CWU “Sun Smart-Skin Safe” Campaign 2017 – Look after your skin and stay safe in the sun:To: All Branches

Dear Colleagues,

As the UK heatwave continues with temperatures hitting record 35C (95F), the Health, Safety & Environment Department is taking the opportunity to warn members about the risks associated with hot weather, dehydration, sun stroke and Skin Cancer through sunlight/UV ray exposure.

Dangers of UV rays

The short-term risks of sun exposure are sunburn and sunstroke.

The longer-term risks (over decades) include:

• actinic (solar) keratoses – rough and scaly pre-cancerous spots on the skin 

• skin cancer – including both melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer 

• eye problems – such as photokeratitis (snow blindness) and cataracts 

• premature ageing of the skin and wrinkling

Here is some important advice regarding firstly following the 5 S’s and secondly the message “early detection saves lives so act quickly and seek advice”.

The FIVE S’s of Sun Safety

The main cause of skin cancer is exposure to sunlight or sunbeds. Remember, it is not just sunbathing that puts people at risk, but just being in the sun without adequate protection. If you’re an outdoor worker and/or take part in outdoor hobbies, activities or sport you will be at greater risk.

Sunburn increases the risk of Skin Cancer and a Sun Tan isn’t healthy! It indicates that the skin has been damaged! And that damage stays there increasing the person’s risk of skin cancer.

To keep safe and make sure you NEVER BURN you should follow the 5 S’s of Sun Safety:-

1. SHOULDERS – COVER UP – The Royal Mail Clothing Fabrics are ‘UV protective’ so always try and keep your shoulders and body covered up.

2. SUN HAT – Always wear a broad-brimmed hat that shades your face, neck and ears – Royal Mail provide these as part of the Uniform so order one and use it.

3. SUNSCREEN – Apply a good quality SPF 30+/ min 3 star rating sunscreen with broad spectrum UVA protection, to exposed areas of skin – making sure you use enough and reapply every 2 hours.

4. SUNGLASSES Wear wrap-around sunglasses with UV protection to give your eyes adequate protection from the sun’s rays.

5. SHADE Always seek shade whenever you can, particularly during the hottest time of the day between 11am-3pm and when you have breaks if your job keeps you out in it.

Avoid Dehydration

Be wary of dehydration – the lack of sufficient water in the body. The best way to beat dehydration is to drink before you get thirsty. If you wait until after you’re thirsty, you’re already dehydrated. Water is important to the body at all times, but especially in warm weather. It keeps the body from overheating. When you exercise or work, your muscles generate heat. To keep from burning up, your body needs to get rid of that heat. The main way the body discards heat in warm weather is through sweat. As sweat evaporates, it cools the tissues beneath. Lots of sweating reduces the body’s water level, and this loss of fluid affects normal bodily functions so you need to replace the fluid. Take Water with you when working outside and drink plenty.

Early Detection

Detecting skin cancers early save lives – FACT! Particularly in the case of Melanoma, the deadliest form of the disease. It is important to check your skin regularly for signs of change, and consult your doctor immediately if you detect any changes particularly with moles, or if you’re unsure of any unusual marks, patches, sores or spots, no matter how small they are – get the GP to check it out.

Look after your skin, stay safe in the sun! – Don’t become a statistic and enjoy the sun SAFELY.

For further information about the prevention and early detection of skin cancer and to find out more see attached pdf’s.

CWU “Sun Smart – Skin Safe” Safety Code Campaign Material

See attached posters and pocket fact cards.

Branches and Regional Health and Safety Forums can purchase additional posters and pocket fact cards from CWU HQ:

A batch of 10 posters = £1.40; and 50 posters = £7.00

A batch of 10 pocket fact cards = 68p; and 50 pocket fact cards = £2.89

Contact details for orders: Debby Akerman Post and Repro Department at CWU HQ dakerman@cwu.org T: 0208 971 7218

Yours sincerely
Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

 

Email Attachments – Click to download

Attachment 1 – LTB347/17 CWU “Sun Smart-Skin Safe” Campaign 2017 

Attachment 2 – Sun Smart Poster

Attachment 3 – Sun Smart Skin Safe Fact Cards

Royal Mail Group Message To Managers – ‘Staying Safe in the Sun’ ‎& Severe Weather Risk Assessment For Sun To: All Branches 

Dear Colleagues, With temperatures rising, it’s important that all members working outdoors stay safe in the Sun and avoid Sun Burn, Heat Stress and Dehydration.

