 • Asthma UK news release • BBC News Online • Risks 590 • 26 January 2013

Britain: Parkies suffer debilitating hand injuries
A council has been sentenced after 29 employees were diagnosed with a debilitating condition that has left them with ongoing problems with their hands. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council after workers in the Parks and Leisure Department were affected by hand arm vibration syndrome (HAVS).
HSE news release and HAVS webpages • Risks 589 • 19 January 2013

USA: Warning on ‘coercive’ wellness programmes
Employer-created wellness programmes are cropping up everywhere in the US, and it is frequently bad news for the workers being ‘helped’. US publication Labor Notes points to a 2012 survey that found in firms with more than 200 workers, 94 per cent had these life-style targeted programmes and more coercive programmes are on the rise.
Labor Notes, January 2013 • Risks 588 • 12 January 2013

Britain: Firms getting cooler on fit notes
The government’s attempt to reduce the numbers signed off work sick by GPs is leaving firms increasingly unimpressed. A survey by human resources consultancy XpertHR found the proportion of employers that believe the fit note regime has been a significant step forward in sickness absence management  had fallen from 48 per cent in 2011 to just 38 per cent in 2012.
Personnel Today and Fit notes still fail to impress: 2012 XpertHR survey • Risks 588 • 12 January 2013

Britain: Legal challenge to unfit fit for work tests
A man who was incorrectly found fit for work under the government's disability benefit assessment is launching a legal action against the government and Atos, the private company performing the tests. Patrick Lynch, a former social care worker who was forced to stop work because of a condition affecting his brain, is seeking a judicial review of the controversial “work capability assessment”.
The Guardian • Public Interest Lawyers • Morning Star • Risks 587 • 22 December 2012

Britain: Birth defects linked to solvent exposures
Exposure to organic solvents during pregnancy increases the risk of certain types of birth defects, a new study indicates. Researchers found mothers with greater exposure were 4 to 12 times more likely to have babies with oral clefts than mothers with less exposure.
Cordier, S, R Garlantézec, L Labat, F Rouget, C Monfort, N Bonvallot, B Roig, J Pulkkinen, C Chevrier and L Multigner. Exposure during pregnancy to glycol ethers and chlorinated solvents and the risk of congenital malformations. Epidemiology, volume 23, number 6 pages 806-12, 2012 [abstract] • Environmental Health News • Risks 587 • 22 December 2012

Britain: Starbucks sink to new lows
The ‘immoral’ US coffee company, Starbucks, which is already under pressure for its tax affairs has now cut the rights to sick pay for its 7,000 UK workers. Martin Smith, national organiser of the GMB union, which represents some Starbucks workers, said the company was sewing “confusion and fear”, adding: “On the removal of sick pay, do we really want our coffee to be made by someone struggling to work with a cold, because that is what will happen. It is not a good look for a top flight coffee maker.”
TUC blog • Risks 585 • 8 December 2012

Australia: Bosses are telling docs how to treat workers
Australian employers are interfering in their employees’ visits to the doctors, going so far as to dictate the treatments worker are allowed. National union federation ACTU organised a seminar last week to discuss how to tackle this “growing trend.”
ACTU news release • The Age • Risks 583 • 24 November 2012

Britain: Well-being study shows all isn’t well
Financial issues and psychological distress are commonplace in the UK, an official study has found. The Office for National Statistics’ new web-based tool, the ‘National Well-being wheel’, found around 1 in 8 people were finding it quite or very difficult to manage financially and about 1 in 5 reported some kind of psychological distress.
ONS news release and well-being website and health and safety section, full report, and interactive National Well-being wheel of measures  • ONS mortality figures for England and Wales • Risks 583 • 24 November 2012

Britain: Job loss increases heart attack risk
Job loss can raise your heart attack risk as much as smoking, with those who have lost a succession of jobs at higher risk still. A study of 13,451 people in the US found heart attacks increased by over a quarter (27 per cent) among people who were recently unemployed, regardless of occupation.
Matthew E Dupre, Linda K George and others. The cumulative dffect of unemployment on risks for acute myocardial infarction, Achives of Internal Medicine, Online First, November 2012. doi:10.1001/2013.jamainternmed.447.  BBC News Online •
VJC Mc Carthy, IJ Perry and BA Greiner. Age, job characteristics and coronary health, Occupational Medicine, volume 62, number 8, pages 613-619, 2012. Irish Independent • Risks 583 • 24 November 2012

Britain: Fitness-to-work tests are not fair
Fitness-to-work tests used by the government to determine benefits entitlements must be made fairer and more humane, the TUC has said. The union body was responding to a report by Professor Malcolm Harrington on the government's incapacity tests which said the system “needs to be made fairer and more effective by improving both the process and the technical descriptors used to assess eligibility.”
TUC news release. DWP news release and related papers, 'An independent review of the Work Capability Assessment – year three' and the government response • Risks 583 • 24 November 2012

USA: Bad jobs make you fat
It’s not our bad habits but our bad jobs that make us fat, a new study has concluded. ‘Obesity/overweight and the role of working conditions’ found that hotel housekeepers, janitors and other blue collar workers who rarely sit during the day have neither the time nor the energy to benefit from traditional healthy lifestyle recommendations.
MassCOSH news release and full report, Obesity/overweight and the role of working conditions • UMass Lowell news release • Boston Workers’ Alliance • Risks 582 • 17 November 2012

Britain: Tightfisted firm caused painful hands
An engineering worker developed a debilitating skin condition after his employer refused to provide new gloves because they were too expensive. The 49-year-old Unite member from Birmingham, whose name has not been released, developed dermatitis after he was exposed to mineral oil in his role as a press setter for LTI Ltd in Coventry. Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 581 • 10 November 2012

Britain: Occ docs oppose ending work disease reporting
Britain’s occupational doctors have said they ‘strongly counsel’ the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to drop a proposal to end a duty on employers to report occupational diseases. In a submission to an HSE consultation, the Faculty of Occupational Medicine (FOM) says the move would be damaging, noting it would “signal to employers that the occupational health of employees is no longer seen as important.”
FOM news report and full response • Risks 581 • 10 November 2012

Britain: Court says smokeless fuel plant did cause cancer
Workers at a now closed smokeless fuel plant in Wales did develop potentially deadly illnesses caused by their work, the High Court has ruled. The men said making the fuel briquettes at the Phurnacite plant at Abercwmboi, Rhondda Cynon Taf, left them with cancer and respiratory diseases.
Hugh James Solicitors news release • Irwin Mitchell Solicitors news release • Wales Online • ITV News • BBC News Online • Global unions cancer prevention campaign • Risks 579 • 27 October 2012

Britain: We’re still sick, we’re just sick at work now
A fall in absence levels could be masking deeper problems in the workplace, as workers fearing for their job take their sickness to work, a new report suggests. The average level of employee absence fell by almost a day compared with last year, from 7.7 days to 6.8 per employee per year, according to this year’s Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)/Simplyhealth Absence Management survey.
CIPD news release and CIPD/Simplyhealth Absence Management survey • Personnel Today • Risks 577 • 13 October 2012

Britain: Family docs miss most work-related wheezes
Family doctors are missing the link between work and asthma in threequarters of patients visiting them suffering from the serious breathing disorder caused by their job, a new study has found.
GI Walters, EE McGrath and JG Ayres. Audit of the recording of occupational asthma in primary care, Occupational Medicine, volume 62, issue 7, pages 570-573, 2012. SOM news release and Royal College of Physicians’ guidance for GPs, Diagnosis, management and prevention of occupational asthma • Risks 576 • 6 October 2012

Britain: Row over HSE diminishing workplace health role
A dispute over the Health and Safety Executive’s perceived inability to oversee effectively workplace health issues looks set to escalate. A 2 October article in the Daily Mirror, headlined ‘Will work be the death of you?’ was refuted by HSE chief executive Geoffrey Podger, whose rebuttal was then refuted by the Hazards campaign which said it “did not stand up to scrutiny.”
Daily Mirror • HSE rebuttal • Hazards Campaign rebuttal • Risks 576 • 6 October 2012

Britain: Assessor 'forced to judge disabled fit for work'
A former nurse who was employed by the Department for Work and Pensions’ outsourced capability assessor Atos has claimed she was forced to manipulate tests so that disabled people were deemed fit for work. Glasgow’s Daily Record reports that Joyce Drummond alleged candidates were considered more able to work if they arrived for their interview with brushed hair, had a toddler with them, or wore make-up.
Daily Record • Huffington Post • The Independent • Risks 575 • 29 September 2012

Britain: Government backtracks on cancer benefits
The government has caved in to pressure from cancer campaigners fighting a policy that has required cancer patients to seek work if they wanted to keep their benefits. The fit for work policy meant those getting oral forms of chemotherapy and radiotherapy could be placed in a “work-related activity group”, a category that required them to make efforts to return to work or lose their Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
DWP news release • Macmillan news release • Morning Star • Risks 574 • 22 September 2012

Britain: Insurer drags its feet on sore skin payout
A factory worker who developed painful dermatitis after he was exposed to harmful materials at work has received compensation in spite of an insurer’s delaying tactics. Paul Eames, 47, was exposed to epoxy resin at Hepworth Building Products in Swandlicote, a part of Wavin UK Holdings.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Burton Mail • Risks 573 • 15 September 2012

Britain: Nine out of 10 workplace health inspections to go
An estimated 90 per cent of the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) occupational health inspections will cease as a result of a planned change to the law, the union Prospect has warned. It says the proposals to amend RIDDOR - the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 – will mean the safety watchdog will ditch all occupational health-related inspections unless they relate to a biological agent at the workplace.
Prospect news release and 40&40 case histories • Morning Star • Risks 573 • 15 September 2012

Britain: Sick to face big fines for breaching work plan
The government has drawn up plans to withdraw £71 a week from sick and disabled benefit claimants if they fail to take steps to get back into the workplace, according to the Guardian. The paper says a leaked draft of a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) template letter warns sick and disabled claimants they will lose 70 per cent of their weekly employment support allowance (ESA) if they refuse to take part in work-related activities, more than doubling the current penalty.
The Guardian • Risks 572 • 8 September 2012

Britain: Too young to retire, too ill to work
Disability and poor health are preventing nearly half a million people approaching retirement from working, according to a TUC analysis of official labour market data. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: “While more people are working past their state pension age, often as the only way to get a decent retirement income, a far greater number of older people are unable to work due to ill-health or because they are trapped in long-term unemployment.”
TUC news release and Touchstone blog • Risks 572 • 8 September 2012

Australia: Keeping quiet about work-related ill-health
Australian workers are keeping quiet about their doctor-diagnosed work-related health problems, and this is leading to a massive under-estimate of the extent of work-related ill-health in the country. Researchers at the Institute for Safety, Compensation and Recovery Research (ISCRR) found over 22 per cent of workers didn't make compensation claims even though their GP had determined that the illness was work-related, with the figure rising to 45 per cent for work-related psychological problems.
ISCRR news release • WA Today • Safety at Work blog • Risks 571 • 1 September 2012

Britain: Blacksmith gets union-enhanced asthma payout
A council blacksmith who developed asthma when he was exposed to dangerous fumes from metalworking fluids has been awarded a payout six times the original offer from his employer, thanks to help from his union. GMB member Simon Litherland, 47, was eventually awarded £104,000 in damages when the union-backed case went to court.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 571 • 1 September 2012

Britain: PCS backs fit-for-work protests
The union representing staff in benefits offices and job centres has backed a national protest against Atos, the private firm undertaking the controversial government fit-for-work tests. Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) organised the five days of action against Atos, which ran from 27-31 August.
PCS news release • DPAC news release • The Independent • Risks 571 • 1 September 2012

Global: More concerns over health effects of popcorn flavouring
Concern has been expressed that a chemical used as a substitute for a food flavouring that causes lung disease is comparably toxic. Researchers claim the ingredient 2,3-pentanedione, used to impart the flavour and aroma of butter in microwave popcorn, is a respiratory hazard that can also alter gene expression in the brains of rats. Many companies switched to using pentanedione when the butter flavouring, diacetyl, was found to cause the serious and non-reversible lung disease bronchiolitis obliterans, also called 'popcorn lung'.
UPI.com • Hazards diacetyl webpages • Risks 570 • 25 August 2012

Britain: Work cause missed on death certificates
Doctors are failing to give an accurate cause of death for one in four patients, according to the results of a pilot scheme that double-checks death certificates - and work-related deaths may be significantly under-estimated as a result. Alan Fletcher, who is leading the Sheffield medical examiner pilot scheme, told Hazards there “are definitely a significant number” of cases where “industrial causes” are overlooked.
The Guardian • Hazards magazine • Risks 569 • 18 August 2012

Britain: HSE wants to take diseases out of RIDDOR
A dramatic revision of the legal system for reporting workplace injuries, dangerous occurrences and diseases is being proposed by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The HSE’s consultation document would mean an end to the current duty under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) 1995 to report conditions including certain strain injuries, poisonings, vibration diseases, dermatitis and occupational cancers, dust diseases and asthma.
HSE news release and consultation document 243 [pdf] • Risks 568 • 11 August 2012

Global: Shiftwork linked to heart disease risk
Shiftworkers are at increased risk of heart attacks and strokes, according to a new study. The authors, whose findings are published online in the British Medical Journal, say their research is the largest analysis of shiftwork and vascular risk to date and “has implications for public policy and occupational medicine.”
Shift work and vascular events: systematic review and meta-analysis, BMJ 2012;345:e4800, published 26 July 2012 • Newsroom America • BBC News Online • The Observer • Risks 567 • 4 August 2012

Global: Work can be damaging in late pregnancy
Working after eight months of pregnancy could be bad for your baby, according to a new study. Women who worked after they were eight months pregnant had babies on average around 230g (0.5lb) lighter than those who stopped work between six and eight months according to the study, published in the July edition of the Journal of Labor Economics.
Emilia Del Bono, John Ermisch, and Marco Francesconi. Intrafamily resource allocations: A dynamic structural model of birth weight, Vol. 30, No. 3, pages 657-706, July 2012 • Medical Daily • CBC News • The Guardian • Scottish Daily Record • Marie Claire • Risks 567 • 4 August 2012

