Grenfell Tower Fire - London Hazards Centre

Hat tip Phil Lewis Chair of London Hazards & in today's UNISON NDC regional newsletter "London Calling".

"Here is some information I was able to get hold of

2009 – Lakanal House tower block catches fire killing 6 people. The local authority is prosecuted for lapses in fire safety. A review is promised by the Labour government after pressure from the Fire Protection Association (FPA).

2010 – Building Regulations Act is published, including provisions for fire safety. Conservatives win election, a review is promised by the new government after more pressure from the FPA and warnings that the BR act does not go far enough.

2013 – Boris Johnson overrules the ruling body of the London Fire Brigade and uses legal action to inflict £29m in cuts. Closing 10 fire stations, cutting firefighters by 552, losing 14 fire engines and cutting minimum staffing levels from 5 to 4. By the time he steps down as Mayor of London he inflicts a further £100m in cuts to £130m total and the loss of 7000 firefighters. Fire prevention measures carried out by the service drop by over 25%. When challenged by a committee on fire safety on how cutting the fire service would not increase deaths, Boris replies “get stuffed”.

2013 – All Party Parliamentary Group on Fire Safety and Rescue produces a report strongly recommending installation of fire suppression systems and sprinklers in 4000 tower blocks throughout Britain. The Grenfell residents action group publishes a report warning that their landlord is putting their safety at risk by restricting the access ways to their car park. They are ignored by their landlord.

2013 – 2016 Conservative housing ministers sit on All Party report without action, promising they are “looking at it”, including housing minister Gavin Barwell.

2016 – Conservatives vote against a Labour motion to make sure all landlords and housing associations ensure residences are fit for human occupation, including provisions for fire safety. The motion is denied by 312 votes to 219. 72 of the MP’s voting against are landlords. The Grenfell residents action group publish a report warning people will die in a fire before the landlord takes notice of their poor fire safety provisions. They are ignored by their landlord.

2017 – Ex housing minister Gavin Barwell becomes Prime Minister Theresa May’s chief of staff. He never actions the All Party Parliamentary report recommendations. Grenfell Tower is reduced to rubble with the deaths of at least 79+residents as a fire spreads through the building in 4 minutes. It has no fire suppression system or sprinklers. The stairwell is not adequate for a full building evacuation. The emergency lighting is missing from half of the floors. The fire service struggle to reach the building due to previous car park modifications causing access issues as warned by the resident action group in 2013.

Philip Lewis

London Mesothelioma Action Day July 3 2015 "Banned But Not Gone: All Asbestos causes cancer"

London Hazards Asbestos Group will be holding a Mesothelioma Action Day on 3 July 2015 (this Friday)

The theme is "Banned But Not Gone: all asbestos causes cancer"

It will take place at Layden House, 76-86 Turnmill Street, London EC1M 5LG.

Agenda 

Release Doves at 10: 40 outside Farringdon tube near Cross Rail site.

Speakers
Philip Lewis Chair London Hazards asbestos group opening remarks
Tony Lennon, SERTUC President
Gail Cartmail Assistant General Secretary UNITE
International Speaker from USA, Linda Reinstein, President & CEO ADAO Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization
Q&A

Lunch 12:15 to 1:15
Refreshments provided by Leigh Day
Mavis Nye and Janice Allen mesothelioma cases
Harminder Bains, Partner Leigh Day
Julie Winn Pattinson & Brewer Solicitors
Dave Fisher Thompsons Solicitors

Q&A Motion "this meeting of the London Asbestos Group supports and signs up to the Asbestos Victims Charter for Justice" to be moved by Philip Lewis

Closing remarks by Pete Farrell, Chair London Hazard Trust Board.

Hat tip Phil (and Lenin). In 2013 as a local Councillor and trade union safety rep, I spoke at the action day which was held in Stratford Town Hall.

Action Mesothelioma Day Friday 5th July - HOPE

This lunchtime I was at the historic Old Town Hall in Stratford, E15 to help mark "Action Mesothelioma Day".

In the court yard people had gathered to mark the release of white doves as "tributes of love and embrace" to the relatives of all those who have died from asbestos related diseases.

I was asked by London Hazards as a local Newham Councillor to say a few words to the ceremony.  I said that I was a Labour Councillor but also an UNISON safety rep. I worked as a Housing officer in a large 1960s/1970s estate in nearby Tower Hamlets where until recently 90% of homes contained some form of asbestos.

This makes you think of the safety of the workers who first built this estate, those who have since maintained it and the residents who have lived in it.

This commemoration service was not only about obtaining justice and compensation for the many victims of asbestos and their families but also about how we must all argue for a different economic and political society that would not allow the health of future generations to be only second best to profit.

Next I helped out to release the doves - this was very beautiful and moving.

Tony O'Brien chaired the seminar that followed with first speaker Peter Williams pointing out that Newham and Barking had the worse death rates from Mesothelioma in Greater London. This was due to the traditional heavy industries located in East London but it was not only workers in these factories, building sites and docks who were exposed but their neighbours and even children in local schools.