Given that the hot weather is forecasted to continue with temperatures as high as 35c/95F the Royal Mail Safety Health and Environment Management team have been briefed to make sure that Operational Managers and Royal Mail and Parcelforce Delivery/Collection workers are focussed on the Sun Safety messages and also that Unit Managers complete a Severe Weather Risk Assessment for “Sun” to avoid unnecessary staff sun burn/sun stress/dehydration conditions which could lead to injury or illness.

Managers and staff have been sent Royal Mail Group/CWU “Safe in the Sun” leaflets and advised to watch this week’s RMTV for further information and details.

Managers must carry out a Severe Risk Assessment in consultation with the CWU ASR ‎where the temperature and the periods of sun exposure increase significantly as at present. 

To complete a severe weather risk assessment managers need to visit the Royal Mail Intranet, SHE Management System Standard 2A:1 entitled ‘Severe Weather Risk Assessment’, download a copy of the risk assessment and complete the details for their office, they then need to click on the Heat & Sun Symbol and work through the questions. The risk assessment will then prompt a list of controls which the manager should consider implementing depending on the local conditions.‎ The Manager must consult the CWU ASR on the assessment and controls as set out in the assessment process and take account of the ASR’s input.

‎The CWU HQ Health Safety and Environment Dept has raised concerns with RMG HQ Directors, SHE, HR, as well as the Chief Operating Officer requesting that Unit managers be reminded of their risk assessment obligations. 

Managers have been asked to brief their outdoor staff on Sun Safety as follows – to take the five simple steps in Sunny, Hot weather in order to not put their health at risk:

Cover up – To keep the sun off your skin, wear long, loose clothing. Your uniform is made from a special fabric to protect against ultraviolet radiation.

Protect your head- Ensure you protect your head, face, ears and neck. Wear the wide brim hat that’s part of your uniform – it’s specially treated to protect against the sun. Remember to use sunglasses with UV protection.

Seek shade- Seek shade away from the sun when you have the chance, especially during the most powerful ultraviolet periods between 11am and 3pm in the summer months.

Use sunscreen- Use SPF 30 or higher on any exposed skin – apply it half an hour before going outside, put plenty of sunscreen on and reapply it frequently.

Be skin safe- Report mole changes (size, shape, colour, itching or bleeding) or any other concerns about your skin to your doctor as soon as possible – don’t put it off, early treatment is important. 

Drink plenty of water on warmer days to prevent dehydration. 

ANY NON-COMPLIANCE BY OPERATIONAL MANAGERS SHOULD BE PROGRESSED VIA THE NATIONALLY AGREED RMG SHE STANDARD 5.1 ‘DISPUTES ESCALATION PROCESS’.

‎Yours sincerely

 

Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

Email Attachments – Click to download

LTB 344/17 Royal Mail Group Message To Managers – ‘Staying Safe in the Sun’ ‎& Severe Weather Risk Assessment For Sun

Election of National Representative Positions – 2017CWU Retired Members Advisory Committee  

Further to LTB 298/17 dated 31st May 2017, please see below result of the ballot that closed today.

6 Retired members living in England to be elected 

Dorothy Burnett

Newcastle Amal

120,736

*Elected

Ernest Coggins

Midland No 1

130,511

*Elected

Rodney Downing

South East No 5

93,907

*Elected

Tilly Greenhill

Leicestershire

55,023

 

Brian Lee

East London Postal

101,248

*Elected

Allan Trotter

Greater Mersey & South West Lancs

116,477

*Elected

Ken Ward

Plymouth & East Cornwall

79,976

*Elected

Graham Wilson

Manchester Clerical

74,775

 

Please find attached a branch analysis of the ballot results.