Britain: Hospital hand rub caused sore skin
A hospital worker developed painful dermatitis after being made to use a strong alcohol-based hand rub up to 40 times a shift. GMB member Georgina Thornton, 62, was eventually forced to leave her job as a lead healthcare assistant for Derriford Hospital in Plymouth because the skin on her hands became so sensitive to the alcohol rub she developed painful reoccurring sores.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Plymouth Herald • Risks 567 • 4 August 2012

Britain: Sedentary lifestyles could mean a shorter lifespan
If you top off a day slumped in front of a computer with an evening on the couch, you could be lopping a year or more off your life, new research suggests. A US study concluded limiting the time we spend sitting to just three hours a day could add an extra two years to our life expectancy.
Peter T Katzmarzyk and I-Min Lee. Sedentary behaviour and life expectancy in the USA: a cause-deleted life table analysis, BMJ Open, volume 2, issue 4, 9 July 2012. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2012-000828. BBC News Online • Risks 564 • 14 July 2012

Europe: Firms could benefit from better sick leave rights
Workers who fall sick during their annual leave are entitled to take corresponding paid leave at a later date, the European Union’s top court has ruled. And the ruling could be good news for businesses too, with a forthcoming US study linking paid sick leave to a dramatic reduction in workplace injuries and related costs.
European Court of Justice news release [pdf] and full ruling • BBC News Online •
Abay Asfaw, Regina Pana-Cryan and Roger Rosa. Paid sick leave and nonfatal occupational injuries, American Journal of Public Health, 2012, e-view ahead of print.
doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2011.300482 • Risks 562 • 30 June 2012

Britain: Vibration failures cost worker his job
National Grid has been made to twice pay compensation to a worker who was forced to take medical retirement, aged just 48. Keith Rydings, now 49, developed painful carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and hand arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) after working with vibrating tools for employer National Grid Gas, but six years later, new management made him use vibrating tools again.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 562 • 30 June 2012

Europe: Unions demand action on strains
Union bodies have called on the European Commission to “assume political responsibility” and produce “without delay” a draft European Union-wide law to protect workers from musculoskeletal injuries. The demand for action on workplace strains comes in a statement from the European Trade Union Confederation and four other Europe-wide trade union bodies.
ETUC news release and Joint ETUC-ETUI-EPSU-UNI-EFBWW statement [pdf] • Risks 561 • 23 June 2012

Britain: Safety lobby gives heart attack advice
Employers should do more to help workers with heart problems, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) has said. Unions and campaigners have warned that 20 per cent of all heart disease deaths could be work-related, with occupational stress, unfair treatment, noise, shiftwork, long hours, infections, passive smoking, chemical and dust exposures all implicated.
IOSH news release and Occupational Health Toolkit • Risks 560 • 16 June 2012

Britain: What’s your experience of ‘well-being’ at work?
The TUC wants to hear of instances where unions have been involved in “well-being” initiatives at work, aiming to promote good health in the workforce. This differs from traditional health and safety approaches, which focus on the avoidance of injury and illness.
Email your examples to the TUC health and safety department • Risks 560 • 16 June 2012

Britain: Fit-for-work checks should be scrapped, say GPs
Family doctors have called for an end to the work capability assessment introduced by the government in a bid to get more people off benefits and back to work. The British Medical Association’s conference last week called for the fit-for-work checks to be scrapped because of the harm they do to vulnerable patients.
BMA news release • Risks 558 • 2 June 2012

Britain: HSE health expertise ‘destroyed by stealth’
The retirement in May 2012 of the chief medical adviser for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has left its Employment Medical Advisory Service (EMAS) close to collapse, a top HSE trade union rep has warned. Simon Hester, a frontline HSE field inspector and chair of the union Prospect’s HSE branch, said 20 years ago it employed 60 occupational health doctors and 62 nurses but is now down to 2.2 doctors, only one of whom is full-time.
The Guardian • Risks 558 • 2 June 2012

Britain: Cut price coins could cause allergies
Fears are being raised that high nickel 5p and 10p coins being introduced into circulation could cause skin problems. Dermatologists have warned “consideration must be given to the potential costs to health from skin disease related to nickel exposure (allergic contact dermatitis and hand dermatitis); financial implications to the NHS for clinical management of affected people; and other taxpayer costs (inability to work because of hand dermatitis related to nickel allergy).”
Danielle T Greenblatt, David J Gawkrodger and Ian R White. Allergy risk from Royal Mint’s new nickel plated steel coins should be publicly assessed, British Medical Journal, volume 344:e2730, 2012, published online 19 April 2012. BBC News Online • Risks 553 • 28 April 2012

Britain: Mass lead poisoning at recycling firm
A London recycling company has been fined after large numbers of its employees were found to have “significantly high” levels of lead in their blood, with two exhibited symptoms of poisoning so serious they required drastic chelation therapy. Metal and Waste Recycling Ltd in Edmonton had bought and was stripping some lead-sheathed copper cabling from British Telecom (BT) after the network began to be changed from copper to fibre optic cable.
HSE news release and 9 November 2009 HSE statement on lead exposure • Hazards magazine ‘Dangerous lead’ report • HSE lead webpages • Risks 553 • 28 April 2012

USA: Shiftworkers face diabetes and obesity risk
Shiftworkers getting too little sleep at the wrong time of day may be increasing their risk of diabetes and obesity, according to a new study. The researchers are calling for more measures to reduce the impact of shiftworking.
OM Buxton and others. Adverse metabolic consequences in humans of prolonged sleep restriction combined with circadian disruption, Science Translational Medicine, volume 4, number 129, 11 April 2012 [abstract and related news release] • BBC News Online • The Huffington Post • Risks 551 • 14 April 2012

Britain: Signal box fumes caused disabling chronic fatigue
A railway worker who was exposed to chemical fumes at work went onto to develop Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). It is not known if the 44-year-old, from Liskeard in Cornwall, will ever recover from the debilitating condition which has already seen him lose his job as a signalman for Network Rail.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 551 • 14 April 2012

USA: Bad work is more costly than you think
A study that revealed the annual “economic burden” of occupational injury and illness in the US is at least $250 billion underestimates the true costs, government workplace health researchers have revealed. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) experts, writing on the agency’s blog, note “the national investment in addressing occupational illness and injuries is far less than for many other diseases with lower economic burden even though occupational illnesses and injuries are eminently preventable.”
NIOSH blog • JP Leigh. Economic burden of occupational injury and illness in the United States, Milbank Quarterly, volume 89, number 4, pages 728-772, December 2011 [pdf] • Hazards ‘We didn’t vote to die at work’ webpages • Risks 550 • 7 April 2012

Britain: Health screening firm left workers at risk
A health screening company has been fined after using unqualified staff to assess the health of workers from dozens of firms across the UK. Audio Medical Services Ltd (AMS) carried out tests for 59 companies over a period of at least four years - but failed to provide employers with information to prevent workers' health deteriorating and did not refer employees to occupational health professionals when required.
HSE news release and vibration webpages • Risks 550 • 7 April 2012

Britain: Mental health chief quits welfare panel
The head of a mental health charity has left a government panel implementing changes to the welfare system, describing the system as “deeply flawed.” Chief executive of Mind Paul Farmer said he quit the government’s review panel for the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) because ministers refused to listen to his criticism of the fitness-to-work test.
Mind blog • BBC News Online • Risks 550 • 7 April 2012

Asthma: Docs warned on high work asthma rates
Doctors are being advised to explore the potential job-related causes of asthma when diagnosing patients. The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) says an estimated one in six cases of asthma in people of working age is either caused or aggravated by work-related factors.
RCP news release and report, Concise guidance: diagnosis, management and prevention of occupational asthma • Risks 550 • 7 April 2012

Britain: Heart disease risk for asbestos workers
Workers exposed to asbestos as part of their job are at a significantly greater risk of heart disease and stroke than the general population, with women more likely to be affected than men, according to new research. The study was conducted by researchers at the Health and Safety Executive’s research arm, HSL, and was published online in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
Anne-Helen Harding and others. Cardiovascular disease mortality among British asbestos workers (1971–2005), Occupational and Environmental Medicine, published online 2 April 2012. doi:10.1136/oemed-2011-100313
Daily Mail • Scotsman • Nursing in Practice • Risks 550 • 7 April 2012

Britain: Dust and heart disease link not new
Hazards magazine warned last year that cardiovascular disease is a common but frequently overlooked consequence of exposure to dust at work. The magazine mentioned this effect specifically once again in a graphic on effects of dust.
Hazards magazine ‘Dust up’ campaign and How does dust hurt you? graphic • 7 April 2012

Britain: The shocking reality of sickness absence
Nearly half of public sector workers in Scotland believe sickness absence policies encourage staff to turn up ill or injured at work, a UNISON Scotland survey has found. A quarter of workers (25 per cent) said they had worked in the previous month when too ill to do so, while almost two thirds (60 per cent) said they had worked when ill during the past year.
UNISON Scotland • Risks 550 • 7 April 2012

The Netherlands: We won’t make it to retirement age
A survey by the Dutch health care union Abvakabo FNV found six out of ten workers in the health care sector are afraid they won’t be able to work until retirement age as are result of the increasing pressure of their jobs.
Radio Netherlands Worldwide • 7 April 2012

Britain: Benefit tests are not fit for the job
Government figures showing over a third of incapacity benefit claimants are fit to work are ‘hardly surprising’, the TUC has said, charging that the government tests have been designed specifically to get people off the benefit. There was a 56 per cent rise during 2010/11 in the number of people appealing rulings that they are fit for work and the tribunals system has become overloaded.
DWP news release. TUC news release. The Guardian on concerns about the fit for work system and the rise in appeals • Risks 548 • 24 March 2012

Britain: TUC warning on work diseases ‘timebomb’
Occupational diseases kill at least 100 times the number killed in workplace ‘accidents’, the TUC has said. The union body warns government claims that Britain’s workplaces are among the safest in the world fail to take account of this chronic disease toll, adding there is a systematic failure to address the real problem as a result.
Defend health and safety: Day of Action, 28 April 2012, bulletin 4, TUC and TUC Workers’ Memorial Day webpages • Risks 547 • 17 March 2012

USA: Diesel exhaust a serious cancer risk in miners
Miners exposed to high levels of diesel exhaust face a dramatically increased lung cancer risk, a long delayed official US study has found. “This landmark study has informed on the lung cancer risks for underground mine workers, but the findings suggest that the risks may extend to other workers exposed to diesel exhaust in the United States and abroad, and to people living in urban areas where diesel exhaust levels are elevated,” said Joseph F Fraumeni Jr, director of the National Cancer Institute’s Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics.
NCI news release and Q&A on the diesel exhaust and miners study • iWatch News • The Pump Handle • Hazards magazine.
Silverman DT, Samaniac CM, Lubin JH and others. The diesel exhaust in miners study: a nested case-control study of lung cancer and diesel exhaust, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 2 March 2012. doi:10.1093/jnci/djs034 [pdf].
Attfield MD, Schlieff PL, Lubin JH and others. The diesel exhaust in miners study: a cohort mortality study with emphasis on lung cancer. Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 2 March 2012. doi:10.1093/jnci/djs035 [pdf].
Rushton L. The problem with diesel, Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 2 March 2012. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djs137 [pdf]
Risks 546 • 10 March 2012

Central America: Work link in killer kidney disease outbreak
An outbreak of kidney disease that has killed thousands of workers in Central America has been linked by experts to workplace hazards. Chronic dehydration and arduous work appears to a possible trigger for the chronic kidney disease, which is normally caused by diabetes and high blood pressure, maladies absent in most of the patients in Central America.
Seattle PI • Daily Mail • Risks 543 • 18 February 2012

Britain: Stonemason gets belated payout for diseased lung
A stonemason who developed a life-limiting occupational lung disease after he was exposed to silica dust at work has received compensation more than 13 years after he was diagnosed, and despite one set of solicitors turning his case down.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 542 • 11 February 2012

Britain: Prison workers face smoking dangers
While other workers benefit from lower cancer and heart disease risks resulting from the workplace smoking ban, workers in prisons do not, their union has said. POA has presented evidence to the Ministry of Justice showing prison staff are “exposed to considerable quantities of secondhand smoke during their work time.”
POA news release • Risks 542 • 11 February 2012

Britain: Work cancer kills two an hour round the clock
Cancers caused by the jobs we do kill one person in the UK every 30 minutes around the clock, a TUC report has revealed. ‘Occupational cancer – a workplace guide’ says the prevention of workplace cancer has a much lower profile in the workplace than preventing injuries, “despite the fact that only 220 to 250 workers die each year as a result of an immediate injury as opposed to the 15,000 to 18,000 that die from cancer.” Occupational cancer – a workplace guide, TUC, February 2012 [pdf].
Occupational cancer – the figures: briefing for activists, February 2012 • Risks 542 • 11 February 2012

Turkey: Denim sandblasting takes another life
The deadly legacy of Turkey’s denim sandblasting trade has accounted for another life. Press reports from the country say 28-year-old İdris Oral died after suffering from silicosis caused by his work at a denim sandblasting workshop.
Bianet • Clean Clothes Campaign appeal • Risks 541 • 4 February 2012

Britain: Workplace dust contributed to miner’s heart death
A former coal miner died as a result of an industrial disease, an inquest has ruled. Although Thomas Gill died on 24 September last year as a result of a heart condition, the inquest heard a lung condition, caused by more than 30 years of dusty work on the coalface, was a “major factor” in his death.
News and Star. TUC ‘Dust in the workplace’ report [pdf] • Hazards ‘Dust up!’ campaign and report • Risks 539 • 21 January 2012

Britain: Occupational health is a victim of the NHS cuts
The coalition government’s pledge to protect the NHS has been questioned after four out of five doctors said they had seen patient care suffer as a result of health service cuts during 2011 – and occupational health is one of the key casualties.
The Guardian • Risks 537 • 7 January 2012

Britain: Print fumes caused occupational asthma
A printer who developed asthma when he was exposed to dangerous fumes at work has received compensation.  Unite member Jason MaCann, 35, was diagnosed with the condition after he was exposed to isocyanates used in laminating machines at FFP Packaging in Northampton.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 537 • 7 January 2012

Britain: Disability is a health and safety issue
Health and safety can play a “strong role” in ensuring fair treatment of workers with disabilities, according to the union UNISON. A new guide from the public sector union says seven million people of working age – almost 20 per cent of the working age population - have a limiting long term illness, impairment or disability.
UNISON health and safety guide to disability [pdf] • Usdaw ‘Talking about mental health’ briefing and poster • TUC disability and health and safety webpages • Risks 537 • 7 January 2012

