Asbestos Removal & Contamination Incidents in BT

Following his LTB to branches earlier March, Dave Joyce National HS&E Officer, has written to all CWU Branches once again reminding them of the need to provide HQ the following infomation:

1. We need contact details for each Branch Health and Safety Co-ordinator with members in BT.

2. We need a list of BT buildings that your Branch USRs cover.

Until this information is supplied to us and we can therefore pass it on to BT, there will be ongoing problems with Branches and USRs not being informed and consulted on asbestos issues in BT.

To remind Branches of the issue:

Following complaints that BT were not in some instances informing or consulting Union Safety Representatives (USRs) about asbestos removal or contamination incidents in line with the BT asbestos policy (SFY/HSH/D055), a CWU team met with Dave Wallington, BT Group Health and Safety Manager, on the 15th February 2006 to address these issues.

Although BT has confirmed that there was no intention not to inform or consult USRs in accordance with the BT asbestos, it was sometimes rather difficult to identify the relevant USR to inform and consult.

BT have accepted a proposal from the CWU, that the CWU point of contact for asbestos issues should be the relevant Branch Health and Safety Co-ordinator as contained on the USR database held by BT. The Branch Health and Safety Co-ordinator can then involve the relevant USR.

A further meeting with BT to review progress on this issue will be held in approximately three months time.

source: LTB215/06

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