Any enquiries regarding this Letter to Branches should be addressed to the Senior Deputy General Secretary’s Department on telephone number 020 8971 7237, or email address sdgs@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

TONY KEARNS

SENIOR DEPUTY GENERAL SECRETARY

 

Email Attachments – Click to download

LTB 343/17 – Election of National Representative Positions – CWU RMAC – 2017

CWU Retired Members Advisory Committee Ballot Results 2017

Stay Safe in the Sun – Get To Know Your Skin To: All Branches 

Dear Colleagues, 

Attached is a pdf copy of the award winning Joint Royal Mail/CWU/IOSH “Stay Safe In The Sun” Leaflet/Poster, first issued as a pocket z-card in 2015 and 2016.  

This year for 2017, the leaflet version attached was issued in this month to all RMG employees as an insert with the Courier sent to the homes of all the workforce. 

The attached pdf version can be reproduced and used as handout to members in Delivery Offices and other Offices and can also be downloaded and printed in a poster version.

It’s important that Branch Officials and Health and Safety Reps raise awareness of the messages in the leaflet during the current heatwave.

The first part of the leaflet centres on the 6-point ‘Sun Safe’ message which ‎is:-

» Cover Up

» Protect your Head

» ‎Take your break in the shade

» Use Sunscreen on exposed skin

» Be Skin Smart

» Drink Plenty of Water

The leaflet also explains how to understand the ‘UV Index’ and the Low, Moderate, High, Very High and Extreme Levels with advice in each level. 

The second part‎ of the leaflet is about getting to know your skin, how to check for signs of Skin Cancer and the risk levels with different skin types. 

‎The message is a serious one with skin cancer levels in the UK at their highest ever. 100,000 new cases annually, 2,500 deaths annually.

Prompt medical attention is crucial should skin changes indicate the start of Cancer. 

A sun tan isn’t a sign of good health! It’s a sign of deep skin damage‎ and with it an increased risk of developing skin cancer!

Cover up, use sunscreen, drink plenty of water to avoid the dangers of dehydration. Take regular breaks in the shade are the key messages to members. 

Yours sincerely

 

Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

Email Attachments – Click to download

LTB 342/17 Stay Safe in the Sun – Get To Know Your Skin

Leaflet

Skin Cancer – “Be Sun Smart & Skin Safe”To: All Branches

Dear Colleagues,

Temperatures have now risen to the highest of the year and record levels bring dangers with sunlight exposure and dehydration. We want Reps and members to be aware of those risks!

Skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the UK, and rates continue to rise.

At least 100,000 new cases are now diagnosed each year, and the disease kills over 2,500 people each year in the UK – that’s seven people every day.

Whilst we are getting better at understanding how skin cancer works, we still have a long way to go. On average, someone who dies from skin cancer typically loses 20 years of their life, and rates of malignant melanoma are rising faster than any other type of common cancer.

There are three types of skin cancer: malignant melanoma, squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC).

You can read more about the types of skin cancer below:

Malignant Melanoma

Cutaneous malignant melanoma is a cancer of the pigment cells of the skin. If it is treated early, the outlook is usually good. It is not contagious.

Melanomas can come up in or near to a mole, but can also appear on skin that looks quite normal. They develop when the skin pigment cells (melanocytes) become cancerous and multiply in an uncontrolled way.

Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Squamous cell carcinoma is one of the non-melanoma skin cancers. It is the second most common type of skin cancer in the UK.

Squamous cell carcinomas can occur on any part of your body, but are most common on areas that are exposed to the sun, such as your head and neck (including the lips and ears) and the backs of your hands. Squamous cell carcinomas can also crop up where the skin has been damaged by X-rays, and also on old scars, ulcers, burns and persistent chronic wounds. Squamous cell carcinomas are not contagious.

Basal Cell Carcinoma

A basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is a type of skin cancer. There are two main types of skin cancer: melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer. BCC is a non-melanoma skin cancer, and is the most common type (> 80%) of all skin cancer (skin cancer incidence is < 1%) in the UK. BCC are sometimes referred to as ‘rodent ulcers’.

