Tag Archives: health and safety

Talks tomorrow over lack of Covid-19 measures at Bexley refuse depot

6 July 2020 Steve Leave a comment

Crunch talks are due to take place tomorrow (Tuesday 7 July) to resolve health and safety concerns over the lack of Covid-19 prevention measures at the Crayford refuse depot which serves the borough of Bexley.

Pressure from Unite, Britain and Ireland’s largest union, has prompted the talks with controversial outsourcing giant Serco which runs the council contract.

This follows criticism from the Health and Safety Executive over the failure to have adequate social distancing measures in place at the Thames Road depot, Crayford, Kent from where about 200 employees work.

The HSE’s criticisms from an inspection visit in May included that cleaning was ‘not robust enough’; inadequate monitoring of those visiting the site; and people passing on the stairs with no social distancing.

Unite also said that there had been two separate serious injuries recently when one member had his foot run over by a lorry and another nearly lost the use of his fingers.

Unite regional officer Ruth Hydon said: “What we are seeking from tomorrow’s talks is a dramatic step-change for the better in the health & safety regime which we think should mean a change of management at the Crayford depot. Our members’ lives have been put at risk due to managerial incompetence.

“Our members, many of whom are on ‘poverty wages’, have been working right through the pandemic ensuring that the refuse of Bexley residents is collected regularly – so, at the very least, they deserve the best Covid-19 preventive measures in the depot and their working environment when they are on their collection routes.

“The HSE’s damning inspection report was a marker that Serco urgently needs to get its health & safety act together – there needs to be a radical change of culture in this area. Cost should not be a factor when combating coronavirus.

“I do not say this lightly, but the workforce at Serco Bexley has completely lost confidence in the local management’s ability to be responsible for their safety.”

Earlier this year, Unite’s 125 members working on the Bexley contract took a day-and-a-half of strike action over the ‘dire’ pay they receive from Serco – but called off further industrial action as the lockdown came into force in March. The refuse workforce was earning about £4 an hour less than their counterparts in Greenwich.

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Employers have ‘duty’ to safeguard staff and public as more meat factory coronavirus outbreaks ‘suspected

21 June 2020 Steve Leave a comment

Unite has received reports that more coronavirus outbreaks are suspected at meat processing factories and has warned that employers must do more to protect staff and the public from the disease.

The union called on employers to implement stringent health and safety protections, as well as to provide financial support to often low paid staff who need to self-isolate so that individuals are not forced to disregard their symptoms because of financial pressures.

Unite national officer Bev Clarkson said: “Unite has warned time and again that coronavirus outbreaks at meat processing factories throughout the UK were likely. The union has been in touch with the management of all three closed factories to insist that staff only return to work when it is safe to do so and when further outbreaks can be prevented. Unfortunately, we are also aware of suspected Covid-19 outbreaks at other sites across the UK.

“While it is true that there are difficulties in maintaining staff distancing at many sites, this is no excuse – especially since similar outbreaks in the US and other countries have been widely reported on.

“Employers must work with Unite to implement proper social distancing, cleaning and hygiene measures, as well as personal protective equipment provision where necessary. The health and safety of staff must always come first, but it is clear that in the meat processing industry there are still major issues to be overcome.

“It is also important to note that it is not just failing health and safety regimes contributing to the risk of outbreaks at meat processing factories. Far too many staff are living hand to mouth on low wages and poor employment contracts. Many employers are refusing to provide any financial support for those presenting with symptoms, so it is inevitable that some staff will simply hope they don’t have it and go into work. Employers have a duty to treat their staff better and stop the spread of the disease.”

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Employers are breaking the law and forcing pregnant women out of work during the pandemic, warns TUC

11 June 2020 Steve Leave a comment

A quarter of pregnant women have faced discrimination at work during the coronavirus outbreak, according to a new TUC survey published today (Wednesday).

New TUC poll reveals 1 in 4 pregnant women have been treated unfairly at work during the coronavirus outbreak
Low-paid pregnant women are most likely to have lost pay or work since the crisis began
Health of pregnant women at risk as 2 in 5 haven’t had a workplace safety assessment

A quarter of pregnant women have faced discrimination at work during the coronavirus outbreak, according to a new TUC survey published today (Wednesday).

A new poll of more than 3,400 women who have been pregnant or on maternity leave during the Covid-19 pandemic found that one in four (25%) had experienced unfair treatment at work, including being singled out for redundancy or furlough.

Of those surveyed, low-paid pregnant women (earning less than £23,000 a year) were much more likely (28%) than women on higher salaries (17%) to have been forced to lose pay and stop work.

Pregnant women told the TUC they were required to take sick leave when they were not sick, to take unpaid leave, to start their maternity leave early or to leave the workplace, because their employer did not act to make their workplace safe for them.

All of these actions are illegal, says the TUC. Pregnant women have the right to be suspended on full pay if workplace risks to their health cannot be removed or reduced, or suitable alternative work is not available.

Health and safety at work

The TUC poll also exposed a range of health and safety concerns for women who have been pregnant during the coronavirus outbreak:

One in four (25%) of those surveyed told the TUC they felt unsafe at work
Two in five (42%) responding to the poll said they had not had a workplace health and safety risk assessment
Of those who had a risk assessment, almost half (46%) said their employer did not take the necessary action to reduce the risks identified – which is against the law – and a quarter (25%) said the risk assessment did not include the additional risks posed by Covid-19

Government must act now

The TUC is calling on the government to take action now and:

Change the law to protect new and expectant mums’ health and safety: Employers are already required to undertake a Covid-19 risk assessment, which should take account of additional risks to anyone who is pregnant or a new mum. The government should now change the law to require employers to undertake individual written risk assessments when they are informed that a woman who works for them is pregnant, has given birth in the past six months or is breastfeeding. Assessment of risk should involve discussions with the woman involved, and if any risk is identified then it must be removed
Enforce the law: The government should make it clear to employers that if the risks facing a pregnant worker cannot be removed, and there is no alternative work available, pregnant women have the right to be suspended from work on full pay. The Health and Safety Executive should enforce the law through spot checks and should encourage pregnant women to raise concerns with them (anonymously if necessary). Employers who break the law should be subject to the full range of penalties including fines

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Work should be safe for pregnant women and new mums. But our research has uncovered shocking levels of pregnancy and maternity discrimination during the coronavirus outbreak.

“Employers are routinely flouting health and safety law. This puts women’s lives – and the health of their unborn babies – at risk.

“Ministers must require every employer to do an individual risk assessment for every pregnant woman and new mum. If it’s not safe for women to keep working, employers must suspend them on full pay. Employers must stop illegally selecting pregnant women and new mums for redundancy. And bosses who break the law should be fined.”

Sarah (not her real name), who is expecting her baby soon, told the TUC: “I felt the environment was unsafe for my unborn child. I initially approached my line manager who told me “a senior manager” had completed a risk assessment for me and I was fine to continue working. This senior manager knew nothing about my medical history or the history of my pregnancy – including it already being high risk.

“I involved my obstetrician and occupational health to have a full and proper risk assessment completed, tailored to myself (as should be for all pregnant workers) and eventually after around 10 days of fighting I was allowed to remain off work.”