RMT Health and Safety Advisory Committee 2022-2024
The RMT Health & Safety Committee is coming towards the end of its three year period of office. During this this time it has:
l Completely reorganised the RMT annual Health & Safety Advisory Conference, including location, training arrangements, introducing a social event and ensuring the conference is better organised
l Organised two key campaigns: recruiting more women and young safety reps, campaigns the result of which will help ensure the future viabilty of the union to be representative of its membership.
The role of the committee is to advise the RMT National Executive Committee (NEC) on health and safety issues. For example, the committee recently advised the RMT national executive (NEC) on the problem of working in excess heat and also on train driver in cab fatigue monitoring devices.
The current cohort of committee reps can be nominated to stand again. But if others are nominated from the same region there will be an election. If you know of any safety reps that would make good committee members for your region and could play a part in this important NEC committee, see below information about the role and election process.
The committee meets a minimum of four times per year, it consists of one safety representative from each National Executive electoral region, including maritime. By the closing date for nominations, candidates must be a safety rep, employed in RMT recognised industry and be up to date with contributions. We are particularly keen to receive nominations from the maritime sector, as vacancies currently exist despite repeated calls for nominations.
The head office circular advertising committee vacancies will go out late summer/early autumn.
RMT Health and Safety Advisory committee meeting at ITF Headquarters with Deniz Akdoğan, Assistant Secretary, ITF Inland Transport Sections (Road, Rail and Warehousing)
Working in Excess Temperatures
The Health and Safety Committee recently raised with the NEC the problem of working in excess heat – which they recognised as a huge problem for RMT members.
In its decision on this matter the NEC noted that a number of countries have maximum workplace temperatures: including the US, where regulations state that working temperatures should not go beyond 24C; Spain, where guidelines which state that working temp must not go beyond 27 degrees indoors or 25C for physical activity; Germany, where 26C is generally considered the maximum for indoor work; and China, where, if temperatures reach 37C, outdoor work is banned during the hottest three hours of the day and at 40C it must stop altogether.
The NEC called on the TUC to step up its campaign for upper workplace temperature, recognising that this is a measure the new Labour Government could take that would make a huge change to the life of UK workers and bring about big improvements - at no cost.
The NEC also called on the general secretary to write to all RMT regional organisers and lead officers to ensure that agreements are in place with all employers with respect to arrangements for working in excess heat.
For RMT guide on working in extreme heat see: https://tinyurl.com/nhh6ya2x
RMT National Organising Day, 13 June – H&S Activities
RMT safety reps took up our request to organise an event for National Organising Day and to aid with publicising the union on the day they were given a RMT high viz vest and clip board.
Safety reps carried out safety inspections and others organised health and safety surgeries.
Cardiff Rail branch said that as part of their activities they recruited a new drivers’ safety rep for one of their outlying depots.
Don’t leave it to Bob Crow Organising Day to use health and safety as an organising tool.
For more information see this TUC guide: https://tinyurl.com/3y5j9ta4
RMT LNER safety rep Shaun Youngs, carrying out an ontrain inspection for Bob Crow Organising Day
Charity calls for action on silicosis
The UK is seeing its first confirmed cases of silicosis, an incurable lung disease. In response the charity, BOHS (British Occupational Hygiene Society), is calling for immediate action to tackle silicosis including more protection for workers.
The charity said that silicosis, which has been known about for thousands of years, is caused when tiny crystalline particles of silica, a mineral found in stone, are inhaled during cutting, breaking and grinding. The disease is “easily preventable using standard controls, such as water suppression of dust”, but is almost impossible to treat effectively.
BOHS explains that the use of engineered stone has risen in recent years. Although it is largely imported, it is often finished in the UK. The charity point out that Australia has banned the material entirely over silicosis fears, and the US has stepped up its inspections of engineered stone instillation and fabrication industries.
BOHS claims there have been at least three confirmed cases of silicosis in the UK, but the Health and Safety Executive has not yet considered restricting its use.
“Calls for a ban are not going to save lives, but education, proper workplace controls and awareness of the risks will,” the charity says.
You can read more about the control of silica dust here:
HSE Control of exposure to silica dust: https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg463.htm
BOHS (British Occupational Hygiene Society) Risk Reduction in the Context of Occupational Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica: https://www.bohs.org/app/ uploads/2022/09/Risk-reduction-in-thecontext-of-occupational-exposure-torespirable-crystalline-silica_compressed-1.pdf
RMT Danger Dust Charter, see page 7: https://www.rmt.org.uk/news/publications/ danger-dust-dust-charter/
RMT WOMEN SAFETY REP RECRUITMENT CAMPAIGN
Women health and safety reps survey
In May RMT surveyed all women safety reps to find out more about their experiences of being in the role. We will use the survey results to feed into our campaign to recruit more women RMT safety reps.