Basal cell carcinomas mainly affect fair skinned adults and are more common in men than women. Apart from a rare familial condition called Gorlin’s syndrome, basal cell carcinomas are not hereditary. However some of the things that increase the risk of getting one (e.g. a fair skin, a tendency to burn rather than tan, and freckling) do run in families.  

UV exposure is the main preventable cause of skin cancer, so here are a few tips on how to stay safe in the sun:

Clothing  
Clothing should always be your first line of defense against damage from the sun, with sunscreen being used in addition to clothes, including a hat, t-shirt and UV protective sunglasses. Clothing provided by RM and BT has a high UV ray protective rating.

Find the right sunscreen 
Use a sunscreen of SPF30 (SPF stands for ‘Sun Protection Factor’) and refers to the level of protection against UVB radiation, linked to skin cancer. Look for a four or ideally five star UVA rating on the bottle which will help protect from UVA radiation, associated with skin ageing. You may also find that the UVA rating is represented by the letters ‘UVA’ inside a circle. (BT provides Sunscreen free – Royal Mail does not – The Union has a long standing claim for Royal Mail to provide it to all outdoor staff free). 
Get your timing right 
Skin needs time to absorb sunscreen, so apply generously about 20 to 30 minutes before going out. Reapply frequently at least every two hours, as it can come off when sweating or through rubbing. 
Seek shelter! 
The sun tends to be strongest in the middle of the day, so find some shade typically between 11am and 3pm, especially if you are very fair skinned. Just 10 minutes of strong sunshine is all it takes to burn pale skin. Take breaks in the shade.

Water

Drink plenty of water and avoid dehydration.

See attached CWU Leaflet and Poster and the Royal Mail Leaflet giving advice.

Branches and Regional Health and Safety Forums can purchase additional posters and pocket fact cards from CWU HQ Communications. Contact details for orders: Debby Akerman Post and Repro Department at CWU HQ dakerman@cwu.org T: 0208 971 7218.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

Email Attachments – Click to download

Attachment 1 – LTB339/17 Skin Cancer

Attachment 2 – 04131 Sun Smart leaflet 3up

Attachment 3 – 04724 Sun Smart poster

Attachment 4 – SunSafeNew

Protecting Health and Safety after ‘Brexit’ – ‘Brexit Puts Worker Health and Safety at RiskTo: All Branches

Dear Colleagues, 

Following the June 2016 referendum, in March 2017 the UK Government gave notice under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, that Britain would be leaving the EU. From that date a two-year window began during which talks will take place on what the details of the “divorce settlement” with the EU will be. In the meantime Britain is still bound by the obligations and responsibilities of EU membership. 

Once the talks are completed the European Parliament and the European Council need to ratify them. The withdrawal agreement must be ratified by March 2019, so the talks on this probably need to be finished by October 2018. 

The exit talks are separate from the negotiations on the future relationship with the EU after Brexit so the agreement is likely to need to include “transitional arrangements”, so that Britain can continue trading under EU rules to allow the talks on an agreement on future arrangements to be extended. These talks are likely to be very long and complex. Even if all existing EU regulations were to continue to apply, most will have to be restructured as they previously relied on EU institutions, and the talks will also have to lay the foundations for new trading relationships with the EU and the rest of the world. 

The outcome of the negotiations over the new relationship between the UK and the EU will determine what kind of health and safety system the UK will have. The UK joined the EU in 1973, and since then, the European Union has played an important role in protecting the health and safety of working people. The biggest change was the Health and Safety Framework Directive (89/391/EEC) and five “daughter” directives, which established broad-based obligations on member states to ensure that employers evaluate, avoid and reduce workplace risks in consultation with their workforce. At the time, little was required to implement the new regulations as Britain already had a legislative system which met most of the requirements of the ‘Framework Directive’ in respect of assessing and managing risk, as well as the duties of employers. The ‘Framework Directive’ mirrored much of what was in the 1974 Health and Safety at Work etc (HSW) Act, but also the Regulations that had been made under it such as the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977, however some of the Directives went further than the existing UK laws so it was necessary

to extend the law. Six new sets of regulations (called the ‘six pack’), together with Approved Codes of Practice and Guidance Notes were enacted on 1 January 1993. These were:-

