Sunday, September 07, 2008

European Health & Safety Week - Monday 20 October to Friday 24th

This year’s theme is “risk assessments”. This is a superb campaigning issue for trade union safety reps to take up in their workplace.

Despite clear legal (and common sense) requirements of organisations to have sufficient and suitable risk assessments to protect their employees from significant risks, it is I think pretty clear that many organisations to do not comply. They may indeed have detailed "assessments" filed on shelves, but in practice many workers will have no idea whatsoever that they are there and that they are supposed to be protected by these “assessments”.

The Wednesday of European Health & Safety week is always “national inspection day” in UNISON. So on this day all safety reps are encouraged to inspect their workplace. As part of the inspection process also audit all the site risk assessments.

In all probability you will find that in many cases either they do not exist, are out of date or otherwise inadequate. In that case bring it up with your local safety committee and if that does not result in an appropriate response make an official complaint to the Health and Safety Executive or the Local authority environmental health department.

It is always a failure if you have to involve outside agencies over internal safety issues. But sometimes it is necessary. Make sure that you can demonstrate to the enforcement agencies that you have tried your up most to work with your employer to get them to comply before having to complain to the HSE or EHO.

But if it is necessary do not hesitate to complain, because your members lives are at risk.

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