Britain: Sickness review ups pressure on ill workers
A government commissioned report that recommends taking responsibility for signing off sick workers out of the hands of GPs and handing it to a new Independent Assessment Service (IAS) could lead to damaging pressure on sick workers, the TUC has said.
DWP news release • review webpage and full report, Health at work – an independent review of sickness absence, DWP, 21 November 2011 • TUC news release • Personnel Today • BBC News Online • Risks 533 • 26 November 2011

Britain: Sickness plans are not about healthy workers
Workplace health campaigners have said a report for the government aimed at reducing the cost to business of sickness absence should have instead looked at preventing workers becoming sick in the first place. The findings of the government-backed review conducted by Professor Carol Black and former British Chambers of Commerce head David Frost, which include a recommendation that people should be signed off for long-term sickness by an independent assessment service and not by GPs, have been welcomed by government.
Morning Star • The Independent and related letters • The Guardian • Risks 533 • 26 November 2011

Britain: Workers can’t afford to be sick
Workers cannot afford to be off sick and rush back to work because of financial fears, new research has found. Insurance giant Aviva found over half (52 per cent) of UK workers could survive financially for only three months on statutory sick pay.
Aviva news release • Risks 533 • 26 November 2011

Britain: Knee-kicker damaged carpet fitter’s knee
A carpet fitter who has had to give up his job after suffering an occupational knee injury has received compensation. He required surgery for pre-patellar tendonitis in his right knee as a result of using a ‘knee-kicker’, a standard piece of equipment used to stretch and fit carpets.
Simpson Millar Solicitors news release • Risks 529 • 29 October 2011

Britain: Firm failed to protect workers from asthma risk
A South Tyneside company has been prosecuted for putting workers' health at risk by exposing them to a potent cause of occupational asthma. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched an investigation at Variable Message Signs Limited after an inspector visited the company's premises in Hebburn and identified serious failings in the way the company was controlling the risk of employees developing occupational asthma during soldering work.
HSE news release • Risks 529 • 29 October 2011

Britain: TV stonemason is done for dust
A stonemasonry business has been fined for exposing workers to potentially deadly stone dust after a viewer spotted its dangerous practices on a BBC television programme. Atelier 109 Limited featured in March 2010 in the BBC2 series Mastercrafts, presented by Monty Don.
HSE news release • Peterborough Today • Risks 529 • 29 October 2011

Britain: Phurnacite workers start legal fight
Around 300 former workers at a smokeless fuel plant in south Wales have started a joint compensation claim for the ill-health they say was caused by their job. They claim making the fuel at the Phurnacite plant at Abercwmboi near Mountain Ash left them with cancer and respiratory disease.
Hugh James Solicitors news release • BBC News Online • Wales Online • OH-World blog • Risks 528 • 22 October 2011

Britain: Rail union calls for reinstatement of sick worker
The transport union RMT has called for the reinstatement of a tube driver who was sacked after being sent back to driving duties against medical advice. The dismissal happened after James Masango returned to work after a period of sick leave.
RMT press release • Risks 527 • 15 October 2011

China: Watchdog threatens to close dusty gold mines
China’s top work safety watchdog has threatened to close down dangerously dusty gold mines after discovering that 95 per cent of mines surveyed violated national safety standards. The State Administration of Work Safety (SAWS) has ordered state-owned gold mines to take concrete measures to improve safety and curb emissions by August 2012 or face closure.
China Labour Bulletin • Risks 525 • 1 October 2011

Britain: DWP jumps the gun in move to rob the dying
Thousands of terminally-ill people have begun receiving letters warning them their benefits could be cut in next year even though parliament has yet to approve the changes. Under Welfare Reform Bill proposals being scrutinised in the Lords, Contributory Employment Support Allowance (CESA) will be time-limited to 12 months from April 2012.
Disability Alliance news release • BBC News Online • Risks 524 • 24 September 2011

Sweden: Paid exercise time works for firms
Businesses are increasingly concerning themselves with the health and well-being of their staff, with a preponderance of lifestyle initiatives urging workers to exercise and eat healthily. But if firms really want to see the benefits of a fitter workforce, they should give them paid time at work to take the exercise, the experience in Sweden suggests. Local Sweden • Risks 523 • 17 September 2011

Britain: Unite says ‘no’ to workplace dust
The official limit for workplace dust must be lowered to protect workers from one of the work’s biggest killers, the union Unite has said. Bud Hudspith, Unite national health and safety adviser, commented: “The current dust standards are not good enough and there is strong scientific evidence to prove it.”
Unite news release and TUC dust guide [pdf] • Risks 522 • 10 September 2011

China: Firms must keep work health records
Authorities in China have told employers they must retain health records of all employees who are exposed to health hazards. The records, which should show the results of health checks at the beginning of, during, and at the completion of employee contracts, could be used by workers as evidence in occupational disease compensation claims.
China Daily • China Labour Bulletin • The Hard Road: Seeking justice for victims of pneumoconiosis in China, CLB report, 2010 • Risks 520 • 27 August 2011

USA: Bad jobs and brain disease in the slaughterhouse
Immigrant workers on poverty wages have been recruited for the dirtiest, most dangerous jobs in the industrial production of Spam – and some developed a deadly work-related brain disease as a result. ‘The Spam Factory's Dirty Secret,’ a feature in the US magazine Mother Jones, relates the recent troubled history of the Hormel Foods plant in Austin, Minnesota.
Mother Jones • In These Times • Risks 518 • 13 August 2011

Britain: Quarry job caused disabling lung disease
A former stone mason who contracted a debilitating occupational lung disease caused by breathing stone dust has received a payout from the Bradford quarry where he worked for a decade. The 61-year-old suffers severe breathing difficulties and struggles to walk or climb stairs after contracting silicosis, caused by inhaling silica dust made airborne when working the sandstone quarried by Fagley Quarries Ltd.
Irwin Mitchell Solicitors news release • Telegraph & Argus • Risks 518 • 13 August 2011

Britain: Government inciting ‘hatred’ of disabled
Over 50 charities have condemned the government for "contributing to hatred towards disabled people" by portraying them as work-shy scroungers. The Disability Benefits Consortium said the government is using “dangerously misleading” statistics to fuel claims that high numbers of benefits claimants are faking.
Disability Benefits Consortium statement • TUC Touchstone blog • Morning Star • Daily Mail • The Sun • Daily Express • Risks 517 • 6 August 2011

Britain: Diabetic stands up to AA ‘intimidation’
A diabetic AA patrolman was singled out for daily performance reviews and pushed to quit in an act of deliberate discrimination, an employment tribunal has ruled. Roadside recovery worker Paul Bailey won his case against the Automobile Association, after alleging that management subjected him to “direct disability discrimination, discrimination arising from disability, harassment and failure to make reasonable adjustments” in the course of his work.
GMB news release • Morning Star • Risks 517 • 6 August 2011

Cambodia: Union calls for probe into fainting episodes
The head of one of Cambodia’s biggest independent union’s has called for a government investigation into the fainting spells that have affected thousands of factory workers this year. Chea Mony, president of the Free Trade Union, sent letters to the ministries of Health, Environment and Labour, requesting they look into conditions at factories that are harming the health of workers.
VOA Khmer • Phnom Penh Post • Risks 516 • 30 July 2011

Global: Under fire Versace caves and bans sandblasting
Italian fashion giant Versace has become the latest brand to back a drive to end a deadly sandblasting process that gives denim a fashionable worn look. A succession of major global retailers had already banned the process, after a high profile campaign by workers’ rights groups.
Clean Clothes Campaign news release • Vogue Magazine • Financial Times • The Independent
Sign the Clean Clothes Campaign petition urging Dolce and Gabbana to stop sandblasting • Risks 516 • 30 July 2011

Britain: Flame cutter died of work-related lung disease
The widow of a Birmingham worker, who died aged 50 from occupational lung disease, has launched a search for former colleagues who may be able to help in their battle for justice. Flame cutter Timothy Alfred Dawes died on 16 July 2009 after suffering from the chronic lung disease bronchiolitis obliterans.
Irwin Mitchell Solicitors news release. If anyone has any information which may help with Mr Dawes’ case, they can contact Ronan Hynes on 0121 214 5483 • Risks 516 • 30 July 2011

Britain: Call to axe damaging telecoms equipment  
Communications companies are being urged to withdraw dangerous equipment which is leaving engineers deafened or with hearing damage. It is thought thousands of engineers have been deafened after using British Telecom’s (BT) ‘green set’ and ‘yellow set’ oscillators, which are widely used in the sector.
Irwin Mitchell Solicitors news release • Risks 516 • 30 July 2011

India: New occupational lung disease identified
 A new deadly occupational lung disease caused by inhaling plastic dust may have been discovered. Health experts in India have identified four workers at a single Corel Pharma Chem’s factory developed a serious respiratory disease within a year of starting work.
Indian Express • Risks 512 • 2 July 2011

Britain: Managing presenteeism pays off
Employers can save money and improve the health of their staff if they manage presenteeism alongside sickness absence, according to a discussion paper produced by Business in the Community (BITC) and Centre for Mental Health. ‘Managing Presenteeism’ examines how employers can deal with reduced productivity among people who come to work and are not fully engaged or perform at lower levels as a result of ill-health.
Centre for Mental Health news release, presenteeism resources page, and Managing Presenteeism discussion paper • Risks 512 • 2 July 2011

Britain: Ford forced to up rotting flesh payout
A Ford worker who was offered just £2,000 after developing occupational dermatitis which left his flesh ‘rotting’ has received £24,000 with the help of union lawyers. The 41-year-old Unite member, whose name has been withheld, developed the painful skin condition after he was exposed to a rubber lubricant used while building engines at the Ford plant in Dagenham.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 512 • 2 July 2011

Britain: Sick former sportsman was unfairly sacking
A former sportsman has been awarded compensation totalling nearly £195,000 under disability discrimination legislation after he was sacked from his job, which meant he was denied access to his company's private health insurance scheme. The tribunal awarded compensation of just under £195,000 to reflect his loss of health and medical insurance benefits, loss of pension entitlements and injury to feelings.
 Bridge McFarland news release • Gainsborough Target • Risks 511 • 25 June 2011

Britain: MS ‘needlessly’ cuts careers short
Providing support for workers with multiple sclerosis (MS) would significantly reduce the annual welfare bill and prevent people from missing out on an average of 18 years of their working lives, according to a new report from The Work Foundation. ‘Ready to work: Meeting the employment and career aspirations of people with multiple sclerosis’  concludes that with greater employer awareness and more co-ordinated action, the majority of people with MS who are willing and able to work could be supported to do so.
The Work Foundation news release and report, Ready to work? Meeting the employment and career aspirations of people with Multiple Sclerosis [pdf] • MS Foundation news release • Risks 511 • 25 June 2011

Germany: Presenteeism costs twice as sickness leave
Presenteeism, where the working wounded labour on despite being ill, costs twice as much as sickness related absence from work, a German study has found. Researchers from the Felix Burda Foundation also estimated the annual cost to the German economy of worker sickness at 225 billion Euro – 9 per cent of the country’s GDP.
EU-OSHA news report • Risks 510 • 18 June 2011

Britain: Poor wood dust control caused cancer
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is to investigate the occupational risks facing those in the furniture and woodworking industries, more than 10 years after the last checks found the official standard was routinely ignored. The news coincides with a £375,000 compensation payment to the widow of a cabinet maker who died of nasal cancer in 2005.
The Guardian • HSE wood dust survey 2000 [pdf] • HSE news release on the Millbrook prosecution • Risks 510 • 18 June 2011

USA: Six figure payout for popcorn lung
A US factory worker has been awarded $814,500 (£496,000) by a court after his lawyers argued successfully he contracted potentially lethal ‘popcorn lung’ from breathing a chemical used to make food taste buttery. A jury had awarded Maryland-resident Brian Hallock $5.4 million (£3.3m) from Polarome International Inc, a New Jersey-based chemical manufacturer and distributor.
Baltimore Sun • More on diacetyl hazards and popcorn lung • Risks 515 • 11 June 2011

France: One in six asthma cases work-related
Occupational allergies account for 15 per cent of adult asthma cases, experts in France have concluded. A meeting of lung allergy specialists in Paris heard panellists report the longer work-related allergens are inhaled, the worse the asthma gets, often continuing after occupational exposure has ended.
HESA news report • Risks 507 • 28 May 2011

Finland: Unions track asbestos exposure risks
Unions in Finland are keeping track of workplace asbestos exposures, using a purpose designed “follow-up” card. The say the initiative, which was launched last month by the Breathing Association, the union confederations SAK and STTK, and the trade unions representing metal, electrical, paper and construction workers, will record information on individual worker’s exposures and on possible occupational diseases that could be related to those exposures.
Trade Union News from Finland • Risks 506 • 21 May 2011

Britain: Top docs back union dust plan
The Institute of Occupational Medicine has backed a union push for a dramatic reduction in the amount of dust allowed in workplace air. Unions have for over two years been pressing an intransigent Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to reduce the occupational exposure limit for general workplace dust to a quarter the current level and to run a campaign to raise awareness of dust dangers.
The IOM’s position on occupational exposure limits for dust, May 2011 [pdf] • Delivering for health: HSE action on occupational respiratory disease [pdf], paper to the HSE board meeting, December 2010 [minutes, pdf] • Risks 506 • 21 May 2011

Britain: Mental illness and strains top disability list
Mental health problems have overtaken musculoskeletal disorders such as back pain as the main reason people claim benefits because they are unable to work, a study has found. Researchers, writing in the journal Occupational Medicine, looked at new incapacity benefit awards for both kinds of conditions in Britain from 1997 to 2007.
SOM news release • BBC News Online • Risks 505 • 14 May 2011

Britain: Benefit tests find sick fit to work
People with serious illnesses are being found “fit to work” under new sickness benefits tests, disability charities have warned. The MS Society, Parkinson's UK, National Aids Trust, Arthritis Care, the Forward-ME group and Crohn's and Colitis UK are calling for changes to make the test “fairer” for people with illnesses where symptoms vary over time.
MS Society news release and related report [pdf] • BBC News Online and related story • Morning Star • Risks 505 • 14 May 2011