Display Screen Equipment (DSE) Regulations

Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations

Provision The Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations

Manual Handling Operations Regulations

and use of Work Equipment Regulations

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Regulations)

A range of other health and safety directives, implemented through national regulations have also come about as a result of EU directives. These cover the management of specific workplace risks such as the Control of Noise at Work Regulations or The Work at Height Regulations, as well as the protection of specific groups of workers (including new or expectant mothers, young people and temporary workers). Specific directives cover areas such as Construction Work, Asbestos, Chemicals, Lead, Ionising Radiation, etc, etc. Although the pace of activity peaked soon after the introduction of the ‘six-pack’, legislative activity has continued and health and safety regulation in the UK has been firmly driven by the EU. 41 out of the 65 new British health and safety regulations introduced between 1997 and 2009 originated in the EU. 

Workplace health and safety protections are at risk from the Tory government’s Brexit plans. The warning comes in a new TUC briefing, “Protecting Health and Safety After Brexit” (Copy Attached). It reports that although the government has set out its intention in a white paper to transfer all existing health and safety protections from EU law to UK law, there are no guarantees for what happens afterwards. The TUC Briefing says that the government must make sure that a commitment is written into the Brexit deal to, as a minimum, match present and future EU standards for workplace health and safety. The TUC says if this doesn’t occur existing protections will be vulnerable to erosion and repeal. 

Working people must not have their health and safety put at greater risk after Brexit. The government needs a watertight plan to transfer protections from EU to UK law. The best way to guarantee all health and safety protections is to put workplace rights at the heart of the Brexit deal. It should be written into the deal that the UK and EU will meet the same standards, for both existing rights and future improvements. 

Attached:-

Copy of the TUC Briefing “Protecting Health and Safety After Brexit”

Table containing data relating to Statutory Instruments owned and enforced by HSE/local authorities.

Yours sincerely

 

Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

Email Attachments – Click to download

LTB 337/17 Protecting Health and Safety after ‘Brexit’ – ‘Brexit Puts Worker Health and Safety at Risk

Table

TUC Protecting Health and Safety After Brexit

700,000 Fines and Costs for Parcel & Express Mail Company DHL and JCB after Worker is Crushed and Nearly Killed To: All Branches 

Dear Colleagues, 

Two companies have been fined after a worker was seriously injured by a trolley carrying hydraulic rams. Stafford Crown Court heard how Martin Addison of DHL Services Limited (DHL) was auditing in-coming deliveries of equipment in an outside yard at JCB’s headquarters when he was struck from behind by falling machinery. The machinery was being towed by an electric tug and weighed approximately 770kg. The trolley toppled on its side trapping Martin Addison between it and a storage cage. He suffered multiple serious injuries including fractures and internal injuries. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) into the incident on 16 October 2013 found there were safety failures related to this auditing activity and the segregation between employees and vehicles using this area, leading to an unsafe system of work. DHL Services Limited pleaded guilty to a criminal safety offence and was fined £266,000 and ordered to pay costs of £23,370.22. JC Bamford Excavators Limited pleaded guilty to two criminal safety offences, and was fined £375,000 with £37,235.42 costs. HSE inspector David Brassington commented: “The dangers of failing to provide effective segregation between pedestrians and vehicles are well known. Both of these companies were well versed in workplace transport risk management and both fell well below the required standard in ensuring that such risks were effectively managed in this area.” He added: “These failings allowed a pedestrian worker into a busy area where vehicles were coming and going and as a result the worker sustained serious injuries from which he has still not recovered. DHL Express is a division of the German logistics company Deutsche Post DHL providing international courier, parcel and express mail services. It is also a competitor of Royal Mail. 

Other Recent Reports From The Courts – Health & Safety Convictions 

£14,000 Fine Following Trench Collapse Accident

Wallace Roofing and Building Ltd of of Glenrothes, Fife, was fined £14,000 at Dundee Sheriffs Court after it pleaded guilty to the criminal safety breaches following a trench collapse that led to injuries that left worker Julian Kilbane in intensive care for six days. None of the firm’s workers had received safety training. 

