HEALTH AND SAFETY

HEALTH AND SAFETY LAW . WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Dear Colleagues,

At recent 375 User Groups we have raised the problem of the difference in the positions of drivers’ seats in 3,6 & 7 series 375s and 8 & 9 series.
Taller drivers have noticed that they are sitting nearer to the desk on the newer stock and in some cases having to twist to one side to drive.

Management have now conceded that there is a difference but now wants to know how widespread the problem is.

They have asked me to get a list of drivers that are having problems.

Southern drivers have also complained about shorter drivers not being able to reach the Drivers Vigilance Device without perching on the edge of the seats but I have not heard of any problems on our side.

Can you ask around about this as well?

Many thanks in advance…

Steve Gurdler

H&S Rep

Faversham

HSE NEWS

THE HSE STRESS WEB PAGE

Families Against Corporate Killing

Labour Leadership Challenger Dismisses Corporate Manslaughter Bill as cop-out and calls for backbench parliamentary campaign to force amendments
The House of Commons is today debating the first stage of the legislative process for the Government's Corporate Manslaughter Bill. This legislation was promised by Labour in opposition and has appeared in each of its election manifestos since 1997.

John McDonnell MP, challenger for the Labour leadership, who has campaigned for the Bill for a number of years said:

"After 9 years, two detailed consultations and a strong campaign within the Labour movement the Government is finally presenting a Bill to Parliament.

"The overwhelming view of the TUC and the campaigning organisations is that the current proposals in the Government's Bill are utterly ineffective and so weak that the CBI approvingly describes it as "sensible".

"This is an absolute cop-out. The Bill must be significantly amended if it is to be of any use in bringing corporate killers to justice and if it is to help prevent further deaths at work."

"The Government needs to takes note that the legislation in its present toothless form is unacceptable to the Labour movement and we shall be doing everything in our power to ensure that the Government fulfils the promise made in three election manifestos and to the trade union movement in the Warwick Agreement that we would legislate against corporate killing."

Union anger at reduced fine for Hatfield firm - 5 Jul 2006

Keith Norman, the general secretary of train drivers union ASLEF said that there was ‘no justice’ in today’s decision by the Court of Appeal to reduce by a quarter the £10 million fine imposed on Balfour Beatty for its culpability in the October 2000 Hatfield rail crash.


‘How are the families of the four people who died or the 102 people injured supposed to feel about this decision?’ Keith demanded. ‘Many of these people will both physically and mentally carry scars for their entire lives.

‘In a more progressive country Balfour Beatty would have lost their licence to operate. The reduction in the fine is a poor reflection on our legal system when the price of human life is dealt with in this way. At ASLEF our thoughts today are with the families of the bereaved and injured who must feel grossly insulted by this decision.’

The company had admitted breaching the Health and Safety at Work Act – but argued that it should have its fine reduced because it pleaded guilty.

‘They pleaded guilty because everyone knew they were guilty,’ Keith said. ‘This was nothing moral or ethical about their admission: they were caught and deserve to pay for their crime.’

Get safe, get organised Union workplaces are safer, healthier places for a reason – because union organisation keeps them that way. If unions are going to effectively fight hazards, then they should first know both the arguments and know their strength.
Get safe, get organised, Hazards 92, November 2005