Health and safety

• Campaigns

Recruitment Material Does Your Work Make You Sick? - leaflet for potential members Download Acrobat PDF UNISON Members Need Health and Safety Reps - for safety rep recruitment Download Acrobat PDF Safety reps recruitment poster Download Acrobat PDF

European Health and Safety Week and UNISON's National Inspection Day 2003

The theme for this year is "dangerous substances" and will include: the hierarchy of control, substitution, toxic use reduction strategies, and key hazards such as asbestos, asthmagens (which are asthma causing), carcinogens (cancer causing), dermatitis, and solvents. UNISON branches may wish to focus on a substance which is of particular concern in their workplaces, may be even passive smoking.

2003 will be the fourth year that UNISON has promoted it's National Inspection Day Campaign. The aim is to encourage UNISON safety reps to carry out their legal right to inspect workplaces for health and safety problems, and improve upon those figures which show that a workplace with union safety reps is twice as safe as a workplace without. Safety reps are encouraged to carry out inspections according to the theme of the Week or on a health and safety risk which is a pressing concern at the work area/s in which they represent.

The Week takes place from Monday 13 - Sunday 19 October and UNISON's National Inspection Day fall on Wednesday 15 October.

UNISON has produced numerous materials for the Week for safety reps and branches - see below.

At the launch of this year's free Health and Safety Week Pack from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the then Health and Safety Minister Nick Brown urged employers using hazardous chemicals to look at ways with their workers and their [union] reps, of preventing ill-health. The pack is aimed at those organising events for the Week, and includes a newsletter, stickers, factsheets, leaflets, and a poster. To get a copy phone the HSE on: 0800 0850050 or order or download online at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/euroweek As usual, all participants will be able to enter the HSE Health and Safety Week awards.

What can your Branch achieve by taking part?

UNISON is keen for branches to also use the week to get their employers to focus on the issue of asbestos. Employers must assess the risk of exposure, and from May 2004, those in control of premises will have to take positive steps to audit for asbestos in their buildings and implement a proper plan to deal with the risk.

There are many reasons why your branch should be involved, including making members' work safer by negotiating new safety procedures or identifying risks during workplace inspections. It is also a good recruiting and organising tool. Your branch and UNISON will be seen as active and achieving on health and safety, one of the main reasons why workers join unions. In past years UNISON branches have reported success in signing up new members and getting current members active. So why not speak to your branch health and safety officer and make sure that your branch is involved.

UNISON materials for the Week and Inspection Day

On Asbestos

Asbestos Information Sheet
Asbestos Bulletin
Asbestos checklist poster
Stop is Asbestos Here? - A4 sheet of stickers
Asbestos Poster and Stickers Bulletin

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On workplace Health & Safety inspections

Health and Safety Inspections at Work
Health and Safety Inspection Report Form (Acrobat PDF)
National Inspection Day/Health and Safety Week 2003 Poster
Draft inspection letter to employers (Acrobat PDF)
Draft inspection notice to members (Acrobat PDF)

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For Hazardous Substances (General)

• use the search engine at our health & safety section
• have a look at our Health and Safety Publications Information Sheet
• and/or the UNISON Publicity Catalogue

New - Asthma Information Sheet
Cancer information sheet
Caring for Cleaning Staff - safety rep guide (Acrobat PDF)
Caring for Cleaning Staff - pamphlet for members and non-members (Acrobat PDF)
Dermatitis at Work - safety rep guide (Acrobat PDF)
Dermatitis information sheet
Gloves information sheet
New - Hazardous Substances information sheet
Hazardous substances at work (Acrobat PDF)
Legionnaires information sheet
Leptospirosis
MRSA
Needlesticks
Radon information sheet
Risk Assessment - safety rep guide (Acrobat PDF)
Smoking at work information sheet
TB information sheet

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Other useful materials

The Health and Safety Executives free Action Pack for the Week includes: a newsletter, posters, stickers, factsheets, and other general information. To order or download a copy and for further information go to www.hse.gov.uk/euroweek

There is also a European Health and Safety Week website at osha.eu.int/ew2003 which also has further information and materials.

For further ideas on what to do have a look at UNISON branch activities in previous years. The following back issues of Health and Safety Organiser all contain examples of what branches have done to take part in the Week in previous years:
Feb 2003 - Issue 25
Dec 2002 - Issue 24
Oct 2002 - Issue 23
April 2002 - Issue 20
Feb 2002 - Issue 19
Dec 2001 - Issue 18
Sept 2001 - Issue 16 (Acrobat PDF)

If you are a UNISON branch health and safety officer or unison workplace safety rep and don't receive Health and Safety Organiser, see Health & Safety Organiser - How to get it!

Advice for health workers