Health & Safety Reps Newsletter

Air Quality

The theme of last year’s RMT H&S Advisory Conference “clean air at work” so impassioned reps that that they went back to their branches and regional councils to discuss it and subsequently sent in resolutions calling for more action from RMT on air quality issues.

In relation to this the RMT National Executive decided on a range of action points – one of which was to purchase air quality measuring device for safety reps to use to find out what levels of pollution RMT members are being exposed to in their workplaces.

The article below gives some information about the devices and offers other advice about tackling air pollution at work.

TUCAN (the Trade Union Clean Air Action Network) recommended we purchase Qingping Air Monitor Lite - an easy to use and reliable monitor. These monitors are now available on loan from your Regional Office.

You will find brief instructions contained with the monitor. In addition to this a rep from RMT Health Safety and Advisory Conference has trialled the device and provides the following advice:

n The Quingping Air Monitor Lite Device is simple to use and is adequate for RMT safety reps to gather enough data to initially challenge the Companies they work for if need be.

n There is an accompanying App - Quinping+ that can be downloaded for Apple and Android devices. This App only connects to the device via WiFi which means using the App in the field is very hit and miss. It’s difficult to find the device on public WiFi on a busy train. The only benefit the App gives is the storage of historical data. This is not a

big problem as readings can be stored manually in a notepad or on a spreadsheet.

n The device has a simple on/off button on the back and a groove on top of the device that is touch sensitive so you ‘swipe’ to cycle through the various monitoring modes, which are:

CO2, PM 2.5, PM 10, Temperature and Humidity

n The battery is long lasting, it will operate for over a week from a single charge

n The air monitor is enough to gather readings that, if concerning, would give RMT safety reps enough to insist our employers carry out their legal duties of Risk Assessing our workplaces for Air Quality.

Other actions you should be taking to tackle the issue of air pollution at work:

n Risk assessments, risk assessment should be “suitable and sufficient”

n Safety committee meetings, ensure diesel fume pollution is discussed at health and safety committee (or a clean air subcommittee).

n Measuring air quality, if employers are measuring air quality make sure that that staff are wearing personal monitoring and that the research is carried out by independent occupational hygienists.

n Ventilation, ensure there is adequate ventilation. For more information see HSE advice at bit.ly/45g6yR4

Inform us at: healthandsafety@rmt.org.uk if after

having readings that cause concern your employer fails to take steps to address this problem.

All employers where RMT has recognition have been written to to highlight the health impact (for example, loss of concentration) of diesel pollution on staff, and for employers to ensure they set up working group and inform workers of findings of monitoring and the health impact of air pollution.

RMT has asked employers to monitor for PM10 (particulate matter) and PM2.5 and to carry out risk assessments and to involve RMT safety reps in the risk assessment process.

Additional Air Quality Information

Clean Air Is Good For You at bit.ly/3pIpnMi

Greener Jobs Alliance/TUCAN “Guidance on Air Pollution for Union Reps.” Some very useful guidance with lots of information on air pollution and a check list for union reps can be found at bit.ly/3pJD6Ta

Examples of industrial diseases include respiratory and lung disease. You can find out more information on Thompsons’ web site under Industrial Disease Claims at bit.ly/3M5uspz

Violence at Work

Safety reps should encourage RMT members to report all violence at work incidents. It can be frustrating doing this, especially if members have done so in the past and nothing gets done. But the bottom line is - if its not reported, it didn’t happen.

It must be made as easy as possible for members to report verbal assault incidents so that the true scale of the problem can be assessed and dealt with appropriately. Lessons can’t be learnt, and importantly adequate actions will not be taken to address the issue. Also, if it is not reported it makes it more difficult to claim for insurance purposes should members need to claim subsequent to a violent attack.

A recent RMT survey of bus

Report It!

members with questions about their experiences of violence at work and the support provided following assaults at work, showed that nearly 40% of RMT bus members are not reporting incidents: one member wrote that it is “not worth reporting as they just laugh”; “it’s pointless reporting” another explained “nothing seems to happen if I report an incident”. Other respondents said that they only report “when serious enough to do so.” Some explained that they speak to colleagues about the incident - rather than reporting to the employer - as they wanted to make sure as many co-workers as possible were aware of the problem.

