Derek Maylor, Chair of the NW BTU Health & Safety Co-ord, reports from the first day of the CWU Annual General Conference taking place 26th - 30th April, BIC, Bournemouth:
Much of the General Conference opening session was concerning the ten national safety forums and their input to the CWU conferences. This unacceptable situation was highlighted by the much depleted safety session which consisted of five propositions with eleven [including all three from the northwest] not being allowed onto the agenda.
The first meaningful proposition then was an internal issue where we decided that Chairs of the CWU national Safety Forums should meet more often and train ourselves better, something we agreed back in 2013 following a proposition from the northwest.
It was noted that cancer is one of the biggest killers in modern society and causes can in many instances be traced back to the workplace. Therefore we sign up to, and support in any way possible, the IOSH “No Time to Lose” occupational cancer campaign.
The CWU will apply pressure on the incoming Government by calling for a review of all changes to Health and Safety Regulations since 2010 and reverse the attacks on workplace health and safety conditions.
We must apply pressure also on the HSE to increase health and safety inspections within the communications industry. Since the industry is classed as low risk potentially putting employees working in this industry at greater risk due to less focus by the HSE.
The pressure and cumulative effect of an increasingly demanding work culture in the UK continues to generate high levels of work- related stress and mental ill-health. It is estimated that nearly three in every ten employees will experience a mental health problem in any one year.
We decided therefore to campaign and support the promotion of messages about better work–life balance and acknowledge the association between work and related stress and mental health. We need mechanisms to support colleagues who experience mental health problems and promote a culture of openness about time constraints and workload. There should be better training of managers on the identification of work stress and its effects on colleagues whilst promoting a culture of 'working smart, not long'.
Workloads must be manageable and monitored by work environment monitoring, audits and inspections including performance indicators and sickness absence. There should be provision of time to attend counselling and support services and activities that promote good mental health. We will raise awareness and combat the stigma of those who suffer from mental ill health/work place stress utilising expert advice from through the NHS or UK Charities.
We did not get to discuss the provision of Prostate Cancer screening for men over the age of fifty; nor raising awareness of Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation and Automate External Defibrillators; nor an excellent proposition on drug driving.
The Health and Safety portion of the Conference agenda can be downoaded in Word format, including those that were 'X' marked and not allowd on the agenda; here