CBI finds sickness absence stays low
Sickness absence in 2010 remained close to the previous year’s record low, employers’ organisation CBI has found. The CBI/Pfizer Absence and Workplace Health Survey reports there were 190 million working days to sickness absence last year, with each employee taking an average of 6.5 days off sick.
CBI news release • Risks 505 • 14 May 2011

Britain: Most claimants denied sickness benefit
Threequarters of sickness benefit claimants are found fit to work or abandon their claims before completing their medical assessment, latest figures published by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have revealed. However, initial assessments of people's fitness to return to the workplace have been overturned in almost four in 10 cases in which individuals appealed.
DWP news release • The Guardian • Risks 504 • 7 May 2011

Britain: Land Rover fined for vibration crimes
Vehicle manufacturer Land Rover has been prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) for failing to take into account the risks facing workers using vibrating hand tools. Ten workers at its Solihull plant are believed to have developed a vibration related occupational disease as a result.
HSE news release • Risks 504 • 7 May 2011

USA: Top earners get the sick leave
Workers at the top of the wage scale in the US are more than four times as likely to have paid sick days than workers toiling near the bottom wage scale, according to a new Economic Policy Institute (EPI) report. The Economic Snapshot found just 19 per cent of low wage workers have paid sick days in the US, compared with 86 per cent of high-wage workers.
AFL-CIO Now blog • Economic Policy Institute Economic Snapshot • Risks 502 • 16 April 2011

Britain: Duncan Smith should apologise for sick ‘spin’
Work and pensions secretary Iain Duncan Smith should apologise for his ‘outrageous spin’ after it was revealed some jobcentre staff had been being forced to stop people’s benefits to meet targets, civil service union PCS has said. The union’s general secretary, Mark Serwotka, said: “When this story broke Mr Duncan Smith described it as ‘claptrap’ and a ‘conspiracy’, but faced with the overwhelming evidence that these targets are still in place, his department has been forced to backtrack.”
PCS news release • The Guardian • Risks 502 • 16 April 2011

Britain: Prospect gets mapping
The scientists, engineers and specialists union Prospect has produced a short, very handy guide to health and safety mapping in the workplace. The union’s ‘factguard’ includes how-to pointers, good graphics and case histories of bodymapping and workplace mapping in practice.
Body and workplace mapping factcard • Hazards mapping webpages • Risks 500 • 2 April 2010

Britain: Sick must get up and train, says Grayling
Workers who were on incapacity benefits prior to controversial new health assessments are being told they must attend training course or lose their payments, the government has said. The new rules, which also apply to job seekers, were announced by employment minister Chris Grayling.
DWP news release and skills conditionality consultation • Risks 500 • 2 April 2010

Britain: Severe injury payout funds essential rehab
A £340,000 compensation payout to a roofer severely injured in a workplace fall will fund an intensive rehabilitation and physiotherapy programme. Timothy Kirk, 42, fell 45 feet through a skylight while at work. He was knocked unconscious and left in a coma for 11 days after the incident in October 2000, suffering a fractured pelvis, fractured femur and numerous head and facial injuries and having to undergo a tracheotomy to aid his breathing, as well as three operations on his stomach to reduce internal injuries.
Irwin Mitchell news release • Risks 500 • 2 April 2010

South Africa: Top court backs mine dust victims
South African miners have won a landmark dust disease case in the nation’s highest court. The legal precedent is expected to allow thousands of miners stricken with life-threatening respiratory and other diseases to sue companies under common law in South Africa, even if they have already received a payout from a state-run scheme.
ICEM news report • Risks 498 • 19 March 2011

Britain: No job is better for you than a bad job
As the government presses ahead with plans to force the sick back to work and job seekers into ‘Mandatory Work Activity placements’, new research has blown a hole in its “work is good for you” mantra. A study published this week warns while good quality jobs deliver health benefits, bad jobs can leave you in a worse state of health than remaining unemployed.
DWP news release. P Butterworth, LS Leach, L Strazdins, SC Olesen, B Rodgers and DH Broom. The psychosocial quality of work determines whether employment has benefits for mental health: results from a longitudinal national household panel survey, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Online First, 14 March 2011, doi10.1136/oem.2010.059030 [abstract] • Risks 498 • 19 March 2011

Britain: 'Raw deal' for sick British staff
British workers are among the worst protected in terms of benefits if they are off work sick, according to a new report. A study of 12 countries by Demos put Britain in eighth place in the level of protection in case of ill-health, below countries including France, Germany, the United States and Canada.
Of mutual benefit, Demo, March 2011 [pdf] • ITN News • Yahoo News • Risks 498 • 19 March 2011

Britain: Tool maker disabled by work asthma
A Hereford tool maker whose occupational asthma forced him to quit the job he loved has won a court battle for justice. Philip Gundy, 59, contracted occupational asthma as a result of the chemicals he was exposed to at work, operating grinding machines using metalworking fluids as coolants, and he was left with no choice but to give up his job.
Irwin Mitchell Solicitors news release • Risks 497 • 12 March 2011

Britain: New disability test 'is a complete mess'
One of the architects of the government’s new sickness benefit system has warned it would be a mistake to start introducing the “badly malfunctioning” system nationwide from the end of this month because of serious ongoing problems with the medical test designed to assess whether claimants are genuinely sick or disabled.
The Guardian • Risks 496 • 5 March 2011

Britain: Port worker wins disability adjustments case
An RMT member from Morecambe whose damaged back was aggravated after his employer refused to make adjustments to his work environment has won his case for disability discrimination. Manchester Employment Tribunal found Andrew Russell, 38, was discriminated against when his employer Heysham Port Ltd refused to allocate new equipment to him.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 494 • 19 February 2011

Britain: Government must create jobs, not blame
The government’s continued use of a flawed fitness for work disability assessment system is expending resources on victimising the sick when it should be concentrating its efforts on creating more jobs, the TUC has said. The union body was commenting on findings from the government's incapacity benefit reassessment programme published by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
DWP news releases on the initial reassessments and the fitness for work assessment changes • TUC news release • Risks 494 • 19 February 2011

Britain: Concern as headsets deafen workers
Over 1,500 workers who believe their hearing has been damaged by the use of high pitched noise fed through workplace headsets are taking action against their employers. CWU is assisting over 1,500 members with claims arising from the use of these oscillators or amplifiers in their work, many of whom are suffering with tinnitus.
Irwin Mitchell Solicitors news release • Tinnitus Awareness Week, 4-11 February 2011 • Risks 493 • 12 February 2011

Britain: Government ignores fitness test promises
A government claim that the “vast majority” of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claimants should not be receiving the benefit, contradicts the evidence and its own admissions just two months ago, the TUC has charged. The government said its figures, based on an assessment system that was found to be seriously flawed two months ago by the government-commissioned Harrington review, showed 39 per cent of claimants were “fit for work” and a further 39 per cent did not complete their claims.
DWP news release and ESA Work Capability Assessments statistics • Risks 491 • 29 January 2011

Global: Call to drop worn jeans
Unions this week told major garment companies and retailers they should stop selling sandblasted jeans. The process, which is used to give denim a fashionable worn and faded look, causes an often fatal lung disease in exposed garment workers.
ITGLWF news release • Risks 490 • 22 January 2011

Britain: Injured workers want rehabilitation
Injured workers value rehabilitation and say it allows them to get on with their lives and their jobs quicker, a survey had found. Personal injury law firm Thompsons questioned clients who had received rehabilitation in the last year, and found all respondents who had received rehabilitation while off sick said that the treatment had helped them return to work earlier than they would otherwise have done.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 489 • 15 January 2011

Britain: Drug workers get a dose of dermatitis
A Swindon pharmaceutical company has been fined after a number of its employees were exposed to a potent sensitiser and developed allergic contact dermatitis. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecuted Catalent UK Swindon Zydis Limited, trading as Catalent Pharma Solutions, after at least ten employees developed the skin condition when working with Olanzapine.
HSE news release • Risks 489 • 15 January 2011

Britain: Payouts agreed for autoworker lung disease
A group of 79 ex-MG Rover workers have received compensation after what experts believe was the largest outbreak of occupational lung disease in the world. Metalworking fluids used by Powertrain Ltd, the engine building division of MG Rover, caused asthma and extrinsic allergic alveolitis (EAA) in exposed workers. breathing problems for the Unite members at the Longbridge plant in Birmingham.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Birmingham Post • BBC News Online •
Hazards magazine on HSE’s failure to prosecute • Risks 488 • 8 January 2011

Britain: Bed firm ignored the doctor’s orders
A failure to act on the advice of a doctor has cost a major bed company £9,500 in damages to a former employee. The settlement was offered by Sealy Sleep Products (UK) Ltd to Norman Kirkbride, 41, whose GP had written to the company suggesting that Mr Kirkbride’s back condition would worsen if he continued lifting heavy objects.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 488 • 8 January 2011

Britain: HSE cuts will hurt workers
Unions and MPs have warned drastic cutbacks to the Health and Safety Executive will lead to more work-related ill-health and injuries. A report last month from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health warned the cuts in HSE’s budget were a “false economy” and will lead to increased costs from sickness absence, compensation and benefit payments.
PCS news release • Shields Gazette • SHP Online • We didn't vote to die at work: Campaign briefings, posters and resources • Risks 488 • 8 January 2011

Britain: Firms ‘cheat’ workers out of sick pay
Public sector employers have been urged to ensure all those working for them have a right to sick pay after a union study found multinationals providing contracted out cleaning and catering staff were denying this ‘basic right’. Major firms the UNISON survey found had denied sick pay to staff employed on public sector contracts included Compass, Sodexo, Medirest and ISS.
UNISON news release • The Mirror • BBC News Online • Risks 488 • 8 January 2011

USA: Official action on popcorn lung risks
Employers should used stringent safety controls to prevent ‘popcorn lung’, new guidance from US government safety watchdog OSHA has warned. The OSHA move came days after similar but more wide-ranging recommendations, including exposure limits, were introduced unilaterally in California.
OSHA news release • OSHA Safety and Health Information Bulletin and Worker Alert • Cal/OSHA news release • HSE guidance • Risks 487 • 18 December 2010

Europe: A quarter of workers hurt by their jobs
Work is adversely affecting the health of 25 per cent of European workers, a new survey has found. The first results of the fifth European Working Conditions Survey, previewed last month by the Dublin-based European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound), are based on responses from 43,816 workers in 34 European countries.
HESA news report and related blog article • Preliminary results of the fifth European Working Conditions Survey [pdf] • Risks 486 • 11 December 2010

Thailand: Weaving their way to victory
Thailand’s Supreme Court has upheld a lower court decision to award compensation to a group of 38 textile workers suffering from cotton lung. The ruling brought an end to a 15-year legal battle led by Somboon Sikhamdokkae on behalf of staff of Bangkok Weaving Factory.
Bangkok Post • The Nation on Sunday • Risks 485 • 4 December 2010

Global: Appeal for deadly jeans sandblasting to end
Unions, safety and labour rights campaigners are demanding that clothing giants stop selling sandblasted jeans, a process linked to deadly occupational lung diseases. At a press conference in Istanbul last week, the Solidarity Committee of Denim Sandblasting Labourers of Turkey and the Clean Clothes Campaign, supported by dozens of trade unions and labour rights organisations, also called on governments to consider a ban on sandblasted products.
Solidarity Committee of Denim Sandblasting Labourers of Turkey website and the Clean Clothes Campaign appeal • Risks 485 • 4 December 2010

Britain: Workers firing fear over being ill
Sick workers are increasingly reluctant to take time off for fear of being sacked or made redundant, a survey has found. The poll of union reps and safety reps carried out by the Labour Research Department (LRD) in October 2010 found recent changes in workplace sickness absence and sick pay procedures introduced by many employers had been “designed to make sickness procedures tighter and in some instances, potentially harsher in operation.”
LRD news release • Risks 485 • 4 December 2010

Britain: Medical rehabilitation services ‘patchy’
Government plans to see more sick or injured people backing in work could be undermined by a ‘patchy’ provision of medical rehabilitation services, a report from medical experts suggests. The report from the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and the British Society of Rehabilitation Medicine (BSRM) is critical of current practices which are “often too focused on clearing beds at the expense of supporting a fully staffed acute rehabilitation service as part of the early continuum of care.”
RCP news release • Risks 485 • 4 December 2010

Britain: TUC welcomes work capability changes
A government commitment to remedy flaws in its work capability assessments (WCA) has been welcomed by the TUC. Problems identified by unions and disability rights advocates in the operation of the system, which has seen people with debilitating and chronic illnesses wrongly told they are fit for work, were confirmed by the government commissioned Harrington Review of WCA.
DWP news release • TUC news release • The Harrington Review and the government’s response • Risks 485 • 4 December 2010

Britain: Rolls Royce coolant caused rash
Rolls Royce has agreed to pay £5,500 compensation to an employee who developed painful dermatitis after he was exposed to a corrosive coolant at work. The 42-year-old Unite member, identified by his lawyers as Mr Pattison, was exposed to the coolant while working as a turner on aircraft turbines.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 485 • 4 December 2010

India: Fight goes on for silicosis victims
Jodhpur mine workers, supported by the Rajasthan State Mine Labour Union, have given a district magistrate 10 days to agree a claim for the compensation before they embark on a programme of action. In January the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) directed the state government to look into the issue and provide silicosis victims a suitable compensation.
Times of India • Risks 484 • 27 November 2010

Britain: Happiness index ridiculed by unions
Trade unions have rounded on government plans for a 'happiness' index. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber commented: “In reality this is little more than a gimmick,” adding: “Instead, under the current government, working people face growing job insecurity, rising prices, less protection in the workplace and far greater uncertainty.”
Unite release • Risks 484 • 27 November 2010

China: Dust diseases blight coal mines
Lung diseases caused by coal dust in China’s notoriously hazardous mines are killing far more miners than accidents. More than 6,000 coal miners die each year as a result of ‘black lung’, a lung scarring caused by dust inhalation, with almost 10 times this number diagnosed with the disease each year.
People’s Daily • Risks 483 • 20 November 2010

