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News Archive
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UCATT Warns Housing Maintenance Workers To Be Vigilant Of Dirty Needles
Construction union UCATT has warned workers involved in housing maintenance to be vigilant for dirty needles, in order to avoid possible needlestick injuries, when entering or working on properties.
Several UCATT regions have reported concerns that the health and safety of members could be potentially placed at risk. In some extreme cases anti-social tenants have booby-trapped light switches and sockets with needles. While in other cases workers who have been involved in cleaning and refurbishing empty properties have suffered needlestick injuries when clearing rubbish.
The main physical risk from a needlestick injury is the danger of being exposed to a blood borne disease such as Hepatitis (B or C) or HIV. These diseases remain relatively rare and the risk of infection is low. People who suffer needlestick injuries can suffer serious mental anguish as it takes considerable time before they can receive the all clear that they have not contracted a serious illness.
UCATT are urging local authorities, housing associations and other maintenance companies to develop training and guidance to ensure that the potential danger from needlestick injuries is kept to an absolute minimum. This advice should include what to do if a needlestick injury should occur.
Alan Ritchie, General Secretary of construction union UCATT, said: “Workers who experience needlestick injuries can experience devastating psychological consequences as well as the genuine threat of infection. It is imperative that all companies whose workers could potentially be exposed to dirty needles provide training to minimise potential injuries. If an injury should occur it is essential that the company provides advice and counselling to the affected worker.”
Further advice on needlestick injuries is provided on the health and safety section of the UCATT website at: http://www.ucatt.info/content/blogcategory/17/28/
For Further information contact Barckley Sumner on 0780 2329235
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Carlisle Housing Chief Must Be Sacked For Asbestos Cover-Up
Construction union UCATT has called for the sacking of the managing director of Carlisle Housing Association, after a BBC Programme revealed that its workers and tenants had been needlessly exposed to asbestos.
On Wednesday October 7 the BBC Inside Out North East programme revealed that workers and tenants of Carlisle Housing Association had potentially been exposed to harmful asbestos.
Problems included: workers drilling into asbestos being refused masks, a failure to supply the appropriate protective clothing, a failure to train the workforce and that the housing association was not safely disposing of hazardous materials.
When asked by the BBC interviewer why workers had been exposed to asbestos Patrick Leonard the Managing Director of Carlisle Housing Association, blamed them for the risks they faced. He said: “the employee has shared responsibility with the manager for health and safety…..The responsibility is on both sides, it is shared responsibility.”
Alan Ritchie, general secretary of UCATT, said: “Patrick Leonard’s comments are absolutely disgraceful. Workers and tenants are left fearing for their health and he has the audacity to try to absolve himself from blame. His position is entirely untenable and he must be replaced immediately.”
The problems with Carlisle Housing Association once again focus attention on the serious problems which regularly occur when councils remove housing from their democratic control.
Mr Ritchie added: “We are increasingly becoming aware that senior managers in housing associations, ALMO’s and other privatised social housing organisations are prepared to risks workers lives during asbestos removal work. These problems would not occur under traditional local authority control”
Last month several senior managers at St Ledger Homes in Doncaster (the council’s outsourced housing arm) were either sacked or suspended after it was found they had allowed unprotected contractors to remove asbestos from properties, potentially placing workers and council tenants at risk.
UCATT is also deeply concerned about the revelations that after complaints about Carlisle Housing Association were made to the Health and Safety Executive the body failed to properly investigate the serious concerns of workers and tenants.
Instead of fully investigating the issue, the HSE limited their investigation to simply talking to management and then giving the association a clean bill of health.
Mr Ritchie further added: “There has been a huge loss of confidence in the HSE. It is their role to ensure that workers health is not placed at risk. The failure to hold a credible investigtation into what are potentially very serious health concerns has meant that our members in Carlisle have no confidence in that body. An urgent inquiry is needed into how they conducted this investigation.”
Breathing in asbestos causes a number of serious medical conditions. Last year over 2,000 people died from mesothelioma, an incurable form of lung cancer caused by asbestos.
For Further information contact Barckley Sumner on 0780 2329235
BBC Inside Out North East can be watched at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/insideout/content/articles/2008/10/06/north_east_asbestos_s14_w4_feature.shtml
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Asbestos Activists Take Campaign To Cabinet Ministers’ Constituencies
Tomorrow (July 18) members of construction union UCATT and other asbestos activists will take their campaign for justice for pleural plaque sufferers directly to the seats of two prominent Cabinet ministers.
The two constituencies being targeted are the Barrow-in-Furness seat of Business Secretary John Hutton, which has the highest rate of asbestos deaths in England and the South Shields constituency of Foreign Secretary David Miliband, which has the fourth highest number of asbestos related deaths in the United Kingdom.
The campaigners are disappointed that a recently published consultation paper on pleural plaques has said that the Government “is not minded” to overturn a Law Lords decision last October to deny pleural plaques victims compensation for their injuries.