£80,000 Fine Following Worker Killed by Reversing Vehicle

Cavanna Homes and Steve Hoskin construction company, its groundwork contractor were fined a total of £80,000 including costs, at Exeter Crown Court after a worker was killed by a reversing telescopic material handler vehicle. No risk assessments had been carried out and there were no control measures in place to segregate vehicles and pedestrians in the area where the accident happened. Separating pedestrians and vehicles by introducing measures such as walkways with barriers, could have prevented John Small’s death. 

£200,000 Fine After Worker’s Hand Was Crushed

Cardiff-based steel manufacturing company Rom Ltd has been fined £200,000 plus £17,200 Costs at North Staffordshire Magistrates Court after a worker suffered a serious crushed hand between the rotating rollers on a steel wire straightening machine. The company failed to risk assess the manual operation of the machine and failed to ensure it was correctly guarded. The company also failed to provide the required level of supervision.

£120,000 Fine after Chainsaw Injury

Growing Green Limited has been fined £120,000 plus £2000 costs after a worker was seriously injured by a chainsaw while felling trees. Basildon Magistrates’ Court heard that the employee suffered deep lacerations to an arm and damaged nerves. The man had not been trained to operate the chainsaw, nor had he been provided with the necessary personal protective clothing clothing, gloves, helmets, safety boots and eye protection. There was no supervision and no proper planning of the work. 

£48,000 Fines for Firm and boss fined for persistent safety failings

Flooring company Cambridge Timbertec Ltd and its general manager have been fined after failing to abide by a succession of legal safety enforcement notices. Cambridge Magistrates’ Court heard how Cambridge Timbertec Ltd failed to maintain satisfactory work safety standards after several inspections by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The company had received six previous improvement notices and a written advice and finally it received three prohibition notices and four improvement notices. The company pleaded guilty to criminal breaches of the management of H&S Regs, Noise Control Regs, Hazardous Substances Regs and Work Equipment Regs. It was fined £44,000 inc costs. General Manager Craig Butler was fined £4,000 inc costs. 

£7,500 Fine and £10,000 Compensation Following Worker Getting Fingers Cut Off 

G&D Pallets boss Alexander Mackay was fined £7,500 and ordered to pay an injured worker £10,000 compensation at Dundee Sheriff Court after casual worker Michael Rice tripped over a broken pallet and fell into a moving sawblade, slicing off three of his fingers. The HSE visited the company after the incident on 20 December 2011 and issued an immediate prohibition notice shutting down operations. 65-year-old Maclay admitted a criminal safety offence. Surgeons were only able to reattach one of Mr Rice’s fingers, leaving him permanently disfigured and impaired. The victim had been employed as a casual worker for in 2010 and 2011 and had never been given basic training or refresher training. Sentencing Mackay, the Sheriff Alastair Brown told Mackay he could have gone to jail. He added that this was a gross management failure. It was Mackay’s responsibility to protect the employees and that cannot be delegated on to or shuffled off on others. There was obvious dangers which Mackay should have seen but failed to take even the most basic steps to protect employees and therefore is seems that a prison sentence would normally be appropriate.

£750,000 Fine for Asbestos Crimes

North London construction firm Barroerock Construction Limited was fined £750,000 at Canterbury Crown Court for putting 200 workers at risk of asbestos exposure and was prosecuted after repeated asbestos failings. The HSE carried out investigations of working practices in 2013 and 2014 while Barroerock were converting into flats a former nine storey office building in Ashford, Kent, which was known to contain asbestos. The court was told that company ignored and failed to act on a refurbishment and demolition survey which resulted in workers being exposed to asbestos during the demolition phase of the project. A further visit was made following complaints about safety practices and the HSE found that dangerous practices were continuing with the company failing to prevent the breathing in of asbestos fibres on the site. Barroerock Construction Limited, pleaded guilty to two criminal safety offences and was fined £750,000 plus £14,874.68 costs. The £10m a year business has gone into liquidation and sole company director Sean O’Connor has since launched a new ‘phoenix’ company operating from the same address.

