CWU Leading The Way In Europe

"Our Union's safety representatives have had a dramatic, positive impact on safety at work."

Communication Workers Union (CWU) National Health and Safety Officer Dave Joyce was one of the key speakers at the recent European Conference on Workers Health and Safety Representatives in the EU Capital Brussels after being invited by the European Trades Union Congress and TUC to delivery a key speech and presentation to Trade Union delegates from the EU's 27 member states on the valuable impact and involvement of Safety Representatives in the UK Communications industry, how the Union is tackling manual hadling, musculoskeletal injuries in Royal Mail and has campaigned on Safety Reps legal rights and Corporate Manslaughter.

Musculoskeletal disorders are the most common, work-related health problem in Europe, affecting millions of workers and this was the theme for the European Agency’s Week for Safety and Health in 2007.

Dave spoke about the CWU's "Lighten the load" campaign focusing on Musculoskeletal disorders, how CWU campaiged on both the prevention side and the rehabilitation side - embracing prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders, and the retention, rehabilitation and reintegration of CWU members who have suffered, from Musculoskeletal disorders - preventing them from being forced out of their job after back and limb injuries. Copies of the CWU's "Lighten The Load Safe Working Guide to Postal Delivery Staff" proved to be in popular demand amongst the international delegates. 

Dave explained the crucial role played by dedicated CWU Safety Representatives and their contribution to accident reduction. He said "Our Union's safety representatives have had a dramatic, positive impact on safety at work.  Evidence from UK government research shows two key things; Firstly, the UK's Health and Safety Executive estimates that over 80% of injuries are a direct result of management failures. Secondly, that UK workplaces with trade union safety representatives and joint union-management safety committees have major injury rates less than half of those without." "in 2003, 40,000 accidents a year and ill health were costing Royal Mail £80 million pounds a year of which £40 million pounds was due to musculoskeletal injuries and the poorly introduced ‘Single Daily Delivery’ had made things worse. Those statistics have now significantly improved and the CWU and our Safety Representatives have played a key part in that but, he emphasised theres still a long way to go".

Dave also told delegates in Brussels that Royal Mail's low profile on Health & safety and ignoring workers health and safety concerns as Productivity took priority over Safety had lead to the Health and Safety Executive launching an investigation and a national 3 year workplace inspection programme into Royal Mail's Delivery operations which discovered a Poor safety culture and endemic mis-management of safety.

Dave explained to delegates that "we were now moving forward in the right direction with Royal Mail committed to work with the CWU, ensuring future Mail Delivery routes will have properly thought out, safe, workable solutions with route design playing a major part in dealing with weight on delivery, risk assessed, balanced with appropriate equipment provided and mail bag weights controlled. This should lead to a lowering of musculoskeletal injuries, stress and fatigue issues. CWU Safety Representatives should be fully involved in the assessment of delivery routes, ensuring health and safety compliance, monitoring and controls, looking at distance, workload, terrain, equipment, cumulative weight and breaks etc"

Dave also spoke about the successful Rehabilitation programme that Royal Mail with CWU support had initiated with three Rehabilitation Centres in London, Birmingham and Sheffield, running a Functional Restoration Programme to help workers with musculoskeletal conditions to return to work and normal function.

Dave concluded on the subject of the UK's new Corporate Manslaughter law which comes into force on 6 April by telling delegates that "the new law will be a wake up call for UK employers and the Trade Unions hope that this will send out a very powerful deterrent message to those employers who do not pay sufficient attention to their health and safety responsibilities and make companies and other organisations take health and safety more seriously than in the past and so help reduce accidents and ill health generally adding however that the job will only be completed when directors are made legally accountable and the penalties fit the crime."  

Marc Sapir Director of  Health and Safety Department at the ETUC's European Trade Union Institute for Health and Safety said "Preventive strategies and occupational health and safety policies have to be put into practice and renewed without let-up in workplaces. Safety Representatives and health and safety committees are key to implementing preventive strategies in workplaces. Dave Joyce gave a positive solid example of the CWU's strength and success in this area, taking action on musculoskeletal injuries. Dave's contribution drew the attention of the conference and generated a lot of interest and thought. The statistics across Europe are a timely reminder that health and safety at work, and accident prevention policies are still very much live issues that must be the focus of ongoing trade union strategies."

Royal Mail have this month published Accident Statistics for 2007-2008 confirming 16,656 accidents took place of which 31% were slips , trips and falls, 20% dog attacks, 18% lifting and handling, 9% Cycles and Vehicles and 22% other accidents. "that's bad enough said Dave but in our view theres a considerable level of under reporting because of problems with the new Electronic Accident Reporting system introduced a year ago and managers also not understanding their obligatons under RIDDOR".

Source: CWU