| 2010 Conference Information | UKNWSN Word® version | UKNWSN PDF version | 21st Hazards conference | 12th EWHN Conference |
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What's New 24.06.10
Downing Street Petition on Mental Health
You may recall that a petition was set up with a view to changing the existing Health and Safety at Work legislation to ensure that Stress is put on an even playing field to physical injuries, it read;
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to To amend the current Health & Safety Reporting Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurance Regulations to include injury to mental health.
However, this message has appeared on the Downing Street website;
With a new Government in place a review is taking place of online services, including e-petitions. We are committed to improving the e-petitions process and are looking at ways of ensuring that it functions as part of a cohesive approach to public debate and transparent government. A full announcement on how we plan to use these and other services across Government will be made as soon as this important work is completed.
Existing e-petitions, submitted to the previous administration, will not be carried forward to the new administration as part of this process. E-petitions that were live at the time of the election announcement on 6 April, when the e-petitions system was suspended, will therefore not be reopened for signatures. We will respond to e-petitions that had exceeded the 500 signature threshold as of 6 April 2010.
We will welcome resubmission on issues of concern to the improved e-petitions system when it is launched later in 2010.
Needless to say the petition will be re-submitted as soon as the site re-opens. Thank you to everyone who took the time to sign the original petition, let's make our voice heard.
Lord Young on Health & Safety Law, and what went wrong
In this article published in the Telegraph Lord Young claims every letter he has had has been in favour of the review of Health & Safety. He writes;
I was making the rounds of the television studios following the announcement of my review of Britain's health and safety laws, when an email arrived from an old friend. She had taken her son to an exhibition centre in London to see a client's stand, and was told that children were not allowed because they run around and hurt themselves. Her son was five weeks old, carried in a sling; still, they refused to let her enter, citing healthy and safety rules. What makes apparently sensible people lose all common sense like this?
When it comes to health and safety, many people lose all sense of proportion.....
You can help by expressing your opinion to Lord Young by writing to him at this address;
Lord Young,
Lord Young Review Team,
Department of Work and Pensions,
Level 6
Caxton House,
Tothill Street,
London,
SW1H 9DA
Europe: Stress hurts workers, but so what?
Taken from TUC Risks 460 12.06.10
Most European company bosses are aware of serious stress problems in their workplaces, but most opt to do nothing concrete about it. New data from the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work (EU-OSHA) shows 79 per cent of European managers are concerned by work-related stress, but less than a third of companies have set procedures to deal with it. Employee involvement is crucial to successful interventions, Europe's largest ever health and safety survey concluded. Commenting on its 'European Survey of Enterprises on New and Emerging Risks' (ESENER) findings, EU-OSHA director Jukka Takala told a Barcelona conference: 'With the financial crisis in full swing, 79 per cent of European managers voice their concern about stress at work, which is already recognised as an important burden on European productivity. But despite the high levels of concern, it is clearly worrying that only 26 per cent of EU organisations have procedures in place to deal with stress. The ESENER survey highlights the importance of providing effective support for enterprises to tackle stress, which will be crucial in ensuring we have the healthy productive workforce needed to boost European economic performance and competitiveness.' The survey found 42 per cent of management representatives consider it more difficult to tackle psychosocial risks, compared with other safety and health issues. Workplaces with employee participation are much more likely to see successful health and safety measures implemented. The survey found 84 per cent of companies with formal on-site employee representation have an occupational safety and health (OSH) policy or action plan, compared to only 71 per cent of companies without formal representation. Measures to deal with psychosocial risks such as violence, stress and bullying are applied about twice as frequently by enterprises consulting their employees than by those designing interventions without the participation of employees.
How to survive workplace stress in the recession
This article appeared in the Guardian on Monday 17 May. The sub heading sttes that Stress is on the rise, due to the recession. Emine Saner hears how to survive job insecurity, huge workloads and those very long hours
A small extract from the article reads
"Last year, a survey of 39,000 people by the business psychology company Robertson Cooper found that a quarter had struggled into work despite being physically ill. "You're ill, but go to work anyway because you're frightened of not going to work," says Cary Cooper, co-founder of the company and professor of Organisational Psychology and Health at Lancaster University. "Britain has the longest working hours in Europe by far," he adds. "People are turning up to work earlier and staying later because they're frightened to death that they could be vulnerable to job loss. And that is very bad for us."
