Blog Archive

An interesting article issued by the TUC states that a decision by the government to impose an 'employee interests' representative on the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) board who did not have the support of trade unions has led to serious concerns about the independence of the official safety watchdog. Their concern is that the government wants a 'compliant board' with no real emphasis on what...
[Read on about HSE's Independence Undermined by Government?]

The TUC has published a helpful downloadable document for employers regarding Health & Safety Inspections. They say that for or health and safety laws to be effective, employers must know that if they do not obey the law they could face prosecution. If you would like to download the guide visit the Health and Safety - Time for Change
[Read on about TUC - Time to Change bulletin: Health and Safety Inspections]

The TUC has held a conference recently, with some interesting key speakers. The thrust was about a "green is good for growth" and the belief that a low-carbon future can create sustainable growth. Ai Solutions supports this theory; we believe that as a country we need to make provision for the future of our children. We can do this is by re-thinking "how" we build, utilizing new technologies and...
[Read on about Green is Good For Growth]

We read an interesting article from the TUC regarding climate change. Their view is that although this inevitable there needs to be considerable investment to facilitate a 'Just Transition' for workers. A paper regarding a green future which details their five key principals of a just transition, is available fromA Green and Fair Future (PDF)
[Read on about TUC: Climate Change and a 'Just Transition']

The TUC are holding several events towards the end of this year, one which our readers may be interested in is the TUC Climate Change Conference: Green is Good for Growth which is being held at Congress House on October 23rd. To book your place visit www.tuc.org.uk/events
[Read on about TUC Event - Green Is Good For Growth]

A new report published in the safety journal Hazards Magazine stated that the government's insistence that workplace safety laws hold back the economy, and that safety enforcement is a diversion businesscould and should do without, is 'a cynical - and ultimately deadly - lie'. The report examines the government's safety strategy and notes: 'Your life just got a little bit cheaper. Safety regulati...
[Read on about Government Cannot Leave Safety to Businesses]

Around one in five workers over 55 regularly works from home, according to a TUC analysis of official figures published on Friday to mark National Work From Home Day, organised byWork Wise UK. The TUC analysis shows that the number of home workers has grown steadily during the past decade. For some time now technology has improved to the point that working from home is like 'working in the offic...
[Read on about TUC - Older 'Home' Workers]

It seems the tides have turned as workers take off less sick time. According to the published figures from the office of national statistics (ONS) there is less sickness absence than ever in the workplace. However, this has lead to 'presenteeisum' as staff are worried for their jobs. The downside of this has caused other problems as actual sickness is going on for longer as well as the issues reg...
[Read on about Absenteeiusm Vs Presenteeism]

The Unions are saying that bad stats and policies add up to deadly workplaces. The government safety strategy 'built on myth and dogma' is making the UK's workplaces more deadly, unions have warned. Unite have accused the government of hiding behind poor statistics, with workplace deaths 'underestimated by more than 800 per cent' in the official toll. Unite's general secretary Len McCluskey, spe...
[Read on about Workers at Greater Risk Due to Government Strategy]

The TUC have dismissed claims made by Downing Street, that UK businesses are in a 'stranglehold' of health and safety 'red tape' and compensation claims. TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber stated "It is clear that Downing Street does not have a clue about what life is like for the millions of ordinary people who work in shops, offices, schools, factories, call centres and other workplaces acros...
[Read on about TUC Versus Downing Street on Health & Safety]

We read an interesting article on the TUC web site recently on how unions make a difference to health and safety, what they term as 'the union effect'. They state that 150,000 trade union safety representatives make a difference because trade union involvement: Helps reduce injuries at work Leads to reductions in the levels of ill-health caused by work Encourages greater reporting of injurie...
[Read on about How Unions Make A Difference To Health & Safety]

Commenting on the launch of the government strategy for the future regulation of health and safety, TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: "Employers need to know that there is the possibility of a safety inspector visiting, otherwise there will be no incentive for them to ensure they are protecting their workers. "Removing proactive inspections from a large number of workplaces mean that em...
[Read on about Government's Safety Strategy "in no-one's interests"]

The TUC February newsletter reports that the government has been told that the UK version of a European Union-wide law on asbestos safety is illegally lax and must be amended. The UK legislation currently focuses on the measurement of exposure to asbestos and not enough on the how the material will be affected by the work itself, while the directive deals with both exposure and the material. TUC...
[Read on about UK Asbestos Law not up to EU Standard]

The TUC has stated that the way to reduce the number of people on long term sick leave is to prevent them from becoming sick in the first place. But they suggest that the cuts in the budgets of the Health and Safety Executive, and the fall in enforcement activity from local authority safety inspectors will mean more employers can get away with running unsafe and unhealthy workplaces. The TUC are...
[Read on about TUC: Government Cuts Will Affect Health, Safety & Sickness]