There was a brave message of HOPE by Anne who is a mesothelioma sufferer, that with early diagnostic & good treatment you can have reasonable prognosis of a cure.  Anne wants everyone who knows they have been exposed to asbestos (which is probably all of us) to go for a CT scan as soon as they get any symptoms.

John McLean, GMB national safety officer reminded us that it was nonsense that no one knew asbestos was dangerous in the past. The first confirmed death from asbestos was nearly 100 years ago in Rochdale. The founder of the GMB was a local Labour MP (and before that West Ham Councillor) Will Thorne, who brought up the danger of asbestos in Parliament in the 1930s.

John also reported on the campaign for the removal all asbestos from public buildings & adequate "no fault" compensation for all victims. He told us about the promising research in the USA on treatment for mesothelioma.   This is early but great news for victims it also will help change attitudes to mesothelioma I think if the public understand it is not an automatic death sentence (if caught early and you receive good treatment).

Asbestos regulations are up for review this year but John thinks that the regulations are currently okay but need to take into account inadvertent exposure to the public.

UPDATE: LHC have published my account here with more photos of whole event by Joe Syz which I have copied the first one showing the release of the Doves.

National Action Mesothelioma Day - Friday 5 July Stratford Town Hall

Friday 5th JULY 2013
"You are invited to attend a commemorative event at 12:30pm to remember all those who have died and who are suffering because of asbestos
Speakers
Peter Williams Head of Asbestos and personal injury,
Field, Fisher, Waterhouse
John McClean GMB National Safety Officer

There will be a release of doves, at 1pm, followed by a short seminar, and a buffet will be provided.
The event is organised by London Hazards Centre and East London Mesothelioma Support, ELMS.
All invited but please RSVP to margaretsharkey@lhc.org.uk

5 facts about asbestos

1 Asbestos is a known human carcinogen and there is no safe level
of asbestos exposure.
2 54 countries have banned asbestos. The UK finally banned all types
of asbestos in 1999.
3 Asbestos fibers can cause asbestosis, lung, and gastrointestinal
cancers, and an aggressive cancer called mesothelioma. The average
life expectancy of a mesothelioma patient is six – twelve months.
4 Asbestos-caused diseases have a 10 – 50 year latency period from
initial exposure to development of disease.
5 The World Health Organisation estimates that 107,000 workers
die annually from exposure to asbestos. And in the UK over
3,200 die from mesothelioma each year according to HSE"

Workers Memorial Day – take part in UNISON’s one minutes silence at 12 noon Thursday 26 April

International Workers' Memorial Day (IWMD) takes place around the world on 28 April each year, with many wearing the purple forget-me-knot ribbon.
  

The day and the ribbon are about remembering those who have died, been injured or made ill by their work, and about renewing our demand for safe and healthy work to protect those who are still working.
   

In the UK, work 'accidents' cause up to 1,600 deaths a year. These include work-related suicide, road accidents while driving for work, and members of the public killed by someone else’s work. There are up to a further 50,000 deaths from work-related illnesses, including cancers, respiratory illnesses and heart disease. Figures for non-fatal injuries and ill-health caused by work are far greater. The numbers behind Worker’s Memorial Day.



This year, IWMD falls on a Saturday, so UNISON is supporting the TUC call for a Day of Action on Health and Safety.  If not at work on Saturday 28 April, many UNISON members will also want to organise something at work to mark IWMD just before.
   

You could consider organising something at work for the Friday or Thursday. UNISON's national health and safety committee will be holding a minute's silence at 12 noon when it meets on Thursday 26 April.

 

UNISON staff across the UK will also be taking part in this minute’s silence. Why not join us?



London Hazards Centre

In May London Councils are discussing principles and priorities for 2012/15 with a view to commissioning  in summer 2012.  The centre provides health and safety advice and training, the branch is affiliated.  Stewards may wish to write to their local authority urging the London Councils to continue commissioning the health and safety advice work from London Hazards. (Hat tip UNISON Housing Association Branch).

London Hazards Asbestos Conference 2011

"London Hazards Asbestos Conference is taking place at The Abbey Centre, 34 Great Smith Street, Westminster SW1P 3BU on Friday 18^th November 2011 at 10am.

The conference is aimed at establishing and developing networks to support asbestos victims in Greater London. The conference will develop a strategy to raise awareness among London communities of all the dangers and look at advances in treatments for asbestos diseases; the latest developments in legal remedies if damage results from negligence.

Speakers include:

Andy Slaughter – MP, Labour Party Shadow Justice Minister

Gail Cartmail – Unite National Construction Secretary

Simon Hester – HSE Construction Inspector London and Prospect

William Cambell – Chair London Boroughs Asbestos Group

Michael Lees – Campaign Against Asbestos in SChools

Lisa Booth – HASAG Support Group

Ian McFall – Thompsons Solicitors

Steve Sadley – Asbestos Removal Contractors Association

Tony O’Brien – Construction Safety Campaign

Booking fee is £20 (includes refreshments) – free to victims and family members. Places are limited and early booking is strongly advised.

Download the booking form here: Asbestos Booking Form 18 Nov 2011

For the full program, contact Michael Dooley via email on michaeldooley@lhc.org.uk or on 0207 358 0322".