Latest news on the Unite, Amicus section health and safety news website - click the link after each story for the full text. Remember to check the Amicus website at http://www.amicustheunion.org/safetynews/ for regular safety news updates.
Building, strengthening and supporting trade unionism in the SERTUC Region, Saturday 26 January 2008
There are two million trade union members who live and work in the SERTUC region. The first line of defence of those workers’ interests at work are their workplace representatives: shop stewards, health and safety reps, equality reps, environmental reps and union learning reps. This event is designed to celebrate the role of the work place rep and to help you perform your role more effectively. There will be presentations and discussions in both plenary and workshop form on time off rights, trade union education, H&S update, negotiating skills, organising, as well as a full employment law update from a trade union law professional. The event will also strengthen trade union reps’ understanding of what SERTUC is and how it can support them in their work, as well as underlining the support available from the TUC nationally. There is no charge for attending this event. Congress House is a fully accessible building. Delegates should contact their union for travel and subsistence costs, but a crèche will be provided if required and lunch is included. This event is designed to celebrate the role of the work place rep and to help you perform your role more effectively. There will be presentations and discussions in both plenary and workshop form on time off rights, trade union education, H&S update, negotiating skills, organising, as well as a full employment law update from a trade union law professional. The event will also strengthen trade union reps’ understanding of what SERTUC is and how it can support them in their work, as well as underlining the support available from the TUC nationally. There is no charge for attending this event. Congress House is a fully accessible building. Delegates should contact their union for travel and subsistence costs, but a crèche will be provided if required and lunch is included.
http://www.amicustheunion.org/default.aspx?page=7747
The Quality of Working Life - Promoting a Healthy Agenda, IER conference, 6 February, London
9.30am-4.30pm, at the UCU Conference Centre, Britannia Street, London WC1X 9JP, including two Unite speakers. Is it time to reconsider our approach to delivering health and safety at work? Does the modern day fragmented labour market demand a new framework of law? Do the often unrepresented and increasingly undocumented workers, need a clearer framework of regulation within which to work? Would the development of a Quality of Working Life Bill clarify and streamline the duty of care still expected of our employers? The Institute is keen to develop these ideas and this conference can kick-start the debate.
http://www.amicustheunion.org/default.aspx?page=7681
Blue Plaque for Robert Tressell (Noonan) author of the Ragged Trousered Philanthropists
Liverpool Trades Union Council will be unveiling a blue plaque to Robert Tressell at The Old Royal Liverpool Infirmary (opposite the Dental Hospital, at 10.30 am, Sunday 3 February 2008. The unveiling ceremony will be conducted by Mr. Reg Johnson, the last surviving member of the author’s family. A reception will be held at the Casa Club.
http://www.amicustheunion.org/default.aspx?page=7668
Agriculture safety and health awareness days
Free half-day sessions in February and March 2008. Find an event near you. In recent years HSE has run a number of these practical demonstrations around the country, to help farmers make their workplaces and work activities safer and healthier. They are also used to demonstrate good practice and raise awareness of current health and safety issues in forestry and arboriculture. Qualified instructors are used to demonstrate how to avoid the most common causes of accidents and ill health. Nearly all attendees have told us that they have found Awareness Days helpful and worthwhile, would attend another similar event and recommend them to others.
http://www.amicustheunion.org/default.aspx?page=7812
TUC Hazards at Work, new edition out now
The second edition of Hazards at Work: Organising for Safe and Healthy Workplaces has just been published. This is the TUC’s essential guide to health & safety law, good practice and advice. It will answer most of the health & safety related questions that members and reps ask advice on. A Unite branded edition is included in the materials provided on our Managing Safety training course so be sure to enrol now. Alternatively order a copy here - discounted for Unite members. Your Regional Council may be able to provide you with funding for a copy.
http://www.amicustheunion.org/default.aspx?page=7450
French Government finds safety reps improve safety
Health and safety representatives clearly help to improve the quality of prevention policies in workplaces where they are present, according to an official French government report. Thomas Coutrot from the Dares, the research institute of the French labour ministry, reviewed recent studies and concluded safety reps clearly help build workers' awareness and improve the identification of workplace risks.
http://www.amicustheunion.org/default.aspx?page=7788
How gender sensitive is health and safety management in your workplace?