£250,000 Fine for Solar Panel Firm after Worker Falls through Roof

Bristol solar panel installation company Solarjen Limited, known as Paul O’Brien Solar Installations (SW) Ltd at the time, has been fined £250,000 and ordered to pay costs of £12,073.14 after a 49-year-old worker fell more than 3.5 metres through a roof void at Fairlawn School, Bristol in June 2015. The victim suffered serious injuries, including bleeding on the brain, a fractured spleen and fractured ribs. Bristol Magistrates Court heard how the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the company failed to ensure physical guarding was in place to prevent workers from falling through voids in the roof. The HSE also found the company failed to appropriately supervise the work. Solarjen Limited pleaded guilty to a criminal breach of the Work at Height Regulations 2005. The HSE found that the company failed to properly organise the work and train workers to make sure the workers knew what safety measures were needed. No supervision was providing to ensure work was not undertaken without safety measures being put in place. As a result, serious harm was caused to one worker and others were put at serious risk.

£125,000 Fines and Costs For Solar Panel Firm and Its Director after worker breaks back in fall

Eco NRG Solutions Ltd, a solar panel company and its director Jon Luke Antoniou have been fined after a worker suffered serious injuries in fall through a roof at a farm in Cornwall. Taunton Magistrates Court heard how Lewis Harding, 28, had been fitting solar panels on a fragile roof at Venn Farm on 19 May 2015. He fell more than three metres through a fragile skylight and broke his back in three places. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found the company failed to take adequate precautions to prevent workers falling from height. There was no edge protection, under-roof netting or boarding provided on site. The company instead relied on an ineffective use of harnesses. Unsafe working had been taking place for months before the incident and then continued for months afterwards. HSE’s investigation found that the bad practice was attributable to the neglect of director Jon Antoniou. Eco NRG Solutions Ltd pleaded guilty to two criminal safety offences and was fined £115,000 and ordered to pay costs of £2,879.60. Jon Luke Antoniou pleaded guilty to a criminal safety offence and was fined £5,000 and ordered to pay costs of £1,957.40. HSE inspector Sue Adsett said: “The worker is lucky to have not sustained more life-threatening injuries from what we found to be a serious breach of the law. This case highlights the importance of directors being vigilant and acting on their legal obligations.”

£495,000 Fine for Truck company after worker’s death

ATE Truck and Trailer Sales Ltd, a company that buys, refurbishes and sells heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and trailers has been sentenced after the death of a worker. Wolverhampton Crown Court heard that on 21 February 2013 William Price suffered fatal head injuries when he was struck by the roof of a trailer he was dismantling at the Marston Industrial Estate site. An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found ATE had undertaken this task before and had an established method in place. However, it failed to properly consider the risks involved in this work and did not provide the 63-year-old with any information in relation to his safety when ‘stripping down’ the trailers. ATE Truck and Trailer Services Ltd pleaded guilty to a criminal safety offence and was fined £475,000 and ordered to pay costs of £20,000. HSE inspector Judith Botwood commented: “This tragic accident was preventable had all parties considered the risks involved and taken appropriate measures to reduce that risk.” Mr Price’s daughter, Hayley, said she hoped the fine would prevent a similar tragedy. “It has been awful,” she said. “There are so many things we have missed out on.”

Construction Boss Jailed After a Member of the Public is Killed by Falling Window Frames.

A construction boss has been jailed for a year for manslaughter over the death of a lawyer, crushed by half-tonne window frames in Mayfair, central London. Amanda Telfer, 43, was killed when the stack of large unglazed frames collapsed on her as she walked past a building site in Hanover Square on 30 August 2012. An Old Bailey jury found the supervisor at IS Europe Limited, Kelvin Adsett, guilty of manslaughter and a criminal breach of safety law. Judge Peter Rook QC said the 64-year-old had shown “reckless disregard” for what was a life-threatening situation. Westgreen Construction Limited site manager Damian Lakin-Hall, 50, was convicted of a criminal safety offence and sentenced to six months jail, suspended for two years. IS Europe Limited was found guilty of two criminal safety offences. Costs of £100,000 were also imposed on the three defendants. Another member of the public had almost been hit in a “near-miss” incident at the site just days before the fatal accident.