To read the full article please visit the Guardian website
Subsidised Health & Safety Training
HSE in association with a third party training provider, Premier Partnership, are offering two new heavily subsidised or free health and safety training courses to help organisations achieve the potential benefits associated with a collaborative approach to health and safety at work (lower accident rates, increased productivity, efficiency and quality). The following courses are available:
- HSE subsidised introduction to worker involvement for health and safety representatives course to help organisations get started with worker involvement where 75% funding is available, or;
- HSE funded joint training courses for managers and health and safety reps to improve existing arrangements for involving workers where 100% funding is available.
For more infomrmation please follow this link
TUC Safety Reps Survey 2010
This is the eighth TUC survey of Safety Reps. It is designed to provide the TUC and individual unions with information about who safety reps are, and what their experiences and needs are. To view the documents in full, in print format or in text-only format please follow this link to the TUC website.
Stress research and statistics
If you want some official background stats on workplace stress, or a quick look at the HSE research on the topic, then your task has just got a bit easier. The HSE has produced a dedicated Work related stress research and statistics webpage
New Information from the HSE
Prove to your senior management that tackling stress is important. Read more about the business, moral and legal case.
A new case study to learn from The Blackpool Way, an initiative that helped one NHS Trust reduce work related stress by 40%
What is the legal position for work related stress? Find out in the new Frequently Asked Questions Section
Easy access conference information
To make it easier for you to access conference information we have added the row of buttons at the top of the page. These will lead you straight to the information or booking forms for each event.
12th EWHN Conference
The Conference will explore the impact of the global recession on work environments and occupational health and safety, bringing together workers, labour representatives, health and safety representatives, scientists and occupational health and safety professionals to meet, to exchange knowledge and experiences, and together to develop new strategies for better occupational environments in Europe and throughout the world.
The conference will include plenary sessions, visits to meet worker health and safety representatives and see their workplaces, in depth workshop sessions and shorter information meetings. The conference will also discuss the global nature of the current financial crisis and the increasing globalisation of health and safety risks. Please see the conference website for details.
Teaching stresses leave staff 'suicidal'
This article is taken from TUC Risks 451, 10 April 2010
The pressures piled on teachers are so severe some staff have considered suicide, research for the union NASUWT has found. Its survey found a lack of support from schools and their management teams was leading to stress, burnout and depression. The survey report, based on interviews with teachers and school managers, reveals teachers that are suffering from a range of stress related symptoms including heart palpitations, lack of sleep, eating problems and depression. The stress was caused by factors including bullying school management, a 'tick-box culture', targets and difficult pupils, the survey found. NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates said: 'This hard-hitting report is designed to put the spotlight on the issue of mental health which is often swept under the carpet. Teaching is widely recognised as one of the most stressful occupations but a healthy workforce is central to delivering healthy outcomes for pupils.' She added: 'The research commissioned by the NASUWT highlights the need for access to support, counselling and specific health interventions for the workforce. The research also confirms the need to tackle the root causes of stress in schools, such as the impact of the high-stakes accountability regime on the wellbeing of school leaders, teachers and other staff.' The 2009 conference of teaching union NUT heard teachers in England and Wales have a 40 per cent greater risk of suicide than the general population (Risks 410). And a 2008 report from the trade union safety journal Hazards documented a series of cases of teachers taking their own lives as a result of overwork and stress.
Annual Conference 2010
Stress Prevention to secure an effective workplace
Saturday, 27th and Sunday, 28th November 2010
What does your employer do to prevent stress?
In November 09, NICE [the National Institute for Clinical Excellence] published a report on Mental Wellbeing at Work, acknowledging the importance of the interaction between the working environment, the nature of the work and the individual.
"Work has an important role in promoting mental wellbeing. It is an important determinant of self-esteem and identity. It can provide a sense of fulfillment and opportunities for social interaction. For most people, work provides their main source of income.
Work can also have negative effects on mental health, particularly in the form of stress.
Working environments that pose risks for mental and physical well-being put high demands on a person without giving them sufficient control and support to manage those demands. A perceived imbalance between the effort required and the rewards of the job can lead to stress. A sense of injustice and unfairness arising from management processes or personal relationships can also increase stress and risks to mental health. Other stressful conditions include physical factors such as material hazards, noise, dust and dirt."