The TUC's Gender and Occupational Safety and Health (G&OSH) Working Party has produced a checklist to help safety reps and others check whether their workplace health and safety policies and practices are gender sensitive.
http://www.amicustheunion.org/default.aspx?page=7725
Shiftwork linked early retirement in women
Shiftwork may increase the risk of enforced early retirement among women, suggests new research. Researchers used information from just under 8,000 male and female employees, who were part of the Danish Work Environment Cohort Study, which began in 1990, and data from the national welfare register. Successive waves of participants in the cohort study were formally interviewed about their workplace, work patterns, health, and lifestyle.
http://www.amicustheunion.org/default.aspx?page=7787
Unite secures £175,000 damages for member injured by dangerous machine
A Preston man who suffered severe physical and psychological injuries after his hand was trapped in a machine at work has secured substantial compensation from his former employer with the support of his trade union Unite. The man, aged 47, trapped his hand in an unguarded machine and sustained a serious degloving injury to the palm of his hand. He has since undergone five operations and has suffered serious psychological injuries. As a result, he has secured £175,000 in compensation.
http://www.amicustheunion.org/default.aspx?page=7786
International RSI Awareness Day, 29th February 2008
Musculo-skeletal disorders including Work Related Upper Limb Disorders (WRULDs) are one of the top two occupational illnesses BUT are mostly preventable. The Hazards Campaign has commissioned a poster from Hazards Magazine for the next International RSI Day, 29th February 2008, as part of a beefed up campaign on RSI/MSDs.
http://www.amicustheunion.org/default.aspx?page=7746
Unite secures compensation for member permanently injured by hand arm vibration
A young man from Doncaster who claims he was forced out of his job after vibrating tools permanently damaged his hands has been paid substantial compensation with the support of his trade union Unite.
http://www.amicustheunion.org/default.aspx?page=7652
Regional Safety Conferences
Unite Health and Safety Unit has been running a series of regional conferences for safety reps. In 2007 these were held in the South West, London and South East, and Eastern Regions. Conference materials from these can be found here. Contact your regional office to find out if your Regional Council is organising a conference in your region – contact details can be found at www.amicustheunion.org/regions/.
http://www.amicustheunion.org/default.aspx?page=7559
Unite secures compensation for RAF fighter technician following aircraft injury
An aircraft technician who was injured whilst working on a fighter jet has been awarded compensation by his former employer, the Defence Aviation Repair Agency (DARA) at RAF St Athan in South Wales. DARA is a civilian arm of the Ministry of Defence and was set up to maintain and repair the UK's military aircraft. The claim for damages was brought with the support of Unite the union and Thompsons Solicitors.
http://www.amicustheunion.org/default.aspx?page=7611
Unite's reaction to the Health & Safety Commission and Health & Safety Executive report into the integrity of offshore installations
Unite regional officer, Graham Tran said, "There are good oil operators in the North Sea but there are a number of bad players who are putting lives at risk for the sake of a barrel of oil. Oil companies make huge profits. There is no excuse for falling short on safety. Oil companies must implement the proper procedures and make the necessary upgrades to these installations immediately. Otherwise it's time to name and shame the bad players and have them removed from the North Sea
http://www.amicustheunion.org/default.aspx?page=7537
Unite secures £250,000 damages after member's back injury at work led to early retirement
A man whose life has been seriously impaired as a result of a serious back injury at work has been paid substantial compensation by Glen Dimplex Cooking of Prescot, Merseyside. Mr Smith, aged 61, from Prescot, worked as a Facilities Engineer and sustained a serious back injury when he fell down a damp sloping grass verge whilst reading meters at one of the firm’s factory buildings. Mr Smith is a member of leading trade union Unite and brought his claim for compensation with the support of their personal injury specialists Thompsons Solicitors. As a result, his former employer agreed to settle for £250,000 just 3 weeks before the trial.