Survey results
Just under a third of the respondents said they became safety reps because they were interested in women’s occupational health and safety.
Survey comments included the following:
“There seems to still be the culture of “the boys club” surrounding many roles within the union. I have come across this in my own branch when discussing h&s issues in the workplace.”
“Men not wanting to hear things from a woman. Lack of confidence in women. Having to fight to be listened to can be exhausting, which is a barrier that isn’t lowered but increased by experience; it’s cumulative.”
“If the workplace is mainly men, men might not want to support a woman.”
Respondents said women bring the following skills to the role:
l Compassion and listening skills
l More tuned into people’s feelings
l Talk to people in a nicer manner. Have more patience
l Lived experience of female health and wellbeing issues
The following advice was offered to women thinking about becoming a safety rep:
“It is fulfilling – make a difference in what is normally a male dominated industry.”
“It’s a multi-tasking role, us women are good at that!”
“To promote safety reps on trains as the percentage of CSA employees are women and need to be represented.”
Filming of women safety reps
In June we filmed RMT women safety reps talking about their role. We will use this film footage on social media to encourage other women to volunteer as safety reps. These are photos of the filming with the backdrop of watercolours by picket line artist, Inga Bystram.
New report from TUCAN (Trade Union Clean Air Network) and Greener Jobs Alliance
In its new workers’ guide to action on indoor workplace air pollution, TUCAN notes that 40,000 will die year in UK as a result of air pollution.
The guide shows the main sources of air pollution at work, their effects on health, how they can be eliminated or reduced, who has responsibility for
acting to achieve that and making sure action is taken, what the law says (or doesn’t!), and what union safety reps and workers can do to achieve healthier, cleaner air in workplaces.
New Labour Government and health and safety legislation
We have seen the election of a Labour government since the last safety reps’ newsletter. When, 50 years ago this year, a new Labour Government took power, one of its new laws was the Health Safety at Work Act.
The Act received Royal Assent on 31 July 1974. It introduced duties on employers to protect our health and safety and established what we now know as the HSE. The TUC estimates that there have been at least 14,000 fewer workplace fatalities since 1974. However, after decades of cuts to health and safety enforcement this is endangering workers.
To mark the 50th year of a law designed to improve our safety, the TUC is focusing its efforts on engaging the frontline, not the front bench, by finding and retaining hundreds of new union safety reps.
The TUC’s head of health and safety, Shelly Asquith said recently: “the Conservative government saw safety rules as a burden and trade unions as a threat.” She explained that the union body is looking forward to new rights and more respect under Labour after its landslide election win, but says “the protection you will always have is your union. That legislation is important, but unions are vital”.
RSSB musculoskeletal disorder survey
Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD’s) are the main reason for sickness absences in the rail industry.
The Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) is carrying out an industry-wide musculoskeletal disorder survey, the first of its kind. The RSSB intends the project to provide data that allows the industry to understand the severity of the problem and tackle MSDs in the workplace.
Bus fires
There are approximately three serious bus or coach fires most months in the UK.
A Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) report said that a “concerning” number of operators were claiming fires were due to “unknown” causes, with some submitting legally binding reports with “little” or “poor” information about incidents.
In response Mick Lynch said: “This report makes some important recommendations around improved comprehensive and regular maintenance schedules, insisting that operators report fires in a timely manner and better training of drivers to encourage reporting of defects as soon as possible.
“Academic research shows that buses may be significantly riskier than cars, trains, ships or aircraft, mainly due to the less-stringent fire-safety requirements governing them, and concern that the probability of bus fires is 2 to 3 times higher than cars.
RMT is supporting the survey – and is encouraging all members working in heavy rail to participate in the survey.
The survey can be accessed here: https:// nam.dcv.ms/js0mTCHM6w
Closing date is 30 September 2024.
“We need to have legislation introduced that governs the manufacture of buses in this country, ensuring that the least flammable materials are used.
“The union has had successes in our campaigning on bus fires and will continue to push for the maximum health and safety protections for our members in the cabs and at bus garages and depots.”
RMT will be participating in a fringe meeting on the subject of “Fires in buses and other electric vehicles are becoming common place and deadly, what is the answer?” at this year’s Hazards Conference:
Hazards Conference 2024 Registration, Fri 30 Aug 2024 at 13:00 | Eventbrite
If you would like to attend the Hazards conference please contact your branch secretary to agree funding.