ALL employers including Directors, Managers at all levels and workers themselves have a duty of care not to create high levels of stress. Failure to prevent a high-stress climate in the workplace should lead to enforcement and prosecution. Prevention is central to success. Cures are too late and ineffective.
To read further details and book yourself a place on this important conference please download a booking form, either in Microsoft Word® or Adobe Acrobat® PDF version
See what happened in the 2009 Conference
The UKNWSN Annual Conference 2009 was held at the Hillscourt Conference centre in Rednal, near Birmingham over the weekend of November 21st/22nd 2009. Conference material and reports are available on the 2009 conference page.
The 21st National Hazards Conference
Hazards 2010 Hazards Conference, organised by the national Hazards Campaign, is the biggest educational and campaigning event for trade union safety reps and activists, and we have places for 500 delegates. The conference is a mixture of speakers, plenary sessions, campaigning meetings and a comprehensive workshop programme. There is plenty of opportunity to network, make new contacts and exchange experience and information on H&S issues. Exhibitors include trade unions, campaign organisations, PI solicitors and the HSE.
However the political landscape changes following the election prior to Hazards 2010, we already know that changes are inevitable. The cost of bailing out the banks and bankers means we will all have to pay the price. The desperate need for the State to cut expenditure may well focus on easy targets like the HSE and impact on other public sector regulators. So whichever party is in government by the time Hazards 2010 takes place, we know we will have a fight on our hands. The Tories have already indicated they think "elf and safety has gorn mad" and they want to deregulate by tearing up H&S laws, allow employers to self-regulate and to refuse entry to inspectors. We must be prepared to challenge both government and employers. The statutory H&S framework must remain in place, we must defend enforcement funding as a minimum and we have to continue the fight against unsafe and unhealthy workplace conditions. So join us to debate these and other health & safety issues, network and share experiences, attend meetings and workshop sessions, and help to build our campaign for effective action and workplace organisation
The conference venue is Keele University in Staffordshire, just outside Newcastle-under-Lyme. There is ample on-site car parking, and Stoke-on-Trent railway station (on the West Coast mainline) is a 20 minute bus ride. You can obtain more information from the Keele University website
The absolute deadline for applications is Friday 18th June 2010. Choose 2 workshops plus reserve and keynote meeting from the list, organise your delegate fee, complete the registration form, and send it together with your cheque payable to Hazards 2010 for the appropriate delegate fee, to the address on the form. Please do this as soon as possible, as the maximum number of 500 cannot be exceeded.
To obtain more information and a booking form visit the Hazards Campaign website. The form can be downloaded and completed to send back to the organisers
Health for Work Adviceline for Small Business
There is a nerw service that has been launched, the free Health for Work Adviceline for Small Business which helps you to quickly and effectively address the issue of employee health, minimise the impact of staff illness, and provide essential support to staff with physical or mental health issues.
The case for Directors Duties
This briefing outlines the TUC's case for a legal duty on directors and calls on the government to change the law to ensure that all directors are legally responsible for health and safety failings.
In 2000 the Government published its strategy on health and Safety 'Revitalising Health and Safety. One of the planks of the strategy was the need for greater corporate responsibility and a review of the role of directors. The strategy called for two things. Firstly that the HSE develop a code of practice on Director's responsibilities and secondly that 'The Health and Safety Commission will also advise ministers on how the law would need to be changed to make these responsibilities statutory so that Directors and responsible persons of similar status are clear about what is expected of them in their management of health and safety. It is the intention of ministers, when parliamentary time allows, to introduce legislation on these responsibilities.'
Since then we have had the voluntary guidance (twice in fact) but, almost ten years after the strategy was launched, we are still awaiting the promised legislation. The Health and Safety Commission did in fact discuss the issue but were unable to reach a consensus on how to change the law. While the other plank of corporate responsibility finally because law last year nothing has happened in respect of a legal duties on directors.
The issue has not however gone away. In addition to calls for action from trade unions and victim support groups, many safety professionals and safety journals have backed the call for legislation. In July 2009 the independent inquiry into construction, chaired by Rita Donaghy, recommended 'that there should be positive duties on directors to ensure good health and safety management through a framework of planning, delivering, monitoring and reviewing'. Four days later the Work and Pensions Select Committee also called for a legal duty on directors to be introduced as soon as possible
Analysing stress in the workplace
This link will take you to an article in the HR Review newsletter How pro-active management can reduce stress levels and sickness absence. by Clive James, Training Development Manager, St John Ambulance.
