A final message from DGS(P) Terry Pullinger . Use your vote and back #TheCWU and the #FourPillars vote YES.

#PowerOfTheUnion

https://www.facebook.com/cwuEasternNo5/videos/1868645829852134/

New International Health and Safety Management Standard (ISO 45001):

 

Dear Colleagues,

Introduction:

The International Standardisation Organisation (ISO) has approved the world’s first occupational health and safety standard and new certifiable standard for occupational health and safety (ISO45001). The standard was first published this week. This will replace the non-certifiable British Standard OHSAS 18001 which was introduced in 1999. BS OHSAS 18001 will be withdrawn.

The standard is now likely to be used in workplaces across the UK, although it will take some time before it is properly implemented in a way that will allow organisations to get properly certified. It is likely to be most commonly used in multi-national corporations that will seek to have a standard OHS system across the entire globe. It may also become a requirement in many procurement and infrastructure contracts.

Background:

The ISO’s attempts to develop what is now ISO45001 were initially met with strong opposition from international employers and Trade Union bodies, on the basis that this was a matter that should be dealt with through social dialogue. In addition, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), which has its own guidelines on OSH management systems (ILO 2001), refused to support it; they believed that health and safety standards should be developed by governments, unions and employers through the ILO process, which gives an equal voice to each of these groups to ensure that the views of the social partners are closely reflected in labour standards. Unions agreed and believed that ILO-OSH 2001 guidelines should be the starting point for this, although there was a need for some updating and strengthening of the current document. The ILO agreed to proceed with an elaboration of its own standard, but this did not happen; hence the ISO tried again and succeeded in co-opting the ILO into the process in 2013 when the two organisations signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the development of ISO 45001 (ILO 2013), on the basis of a number of assurances that the ISO standard would be consistent with the ILO guidelines. In October 2013 a project committee met in London to create the first working draft of ISO 45001. Around 50 national standards bodies (NSBs) were involved in the first meeting, along with the ILO, the ITUC and the International Organisation of Employers (IOE). Further meetings were held in Casablanca, Dublin and Geneva.

ISO 45001 and Legal Compliance:

Achieving ISO45001 accreditation will not, in itself, be sufficient to meet all the requirements of British Health and Safety law, and it differs in several ways from the HSE health and safety management system HSG65, so employers cannot rely on simply having met the requirements of ISO45001 to be confident of having a safe and healthy workplace which is legally compliant.

Main Differences between ISO 45001 and BS OHSAS 18001:

• Context.

• A lot more on leadership.

• A lot more on Worker Participation and TU/Safety Rep Involvement. Much more focus and improvement in this area.

• Documentation is much simpler

Process:

• Employers have to meet requirements for:

• Risk Management.

• Provision of resources.

• Performance measurements.

• Analysis.

• Continual improvements.

• Once processes are in place, the employer can seek ‘Certification’.

• Then a Stage 1 Audit is carried out.

• A Stage 2 is then carried out following any remedial action and once completed satisfactorily, Certification can follow.

What ISO 45001 says that is most positive:

• The focus is on top management/board buy in.

• There is a high level of Worker Involvement in it.

• It is strong on the ‘Hierarchy Of Controls’ in risk management, mirroring EU Legislation.

• Integrates Safety and Health.

• The emphasis of the wording is based on changing the workplace not the worker, improving on BS18001.

• Better than HSG65 in some areas (but lower than UK Law in some areas).

• Worker involvement is greatly improved (but lower than the SRSC Regs).

• No requirement for Free PPE or Free Training mentioned.

Some Concerns:

• Focuses heavily on processes and documentation rather than focusing on outcomes.

• It’s a tool to make money for those companies and organisations advertising to get companies through Certification.

Summary Conclusions:

• It replaces BS OHSAS 18001.

• The UK still has HSG65 (which was revised with heavy Trade Union involvement).

• ISO 45001 doesn’t mean anything in Law – complying with ISO 45001 doesn’t mean a company is complying with Health and Safety Law.

• ISO 45001 could well be used as a standard for companies seeking contracts in various sectors but particularly construction.

• Importantly, companies and organisations will not get the ISO 45001 Certification without demonstrable Trade Union involvement.

• Costs £100 a copy.

• Certification has to be renewed every 3 years.

Attachments:

Further more detailed information can be found in the excellent attachments which are:-

1 ETUI Policy Brief.

2 ISO 45001 TUC Guide.

3 ISO 45001 Introduction & Checklist by the TUC.

Note: ISO 45001 is an improvement over its predecessor and is generally good and having a health and safety management system is important but it must not be about pointless paperwork. What makes a workplace safer is removing hazards, controlling risks and ensuring good worker involvement.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

18LTB164 New International Health and Safety Management Standard (ISO 45001)

ISO+OSH+management+systems+Robertson+2016.03 (1)

ISO 45001 TUC Guide

ISO 45001 TUC Introduction Checklist

GET OUT THE VOTE

It is hugely important that we get as many members as possible to vote on the Four Pillars and Pay Agreement.