The same survey showed that there was a high level of

verbal abuse. Nearly 90% or respondents had experienced this over the last two years. RMT suspect that many of the verbal assaults incidents are not reported by members, who regard it as part of the job - an approach encouraged by many of the bus employers. Many RMT members employed in customer facing roles will encounter the same problems.

RMT General Secretary Mick Lynch recently met with the Chief Constable of British Transport Police, Lucy D’Orsi, where one of the main items of discussion was workplace violence. There have been a number of incidents in recent months on C2C, for example, and RMT is working with the company to tackle this menace to our members.

Members are reminded to report any incident of violence at work, however trivial it may seem. RMT will give you our full support.

RMT Cleaners’ Health and Safety

The RMT body was out and about at a recent London Transport Regional Council cleaners’ organising event, where a workshop activity on body mapping encouraged cleaners to speak about their aches and pains caused by work, which was mainly in their shoulders, back and knees as a result of carrying multiple bags of rubbish full of discarded free newspapers, up and down stairs at stations where lifts where not available.

To accompany this activity an RMT cleaner’s H&S advice document was distributed:

https://www.rmt.org.uk/about/ health-and-safety/cleaners-healthand-safety-advice/

Body mapping is a great way of getting members talking about the impact on their work on their health and safety, and when run as a group activity it can show that work related health issues are often collective problems.

Body mapping can be simple to do and there is lots of information available about how to do this. More info can be found at www.hazards.org/diyresearch/

Vibration

RMT’s National Bus Workers’ Industrial Organising Conference last year passed a resolution on wholebody vibration which noted that whole-body vibration can cause fatigue, stomach problems, headache, and loss of balance and “shakiness” and that exposure over a number of years, whole-body vibration can affect the entire body and result in a number of health disorders. It went on to note that drivers - due to occupational exposure to whole-body vibration - could develop a number of circulatory issues such as bowel, respiratory, muscular and back disorders. Whole-body vibration (WBV) being the possible causes for these disorders. Problems can be encountered by workers who spends a lot of time in a vehicle (bus, taxi, tamping machine, etc.) who are likely to experience

aches and pains. The term “repetitive driving injury” (RDI) has been used where vibration is transmitted through the feet or through the seat of the vehicle. Large jolts while driving can also cause health risks including back pain. For women who are pregnant, WBV increases the risk of back pain and it can also be potentially hazardous for the unborn child.

There are two types of vibration that occur in the workplace: these are hand-arm vibration and whole-body vibration. Employers are required by law, to assess and identify measures to eliminate or reduce risks from exposure to vibration. If the risk of vibration has been identified, and removal of risk is not an option, then control measures must be put in place. Information and training must also be

provided, along with regular health surveillance.

Employers must comply with the Control of Vibration at Work Regs 2005 and they should follow HSE’s guidance. This will help manage the risk of symptoms resulting from vibration.

An example of whole-body vibration impacting a

RMT member and successful claim for compensation can be found at bit.ly/3Wa5lGw

To make vibration injury claims see bit.ly/3pHFVnG

See UK Government Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefits: technical guidance at bit.ly/452meqU for more information on industrial diseases.

Dates for your diary

RMT National Organising day – 13th June 2023

Health and safety is a brilliant issue to use as a workplace organising tool.

For example, ways in which safety reps can take part in this day is by organising a safety inspection, safety surgery, workplace safety meeting or do some body mapping or workplace hazards mapping.

If you do organise an event, make sure you encourage non-members to join the RMT and RMT members to get more involved in the union.

Let us know what you are doing by emailing healthandsafety@rmt.org.uk. And if you provide us with evidence of your event, such as a photo, safety inspection report, notice of meeting etc… we will send you a RMT safety rep clip board/ RMT safety rep tabard. So get health and safety organising!

Clean Air Day, 16th June, 2023

More information can be found at bit.ly/3OeMwQL

Hazards Campaign Conference, 1-3 September 2023

More information can be found at bit.ly/454yln9

RMT Health and Safety Conference, 20th and 21st February, 2024

(Details of conference theme, location etc. will be available in the early autumn). For information and speakers’ notes from last year’s conference see bit.ly/3IKhCvm