 |
|
|
|
Lack of Support For Health & Safety At Work Highlighted The GMB union has called on the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to investigate alarming statistics that were revealed in a report by The Observer. The report highlighted a significant rise in workplace-related health and safety incidents, sparking concerns about the well-being of workers across various sectors. According to the GMB, the figures indicate a troubling increase in injuries and fatalities, suggesting that employers might not be fulfilling their legal obligations to protect workers. The union described the situation as "shocking" and emphasized the urgent need for the HSE to step in and ensure that safety regulations are being properly enforced.
This push from the GMB reflects a broader concern about the erosion of safety standards and the potential neglect of worker protections, which could have severe consequences if not addressed promptly. The union is advocating for stricter enforcement of existing regulations and, if necessary, the introduction of new measures to safeguard employees. Unfortunately it is not just employers erroding safety standards and the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) failing to enforce health & safety at work legislation and standards, but the Trade Union ovement is also guitly of not prioritising H&S at work In the 50th year anniversary of the Health & Safety At Work Act. the TUC has not replaced a national officer dealing wth H&S. Hugh Robertson, but it has also closed down the one major form of safety news for Union Safety Reps - TUC Risks. Similarly, the CWU has this year abolished its Health & Safetyy Dept, abolished any form of national health & safety officer following Dave Joyce's retirement, along with relinquishing all TUC posts that Dave Joyce held, and no longer has any commitment to the H&S Campaigns that Dave Joyce has been so active in over the years, both with the wider TU movement, both the UK and Scottish parliaments, as well as with the two major employers for which the CWU has members.
The data, obtained through freedom of information requests to 12 ambulance services, highlights significant safety issues at Amazon's sites across the country. The warehouses in Dunfermline and Bristol were the most affected, with 161 and 125 ambulance callouts, respectively. At the Dunfermline site alone, a third of the callouts involved chest pains, while other serious conditions such as convulsions, strokes, and breathing difficulties were also reported. The Amazon site in Mansfield had 84 ambulance callouts since 2019, with over 70% of these being categorized as the most severe (categories 1 and 2), indicating life-threatening situations like heart attacks or strokes. The report also detailed other grave incidents, including attempted suicides, serious psychiatric emergencies, pregnancy-related emergencies, and traumatic injuries. Some workers were exposed to hazardous substances, suffered severe burns, or were badly electrocuted. The GMB union has expressed deep concern over these findings, urging the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) to investigate the working conditions at Amazon's UK sites. The union argues that these figures reveal a significant problem with workplace safety at Amazon, calling for immediate action to ensure the health and safety of workers. The Observer notes that the actual number of incidents could be even higher, as not all sites had complete data recorded by the ambulance services. For it's part, the anti-trade union company claims the figires are exagerated and do noty reflect the true number of incidents it has recorded itself. Source: The Guardian |
 |
The GMB's call for action underscores the growing anxiety among workers and unions about the current state of workplace safety in the UK, especially in sectors like construction, manufacturing, and healthcare, where the risks are higher. The union is pressing for a thorough investigation to hold employers accountable and to prevent further harm to workers.
The Observer has revealed alarming data showing that ambulances have been called out to Amazon warehouses in the UK more than 1,400 times over the past five years.