Yours sincerely

 

Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

Email Attachments – Click to download

LTB 335/17 £700,000 Fines and Costs for Parcel & Express Mail Company DHL and JCB after Worker is Crushed and Nearly Killed

New TUC Guide – “Gender in Occupational Health & Safety” Published to Help Health and Safety Reps Keep Both Men and Women Safe and Healthy at Work To: All Branches 

Dear Colleagues, 

The TUC has published a new guide for trade union health and safety representatives on gender and occupational health and safety which is to help Reps take gender differences between men and women into account when identifying health and safety concerns at work. 

Unions are committed to improving the working lives and conditions of all workers. Pressing for healthy, safe workplaces for everyone is part and parcel of the union representative’s role. Being aware of the issues relating to gender in occupational health and safety ensures unions strive to ensure that workplaces are safer and healthier for everyone. This is because, where the differences between men and women are acknowledged when assessing risk and deciding suitable risk control solutions, there is a greater chance of ensuring that the health, safety and welfare of all workers is protected. 

The guidance argues that a gender-stereotyped or the ‘one size fits all’ approach is now out-of-date. 

Where the differences between men and women are taken into account when assessing risk and deciding suitable risk control solutions, there is a greater chance of ensuring that the health, safety and welfare of all workers is protected, says the TUC. 

The new guide outlines some of the main health and safety risks women can face at work: 

Back pain: Women tend to suffer more from pain in the upper back and limbs as a result of repetitive work in both manufacturing and offices, while men tend to suffer more from lower-back pain from exerting high force at work.

Violence and harassment: Women tend to work in lower-paid and low-status jobs where bullying and harassment are more common, while men predominate in better-paid, higher status jobs and supervisory positions.

Not having the right tools: Women working in male professions like construction, engineering and the emergency services are at risk from inappropriately designed tools. 

The guide also provides a checklist for trade union representatives to help them pursue issues around gender at work – including questions about whether sex and gender differences are taken into account in manual handling risk assessments, and in assessments of postural problems including prolonged standing or sitting. 

The findings are aimed at helping union reps encourage employers to take action on the issues that will make a real difference to the health, safety and welfare of women in their workplaces. 

People come in all shapes and sizes and when it comes to health and safety, the ‘one size fits all’ approach is old-fashioned and dangerous. Nowhere is that clearer then when looking at gender. Pressing for healthy, safe workplaces for everyone is part and parcel of the union rep’s role, and the TUC’s new gender checklist will help reps to pursue issues around gender in the workplace, and make sure that all workers have the best possible protection from illness or injury. 

A copy of the Guide is attached.

Yours sincerely

 

Dave Joyce

National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

Email Attachments – Click to download

LTB 334/17 New TUC Guide – “Gender in Occupational Health & Safety”

Gender Attachment

Election of National Delegations 2017Labour Party Conference Postal Constituency Delegates

Further to LTB 313/17 dated 8th June 2017.

Branches will recall that LTB contained the ballot results for the CWU Postal Constituency delegation for the Labour Party Conference 2017.

The purpose of this LTB is to advise Branches that following his successful election as a Labour MP for the Coatbridge, Chryston and Bellshill Constituency, Hugh Gaffney, Glasgow and District Amal will not be taking up his elected position on the delegation and in these circumstances this position will now go to Richard Wilkins.

A copy of the revised ballot table for the Postal Constituency delegation is reproduced below for your information  

LABOUR PARTY – Postal Constituency

Lay Members (5 Members to be elected)

Paul Braithwaite

North Lancs & Cumbria

65,025

*Elected

Kye Dudd

Bristol & District Amal

67,455

*Elected

Sajid Shaikh

Birmingham District Amal

74,594

*Elected

Alan Tate

London Regional MT

80,170

*Elected

Richard Wilkins

South Central Postal

54,390

*Elected

Any enquiries regarding this Letter to Branches should be addressed to the Senior Deputy General Secretary’s Department on telephone number 020 8971 7237, or email address sdgs@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

 

TONY KEARNS

SENIOR DEPUTY GENERAL SECRETARY