In line with our ongoing commitment to engage and involve our members, we are urging every CWU Representative and Officer at every level to do all they can to encourage every individual member to exercise their democratic right, get out the vote and secure a high turnout that delivers the biggest possible YES vote in favour of the Agreement.

The bigger the YES vote the stronger the Union’s voice and influence in delivering our Agreement going forward and ultimately, securing members’ future employment, standard of living and retirement security.

The Department has been made aware that members in some locations have not received their ballot paper. If this is the case, branches are advised to request a ballot paper by contacting the Customer Service Helpline at the Electoral Reform Society (ERS) using the following email:- customerservices@electoralreform.co.uk

When making a request, branches need to ensure they provide ERS with details of the members:-

• Name

• CWU Membership Number

• Correct postal address

Branches are urged to do all you can to GET OUT THE VOTE.

Any further enquiries in relation to the content of this LTB should be directed to the DGS(P) Department.

I thank you for your excellent support throughout this campaign and this push to get a huge vote on the Agreement will be the perfect conclusion from inception to agreement.

Yours sincerely,

 

Terry Pullinger

Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

18LTB167 – GET OUT THE VOTE

TUC Safety Reps Survey 2018

Dear Colleagues,

This is the twelfth bi-annual, national TUC survey of Safety Reps which the CWU is fully supporting. The survey is designed to provide the TUC and individual unions with information about who safety reps are, and what their experiences and needs are. The TUC needs this information so that the TUC and Unions like the CWU can do more to help Safety Reps, and so that Safety Reps’ views and experiences are better reflected in public policy debates and the work of the Health and Safety Executive.

The TUC will publish the results, and use them to campaign for better safety standards at work (including more rights for Safety Reps).

Your response is crucial to ensuring that this survey provides the information the TUC is seeking. Please answer as many questions as you can – but if they seem irrelevant to your experiences, ignore them. Collating the responses to this survey will be a time-consuming and expensive task, so the TUC cannot enter into correspondence arising from the survey. But the TUC does want to know about any successes you have had in improving health and safety standards.

You have three ways to complete and return the survey. Either:-

• Complete it on-line.

• Complete it and e-mail it electronically.

• Complete it in paper form and post it.

Return completed Survey Forms to TUC health and safety rep survey, LRD, 78 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 8HF. Email: health&Safety@tuc.org.uk

Attached is a pdf file version of the Survey Form. To complete it on-line go to the following link: https://www.tuc.org.uk/national/health-and-safety-reps-survey-2018

Please return your Safety Reps Survey Questionnaire Form as soon as you can by 29th June 2018 at the latest.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

18LTB160 TUC Safety Reps Survey 2018

TUC Health and Safety Reps Survey 2018

View Online

Safe & Well – March 2018

Dear Colleagues,

Please see attached the March edition of Safe and Well newsletter with contributions from our USRs and field teams. This edition looks at “what damage looks like” with a refresh on safe drilling, there’s also a focus on asbestos awareness, solving the problem of accessing CANDID, looking at the safety aspects of driving (including driver distraction), a nudge for managers on the License To (as we look to round up this licensing year and head into the next) and also flagging the services of USRs when it comes to accident/incident investigation. And the usual batch of Near Misses and Field Top Tips (including around slips, trips and falls).

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

18LTB159 Safe & Well – March 2018

Safe and Well Issue 56 March 2018

View Online

CWU REDESIGN BOOKLET – QUESTIONS

Further to LTB 148/18 please find attached the questions for each of the four sections contained within the Redesign booklet – Conferences, Branches, Regions and National Structures. This may be a useful way of getting the questions out to all of your representatives so they can provide their input.

It may also be useful for drafting your responses and you can then type or cut and paste them into the online questionnaire.

We will send out an email with a Word version and the LTB online will have a PDF version of the questions from the Redesign booklet.

If possible it would be easier if you can please provide a response via the following link:

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/G62LN97

As stated previously:

Branches can only submit one response to the consultation and this should be signed or verified by one of the principal Branch Officers.

Please answer all questions as fully as possible – the dialogue boxes will expand to allow you to provide detailed responses.

For clarity and ease of analysis please do not provide a hand-written response – all responses should be typed.

Please note there is space at the end of each section for any general comments or to raise any relevant issues not covered by the questions.

Reminder – Closing Date

All responses to be submitted either by post addressed to Redesign Consultation, General Secretary’s Department at CWU HQ or via email to re-design@cwu.org – please note that all completed questionnaires must be received by close of business on 11 May 2018.

We would encourage all Branches to submit their views and opinions regarding the future of the union.

