Health and Safety
Napo Health & Safety Handbook
Posted by mpearce at 10:00 AM | Comments (0)
Workers Memorial Day 28th April 2007
“Wear a Purple Ribbon”: What is Workers Memorial Day?
Started by the Canadian Public Service Union in 1985, WMD is a day of remembrance on the anniversary of a groundbreaking “Workers’ Compensation Act” passed in 1914. April 28th was declared an official “Workers Mourning Day”, hence the slogan ‘Remember the Dead, Fight for the Living’. WMD started to be marked in the UK in 1992 and is recognised in many countries around the world. This year’s theme is “Enforcement of Health & Safety Law saves Lives” and activities are focussing on workplace cancers, particularly mesothelioma, caused by asbestos.
As part of the activities for the upcoming Workers Memorial Day on 28 April, Napo's Branches and health and safety reps will display Hazards Campaign posters showing the very low level of HSE prosecutions for Health & Safety offences, and distribute the purple memorial ribbons. H&S Reps will follow up on the asbestos removal and checking process that has taken place in the NPS and CAFCASS, checking that signs are still in place and visible, the logs are still accessible and up to date, and that the GP information exercise for staff who were identified as having worked in premises containing asbestos has been carried out.
More info on WMD is available from the Hazards Campaign at http://www.hazardscampaign.org.uk/wmd/index.htm
Posted by mpearce at 12:35 PM | Comments (0)
CAN YOU GET ON A LADDER AT WORK? - Health and Safety Myths
Promoting the sensible approach to Health and Safety, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has started a "Myth of the Month" on its website. This month, it's ladders & the often misquoted idea that the HSE has said it's not acceptable to use a ladder at work. The HSE says: " THE MYTH: = "HSE has banned stepladders". THE REALITY: = We have not banned stepladders - nor have we banned ladders! Despite this, the allegation is regularly repeated and some firms have fallen for the myth and acted upon it.
For straightforward, short duration work stepladders and ladders can be a good option, but you wouldn’t want to be wobbling about on them doing complex tasks for long periods. A large number of workers are seriously injured or killed using ladders and stepladders each year. So:
Yes – we want people to use the right equipment for the job.
Yes – there are some common-sense rules for using them safely.
But no – we have not banned them! "
You can see further related items, and Myths of the Month, at http//www.hse.gov.uk/myth/index.htm
Posted by mpearce at 11:46 AM | Comments (0)
No Smoking Day 14.3.07
It's national No Smoking Day today. With legislation on the ending of smoking in workplaces & public venues in England from 1st July 2007, this will soon be a reality rather than just another Awareness Day. Probation and Court services have been looking at whether there can or should be exemptions in some of their premises. Final advice from Department of Health is that these will be very slight. In the NPS the only possible area that might have some exemptions is some rooms within Hostels/AP's. Napo Branches should be starting to make sure they get into discussions with Areas(English ones;-the timing for Wales & Scotland is different) possibly around the topic of Occupational Therapy services providing 'giving-up' support, nicotine patches etc.
Posted by mpearce at 04:45 PM | Comments (0)
TUC Health and Safety Training
Napo's approach to H&S Training is to provide at least two Napo-run training days per year, plus encouraging Branches/Sections to support Reps to undertake TUC H&S training. Ideally all H&S Reps should do at least the Stage 1 TUC training, which is free, and also statutory, which means that for accredited H&S Reps, the training normally attracts paid time off. For information on training avaialble at the moment, see the links below, or if links cannot be accessed from where you are, the UnionLearn & Training TUC contacts for the Regions are at the end - they will happily send out info.
Northern Region TUC H&S Courses
Click here
Southern & Eastern Region TUC H&S Courses
Click here
Yorkshire & Humberside Region TUC H&S Courses
Click here
Midlands Region TUC H&S Courses
Click here
Wales TUC H&S Courses
Click here
Regional TUC Education Officers:
Northern Region: Ian West 0191 227 5572 iwest@tuc.org.uk
Southern & Eastern Region: Rob Hancock 0207 467 1238 rhancock@tuc.org.uk
Yorks & Humber Region: Trevor Sargison 0113 200 1071 rsargison@tuc.org.uk
Midlands region: Pete Try 0121 262 63911 ptry@tuc.org.uk
Wales TUC: Julie Cook 02920 347 0101
Posted by mpearce at 03:46 PM | Comments (0)
Work Your Proper Hours Day - How Was it For You?
TUC UNIONS SAY: Oh so slow progress on long hours (but at least there is some progress)
Unpaid overtime is on the decline, but progress is so slow that it will take until 2030 to end regular unpaid overtime of more than 10 hours every week, according to a TUC analysis of official statistics. The new research, published on 23 February to mark the TUC's Work Your Proper Hours Day 2007, (the day when people who do unpaid overtime would on average get paid if they did all their unpaid work at the start of the year) describes progress as 'glacial'. TO find out more, click here
Posted by mpearce at 03:36 PM | Comments (0)