TRADE UNION NEWS

December 2000

The Irish Government has banned low level letterboxes in all new homes in the Irish Republic under amended building regulations being introduced by the Irish Environment Minister. The CWU claims that this will be a tonic for the country's postal workers and will make their job a lot less backbreaking. According to the union, the action follows years of complaints of back injuries by postal staff, a flurry of compensation claims and an intensified campaign for change by the CWU's sister union the Communication Workers' Union of Ireland. The developments are being carefully watched by the CWU, which has long lobbied for similar measures to be adopted in Britain.

The new Irish regulations will outlaw the mousetrap-type letter boxes at the base of doors favoured by many home owners and builders and perceived by them as being "trendy". The Irish Government having accepted the warnings that they can be positively dangerous for postal staff, forcing them to stoop to ground level - and risk serious back strain - to make their deliveries. In a recent Irish High Court case, a Dublin postman was awarded a record IR£43,500 damages for back injuries.

The union however, while welcoming the change, point out that the new regulations, which take effect from January 2001, only apply to new houses. It is unlikely that existing home owners will spend hundreds of pounds redesigning their front doors and, at present, cannot be legally compelled to do so.

According to CWU Assistant Secretary Billy Hayes, the union is monitoring the whole development with interest. Adding that: "The whole issue of back strain caused by having to stoop while carry heavy mailbags is an extremely important issue - in my view as big as vibration white finger is within the engineering sector and silicosis is in mining. We're in close contact with our sister union in Ireland and we've taken our own legal advice. This problem clearly isn't going to just go away so we're watching the way it's handled by our cousins in Ireland with considerable interest".

A major campaign to highlight the causes of back injured formed the focus of the CWU's response to the European Health and Safety Week. The intention of the week long campaign by the CWU being to raise awareness of the causes of the problem and to galvanise further action to reduce the incidence of back injury in workplaces across the country.

Apparently, approximately 10% of all major back injuries take place while handling, lifting or carrying. However, bad posture, poorly designed workstations and seats providing inadequate support are all common causes of back injury. Additionally, long journeys to work, sitting or standing with little room for movement, also contribute to the problem.

The GMB is also concerned over manual handling hazards and has recently published a Safety Representatives' Guide to Manual Handling. The publication offers advice on assessing and reducing the risks of manual handling injuries and provides a step by step guide to safe handling. It also deals with the employer's duties in relation to pregnant workers and disabled workers. The union is working with Europe's leading waste management company, SITA, on a project which is tackling back-injuries amongst refuse collectors. The resulting 12 month Government funded Don't Bin Your Back project will undertake a detailed and comprehensive examination and analysis of manual handling and associated back pain issues within the context of the waste management industry. According to Nigel Bryson, GMB Director of Health and Environment: "The cost of back injuries to individuals and companies is far too high a price to pay, we must work together to prevent injuries which debilitate people and debilitate business". The 1995 Labour Force Survey on Self Reported Work-Related Injuries estimated that around 1.2 million individuals in Britain suffer from musculoskeletal disorders caused by their work, resulting in an estimated 10 million working days lost.

According to IPMS, drivers, particularly those covering more than 25,000 miles per year, and those using telephones intensively and without headsets are at risk from back problems but not necessarily from back injury. A survey of London office workers, for example, revealed that half of those who use a telephone and computer for at least two hours a day reported neck and back pain.

The IPMS has identified the following trade union web-sites as containing useful sources of health and safety information: www.tuc.org with the dedicated health and safety section at www.v128.dial.pipex.com , www.hazards.org includes a number of useful fact sheets, www.unison.org.uk/safety , www.pcs.org.uk , www.fda.org.uk , www.unifi.org.uk includes information on the working time regulations and occupational voice loss, www.tssa.org.uk includes information on promoting a healthier and safer office, www.gpmu.org.uk and the IPMS' own web-site at www.ipms.org.uk .

The IPMS solicitors, Russell Jones and Walker, are conscious that those suffering from asbestos-related illnesses have enough problems without having to fathom out the Department of Social Security system. Therefore, they have produced a booklet on benefits relating to asbestos illnesses. Called Benefits for Sufferers of Asbestos Related Diseases, the booklet may also be of assistance to sufferers of other prescribed diseases as it explains the various benefits available and the criteria for eligibility. Further details can be obtained from Helen Hall in the IPMS Legal Department (020 7902 6624 or HallH@ipms.org.uk).

UNISON have recently produced a publication aimed at helping safety representatives ensure the health and safety of cleaning staff. The union points out that a recent employment survey identified that 690,000 people are employed as cleaners in Britain. Of these, 558,000 are women. Over 3,000 serious accidents involving cleaners are reported to the HSE each year. However, under-reporting means that the true number of serious accidents is likely to be much higher. Competition for contracts from private cleaning companies has forced both in-house and private cleaning services to improve productivity and to cut costs. Cleaning staff have therefore been forced to work under increased pressure.

A major problem involves the fact that cleaners are often employed in workplaces that have been planned with other workers in mind and where, therefore, little thought has been given to their specific needs. This can lead to: unsuitable storage facilities, unsuitable locations of taps and floor materials and inadequate means of access and egress. Cleaners are also often expected to carry equipment up and down flights of stairs. One of the main health risks faced by cleaners involves dermatitis caused by the substances that they work with - detergents, soaps, caustic soda, disinfectants, bleaches, cleaning fluids, ammonia and rubber or latex gloves. Wet work also encourages dermatitis to develop.

Other problems faced by cleaners include: hazardous chemicals and substances, manual handling, RSI and WRULDs, hand-arm vibration syndrome, lone working, fire and electricity. Risk assessments are the key to ensuring that adequate precautions are introduced. The employer needs to risk assess the risks to the cleaners that they employ and the client, where they engage cleaners employed by another employer, need to risk assess that their own work activities do not pose risks to the cleaners. Additionally, clients should, as part of their contract management system, check the risk assessments and procedures of the contract cleaning companies that they engage - both with regard to the risks to the cleaners and with regard to the risks that the cleaners pose to their own staff.

UNISON has also produced a very useful guide for its safety representatives on the topic of risk assessment which should assist them in ensuring the adequacy of risk assessments carried out by their employer. The guide contains UNISON's 25 steps to risk assessment and a useful do-it-yourself kit.

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Mike Everley