Fringe meeting focuses on health and safety

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.cwu.org/news/archive/fringe- ... afety.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Over one hundred Communication Workers Union health and safety reps and branch officials packed the health safety and environment fringe meeting at the CWUs annual conference in Bournemouth on Monday 29th April 2014.

This year the delegates were delighted to hear from the excellent guest speaker Nigel Bryson OBE, former GMB National Health, Safety and Environment Officer.

Opening the meeting, CWU Health Safety and Environment Officer Dave Joyce gave thanks to Simpson Miller for sponsoring the meeting once again.

Introducing Nigel Bryson, Dave said that Nigel had also undertaken work for the TUC with the HSE on Worker Involvement. Nigel is the author of the book "Zero Harm: Worker involvement - the missing piece" and now runs his own Health and Safety Consultancy 'Bryson Consulting' which aims to develop expertise in workforce motivation and to improve health and safety standards in organisations, by generating workforce involvement and participation. Any safety rep wishing to find out more about Nigel's work can log on to this website: http://www.workerinvolvement.co.uk/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Nigel told the meeting that he had started his time as a safety rep in a bakery in Newcastle and was pleased to be back home with a room full of safety reps that made it their business to help protect their work colleagues from injury and ill health.

He said that this years Workers Memorial day had made everyone aware of those who had been killed in the workplace. He said that it was also the 100 year commemoration of World War One and walking through a local park he had come across a memorial to the "Glorious Dead" of that war. He said that he did not consider war and killing to be glorious. He then spoke about work in the munitions factories in World War One and the fact that a number of Health and Safety regulations were introduced to ensure that workers in these factories were well fed, in good health, had safe working conditions and proper breaks and reasonable shifts. The aim of these regulations was to increase productivity in order that the workers produced more shells and bullets.

This approach to ensuring that workers were safe and healthy worked and productivity improved and that should be a lesson to present day employers and the Coalition Government who were doing all they could to roll back the progress that had been made in health and safety in this country.

Nigel gave a list of important documents that had proved that safety reps make a real difference in the workplace that had been given no publicity by HSE or the Government or the press. He said that even a Harvard study had concluded that worker involvement gets better business

Nigel also gave a summary of the work done on worker involvement under the last Government who had put money into training in the recognized and non-recognised sectors which had been a huge success. He said that Trade Union safety reps are the most important initiative in this country to protect people in the workplace and to promote benefits to industry.

However the Conservatives and their media and the present coalition government were attacking health and safety saying it was an albatross around the necks of business. They had come up with the red tape challenge the policy exchange report and all the "bonkers conkers" stories which were myths presented as facts to undermine health and safety. Cameron had asked Lord Young and others to produce reports and even blamed the riots on health and safety! Cameron even stated two years ago that it was his New Year resolution to "kill off the health and safety culture for good in this country." Nigel warned that bit by bit they are dismantling the protection of people at work that had been built up over the years.

Nigel concluded by issuing a rousing rallying call saying we had had enough of politicians denigrating workers rights. Instead he called for them to back the 30 million workers who make the country what it is, to back the pensioners who had given their working lives to improve the country for everyone, to give hope to students that they can contribute to the future and to the unemployed that they can get proper jobs.

A number of questions were asked about health and safety strategy from Europe, Corporate Manslaughter and the Coalition attacks on health and safety. It was also suggested that Nigel be asked to speak at a future CWU conference from the main stage as well as at fringe meetings and many delegates warmly congratulated Nigel on his informative and entertaining speech.

Dave Joyce summed up by warning of the danger from UKIP who say we would be better off outside of Europe but if we are out of Europe then a lot of our health and safety regulations are in danger. Dave reminded the meeting of the TUC and CWU role in getting Corporate Manslaughter legislation. Dave thanked everyone for attending and particularly Nigel for inspiring delegates at our CWU fringe meeting.

[P13]

Just a pity the CWU and its Reps won't enforce the use of the proper equipment in delivery offices

[clashcityrocker]

Just a pity the CWU and its Reps won't enforce the use of the proper equipment in delivery offices

It isn't the role of the CWU or its reps to enforce the use of proper equipment.
I would have thought the primary role of a rep is to educate, and clearly many have failed to educate their members but enforcement is a management issue.

[P13]

Just a pity the CWU and its Reps won't enforce the use of the proper equipment in delivery offices

It isn't the role of the CWU or its reps to enforce the use of proper equipment.
I would have thought the primary role of a rep is to educate, and clearly many have failed to educate their members but enforcement is a management issue.

You are making a valid point Clash but health and safety is everyone's responsibility and what do you do when the rep signs off a new revision removing delivery methods from the office

[Cut Off King]

Just a pity the CWU and its Reps won't enforce the use of the proper equipment in delivery offices

It isn't the role of the CWU or its reps to enforce the use of proper equipment.
I would have thought the primary role of a rep is to educate, and clearly many have failed to educate their members but enforcement is a management issue.

I don't know if thats stricktly true, Its the H&S reps field to ensure that H&S issues are applied, i.e using trolleys instead of bags to prevent long term back problems ect.
Remember, the agreement was signed by both sides, you can't expect RM to keep the their side of the agreement if the CWU wants to allow its members to pick and choose which bits they want abide by.

[clashcityrocker]

health and safety is everyone's responsibility
you can't expect RM to keep the their side of the agreement if the CWU wants to allow its members to pick and choose which bits they want abide by.

I'm not suggesting the CWU allows people to pick and choose.
I simply said enforcement isn't the reps role.

As P13 says H&S is everyone's responsibility.
If people choose (ignorantly) to flout agreements, the rep cannot sanction them.
What next? A bullwhip to stop people starting early?

[theboropostie]

Could the rep raise a grievance or disagreement (sorry not sure on the correct term) relating to management not enforcing H&S?

[clashcityrocker]

Could the rep raise a grievance or disagreement (sorry not sure on the correct term) relating to management not enforcing H&S?

Yes s/he should register a disagreement.