]USA: Who cares about black lung deaths?
Three coal miners in the US die daily - and needlessly - from black lung disease; over 1,000 coal miners perish every year. And a University of California in Santa Barbara found the industry is not picking up the tab, with the multibillion dollar cost of a government black lung compensation scheme not showing up on the utility bill, but paid for by consumers nonetheless.
Common Dreams • Charleston Gazette • Risks 483 • 20 November 2010

Global: Work chemicals linked to male breast cancer
Common workplace chemicals have been linked to an increased risk of male breast cancer. The research, published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, found male breast cancer incidence was particularly increased in motor vehicle mechanics, who were twice as likely to develop the disease.
Sara Villeneuve, Diane Cyr, Elsebeth Lynge and others. Occupation and occupational exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals in male breast cancer: a case–control study in Europe, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, volume 67, pages 837-844, 2010 [abstract] • Green jobs, safe jobs blog • Risks 483 • 20 November 2010

Britain: Unions welcome Sellafield body parts report
The government has apologised to the families of dead nuclear workers whose body parts were taken for testing without their knowledge. The Redfern Inquiry was ordered when it emerged in 2007 that organs were taken from 65 workers at Sellafield in Cumbria between 1962 and 1992.
The Redfern Inquiry • Prospect news release • GMB news release • BBC News Online • The Independent • Risks 483 • 20 November 2010

Britain: Fit notes are not working
The system of GP-issued “fit notes” introduced on 6 April is not working, a survey had found. The fourth annual ‘Health of the workplace’ report from Aviva, which surveyed GPs, employers and workers, found almost two-thirds (65 per cent) of the 200 GPs questioned felt “ill-equipped” to provide fit notes, up 1 per cent on last year’s survey figure, prior to the introduction of fit notes.
Aviva news release and fit note findings • Pulse• Preparing for the new fit note: guidance for union representatives, TUC, February 2010 [pdf] • TUC sickness absence webpages • Hazards ‘Fit for purpose’ guide • Risks 482 • 13 November 2010

Britain: Teacher gets record voice loss payout
An adult education teacher has received a six figure payout for occupational voice loss, after management tried to dismiss her concerns as ‘an occupational hazard for all teachers’.  Joyce Walters, 50, said she was speaking out because she doesn’t want others to go through the same “devastating” experiences.
Voice lessons, Hazards special report, November 2010. Hazards voice loss webpages. Irwin Mitchell Solicitors news release • Risks 481 • 6 November 2010

Britain: Most found fit in benefits clampdown
Over threequarters of people applying for the new Employment and Support Allowance programme (ESA) are being found fit for work after undergoing the Work Capability Assessment, or stop their claim before they complete their medical assessment, according to new official statistics. However TUC warned last week that the government was forcing many disabled and sick people on to jobseekers' allowance (JSA) despite evidence they are unfit to work.
DWP news release and Employment and Support Allowance: Work Capability Assessments statistics • Risks 480 • 30 October 2010

Britain: Sick being forced to job hunt
The government is cutting costs by forcing many disabled and sick people on to jobseekers' allowance (JSA) despite evidence that they are unfit to work, the TUC has warned.
TUC news release. Morning Star • Risks 479 • 23 October 2010  

Britain: Hospital guilty for worker’s Hepatitis C
A healthcare worker at a Worcestershire hospital contracted the Hepatitis C virus after injuring herself on a needle used to take blood from an infected patient. During the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) prosecution of Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust over the February 2007 incident, City Magistrates heard the worker, who had been training at the Trust for three weeks, was instructed to take blood from a patient she had not been told was infected with the virus.
HSE news release and the relevant COSHH regulation • Risks 478 • 16 October 2010

Britain: Fit to work benefit checks rolled out
Incapacity benefit claimants in north-east Scotland and Burnley are to be the first to be reassessed systematically ahead of UK-wide welfare reform. Those deemed fit enough to work, using a points-based “work capability assessment” system, will be moved to the jobseeker's allowance.
DWP news release • TUC news release • BBC News Online • Morning Star • Risks 478 • 16 October 2010

USA: Sick leave off the menu for serving staff
Restaurant staff in the US are being forced to work when sick and are under so much pressure they regularly put their own health and that of customers at risk, a study has found. Almost two-thirds of restaurant employees have cooked or served food while sick, largely because 87.8 per cent of those workers have no paid sick days, according to ‘Serving while sick’.
Serving while sick, ROC United, September 2010 [pdf] • Restaurant Opportunities Center United • Working In These Times • Los Angeles Times • Risks 477 • 9 October 2010

USA: Noisy work doubles heart disease risk
A persistently noisy workplace more than doubles an employee’s risk of serious heart disease, a new study has found. Workers in persistently noisy workplaces were between two to three times as likely to have serious heart problems as their peers in quiet workplaces;  workers under 50 were between three and four times as likely to have angina or coronary artery disease or to have had a heart attack.
Wen Qi Gan, Hugh W Davies and Paul A Demers. Exposure to occupational noise and cardiovascular disease in the United States: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2004, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Online First 5 October 2010; doi 10.1136/oem.055269 [abstract] • Risks 477 • 9 October 2010

Britain: Cancer sufferer gets unfair dismissal payout
A Welsh breast cancer patient has been awarded more than £100,000 compensation after she was unfairly dismissed when her performance dipped. Sally-Ann Burke, 54, was treated unfairly because of her disability from the illness which left her “tired and forgetful”, an Abergele Employment Tribunal found.
Daily Post • Risks 477 • 9 October 2010

Britain: Chancellor hits injury and disease victims
A ‘benefits cap’ announced by the Chancellor will target workers suffering work-related ill-health and injuries. The benefits limit will include consideration of Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) payment, a Treasury news release confirmed this week, despite the benefit being created as a non-means tested payment intended to compensate workers for industrial diseases and injuries.
TUC Touchstone blog and related posting • Treasury news release • BBC News Online • Risks 477 • 9 October 2010

Benefit assessments ‘too rushed’ say medics
Sick workers are falling foul of rushed medicals to determine eligibility for benefits, the union Prospect has warned. It says the medical personnel responsible for assessing benefit claimants’ capability to work, on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions, are not allocated sufficient time to assess complex cases such as those coping with multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease.
Prospect news release • Risks 477 • 9 October 2010

India: Hunger striking silicosis widows fight on
A hunger strike by silicosis widows has forced a district official to make a compensation gesture of 100,000 rupees (£1,400) for each victim. The move came after the women, who are backed by a mining union and the Mine Labour Peoples' Campaign (MLPC), protested for three days last week.
Times of India and earlier story • Risks 476 • 2 October 2010

Global: Denim workers fear silica ban won’t work
This month’s decision by Levi Strauss and H&M to ban the use of a deadly process using silica to sandblast jeans, will not end the practice because many manufacturers will continue the practice in poorer nations. Professor Zeki Kılıçaslan, a chest physician at Istanbul University, said: “These denim workers, unaware of the risks, sandblast between 2,000 and 3,000 items of clothing a day over 12 hours,” noting that some workers were continually exposed to the danger as a result of sleeping in their workshops.
Hürriyet Daily News • Treehugger • Risks 475 • 25 September 2010

Australia: Migrant victims of cut-price industry
Myung Yeol Hwang, a tiler from South Korea, died on 27 August, the day after he walked into the Sydney office of the country's biggest construction union, destitute and in dire need of medical help. CFMEWU hurriedly arranged an Immigration Department meeting to try to get the sick man a bridging visa and some medical treatment the next morning, but the 51-year-old died before he could make it to those meetings.
Sydney Morning Herald • ABC News • Brisbane Times • Risks 475 • 25 September 2010

Britain: Hospital staff penalised for going sick
Staff at Manchester hospitals who take more than an agreed number of days off sick are to lose out on annual pay rises. In a move against which UNISON says it will make a legal challenge, Central Manchester University Hospitals Trust will refuse rises to workers who have taken more than 18 days off sick or had four separate sick absences.
UNISON news release • BBC news release • Risks 475 • 25 September 2010

Ferry boss flounders over 'fat' jibe
Unions have criticised ‘slanderous’ comments made by the boss of ferry giant Stena Line after he said British workers were “fat” and not fit for the job. Stena Line North Sea director Pim de Lange’s comments appeared in a Dutch newspaper, where he was quoted as saying it was hard to find seafarers in the UK “unless you want types with fat bellies and covered with tattoos’. 
Nautilus news release • BBC News Online • Daily Mirror • Sky News • Risks 475 • 25 September 2010

Britain: Pensions move will hurt manual workers
Manual workers will suffer serious disadvantage as a result of an upward shift in the retirement age, UCATT has warned. The construction union was commenting after new figures from the Office for National Statistics revealed manual workers were more than twice as likely as professional workers to die before they reach 65 years of age.
UCATT news release • Office for National Statistics • Risks 472 • 4 September 2010

Britain: Asthma risk in motor repair
Car bodyshop workers are still at risk of occupational asthma from spray paints, according to a new Health and Safety Executive (HSE) report. A probe into the use of two-pack paints containing isocyanates in the trade identified there are still a number of areas of concern, with HSE estimates that vehicle spray painters are 80 times more likely to develop occupational asthma than the average worker in the UK.
HSE news release and vehicle repair asthma webpages • Determining current health and safety practices, awareness of HSE initiatives and economic trends in relation to isocyanate paint use in the motor vehicle repair sector, Research Report 802, HSE [pdf] • Risks 471 • 28 August 2010

USA: Record payout for popcorn lung
A jury in Chicago has awarded a $30.4 million payout to a Flavorchem Corp worker disabled by exposure to diacetyl, a chemical used in butter flavouring found in products from popcorn to cakes, sweets and butter substitutes. The verdict awarded to Gerardo Solis, 45, and against BASF Corp, a supplier of diacetyl and the world’s largest chemical company, is the highest to date in popcorn and butter-flavouring worker lawsuits in the US.
Joplin Globe • Business Insurance • Popcorn lung in the UK • Risks 470 • 21 August 2010

Britain: Security concerns at bio-terror move
The proposed relocation of a key government bio-terror research centre could increase security risks, a union has warned. A Unite survey of Health Protection Agency (HPA) staff at the Centre for Emergency Preparedness and Response (CEPR) at Porton Down found staff have “serious concerns” and believe a transfer could lessen security at the centre.
Unite news release • Risks 470 • 21 August 2010

Britain: Pre-employment medicals ruled out
The use of pre-employment medicals to weed out applicants on health grounds is to become illegal. Changes introduced under the Equality Act 2010 and that take effect from October 2010 mean prospective employers cannot ask health questions of applicants “until the applicant has been able to successfully pass an interview, or some other assessment, to show that they meet some of the non-health requirements of the job,” says a TUC briefing.
Equality Act 2010: A TUC briefing for affiliates [pdf] • Risks 470 • 21 August 2010

Britain: Benefits change forces most back to work
A controversial new system for assessing whether the sick and disabled are capable of working has seen more than threequarters of benefit claimants either told to get a job or abandoning their claim, Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) figures show.
DWP news release • The Independent • Risks 467 • 31 July 2010

Britain: Controversy over fitness to work tests
Iain Duncan Smith has denied reports that ministers are considering trebling ‘fitness to work’ tests on people claiming incapacity benefit. The work and pensions secretary said the government has at the moment “absolutely no intention” of changing the 10,000 a week rate begun under Labour.
The Guardian • BBC News Online • Personnel Today • Risks 463 • 3 June 2010

Britain: Enforcement bad on safety, terrible on health
Enforcement action by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has plummeted on almost all major indicators, the watchdog’s board has been told. The report to the HSE board suggests prosecutions on health issues are especially rare – an HSE guesstimate indicates they are outnumbered 7-to-1 by safety prosecutions - despite work-related diseases outnumbering officially reported workplace injuries by five to one.
Review of enforcement by FOD, paper to the HSE board, 30 June 2010 [pdf] • Risks 463 • 3 June 2010

Britain: Son of Workplace Health Connect flops
An attempt to tweak a failed official initiative to provide health and safety advice to smaller, non-union firms has also been an expensive flop. “The government should accept roving union safety reps are the answer to improved safety in smaller firms, rather than unworkable, unwanted advisory services,” commented Hazards magazine’s Jawad Qasrawi.
Healthy workplaces Milton Keynes pilot: Evaluation findings, HSE research report RR809, June 2010 [pdf] • Risks 463 • 3 June 2010

USA: Roofers face work-related early retirement
A combination of poor health and musculoskeletal disorders is forcing roofers into early retirement, a new study has found. The study of 979 roofers between the ages of 40 and 59 found that 10 per cent left the roofing trade within a year, and of those leaving, 60 per cent left their job due to chronic pain, work-related musculoskeletal disorders and poor health.
CPWR news release [pdf] • Risks 463 • 3 June 2010

Britain: Workers creaking under the strain
British workers are suffering physical pain as well as stress from working long hours, not taking lunch breaks and going to work when they are sick, research carried out for the physios’ union CSP has found. A survey commissioned by CSP found a quarter of people regularly work all day without taking a break, and more than half said they often go to work when they are stressed or physically unwell.
CSP news release • BBC News Online • Risks 461 • 19 June 2010

Britain: Wide social inequalities in work cancers
The occupational cancer burden in the UK has been consistently under-estimated and is concentrated almost entirely in certain social classes, a new study shows.
SOM meeting. Lesley Rushton and others. Occupational and cancer in Britain, British Journal of Cancer, volume 102, pages 1428–1437, 2010 [abstract]. Related HSE report: The burden of occupational cancer in Great Britain, research report 800, HSE, 2010 [pdf] • Risks 460 • 12 June 2010

Britain: Vibration disease costs stonemason his job
A stonemason has been forced to give up his specialist trade after his hands were left permanently damaged by using vibrating tools at work. The 46-year-old from Tadcaster, whose name has not been released, has received £56,000 in compensation after being left with the debilitating condition Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS), caused by using vibrating tools on a daily basis in his job as a stonemason for a Yorkshire company.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 459 • 5 June 2010

Britain: Warning on ‘heavy-handed’ welfare plans
More support and not more penalties is what are needed to get the workless into work, unions, safety professionals and poverty campaigners have told the government. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: “Unions will support measures to help unemployed and disabled people into work but there is no excuse for such a heavy handed, punitive approach.”
DWP news release • Iain Duncan Smith’s speech • The State of the Nation: Poverty, worklessness and welfare dependency in the in the UK • TUC news release • PCS news release • IOSH news release • CPAG news release • Risks 459 • 5 June 2010