The nation's stress levels have continued to increase this year with the tough economic climate being a major factor. In Britain work-related stress, depression or anxiety already accounts for approximately 11.4 million reported lost working days per year with 415,000 individuals believing they are experiencing workplace stress at a level that is making them ill. Let's not confuse stress with a little bit of 'healthy tension' which can often encourage better performance
Lone Working, a Guide for Safety Representatives
The TUC have published A guide for safety representatives to lone working. This useful document covers such subjcts as
- The legal position
- Risk assessment
- Dynamic risk assessment
- Violence
- Working in remote areas
- Home working
- What can safety representatives do?
- Further information
and gives examples to help illustrate the topics.
NHS Plus - Health for Work Adviceline for Small Business
On 07 December 2009, the Health for Work Adviceline for Small Business was launched as part of the Government's initiative to help people stay in work or return to work more quickly when they develop a health condition or impairment. It will run as a pilot programme lasting until at least 2011.
The adviceline gives small business owners and managers easy access to high quality professional advice tailored to their need for help with employee health and well-being issues. This support will help businesses retain staff and assist employees back to work after sickness absence.
Prominent organisations, including ACAS and BusinessLink, have already given their commitment to help. We at the UK National WorkStress Network are proud to be asked to participate in publicising this website and we will keep you informed of further developments.
We thought you might like to read what the Health for Work Adviceline for Small Business is all about. Please visit the Department of Health web page announcing the Adviceline which introduces the background to what it will provide.
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Trauma Risk Management
The police service is a very tense, high impact service, which constantly exposes officers to high pressure situations that require spontaneous responses. The outcome from these pressures is not always obvious to the forces or the individual and can come to the fore at any time. With the ever increasing financial demands on the service, there is a need to consider and continue investment in people's health, safety and wellbeing.
The information contained in this newly published booklet is not meant as a medical diagnostic tool, but a starting point for guidance only, for those who have been exposed to stressful or traumatic situations. It has been compiled by the Police Federation of England and Wales with the assistance of various professional organisations.
Fit for Work Service
To help support people to stay in or return to work more quickly when they develop a health condition or impairment, the Government has committed to help support local areas develop Fit for Work Services (FFWS) and to robustly evaluate them, in a programme of piloting lasting until at least 2011.
Further to an open and competitive selection process, Andy Burnham, Secretary of State for Health and Yvette Cooper, Secretary of State for Department of Work and Pensions, have announced the first Fit for Work Pilots:
NHS LifeCheck Website
The national NHS LifeCheck stakeholder website is now live at www.lifecheckers.co.uk. The new website is a one-stop shop for stakeholders, providing news, resources and information to use in communications activities for all NHS LifeCheck products. www.lifecheckers.co.uk. contains a wide range of information, covering everything from the latest news and events through to press materials and case studies. The site also features a support section and a list of useful contacts to guide stakeholders to further help.
Updated regularly, www.lifecheckers.co.uk. gives stakeholders the most recent and accurate information on NHS LifeCheck products and the progress the Department of Health and its partners are making in promoting their use. So if you want to find out more information about NHS LifeCheck; access marketing materials or toolkits; find out answers to your questions or want to showcase and share the work your team has achieved, visit www.lifecheckers.co.uk..
New website for the IAWBH
Dear Colleagues
It is with great pleasure that I am able to announce the commencement of our website for the International Association on Workplace Bullying and Harassment, it is on www.iawbh.org or www.iawbh.com Please add our site into your favourites and join up! The site can accept payment of dues from today and you will need a credit or debit card to pay dues. This will interest those who want to go to the IAWBH conference in Cardiff in 2010. Details of the conference can be found at the website http://www.bullying2010.com/. Please do join us in Cardiff!
This is the first edition of the site and it will be further developed in the future.
The first newsletter of the International Association of Workplace Bullying and Harassment (IAWBH) has been published. You can view and download a copy by following this link
Medical referrals in employment - Is the Doctor appropriately qualified?
Many union representatives will wish to ensure that those who are giving medical advice to either employees or employers on occupational health issues are suitable qualified. This short guide for employees and their representatives outlines the various qualifications that occupational health doctors may have and what they mean. Visit this link to view the documents in full, in print format or in text-only format.
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