UCATT campaigners will be in:
KING STREET
SOUTH SHIELDS
FROM 9.30am to 12pm
A separate group of UCATT activists will congregate in:
SPIRIT OF BARROW STATUE
DALTON ROAD
BARROW
11.45 onwards
Pleural plaques are scarring of the lung caused by heavy and prolonged exposure to asbestos. The scars become visible on x rays following calcification. Pleural plaques cause limited physical symptoms, however victims suffer severe mental distress. Pleural plaques sufferers have a greatly increased chance of contracting the incurable lung disease mesothelioma.
Compensation for pleural plaques is a relatively low financial amount. However if a pleural plaque victim then develops the fatal lung cancer mesothelioma, the relevant insurers will have already been identified, meaning that compensation will be paid in a victim’s lifetime. If the insurers have not already been identified this is unlikely to occur.
Last October the Law Lords overturned over 20 years of common law and ruled that pleural plaques should no longer be a compensational illness. Their decision is understood to be worth £1.4 billion to the insurance industry.
Since that judgement asbestos campaigners led by UCATT have been attempting to get the Government to overturn the House of Lords decision. UCATT organised a highly successful postcard campaign, with thousands of people writing to the Ministry of Justice to get the ban overturned.
Last Wednesday (July 9) the Government released a consultation document on pleural plaques. While UCATT was pleased that the Government was actively considering the issue, they were disappointed that the document says the “Government is not minded” to overturn the Law Lords decision. This potentially places the Government at odds with the Scottish Parliament, who have already brought forward a Bill to overturn the Law Lords judgement. UCATT fears that a postcode lottery could be created with pleural plaque victims in Scotland receiving full compensation, while those in England are given less recompense.
Rather than overturn the Law Lords the Government appears inclined to create a scheme for asbestos victims. Such a scheme would not identify liability and the most severe cases would not receive adequate recompense.
Alan Ritchie, general secretary of UCATT, said: “While I welcome that the Government is seriously examining this issue, it would be unfair and intolerable if pleural plaque victims north of the border received compensation, while those in England did not.”
The demonstrations in the Cabinet minister’s home constituencies, is likely to be just the first part of the union’s campaign to get the law Lords decision overturned in England and Wales. The seats of other Cabinet ministers are expected to be targeted before the consultation ends in October.
Last year other 2,000 people died of mesothelioma the figure is set to increase further in future.
For Further information on the South Shields activity contact Barckley Sumner on 0780 2329235 or John Scott or 0789 4414615
Or for Barrow contact Jim Kennedy on 07894414606 or George Guy or 0789 4414625
Activists will be available for interview and photocall
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Asbestos Activists Take Campaign To David Miliband’s Constituency
Members of construction union UCATT will this week extend their campaign to win justice for victims of pleural plaques by campaigning in the South Shields constituency of foreign secretary David Miliband.
South Shields has the highest number of asbestos deaths in the northeast and the fourth highest number in the United Kingdom. Many deaths were traditionally associated with shipbuilding and other heavy industries. Construction workers are now at greatest risk from asbestos, due to the material’s heavy usage in buildings.
UCATT campaigners will be in:
KING STREET
SOUTH SHIELDS
From 9.30am to 12pm
Pleural plaques are scarring of the lung caused by heavy and prolonged exposure to asbestos. The scars become visible on x rays following calcification. Pleural plaques cause limited physical symptoms, however victims suffer severe mental distress. Pleural plaques sufferers have a greatly increased chance of contracting the incurable lung disease mesothelioma.
Compensation for pleural plaques is a relatively low financial amount. However if a pleural plaque victim then develops the fatal lung cancer mesothelioma, the relevant insurers will have already been identified, meaning that compensation will be paid in a victim’s lifetime. If the insurers have not already been identified this is unlikely to occur.
Last October the Law Lords overturned over 20 years of common law and ruled that pleural plaques should no longer be a compensational illness. Their decision is understood to be worth £1.4 billion to the insurance industry.
Since that judgement asbestos campaigners led by UCATT have been attempting to get the Government to overturn the House of Lords decision. UCATT organised a highly successful postcard campaign, with thousands of people writing to the Ministry of Justice to get the ban overturned.
Last Wednesday (July 9) the Government released a consultation document on pleural plaques. While UCATT was pleased that the Government was actively considering the issue, they were disappointed that the document says the “Government is not minded” to overturn the Law Lords decision. This potentially places the Government at odds with the Scottish Parliament, who have already brought forward a Bill to overturn the Law Lords judgement. UCATT fears that a postcode lottery could be created with pleural plaque victims in Scotland receiving full compensation, while those in England are given less recompense.
Rather than overturn the Law Lords the Government appears inclined to create a scheme for asbestos victims. Such a scheme would not identify liability and the most severe cases would not receive adequate recompense.
In an attempt to place further pressure on the Government to overturn the Law Lords ruling, UCATT have decided to campaign in the seats of Cabinet Ministers where there is a high level of asbestos illness. On July 18 UCATT will be targeting the seats of David Milliband and also the Barrow-in-Furness constituency of business secretary John Hutton.
Alan Ritchie, general secretary of UCATT, said: “While I welcome that the Government is seriously examining this issue, it would be unfair and intolerable if pleural plaque victims north of the border received compensation, while those in England did not.”
Last year other 2,000 people died of mesothelioma the figure is set to increase further in future.
For Further information contact Barckley Sumner on 0780 2329235 or John Scott on 0789 4414615