TUC Launches New Workplace Hazards Guide

The TUC (Trades Union Congress) has again issued a new version of the Hazards at Work guide, in response to the rising concerns about the reduction in the number of safety inspections being carried out in workplaces and business premises. During the 30 years that this health and safety publication has been around, health and safety in the workplace has grown and changed significantly – and not everyone sees this as a positive thing! This new edition is addressing the problems we’re facing as a result of wide spread negativity towards to health and safety issues –in particular the fact that the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) have had to reduce the number of proactive safety inspections they carry out at workplaces across the country. This means that they can no longer check up on employers to ensure that they are conducting their business in a way that won’t threaten the safety and welfare of their employees and workers. Both the HSE and local authorities have experienced huge budgets cuts, of as much as 35%, and with their funding reduced by so much, it is only to be expected that their proactive safety precautions would have to take a back seat while they focussed on more immediate issues. Increase in Workplace Fatalities The TUC general secretary, Frances O’Grady, has expressed her incredulity that ministers “seem unconcerned by the cut in the number of workplace inspections at a time when more people are dying and getting injured at work.” Even though the figures for workplace fatalities over the past few years have appeared to level off at an average of 0.6 deaths per 100,000 workers, we need to remember that this is after a 16% increase in deaths across all workplaces, with industries such as construction reaching a 22% rise in the same period. O’Grady believes the governments is “determined to water down health and safety laws,” at a time when really, we should be more focused on reducing the fatality figures, not the budget. Hazards at Work 2013 That’s why the TUC have issued the latest version of the Hazards at Work Publication, with union safety reps recommending that all those who implement or are responsible for health and safety measures at their workplace should have a copy of it. The guide contains 24 chapters all based on common hazards and causes of ill health that affect workers. It offers practical HSE-approved guidance, extensive checklists, example case studies and web resources on how to identify and avoid all these potential hazards. It covers everything from how to manage workplace stress, including co-worker bullying and violence, occupational cancers and biological hazards. It also includes a whole section on working with vulnerable people, who may be at a higher risk of discrimination or exploitation, such as young employees, shift or agency workers and disabled workers. The TUC believe that a comprehensive guide like this is essential at a time when there is less protection for workers available from the HSE, and that “this book is one of the best tools for understanding, assessing and dealing with health and safety issues.”

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