Britain: Not quite the right fit note
A new healthy work guide to assist GPs in fitness for work assessments skirts the issue of curing the unhealthy jobs that make many workers sick in the first place. The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) is behind Healthy Working UK, a website it says will provide GPs and other healthcare professionals with information, training and decision aids concerning the relationship between work and health.
RCGP news release • RCGP Healthy Working UK website • Fit for purpose, Hazards, Number 110, 2010 • Risks 459 • 5 June 2010

Britain: RAF painter disabled by solvents
A services painter who was left with a devastating degenerative neurological condition after he was exposed to dangerous toxins while working in ‘Victorian conditions’ has won his 17-year battle for compensation. Shaun Wood, 52, was diagnosed with Multiple System Atrophy-P (MSAP), a Parkinson’s type condition which affects the nervous system, after exposure to a cocktail of solvents as a painter and finisher at RAF sites across the world.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 457 • 22 May 2010

USA: Blood lead levels tied to nerve disease
A study has strenghtened evidence linking long-term lead exposure to the risk of developing the fatal neurological condition amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease. The study found a doubling of blood lead levels led to a near doubling of the chances of developing ALS.
F Fang and others. Association between blood lead and the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, American Journal of Epidemiology, volume 171, Number 10, pages 1126-33, 2010 • Risks 457 • 22 May 2010

Britain: The sick are more likely to be in work
Workers are more likely to trail into work when sick than to take the day off, new research has shown. The study by The Work Foundation examined why employees attend work when unwell, with the think tank saying it also addresses a gap in UK data on sickness presence.
The Work Foundation News release • Why do employees come to work when ill? An investigation into sickness presence in the workplace, The Work Foundation, April 2010 • Risks 453 • 24 April 2010

Britain: Disability and health and safety
The Health and Safety Executive is urging employers, unions and union reps to make better use of its guidance on disability and health and safety. The guide, which is available online, “promotes good practice in disability equality at work and health and safety risk assessment.”
Health and safety for disabled people and their employers, HSE [pdf] • Risks 453 • 24 April 2010

Britain: Factory oils caused worker’s asthma
A factory worker has received £32,000 compensation after he developed asthma as a result of exposure to dangerous fumes for over three years. The 49-year-old Unite member from Bolton, who name has not been released, was diagnosed with occupational asthma after he was exposed to a mix of hydraulic oil and coolant mist at Edbro Plc in Lancashire.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 453 • 24 April 2010

USA: Judge rejects Ground Zero dust deal
A US judge says a proposed $657m (£437m) compensation deal for people who developed health problems after working at New York's Ground Zero following the 9/11 terror attacks is too small. Some 10,000 rescue workers and police officers are suing New York City, saying they suffered health problems working in the dust and debris.
NY Daily News • National Law Journal • BBC News Online • The Guardian • Risks 449 • 27 March 2010

Britain: Irritable bowel syndrome caused by bad shifts
Bad shift patterns can cause classic symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a study of nurses has found. Researchers from the University of Michigan Medical School
conclude that “practising gastroenterologists should be aware of this association and educate patients with IBS on the possible impact of their work schedule on their symptoms.”
University of Michigan news release. Borko Nojkov, Joel H Rubenstein, William D Chey, Willemijntje A Hoogerwerf. The impact of rotating shift work on the prevalence of Irritable Bowel Syndrome in nurses, American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2010; DOI: 10.1038/ajg.2010.48 [abstract] • Emaxhealth.com • Risks 449 • 27 March 2010

Britain: Sick and dying are told they are fit for work
The revised system for assessing whether or not the sick and disabled are capable of working is flawed and is wrongly finding seriously ill people fit for work, according to Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) research.
CAB news release and full report, Not working - CAB evidence on the ESA Work Capability Assessment • The Guardian • Personnel Today • Risks 449 • 27 March 2010

USA: Dust disease settlement for 9/11 workers
 New York City officials have agreed to pay up to US$657.5m (£437m) to thousands of rescue and clean-up workers after 9/11. The settlement would compensate more than 10,000 plaintiffs who say they were made sick by dust at the Ground Zero site of the attacks.
Representative Marilyn B Maloney news release • NYC Mayor Bloomberg news release • New York Times • BBC News Online • NYCOSH news release and  9/11 advice webpages • Risks 448 • 20 March 2010

Britain: Changing the job is best for backs
Action to change the workplace is necessary to secure an early return to work for people with chronic low back pain. A study published online this week in the British Medical Journal concludes those receiving a programme of integrated care, directed at both the patient and the workplace, return to work on average four months earlier than those receiving usual care.
Ludeke C Lambeek and others. Randomised controlled trial of integrated care to reduce disability from chronic low back pain in working and private life, British Medical Journal, volume 340:c1035, published online 17 March 2010. doi:10.1136/bmj.c1035 [abstract] • Risks 448 • 20 March 2010

Britain: Business told to make it quieter
An initiative has been launched to encourage manufacturers to make quieter machinery and businesses to use it, in a bid to reduce noise-related ill health in the workplace. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) says its 'Buy Quiet' campaign is about getting everyone with an interest - manufacturers, suppliers, employers, unions, insurers and consultants - looking at what they can do to reduce the risk.
HSE news release and noise webpages • Risks 447 • 13 March 2010

Britain: TUC lays down ‘good work’ challenge
The TUC is challenging the government and employers to ensure that workplaces don’t just prevent staff from becoming ill, but actively promote good health and well-being through ‘good work’. ‘In sickness and in health?’, argues that around one-third of our waking hours are spent at work, and that our working lives help to define who we are, where and how well we live, and even how long we live.
TUC news release • In sickness or in health?, TUC, March 2010 [pdf] • TUC Touchstone pamphlets • Risks 446 • 6 March 2010

USA: The true cost of a valentine's gift
The US National Labor Committee launched a campaign for St Valentine's Day to protest about the death of over 2,000 India workers, including children who have contracted silicosis while grinding gemstones-heart shaped agate pendants and ornaments, earrings, bracelets for export to countries like the United States.
Youtube video • Risks 444 • 20 February 2010

Britain: TUC issues fit note guide to union reps
At the same time as the government launched its guidance for employers on the new 'fit note' arrangements, the TUC published advice to unions and workplace representatives on how to prepare for the changes. The guide says the key to ensuring that workers are not forced back to work early, or on reduced pay, is for them to have proper union representation and access to grievance procedures.
TUC guidance • Risks 444 • 20 February 2010

Britain: TUC issues warning on new fit notes
The TUC has warned employers against using the introduction of a new medical statement or 'fit note' to try to force workers back to work before they are ready. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said “if employers see the changes as a green light to force workers back to work before they are well enough to return, in the long run, it will only lead to increased sickness absence and unnecessary conflict.”
TUC press notice • DWP guidance • Risks 444 • 20 February 2010

Britain: Stonemasons suffer long-term lung damage
A York-based company of stonemasons William Anelay Limited, of York, was fined £30,000 and ordered to pay £6,000 by York Crown Court after pleading guilty of breaches of the Health and Safety at Work Act. The court heard that two employees, who had been working for the company as stonemasons for many years, fell ill after being exposed to uncontrolled levels of respirable crystalline silica, which is caused primarily by dry stone carving without extraction ventilation or use of protective equipment.
Risks 443 • 13 February 2010

Britain: Company fined for poisoning its workers
A recycling company and its director have been fined a total of £145,000 for exposing workers to toxic mercury fumes at a site in Huddersfield. Electrical Waste Recycling Group Ltd recycles electrical equipment, including fluorescent light tubes containing mercury and TV sets and monitors containing lead at a plant in School Lane, Kirkheaton.
Green jobs, safe jobs blog • 13 February 2010

Britain: Doctors won’t decide on fitness to work
The new fit note will not give doctors the option to deem a patient “fit for work”, only whether they may be fit for some work, the government has indicated. The final decision will instead be a matter for the employee and the employer under the new system, due to come into force on 6 April.
Reforming the Medical Statement:  Government response to the consultation on draft regulations: The Social Security (Medical Evidence) and the Statutory Sick Pay (Medical Evidence) (Amendment) Regulations 2010, DWP, January 2010 [pdf]. Personnel Today • Risks 442 • 6 February 2010

Britain: Campaigners point to true work toll
Union-backed workplace justice and safety groups have said the government’s formal recognition of Workers’ Memorial Day should be backed up with a new system of official statistics to recognise that tens of thousands, not hundreds, are killed by work every year. Families Against Corporate Killers (FACK) and the Hazards Campaign say the real toll demonstrates why there needs to be a renewed government emphasis on health and safety enforcement.
FACK news release • Hazards Campaign news release • Risks 442 • 6 February 2010

China: Work diseases emerge from the shadows
The Southern People Weekly magazine this month listed Zhang Haichao, a 28-year-old rural resident of Henan Province, as a mover and shaker in Chinese society. Zhang became famous after receiving an open-chest operation in July 2009. This attracted intense public attention not because the procedure treated an exotic disease, but because it put the fate of victims of occupational diseases in the spotlight.
Beijing Review • Risks 441 • 30 January 2010

India: Agate workers get silicosis, not compo
Thousands of agate polishers in Gujarat are getting a deadly occupational disease – but missing out on compensation because they work in their own homes. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has asked the state government to speed up the compensation process for silicosis victims in what is typically a cottage industry.
Indian Express • Risks 441 • 30 January 2010

New Zealand: Unions welcome poisonings probe
The Maritime Union of New Zealand has welcomed new research on nerve disease and the toxic fumigant methyl bromide. Concerns were raised after port workers exposed to the gas developed Motor Neurone disease, with one port town having a rate of the disease 25 times the national average.
Maritime Union news release • TVNZ • Risks 441 • 30 January 2010

Britain: Lords seek pre-employment health check ban
The use of pre-employment health checks could be made illegal if a Lords amendment to the Equality Bill becomes law. This week, the House of Lords introduced the ground-breaking clause into the Equality Bill that would, for the first time, prevent employers asking candidates questions about their health that are unrelated to the job role.
House of Lords debate, Hansard, 19 January 2009 • Personnel Today • Risks 441 • 30 January 2010

Britain: Workers 'robbed of life and compensation'
Victims of industrial diseases are being denied their full payments, as benefits are clawed back, according to an article in the Independent. Campaigners have told the paper that victims of industrial diseases such as the asbestos cancer mesothelioma are being “robbed” of government compensation because of an “unjust and indefensible” loophole in the Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) scheme.
The Independent • Risks 439 • 16 January 2010

Britain: Is your OHS OK?
You might feel lucky to be covered by an occupational health service when you go to work, but is the system really up to scratch? Well, now you can check as the UK has introduced the first ever OHS performance standards.
FOM news release • Standards for Accreditation for Occupational Health Services [pdf] • Hazards guide to getting the most out of your occupational health services • Risks 439 • 16 January 2010

Egypt: TB-infected workers are abandoned
Workers in Egypt with tuberculosis (TB) are being left to fend for themselves, campaigners have warned. Mohamed al-Asmaie, head of Friends of the Environment, a local NGO campaigning on behalf of TB patients, said when many Egyptian workers become sick with TB, instead of receiving treatment in hospitals, they are laid off and have to fend for themselves.
IRIN News • Risks 438 • 9 January 2009

Global: Q fever outbreaks on two continents
Outbreaks on two continents of the occupational disease Q fever have highlighted a common but underestimated risk of animal handling. Two cases have occurred in Australian laboratory workers and the Dutch government last month ordered a cull of tens of thousands of goats in a bid to stop an outbreak of the disease, which has killed 10 workers since 2007.
BBC News Online • Herald Sun • Sydney Morning Herald • Risks 438 • 9 January 2009

Britain: Waste and recycling is a sick industry
Workers in the UK waste and recycling industry have much higher sickness rates than other local authority workers, research by a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) agency has found. A report from The Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL) found the sector recorded more days off work than other departments within local government but also found record keeping was inconsistent and inadequate, so data “failed to accurately capture the reasons for absence”.
Review of sickness absence data in the waste and recycling industry, HSE research report 750 [pdf] • Green jobs, safe jobs blog • Risks 438 • 9 January 2009

China: Sick migrants demand surgical proof
Thirteen migrant workers from Yunnan in China have applied to have open-chest surgery to prove their lungs have been damaged by dust. The workers are following the lead of Zhang Haichao, who famously underwent open-chest surgery to prove he was suffering from pneumoconiosis, China Labour Bulletin reports.
China Labour Bulletin • Risks 437 • 19 December 2009

Britain: Small businesses get mental health advice
The government is providing a network of specialist coordinators and dedicated advice lines for small businesses as part of an overhaul of support for people with mental health problems. The new support includes mental health coordinators in every Jobcentre Plus district and nine occupational health advice line pilots.
DWP news release • NASUWT news release • Risks 436 • 12 December 2009

Britain: TUC guide to medical confidentiality
The TUC has published an online guide to confidentiality and medical reports. TUC says it “is important that employees know their rights to access to the information contained in any report” and provides guidance on good practice and on dealing effectively with any concerns raised.
TUC briefing document • Risk 435 • 5 December 2009

Britain: Prevention the cure for NHS staff
The government has accepted in full recommendations from an independent report into the health and well-being of NHS staff. It says implementing the measures called for by the Boorman report will help the NHS save up to £555 million a year and save up to 3.4 million working days – the equivalent to 14,900 extra staff.
DH news release • Risks 434 • 28 November 2009

Global: Unfair workplaces can kill you
Male workers are two to five times more likely to suffer a heart attack or die from heart disease if they suppress their frustration about unfairness at work, a Swedish study has found. The research found that those who expressed their frustration quickly were much healthier than those who suffered in silence.
Constanze Leineweber and others. Covert coping with unfair treatment at work and risk of incident myocardial infarction and cardiac death among men: Prospective cohort study, Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, Published online first 24 November 2009. doi:10.1136/jech.2009.088880 [abstract] • The Independent. BBC News Online • ABC News • Risks 434 • 28 November 2009

Britain: Employers keen but clueless on ‘good jobs’
Employers accept the benefits of ‘good jobs’ but don’t have much idea about how to create them, a new report from The Work Foundation suggests. Stephen Bevan, managing director of The Work Foundation, said: “Employers grasp the link between staff well-being and how it can affect productivity, “adding: “What is missing is how to deliver this.”
The Work Foundation news release • Personnel Today • Risks 434 • 28 November 2009

