An international standard for health and safety may sound like a good idea to a lot of people, but the current proposals for one would be bad news for many workers. The International Standards…Read more…
Asbestos review shows shocking complacency
The HSE has published a review of the way that the 2012 Control of Asbestos Regulations have been implemented. There was a requirement on the HSE to do this within the first five years of the…Read more…
HSE needs to ground its research in the workplace
Unions have long been critical of the failure of the HSE to regulate and enforce on occupational health risks. For instance we have asked for specific regulations on stress, lower exposure limits on…Read more…
Personal Protective Equipment: the right fit for women?
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is there to protect workers from potential hazards to their health and safety; it must be used properly. However, the experiences of hundreds of women tells us…Read more…
‘Safety, not union-busting’
Unite the union on Tuesday (May 2) said that the gas leak at the Grangemouth petrochemical reaffirms the need for the site’s owners’ INEOS to work constructively on its industrial and community…Read more…
‘Ticking time bomb’
On International Worker’s Memorial Day, the motto is ‘Remember the dead and fight for the living’. In the fifth and final part of our Workers’ Memorial Day series, we…Read more…
Workers Memorial Day – Remembering the dead and fighting for the living
Every year more people are killed at work than in wars. Most don’t die in tragic “accidents”. They die because an employer decided their safety or health just wasn’t that…Read more…
‘You wouldn’t believe the pain’
In part 4 of our Workers’ Memorial Day series, we speak to Unite’s Gary Fairclough, who tells of a harrowing workplace accident that took him years to recover. When Gary Fairclough…Read more…
Workers’ lives at risk
Unite is warning that workers’ lives are being placed at risk due to the cut in the number of frontline health and safety inspectors. Figures obtained by Unite, via a Freedom of Information…Read more…
Making health and safety an issue for everyone
Men are almost twice as likely to suffer a serious injury at work as women, and for decades health and safety practice has reflected what has been seen traditionally as a problem most affecting men….Read more…
Winning with UNISON
‘You don’t have to accept something when an employer is in the wrong – you can challenge it and by standing together you can win’
The article Winning with UNISON first appeared on the UNISON…Read more…
UNISON calls for action to tackle stress endemic in public services
Union survey of 10,000 members shows that stress is harming staff and services – but employers rarely talk about it
The article UNISON calls for action to tackle stress endemic in public services…Read more…
Blog: Safer workplaces – an impact that should never be understated
Thanks to the work of UNISON’s health and safety reps, public sector employees are less likely to suffer injury in the workplace. Tens of thousands of UK workers die every year because of their work…Read more…
Let’s splash the Scottish Plan for Action on Safety and Health
The UK has one of the best safety records in the world, but far too many people are injured and die at work, and much more needs to be done about ill health at work.
I was at the Health and Safety…Read more…
Suicide – why it is a workplace issue
Suicides can be a tragedy both for those who attempt it and their families and friends. It can also have a huge effect on the lives of some groups such as train and tube drivers when people attempt…Read more…
Stress – time to stop blaming the workers
Yesterday I attended the HSE stress summit in London for the launch of their new stress campaign. The conference went well and the main thrust of the conference was on the importance of prevention,…Read more…
UNISON wins £70,000 pay-out for hospital cleaners
22 union members in Torquay receive damages after being made sick by hazardous chemical disinfectant
The article UNISON wins £70,000 pay-out for hospital cleaners first appeared on the UNISON…Read more…
Union charter to commit employers to tackle violence at work
‘Our members do not go to work to be assaulted’ community conference declares
The article Union charter to commit employers to tackle violence at work first appeared on the UNISON National site.Read more…
European Parliament tells Commission “Do better on workplace cancer”
Earlier this week the Employment Committee of the European Parliament voted 38 to 6 in favour of calling for important changes to the Carcinogens and Mutagens Directive. This is a major step forward….Read more…
Branch Annual Report 2016
The annual report reflects the work undertaken by the branch January – December 2016. It is well worth a read – 2016Read more…