http://www.amicustheunion.org/default.aspx?page=7557
Unite concern over offshore employers
An offshore union leader has called for oil giant Shell to quit the North Sea. Unite regional officer Graham Tran made the demand after a Health and Safety Executive (HSE) investigation upheld concerns raised by offshore unions over safety on Shell platforms. The unions claimed there were gaps in 'safety critical' positions on five installations being sold by Shell (Risks 323). HSE has now confirmed a series of safety deficiencies. Mr Tran said he wanted to see Shell leave British waters.’
http://www.amicustheunion.org/default.aspx?page=7526
Unite secures compensation for asbestos exposure to widow's husband
The widow of a Unite member has won a substantial compensation payment after her husband was exposed to lethal asbestos dust in the workplace. David Hines from Birkenhead was 73 when he died just two months after he was diagnosed with cancer of the lining of the lung mesothelioma.
http://www.amicustheunion.org/default.aspx?page=7527
Health workers may be due extra payouts
The British Medical Association (BMA) says an NHS work-related injury and ill-health compensation scheme has been under-paying some claimants. It is advising any member who has received compensation for an injury at work since 1972 to check they are receiving their full entitlement. BMA says under-payments in some cases could run to tens of thousands of pounds. The advice comes after the Department of Health announced the results of an inquiry which revealed 'anomalies with the administration' of the NHS Injury Benefits Scheme in England and Wales, with 40 per cent of the nearly 24,000 cases reviewed affected by errors.
http://www.amicustheunion.org/default.aspx?page=7489
Unite secures damages for traffic light worker following car collision
A worker hit by a car at a road junction has been awarded compensation with the help of Unite the union and Thompsons Solicitors. Mr Keith Simpson, a traffic light installer who was hit by a vehicle on Loughborough Road at the junction with Brixton Road, Lambeth, London SW9, has been awarded £75,000 in damages after both his legs were severely injured and he was left unable to work for nearly three years.
http://www.amicustheunion.org/default.aspx?page=7525
'Work while you're sick' is hurting firms
Pressure to stagger into work when sick is hurting workers and damaging productivity, commitment levels and motivation, according to research from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). Its 'Quality of Working Life' report reveals that 17 per cent of managers believe their health is deteriorating and more than four in 10 (42 per cent) claim illness rates in their organisation have gone up over the last 12 months. But the study of 1,511 managers found 1 in 3 believe a culture of not taking time off work for sickness exists in their organisation. Only 53 per cent of employees feel they would be treated sympathetically if they were ill.
http://www.amicustheunion.org/default.aspx?page=7488
Business says business is bad to workers
A top business organisation has urged companies to put the health of the nation's workforce on to the boardroom agenda, after its research revealed 'apathy' on the issue was damaging both workers' health and productivity. Business in the Community (BITC) said its research has revealed that a third of workers (31 per cent) feel their health is neglected at work, while six in 10 (62 per cent) 'don't believe bosses consider staff as assets worth investing in.'
http://www.amicustheunion.org/default.aspx?page=7487
Stonemason develops deadly silica disease
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has warned quarrying companies and stonemasons of the risk from the potentially fatal disease silicosis, if adequate measures to monitor and prevent exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) are not in place. The alert came this week after Robert Thomas Charlton, trading as Border Stone Quarries, was fined £6,000 plus £7,602 costs at Tynedale Magistrates' Court, Hexham. Mr Charlton pleaded guilty to breaches of the COSHH chemical control regulations and the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR) - he had failed to notify the HSE of a reportable work disease, silicosis. (See http://www.amicustheunion.org/silica/ for more guidance.)
http://www.amicustheunion.org/default.aspx?page=7486
Research proves health and safety pays
A positive approach to health and safety not only helps businesses attract quality employees, but also boosts sales and workforce commitment. Research by the Institute for Employment Studies and The Work Foundation for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) looked into UK business attitudes, intentions and performance and their health and safety strategies. A telephone survey of 3,000 UK businesses found a clear link between higher expenditure on health and safety and three key areas - a greater capacity to attract quality employees, higher employee commitment and faster sales growth. Health and safety was generally seen as either 'important' or 'very important' by firms - although smaller companies were less likely to have a positive attitude or regard it as a key strategic area.
http://www.amicustheunion.org/default.aspx?page=7485
Unite secures £12,000 damages for injured ship's rigger
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) and Devonport Royal Dockyard Ltd are to pay £12,000 damages to a Ship’s Rigger from Devon who was injured on the stern of HMS Somerset. Leading trade union Unite secured the compensation for member Kevin Renyard via its free legal help scheme with Unite law firm Thompsons Solicitors.
http://www.amicustheunion.org/default.aspx?page=7480
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Age “time bomb” and poor training threaten skills drain as technicians not replaced.