Britain: Tool use caused hand injuries
A retired power station worker has received a £15,000 payout after his hands were left permanently damaged by using vibrating tools at work. Unite member David Hopps, 65, from Doncaster was left with the debilitating condition Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS), also known as vibration white finger, after using vibrating tools in his job at Drax Power Station.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 434 • 28 November 2009

Britain: College lecturer deafened by work
A college lecturer has been left with permanent damage to his hearing after being exposed to excessive noise at work. UCU member Malcolm Hipkin, 65, received undisclosed damages after he was diagnosed with noise-induced deafness and tinnitus.
UCU news release • Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 433 • 21 November 2009

Factory worker gets asthma payout
A factory worker has received £20,000 compensation after she developed asthma within weeks of being exposed to dangerous fumes. The 42-year-old, whose name has not been released, was diagnosed with occupational asthma after she was exposed to soldering fumes at Turbo Power Systems Limited, Gateshead.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 432 • 14 November 2009

Britain: Machine noise caused deafness
A 52 year old engineering worker who is suffering two debilitating health conditions caused by noise exposures at work has received a “substantial” compensation award. Unite member Paul Harvey, 52, has to wear a hearing aid and suffers from tinnitus following exposure to excessive noise while working for Avon Vibration Management Systems in Chippenham.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 432 • 14 November 2009

Britain: Docs say fit notes plan is ‘unrealistic’
Government plans to introduce GP ‘fit notes’ instead of sick notes may be unrealistic, say researchers. A survey of 440 GPs in Nottinghamshire found few currently took any responsibility for managing the work issues of patients with back problems.
Carol Coole, Paul J Watson, and Avril Drummond. Work problems due to low back pain: what do GPs do? A questionnaire survey, Family Practice Advance Access, published on 26 October 2009, doi:10.1093/fampra/cmp074 [Abstract] • BBC News Online • Risks 431 • 7 November 2009

USA: Giant quilt pictures work’s pain
Hotel housekeepers undertook a seven-city tour in October with a gigantic “hope quilt” providing a craft-y depiction of injuries caused by their work. They say the Hope for Housekeepers tour is also a symbol of their determination to rally union and non-union hotel housekeepers against harsh working conditions and workplace injuries.
Labor Notes • UniteHere ‘Hope’ campaign • Risks 430 • 31 October 2009

Teachers use voice-saving headsets
Thousands of teachers are using pop star-style headsets in lessons to help protect their voices. The equipment, linked to speakers around the classroom, not only prevents hoarseness but is said to help pupils to hear better and learn more.
Daily Mail • Voice Care Network UK • Hazards voice loss webpages • Risks 430 • 31 October 2009

Britain: Made deaf by work in middle-age
A welder who was exposed to dangerous levels of noise is suffering occupational deafness aged just 46. GMB member John Walton, 46, worked for British Steel Corporation, now known as Corus, from 1978 to 1983, Darchem Projects Limited from 1985 to 1987 and Turbros Engineering from 1987 to 2007.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 430 • 31 October 2009

USA: Good jobs are good for you
Good jobs are good for workers and good for firms, a study has concluded. The New York-based Families and Work Institute found nearly 40 per cent of employees in a highly “effective’’ workplace - where people are trusted and supported - report being in excellent health, double the number of those who say they’re in the best health at less effective companies.
Families and Work Institute news release • Boston Globe • Risks 429 • 24 October 2009

Europe: Health and safety of cleaning workers
‘The occupational health and safety of cleaning workers’, a literature review from the Bilbao-based European Agency (EU-OSHA), “provides an overview of the most important issues related to occupational safety and health (OSH) for cleaning workers in terms of working conditions, risks and prevalence of exposures and health outcomes, and identifies information gaps and challenges.”
EU-OSHA publication notice • The occupational health and safety of cleaning workers, EU-OSHA, October 2009 • Risks 429 • 24 October 2009

Britain: Railway worker suffers vibration injury
A member of the rail union RMT has received £10,000 in compensation after his hands were permanently damaged by prolonged use of vibrating tools. The 50-year-old track worker from Sheffield, whose name has not been released, was left with the debilitating condition Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS) as a result of his work for Jarvis Rail and other companies since 1978.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Risks 429 • 24 October 2009

Cambodia: Hundreds sickened in garment factory
More than 500 workers at a Phnom Penh garment factory collapsed on 12 October after they were exposed to a chemical spray. Chea Mony, president of the Free Trade Union of the Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia, said staff at the Willbes Cambodia Ltd factory in Dagkor province were overcome because the air was filled with “an unbearable chemical smell.”
Phnom Penh Post • Risks 428 • 17 October 2009

USA: Dangerous speed up in meatpacking
Four years after a government report found slaughterhouse workers in the US faced more than double the injury rate of manufacturing as a whole, a new survey suggests conditions have deteriorated still further. Almost threequarters (73 per cent) of the Nebraska meatpacking workers surveyed stated that the speed of the line had increased in the past year and more than six out of 10 (62 per cent) said they had been injured in the past year.
Working In These Times • ‘The Speed Kills You’: The voice of Nebraska’s meatpacking workers’, Nebraska Appleseed, October 2009 [pdf] • Risks 428 • 17 October 2009

Britain: Firm exposed workers to asthma risk
A Gateshead company has been fined after exposing its workers to hazardous soldering fumes. Turbo Power Systems Ltd was fined £3,000 last week at Gateshead Magistrates’ Court and ordered to pay £3,000 costs after it pleaded guilty to three breaches of health and safety legislation.
HSE news release • Risks 428 • 17 October 2009

Britain: GPs don’t want ‘fit notes’ role
Less than 10 per cent of London GPs feel confident that they could operate the new style ‘fit notes’ system the government proposes to introduce in the spring of 2010. Londonwide LMCs, the organisation representing over 6,000 family doctors in the capital, says a “staggering” 96 per cent of GPs have received no training regarding the new ‘fit note’ system and nearly threequarters do not think that the new system will be manageable in terms of both time and resources.
Londonwide LMCs news release • Evening Standard • Risks 428 • 17 October 2009

USA: Biotech health risks cause concern
The mother of a worker who believes his health was ruined as a result of working in California’s cutting edge biotech industry has expressed her anger at the refusal by the firm’s health insurers to pay his medical bills. Sandi Trend's son, David Bell, was sickened at the Davis based company AgraQuest.
Blip TV - labor Video Project • Biotechnology Awareness webpages on David Bell • PEN news item • Risks 427 • 10 October 2009

Finland: You are making my brain hurt
Companies are showing a baffling disregard for the impact of work on their employees’ minds, a top brain researcher has said. Professor Kiti Müller, the director of the Brain and Work Research Centre at the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, said the problem is compounded by the absence of any way to measure objectively and reliably the overall “brain load” level.
Trade Union News from Finland • The Brain and Work Research Centre and How much load can the brain take? presentation [pdf] • Risks 427 • 10 October 2009

Britain: Arthritis should not stop work
Employer support is a key factor in helping workers with arthritis to keep their jobs, new research has found. A survey by UK charity Arthritis Care found where bosses fail to offer supports like flexible working and an accessible environment, employees with arthritis are more likely to end up leaving their jobs.
Arthritis Care news release and employer pledge • Risks 427 • 10 October 2009

Britain: Presenteeism harms employee health
UK workers are so terrified of losing their jobs in this recession they are working while sick, a new study has found. According to those surveyed as part of Simplyhealth's Bothered Britain Report, 43 per cent of people living in Britain haven't taken any days off in the last 12 months, up from 36 per cent in 2008.
Simplyhealth news release and Bothered Britain report • Personnel Today • Risks 426 • 4 October 2009

Britain: Take notice of dermatitis risks or pay
An NHS Trust has been fined for ignoring official notices calling requiring it to sort out dermatitis risks in a hospital. The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust was fined £6,500 and ordered to pay £4,500 in court costs after pleading guilty to two health and safety charges at Harlow Magistrates’ Court for failing to remedy risks posed by latex exposure and for not reporting a case of latex dermatitis.  
HSE news release • Harlow Herald • Risks 426 • 4 October 2009

Europe: More than 1 in 11 are damaged by work
More than 1 in every 11 workers in the European Union has suffered a work-related health problem in the last year, according to official research. The extent of the problem was revealed after the 2007 European Union (EU) Labour Force Survey included a module on work accidents and work-related health problems.
HESA news report • Eurostat Statistics in focus, 63/2009 [pdf] • Risks 423 • 12 September 2009

Global: Deadly lung disease in denim factories
Migrant workers formerly employed in Turkey’s textile and garment industry may have contracted silicosis from sandblasting denim in factories that lacked basic protective measures. The warning comes from ITGLWF, the global union for the textile and clothing industry.
ITGLWF news release • Risks 423 • 12 September 2009

India: Tea workers dying for safe water
On 4 September, Sukesh Munda of Joy Birpara Tea Estate died from a gut infection. This brought the number of deaths from the enteric disease, related to the provision of unsafe drinking water at work, to four in a one-week period, with hundreds now affected.
IUF news release and YouTube video report • Risks 423 • 12 September 2009

Britain: Workers not using swine flu excuse
The TUC has said a business study has disproved claims that workers are taking swine flu sickies. The union body was commenting after research by the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) found most companies in Britain have not been affected by swine flu.
The Guardian • TUC pandemic flu guide • 5 September 2009

Malawi: Tobacco plantations poison child workers
Almost 100,000 children who toil on Malawian tobacco estates for up to 12 hours a day are exposed to “extremely high levels of nicotine poisoning,” according to a report released by a children's rights group. London-based Plan International's ‘Hard work, little pay and long hours’ study found that labourers as young as five suffer severe symptoms from absorbing “up to 54 milligrams a day of dissolved nicotine through their skin,” the equivalent of 50 cigarettes a day.
Plan International news release • Hard work, little pay and long hours’ report [pdf] • Morning Star • The Guardian • Risks 421 • 29 August 2009

Britain: Farmer dies after being stung by wasps
A farmer died last week after being repeatedly stung by a swarm of wasps while working on his farm. Mark Evison, 47, had been clearing a dyke on farmland in Ellerker, near South Cave, East Yorkshire, when he disturbed a wasps' nest.
The Independent • BBC News Online • Risks 421 • 29 August 2009

Global: Deaths raise concerns over nano safety
Seven cases of occupational disease, two of them fatal, have been linked to nanomaterial exposures at work. A study published last week in the European Respiratory Journal reports the seven women employees at a Chinese factory suffered shortness of breath, fluid in the lungs and around the heart, non-specific inflammation of lung tissue, and fibrosis in the lungs.
Y Song, X Li, X Du. Exposure to nanoparticles is related to pleural effusion, pulmonary fibrosis and granuloma, European Respiratory Journal, published online 20 August 2009 [abstract] • IOM news release • 2020 Science blog • SAFENANO commentary • The Pump Handle • Jennifer Sass’ NRDC blog • Nature • Risks 421 • 29 August 2009

Britain: Government reveals swine flu priorities
The priority groups who will be first in line for vaccination against swine flu will include pregnant women, frontline health and social care workers, and everyone in at-risk groups aged over six months, health secretary Andy Burnham has said.
DH news release  • CSP news release • CSP’s information paper Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections includes a section on swine flu. Updated TUC pandemic flu guide. HSE updated swine flu guidance • Risks 420 • 22 August 2009

Britain: Swine flu and schools (and everywhere else)
Teaching union NUT has produced commonsense advice on swine flu and schools. And TUC head of safety Hugh Robertson, commenting on the implications of swine flu for workers and employers across the board, has warned “too many employers simply were not being flexible enough and were insisting on certificates after seven days.”
NUT swine flu health and safety bulletin. Updated TUC pandemic flu guide • Risks 420 • 22 August 2009

USA: Most nuke worker disease claims refused
A US federal programme created to help sick nuclear weapons workers is improperly rejecting thousands of claims, a former top medic on the scheme has said.
Eugene Schwartz, who recently resigned, said many of the complaints that workers, advocates and lawmakers have levelled at the controversial programme are valid.
ProPublica • Risks 419 • 15 August 2009

Germany: Rail firm snooped on health records
The German rail operator Deutsche Bahn has admitted it secretly and illegally monitored the health records of some of its employees. Last week the company released a statement saying: “The Deutsche Bahn management has received indications that the group's security division collected employees’ illness-related information and circulated it within the group.”
Deutsche Welle • Risks 419 • 15 August 2009

Britain: Employers express fit note concerns
The majority of employers say well-being at remains a priority, according to new snapshot research, but they have outstanding concerns about the new fit note. Research undertaken with 50 employers found over half of those surveyed said that well-being was more important to them in the current financial climate, but that there was too little information on next year’s replacement for the sick note.
IES news release. C Tyers and R Martin. Is well-being still important at work? Employers’ views on recession, the new fit note and priorities for the year ahead, Opinion Paper OP17, Institute for Employment Studies, August 2009 • Risks 419 • 15 August 2009

Britain: Teachers a priority for flu jab
Teaching unions are calling for classroom staff to be a priority for the swine flu vaccine this autumn, because working with children puts them at risk. The National Union of Teachers (NUT) has written to children’s secretary Ed Balls calling for school staff and pupils to be offered the jab as early as possible.
The Guardian • Risks 419 • 15 August 2009

China: Dust disease victims demand justice
In early July 2009, Zhang Haichao underwent voluntarily an operation to open up his chest in order to prove he was suffering from the fatal lung disease pneumoconiosis. And at the end of July, more than 100 workers from Daozi in Hunan, China, all suffering from pneumoconiosis, staged a mass sit-in outside the Shenzhen municipal government demanding occupational illness compensation after years of dust exposures in construction and related jobs.
China Labour Bulletin • Risks 418 • 8 August 2009

Britain/Global: Pandemic flu latest
The TUC guidance on pandemic flu has been updated again. Among the latest additions are advice on pregnant women, those with underlying health conditions and employers who try to get those who have been in contact with the virus to take leave.
TUC pandemic flu guide • Risks 416 • 25 July 2009

Britain: Break cut led to deadly blood clot
A government worker who developed a life-threatening blood clot after sitting at her desk for hours without a break has received more than £10,000 in compensation. PCS member Angela Lamberton, 53, nearly died after the work schedule at her office was restructured to reduce the time employees spent away from their desks.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Leicester Mercury • Telegraph • Risks 416 • 25 July 2009

