Health and safety news
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06 February 2012
A toolsetter for a car parts manufacturer who suffered a painful back injury after an accident at work has received £10,000 in compensation, with the help of his trade union.
The 57-year-old from Walsall suffered a slipped disc as he was fitting a four foot long beam to reinforce a car bumper for Wagon Industries in May 2008.
The beam became jammed and as the Unite member pulled it he suddenly experienced pain in his back.
Staff working on the line had complained that when fitting the part it would often become jammed but nothing had been done to rectify the problem.
06 February 2012
TUC's head of safety Hugh Robertson writes on the stronger unions blog that workers are facing an onslaught by the government on their ability to claim compensation.
06 February 2012
South West TUC health and safety conference 8th Feburary 2012. The conference is free to attend for union reps and officers and lunch will be provided.
City of Bristol College have donated the use of the venue free of charge and the firms of solicitors Thompsons, Irwin Mitchell and Simpson Millar are all sponsoring the 2012 conference. Places are limited so early registration is advised.
01 February 2012
A report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health has exposed the level of danger from asbestos in Britain’s schools.
The report, sent to MPs and Peers today, shows that more than 75 per cent of Britain’s state schools contain asbestos. Much of that is badly maintained, meaning that children and staff are exposed to this killer fibre. Over 140 school teachers have died from mesothelioma in the past ten years. An unknown number of cleaners, administrative staff and caretakers have also died. The number of children who have died as a result of exposure to asbestos while at school is unknown but in the US it was estimated that for every teacher’s death nine children will die. That would mean that over 100 people die every year in the UK as a result of exposure when they were at school.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health report highlights the case for urgent action. It not only outlines the problem but makes six clear and simple recommendations about how we can prevent future exposure in our schools.
In launching the report, Jim Sheridan MP, Chair of the All-Party Group said “This is a national scandal. Urgent action is needed to prevent more pupils, teachers and other staff being exposed to this deadly killer dust. We need both far greater awareness of the risks that this material poses and a programme for its phased removal.”
30 January 2012
Unite is supporting the HSE’s SIMPL initiative which aims to improve health and safety standards in the plastics industry.
Throughout 2012 the SIMPL partnership will be sending information out to the plastics industry at regular intervals on a range of topics that have been highlighted as problem areas for the industry.
30 January 2012
A Honda employee left unable to work after he seriously damaged his knees in a workplace accident has received damages from his former employer.
Patrick Scanlon, 47, from Penhill, Swindon had warned his bosses at the Honda factory in Swindon that a raised grate on the factory floor was an accident waiting to happen but nothing was done to fix it.
Weeks later, he himself tripped on the grate landing heavily on his knees.
He sustained significant nerve damage to both knees which now need replacement surgery.
He also suffered scrapes to his hands and jaw.
30 January 2012
Trade Union Safety Reps are invited to attend a health and safety training day in Newcastle which will cover the following subjects:
Asbestos update - including a report on the ongoing work to secure an Employers Insurance Liability Bureau and issues around asbestos in schools; enabling trade union safety reps to support efforts to eradicate asbestos risks in schools.
Organising Health and Safety Events - building organising skills and liaising with partners, to equip trade union safety reps in organising events to commemorate Workers Memorial Day on April 28th.
23 January 2012
Newly published guidance to give advice on good practice in fatigue management. This rail industry-specific guidance builds on the more general guidance applicable to all industries. The guidance advocates a proportionate approach to fatigue, with simple controls where risks are low, but a more comprehensive ‘fatigue risk management’ system (FRMS) approach where risks from fatigue are greater, to help reduce the risk of fatigue-based errors.
23 January 2012
Unite, the country's biggest union, today (Wednesday 11 January) accused the Tory party of having its priorities all wrong with its continued attack on working people and their unions.
The union said that moves today by the Tory MP and former Barclays investment banker, Jesse Norman MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire, to use parliamentary time to push for reduced facilities for trade union representatives is further evidence of a party that prefers to launch "spurious" attacks on unions than face up to the genuine challenges facing the economy.
23 January 2012
The headline findings from the report show a total of 6078 injuries caused by violence in the workplace and number of estimated threats, at 313,000 and the number of physical assaults at 341, 000. The number of people having experienced repeat incidents at work remained at 43 per cent. Respondents in protective service occupations, such as security guards, police and prison officers, were most at risk, however care assistants, home care workers, teachers, nurses and drivers also had high rates.
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