Chloe Stothart reports.
University laboratories face a “demographic time bomb” as large numbers of technicians reach retirement age with no one to replace them.
The average university technician is aged over 40 and almost a third are over 50 years old, according to their trade union, Amicus Unite. It also warns that the training schemes that drew that generation of technicians into the sector have largely withered.
A report for the Higher education Funding Council for
“People are not coming into the sector as there is no development for them, and we are losing people because of the demographic time bomb”,said Matt Levi, manager of the Leadership Foundation’s Heated project, which was set up to research the problem.
“If we are going to be world class we need the technical specialists, and there is no question that very, very specialist skills will be lost unless we do something,” said Mr Levi.
Ken Jakeman, deputy manager of
He said that the shortage of technicians and the time spent training them can eat into research projects. “It does increase the time it takes to do the same research because you have to train more people up”, Mr Jakeman said.
“The quality of research at present is not affected, but I don’t know whether it will be in future. Decisions need to be taken now to prevent that happening.”
He added that some technicians leave academia at the end of fixed-term contracts for better opportunities in industry or the National Health Service.
Early retirement schemes at some universities have further eroded the number of technicians, said Alan Willcocks, departmental services manager in the department of cell physiology and pharmacology at
Newer technicians do not have all the skills of their predecessors, Mr Willcocks said. “The vacancies we have for lower grade technicians are taken by recent or inexperienced graduates, so while they are well educated they simply do not have the ype of experience needed in terms of technical training to run or manage a department or work at a more senior level.”
Mike Robinson, national officer and Amicus Unite, highlighted the impact on students. He said “Universities will not be able to function without these technicians. They are the unseen aspect of student life. Some of what they do is so complex that, if technicians are not there, students will not be able to carry out the research they want to do.”
University technicians who do not currently have a dedicated professional organisation, are about to get a new body that aims to solve their skills crisis.
The Heated project will become a membership body offering training courses and research into the sector in the summer. It has received £75,000 start-up funding from Hefce and must be self-funding within 18 months.
The modest funding level could be a difficulty, said mr Levi, but he still believes Heated could solve the skills problem.
But Mr Jakeman said that while Heated could resolve professional development issues, universities need to resume taking on trainees in order to have a cohort of young technicians.
“Probably half of us are in our late fifties”: a vital but shrinking workforce
The essential efforts of university lab technicians are usually unsung, writes Chloe Stothart.
Val Boote,
“The savings from keeping instruments going could fund a junior technician,” she said.
Ms Boote’s job is all about keeping the machinery working for students and processing their samples. However, she has also been part of some interesting discoveries. “a mother took her baby to hospital because its faeces were red and she could not understand why,” she recalled. “We did an examination and found the nappy rash cream she had been putting on the baby’s bottom contained mercury.”
The lab’s investigation helped to get the dangerous element removed from the cream.
Ms Boote left school after O levels and went on to work at drugs company Pfizer where she was trained on the job and did an ordinary national diploma and a higher national diploma. She got the job in
At 57, she is one of a large cohort in the department nearing retirement. “probably half of us are in our late fifties and we have just had a few retirements,” she said.
Although she took on a trainee a year ago, there is always a danger that he could leave the sector for a better paid job in industry once she has trained him. Some universities are cutting back on staff and have not been taking on trainees, she added.
If the number of skilled technicians continues to slide, Ms Boote speculates that universities may have to pay external engineers to maintain their machines, force departments to share lab facilities or send samples to the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council’s national laboratory service in
“instead of getting results here the nest day, they would have to send them away and wait a week,” Ms Boote said. Such belt-tightening would have a negative effect on students’ work. “How many more