Britain: Firm fined for deadly disease outbreak
A meat processing firm has been fined £25,000 for an outbreak of a potentially deadly disease which left two workers in hospital. Two Polish employees contracted Legionnaires' disease while working at Kepak UK Ltd’s plant near Preston, in September 2006.
HSE news release • Lancashire Evening Post • Fleetwood Today • Risks 417 • 1 August 2009

Canada: Involve workers in return-to-work
Workers off sick with low back pain who are involved in identifying potential barriers to their return to work get back on the job quicker. Researchers in Canada found this was particularly true for older workers and those who have previously been off sick.
IWH news release and return to work programme • Ivan Steenstra and others. What works best for whom?: An exploratory, subgroup analysis in a randomized, controlled trial on the effectiveness of a workplace intervention in low back pain patients on return to work, Spine, volume 34, issue 12, pages 1243-1249, 2009 [abstract] • Risks 415 • 18 July 2009

Britain: Union warning on transport swine flu risk
Transport union RMT has warned of severe pressure on staffing levels and serious safety risks across the transport system if the number of cases of swine flu increases dramatically. The union alert came as experts advised that up to 40 per cent of the population could become ill with the condition over the coming weeks.
RMT news release • Personnel Today • The Observer • TUC pandemic flu guidance • Risks 415 • 18 July 2009

Britain: Body lead load linked to dementia
Older adults with higher amounts of lead in their bones exhibit greater memory impairment than adults with low lead levels, researchers have found. In a study of men and women aged 55 to 67 years, higher lead levels were associated with poorer performance on tasks used to assess memory deficits.
Environmental Health News • E van Wijngaarden, JR Campbell and DA Cory-Slechta. Bone lead levels are associated with measures of memory impairment in older adults. Neurotoxicology, published online 2009. doi:10.1016/j.neuro.2009.05.007 • Risks 412 • 4 July 2009

Britain: Lords widen work disability definition
More employees with disabilities will now receive protection from discrimination following a landmark ruling by the House of Lords involving a woman with a work-related health problem. The Lords found that people with a physical or mental condition which varied in its severity over time should still be termed disabled under the Disability Discrimination Act if it was likely their condition would become substantial again in the future.
EHRC news release, including background on the ruling • Personnel Today • HR magazine • Risks 412 • 4 July 2009

Britain: Work stops you exercising
The health of two out of three adults could be at risk as a result of too little exercise, with many claiming they are too busy at work to stay fit, according to a union report. A study by the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) found the most common reason for not taking regular exercise was work commitments.
CSP survey report and Move for health webpage • Daily Express • Western Mail • Nursing in Practice • Hazards magazine’s new work and health pages • Risks 412 • 4 July 2009

Korea: Most teachers suffer from occupational illnesses
Two-thirds of Korean teachers have had or are currently suffering an occupational disease, a union survey has found. The Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations (KFTA) found 67.2 per cent of teachers said they have or have experienced occupational diseases, with the most common symptom was vocal nodules, experienced by over one-in-three teachers (34.4 per cent), and linked to occupational  voice loss.
Education International news report • Risks 412 • 27 June 2009

France: Work pesticide use causes Parkinson's
A new study confirms the link between on-the-job pesticide exposure and Parkinson's disease, and suggests that certain insecticides may be particularly risky. In the study, published online in the Annals of Neurology, French researchers found that among nearly 800 adults with and without Parkinson's, agricultural workers exposed to pesticides - including insecticides, weed killers and fungicides - were at greater risk of the disease, with the risk climbing in tandem with the amount of time a worker was exposed.
Alexis Elbaz and others. Professional exposure to pesticides and Parkinson's disease, Annal of Neurology, published online [abstract] • Fox News • ETUI-HESA news report • Risks 412 • 27 June 2009

Britain: Wind firm blows thousands on dermatitis
A wind turbine firm has been fined £10,000 after workers developed occupational dermatitis. Thirteen workers at the Newport plant of blademaker Vestas Blades UK Ltd developed the condition caused by exposure to epoxy resins.
Isle of Wight County Press • SHP Online • Risks 412 • 27 June 2009

Britain: Paying the price of a vibration injury
A GMB member has received a £10,000 compensation payout after his hands were left permanently damaged by using vibrating tools at work. Keith Rowley, 55, a fitter from Stourbridge, was has the debilitating condition Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS), also known as vibration white finger.
Thompsons Solicitors news release • Stourbridge News • Risks 411 • 20 June 2009

Australia: Deadly grounds for a sit down protest
Prolonged sitting is killing Australian workers – both blue and white collar – and even 30 minutes' exercise a day may be insufficient protection from this growing occupational health and safety hazard. New Australian research shows hours of sedentary activity, like typing emails or sitting at a quality control station, are associated with higher cardio-metabolic health risks that are independent of time spent in moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity.
Queensland Safety Conference news release • Risks 410 • 13 June 2009

Britain: Ballerinas face work hazards
Professional ballerinas, like highly driven young female athletes, face quadruple work-related health threats - disordered eating, menstrual dysfunction, the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis, and early signs of cardiovascular disease.
Fox News • Risks 410 • 13 June 2009

Europe: Union victory on safer needles
A long running trade union campaign to introduce safer needles and prevent sharps injuries to health workers reached a successful conclusion this week, with the agreement of strict European Union-wide guidelines. The framework agreement signed this week between the European Federation of Public Service Unions (EPSU) and HOSPEEM - the European hospital and healthcare employers' association - aims to prevent the incidence of injuries with contaminated sharps, protect the workers at risk and establish appropriate response and follow up policies in cases where injuries occur.
UNISON news release • EPSU news release • Nursing Times • Risks 410 • 13 June 2009

South Africa: Health workers face TB risk
Health care workers in South Africa may be at much higher risk of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) than the general public, according to new research. A study of 3,639 patients referred between 2003 and 2007 to KwaZulu-Natal province’s King George V Hospital specialist treatment centre confirmed that poor TB infection control measures in many of South Africa's health facilities are putting health care workers at risk.
IRIN news • Risks 409 • 6 June 2009

Global: Pleural plaques linked to lung cancer
One in eight patients with lung cancer also had pleural plaques, a study has found. The Japanese study comes at a time the insurance industry is challenging moves to compensate pleural plaques in Scotland and across Britain.
The Yomiuri Shimbun • Risks 409 • 6 June 2009

Britain: TUC’s cautious note on fit notes
The TUC has sounded a note of caution about government proposals announced last week concerning the reform of the sick note. Workplace health campaigners have raised concerns about the ability of GPs to make judgments about what work a patient may be able to undertake when the medics have no knowledge of a workplace or a job and little training in occupational health.
DWP news release • TUC news release • EEF news release • Personnel Today • Risks 409 • 6 June 2009

Britain: Work’s a lot worse than you think
Workers massively under-estimate the risk of suffering a serious workplace injury, new research has found. Survey results released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to coincide with the launch of its new strategy reveal almost half of Britain’s workers know someone who has been injured at work but, on average, employees think that just 3,000 people were killed or seriously injured at work last year – 45 times lower than the number reported each year to HSE.
HSE news release and Be Part of the Solution strategy and pledge • Risks 409 • 6 June 2009

Britain: GMB warning on airport fumes
Passengers and staff are being exposed to high levels of potentially toxic aircraft fumes at a London airport, the union GMB has said. GMB says London City Airport’s extremely unusual parking system causes jet engine exhaust to be propelled straight towards the arrivals lounge in the airport building.
GMB news release • Risks 409 • 6 June 2009

Canada: Iron ore workers map out ill-health
Former workers of a Canadian iron ore plant have got together to investigate how their jobs have damaged their health. A union-organised occupational disease clinic this month targeted former employees of the Inco Ltd sintering plant, their widows or other survivors.
The Sault Star • Risks 408 • 30 May 2009

Britain: Paint spraying job killed man
A car paint sprayer died of pneumonia after long-term exposure to paint fumes, an inquest has ruled. Car paint sprayers are exposed to chemicals including diisocyanates, a potent cause of COAD, the condition that killed David Mathis, aged 66.
Hastings Observer • A job to die for, Hazards magazine, 2005 • Risks 408 • 30 May 2009

Britain: Sellafield workers exposed to radiation
Nuclear company Sellafield Limited is to be prosecuted for alleged breaches of health and safety law after two site workers were exposed to airborne radioactive contamination. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said two employees of a site contractor had been exposed to the radiation during the decontamination of an area of concrete floor in July 2007.
HSE news release • Construction News • Risks 408 • 30 May 2009

Britain: Knitting workers win noise appeal
Noisy knitwear factories could face a big compensation bill after the Court of Appeal ruled they should have been taking measures to protect workers’ hearing for over 30 years. Up to 700 workers employed in the knitting industry are seeking damages for what they say is work-induced deafness.
Nottingham Evening Post • Risks 408 • 30 May 2009

Britain: Rehab industry issues voluntary code
A voluntariy guidelines have been produced with the aim of cleaning up the private rehabilitation industry. TUC said proper regulation of the industry would be more effective than voluntary guidelines. 
UK Rehabilitation Council standards • BBC News Online • Risks 408 • 30 May 2009

Australia: Dire prognosis for health check scheme
A state-wide system of health checks in Victoria, Australia, has been found to be in a very bad way. The state-government funded WorkHealth programme had been opposed by unions because the initial design omitted any consideration of health problems caused or exacerbated by work itself - and now employers’ groups have abandoned the scheme, which could end up a fraction of its intended size.
The Age • Risks 407 • 23 May 2009

Australia: Muscle soreness is linked to workload
Back and neck soreness in office workers is more likely to be caused by high workloads and tight deadlines than by posture or other physical factors, a new study has found. Unmanageable workloads and unrealistic deadlines were amongst the stronger predictors of reported neck and back pain, said Karin Griffiths, a member of the research team.
CPSU news release • Risks 405 • 9 May 2009

Britain: ‘Green’ lightbulbs poison workers
Workers in China could pay a high price for the production of “green” lightbulbs in cost-cutting factories. Large numbers of Chinese workers have been poisoned by mercury, which forms part of the compact fluorescent lightbulbs.
Sunday Times • Risks 405 • 9 May 2009

Turkey: Jeans sandblasting banned after deaths
The Turkish government has banned the manual sandblasting of jeans and other clothing to prevent the development of incurable silicosis. The practice had been linked to 40 deaths, and can lead to rapid onset of the disease, with some teenagers known to be affected.  
Zaman • Risks 402 • 18 April 2009

Britain: Miners’ knee now an official work disease
Miner’s knee has received recognition as an official occupational disease in the UK. This ‘prescription’ under industrial disease benefits rules means that miners who pass a disability threshold, will be eligible for government payouts.
DWP news release • Osteoarthritis of the knee in coal miners, IIAC, August 2008 [pdf] • NUM news release • Daily Mirror • Risks 402 • 18 April 2009

USA: Popcorn peril spreads to sweets
A recently identified outbreak of severe cases of popcorn lung among former sweet factory workers may prove what government and civilian occupational health experts have long feared - the sometimes-fatal disease can afflict those exposed to diacetyl butter flavouring regardless of where they work.
Andrew Schneider Investigates • More from Hazards on diacetyl risks • Risks 401 • 11 April 2009

Britain: Workplace illness ‘to get worse’
An ageing workforce and higher rates of illness and disease among employees will pose a serious threat to British business by 2030, a report has warned. Private healthcare company Bupa estimates the number of workers with chronic conditions will rise by at least 7 per cent to more than four million.
Bupa news release • The Work Foundation publication note and full report: Healthy Work: Challenges and Opportunities to 2030 [pdf] • BBC News Online • Risks 401 • 11 April 2009

Britain: Injured firefighters win pensions fight
 Firefighters’ union FBU has welcomed a landmark legal win in its fight over pensions and jobs for injured and sick firefighters. A judicial review at the Court of Appeal this week upheld a legal challenge by three London firefighters who had their ill-health and injury pensions removed under changes to the service's pension scheme.
FBU news release • Morning Star • BBC News Online • Risks 401 • 11 April 2009

Europe: Increasing risks from hazardous substances
Contact with hazardous substances at work is endangering the health of workers across Europe and nanotechnology is one of the risks causing most concern, an expert report has concluded. ‘Expert forecast on emerging chemical risks’, published by the Bilbao-based European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA), identifies the main groups of substances which could pose new and increasing risks to workers, contributing to diseases which range from allergies, asthma and infertility to cancers.
European Agency news release • Risks 400 • 4 April 2009

Europe: Action call on high concern chemicals
Unions are calling for hundreds of the most hazardous workplace chemicals to be subject to tight control under the European Union’s chemicals law, REACH. The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) this week presented to the European Parliament its list of 306 priority chemicals for authorisation under REACH.
ETUC news release and Trade Union Priority List for REACH authorisation and related documentation • ChemSec news report • TUC chemicals webpage • HSE REACH webpages • Risks 400 • 4 April 2009

USA: Movement at last on popcorn lung
The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), reversing years of foot dragging while the agency was controlled by the Bush administration, is moving quickly to protect workers from a serious lung disease caused by diacetyl, the artificial butter flavouring added to popcorn and other food products.
OSHA news release • Lynn Woolsey statement • AFL-CIO Now • The Pump Handle • Andrew Schneider Investigates • Risks 398 • 21 March 2009

USA: Workers failed by old lead standard
Americans who work with lead and their families are still at risk of developing serious chronic health conditions, according to a new report. ‘Indecent exposure’, published this week by health researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, notes: “As scientific evidence has shown more serious health effects associated with lower lead levels than previously anticipated, the number of persons who must be considered at risk increases dramatically.”
Indecent exposure: Lead puts workers and families at risk, Perspectives, volume 4, number 1, March 2009 [pdf] • The Pump Handle • Risks 398 • 21 March 2009

Britain: Bullying boss blamed for breakdown
An NHS hospital trust has been found liable for the nervous breakdown suffered by a hospital admin worker. UNISON member Nanette Bowen, 55, who has been unable to return to work after being bullied and harassed over a three-year-period, can now expect a six-figure settlement from Carmarthenshire NHS Trust.
UNISON news release • Morning Star • South Wales Evening Post • Risks 396 • 7 March 2009