Any enquiries on the above LTB should be sent to re-design@cwu.org

Yours sincerely

Dave Ward – General Secretary  

Tony Kearns – Senior Deputy General Secretary 

18LTB158 CWU REDESIGN BOOKLET – QUESTIONS

Redesign Booklet Questions

View Online

Hanwell Delivery Office – Suspect Packet – White Powder Incident Thursday 15 March 2018

To: All Branches

Dear Colleagues,

Some rather sensational reports appeared in yesterday’s national tabloid newspapers referring to Postal Workers being treated by paramedics after a suspicious package was found at Royal Mail’s Hanwell Delivery Office in West London at 7:40am yesterday morning and went on to report that Police swarmed to the Hanwell Delivery Office, rushing to control the scene, setting up road closures as part of the investigation, specialist officers assessing the package and three people being treated by paramedics as a serious emergency situation developed etc.

The facts are that during delivery walk preparation sorting, a badly wrapped package leaking powder went over the duty holder working at a sorting frame, and others nearby. The Met Police who attended the scene declared the package and contents as “non-suspicious” and “non-malicious” soon thereafter, confirming that the contents of the parcel were harmless and the item was not sent with any malicious intent. No staff were injured and all are back at work, with mail deliveries being made to customers in Hanwell as usual without major disruption. The London Ambulance Service checked three people at the scene as a precaution but none were taken any to hospital.

The damaged packet contents were identified as “Borax” (sodium tetraborate decahydrate), which can be purchased over the counter and is sold as a naturally occurring mineral compound best known as a laundry booster and water softener. Borax is also used as a multi-purpose household cleaner with many uses throughout the house including craft projects.

A Royal Mail Statement read “The incident at Hanwell DO was reported to the Police and the area was cleared as a precaution. The safety of our people is of the utmost importance to Royal Mail and we have strict procedures in place to deal with any such incidents, which fortunately are very rare.”(End)

The scare comes just days after 4 malicious, suspicious packages were sent to 4 Labour MPs’ Westminster Offices and which are subject to a full scale Police investigation. This was reported in LTB 152/18.

RM Operations, RM Group Security, the CWU and Unite/CMA wish to remind all Royal Mail Offices and staff again to be vigilant at all times and to follow the “Be Aware”/”Stay Calm” Guidance and Risk Assessment process for any suspect items of mail that may be found in the postal system.

The Stay Calm guide for suspect items can be found online at: http://staycalm.online/on-site/incident/

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

18LTB157 Hanwell Delivery Office – Suspect Packet – White Powder Incident Thursday 15 March 2018

View Online

To all of the members throughout the Eastern no5 Branch.

I’ll start with offering my thanks for allowing me to be YOUR Area Safety Rep for the last ten years, we may not have seen eye to eye all the times, but ultimately, YOU have been at the centre of my thoughts in all that I have had to deal with, when changes have occurred and managers have tried to alter your work/floor/duties and locations.

When I started out we had 22 DO’s & 50+ SPDO’s… and a Mail Centre (with room to swing ‘more than one’ cat)… the business has been brutal in its attitude towards these locations.

We now have 17 DO’s & 11 SPDO’s… and a Mail Centre that are all bursting at the seams (no room for the ‘cat’ anymore!).

You will all be aware in your own locations of the impact this has had, and of the changes to your working practices.

Moving forward…

The Branch has been very active in visiting you all, at the outset for the ‘National Four Pillars’ campaign, where YOU, the members helped get a massive 89.1% vote, and to get the business back around the table, and subsequently to tell you of the outcome of the negotiations.

We are asking once again for your support in the current ballot, to get another massive positive response.

I will at this point say I was disappointed in the turnout for the Branch elections, these are the people who will be representing YOU going forward…

Remember, YOUR vote is YOUR voice, please use it!

Richard

Branch Chair

POST OFFICE: PENSION ARRANGEMENTS FOR POST OFFICE MEMBERS – POLICY TO PURSUE ROYAL MAIL AGREED CDC SCHEME

Branches will be aware that the Post Office closed its Defined Benefit (DB) pension scheme to future accrual on 31st March 2017 (despite the fact it had a healthy surplus) and imposed an unagreed Defined Contribution (DC) pension scheme.

We would like to advise Branches that we now have Postal Executive policy to pursue, on behalf of our Post Office members, a Collective Defined Contribution (CDC) pension agreement identical to that agreed with Royal Mail. As previously reported to Branches, this type of pension scheme requires regulatory and secondary legislative change. The DGS(P) Department, and also Royal Mail (and ideally the Post Office) are working together to lobby government in order to make these changes happen.

As a consequence of our policy we have submitted our claim to Paula Vennells, Post Office Group Chief Executive, and in doing so outline our policy whilst seeking a commitment that the Post Office will enter into negotiations in good faith to reach a Collective Agreement on pensions for our Post Office members.

A response from Paula Vennells is awaited and further developments will be reported as appropriate.

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be directed to Lea Sheridan on 020 8971 7361 or lsheridan@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely

 

Andy Furey – Assistant Secretary                                      

Terry Pullinger – Deputy General Secretary (Postal)

18LTB156 Post Office – Pension Arrangements for Post Office Members – Policy to pursue Royal Mail Agreed CDC Scheme