The Central and West Branch is part of a network that covers the whole of the country. As part of the North West, we have close links with other branches and meet with them on a regular basis. Under the safety umbrella, we use the Union Safety website provided by Oasis which supplies lots of information. Other websites include CWU Safety pages, HSE, IOSH. As this website develops, the links will be made more user friendly.
The branch has a very active interest in Health and Safety. We take the view that our members are precious. If any have an accident, then their lives can be affected along with those of their workmates and families.
Under the leadership of John Southwell, the Branch Safety Co-ordinator we have a number of Union Safety Representatives (USRs) as defined under the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations.
The North West leads in safety! LTB 787 gives details of the CWU North West BT Unions Health & Safety Co-ord - Union Safety Reps Seminar which is being held in Manchester on 11th November 2009. In a ground-breaking move, the Co-ord are inviting Union Safety Representatives (USRs) from all over the country to join them in a day of activities and seminars. For details of our high-profile guests and to book a place read LTB 787
Safety News
There have been several Letters To Branches which have a safety theme. Check them out in the list below.
- LTB838: HSE Swine Flu - General advice for employers
- LTB839: National Personal Safety Day 2009 -Monday 12 October
- LTB842: Medical Statement Regulations - DWP/HW&W Consultation on Reforming the Medical Statement (Replacing the current 'sick note' with a 'fit note'). Attached are the consultation document and the CWU Response. Att1 Att2
- LTB847: International Institute of Risk and Safety Management (IIRSM) Membership for CWU Health and Safety Representatives - Agreement between CWU and IIRSM Announcement Att1 Att2 Att3
- LTB849: Workers Memorial Day - DWP Public Consultation on Official Recognition - CWU Response with attachments of the Consultation Document and the CWU Response. Att1 Att2
- LTB850: Mesothelioma UK - National Macmillan Mesothelioma Resource Centre Att1
- LTB851: Health and Safety Law - What you need to know - Changes to Information for Employees' Regulations Att1
- LTB853: Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) Membership - Safety Technician (Tech IOSH) grade - TUC Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety Att1 Att2
- LTB868: SERTUC - HSE Safety Conference - The Healthy Workplace (This is a Free Conference)
- LTB870: Hypertention (High Blood Pressure) - Fact Sheet
- LTB871: Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) - Fact Sheet
LTB 158 has been distributed by Head Office. It deals with stress and depression, something that many of our members suffer from. Read the letter HERE and the attachments about Understanding Depression and the ACAS guide to Stress.
CWU Head Office have passed on the following information:
Health and Safety Offences Act 2008
The CWU Health, Safety & Environment Dept has been campaigning for some time for harsher penalties for health and safety offences, and has responded in detail to a number of government and HSE Consultative Documents on this subject. A Private Members Bill introduced by Labour MP Keith Hill (Streatham) entitled "The Health and Safety Offences Bill" had been given government support and has progressed through the House of Commons and sent to the House of Lords for final scrutiny. The Act came into force on 16 January 2009.
Summary of the Act
This Act amends section 33 of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974, to raise maximum penalties available to the courts in respect to certain health and safety offences.
Key Areas
- Raises the maximum fine, which maybe imposed by the lower courts ( Magistrates Courts) from £5000 to £20,000 for most offences.
- It makes prison sentence an option for most health and safety offences in lower and higher courts.
- It makes certain offences that can currently only go to trial in lower courts trialable in either of the lower or higher courts.
Further details are also available on the following links.
HSE news release
http://news.hse.gov.uk/2009/01/19/health-and-safety-offences-act-2008-chief-executive-welcomes-tougher-penalties/?rss=
The Act itself:
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2008/ukpga_20080020_en_1
Swine Flu
More information has come from Head Office in LTB 599. The Links and attachment are as follows:
- BT Link
- TUC Pandemic Flu Guide
- Health Protection Agency Website
- North West BT Unions Health and Safety Co-ordinators Committee Advice on Swine Flu
- Q&A's
Safety Report from Conference
The report from the fringe meeting can be found here and the branch report for June here.
CWU Rights for Employees with Breast Cancer
A presentation was given to the Regional Women's Committee on the rights of those suffering from Breast Cancer. Follow the links to the talk and Powerpoint Presentation.
To keep BT people healthy, Flu Packs have been distributed to thousands of staff. They consist of a few waste bags, a box of face masks, a small box of tissues & a box of antiseptic wipes & an advice pamphlet. For more information, contact your Union Safety Rep (USR). They are listed at the bottom of this page.
These spiders have been found in our UG boxes & can give a very nasty bite. As the report also says in our homes too!
Although originally they only seemed to be down South because of warmer weather not only are they moving north but multiplying in number! Take a good look at the picture & keep well away!
For more information go to http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/4248930/False-widow-spider-spreading-across-Britain-puts-woman-in-intensive-care.html
3 May 2009
Swine Flu LTB378 has been issued by CWU Head Office. It contains important information from BT on Swine Flu
The LTB can be accessed by following this link
Branch Safety Report 21/05/09
Shabs Adam was appointed at the Branch Meeting on 16th April and Maeve Kennedy on 21st May as Union Safety Representatives (USRs). We have lost Ann-Marie Hutchinson due to her leaving BT.
Asbestos. We have eventually received a guarantee that all (national) building asbestos records will be up to date by next meeting with Operate and BT Property in three months. This was after proving to them that they were not meeting legislative requirements and threatening to approach HSE with examples in the northwest. We were asked by Head Office to back off a little and give them one last chance. Also discrepancies between HASP and HMIS and they have said they will highlight this now on the front page of HASP.
Operate and BT Property accepted that fixed access equipment (ladders to lofts etc) needs surveying and this is being done by Monteray. Although with the massive Monteray service reduction this could now become an even bigger problem.
Upgrade of MDF gantries continues following the inaugural work in northwest after incident a year ago in Lancaster House.
Two Accidents for our Branch his month, one a dog bite at the Pet Hotel, Accrington Rd Burnley, & a rash on an engineers right arm as he received shocks from the tags on the MDF, also the engineer felt dizzy from heat in ATE
Temperature in exchanges being an issue and a North West Engineering Committee report (still available) from a year ago, H & S forum have a prop to conference on legislative change for maximum working temperature on the conference agenda.
Trial of a system for using a plate to assist in opening damaged boxes; this will take place in the Stockport area.
Swine flu - we raised the issue of the dates on some of the packs and the official line is pretty much as we expected, the packs are borderline but usable if required as long as the wipes are moist they will still be effective as will the masks as long as they are worn correctly.
Safety CBT's being booked off by managers/coaches, lowering of air bottles into manholes, cutting of lead cables, new access equipment for exchanges, VOSA (over 70% of vehicles checked in a week were overloaded or unsafely loaded), Monteray service reduction and accident investigations.
BT Safety Co-ord is to revamp and relaunch the website with many further resources - see www.unionsafety.eu . The Co-ord seminar at the New Meadow St Labour Club Preston (11 May) on laptop usage was attended by 30 USR's.
BT/CWU Workfit (with BT manger support) event in Blackburn AMTE had 170 participants this was the highest ever take up.
| Shabs Adam | |
| Graham Ainsworth | |
| Steve Butterworth | |
| Peter Coyne | 07802 190342 |
| Ray Heyes | 07802 792443 |
| Mark Hobin (Romec) | |
| Ian Lorimer | 07802 190335 |
| Neil McCarthy | |
| George McKee | 07802 792674 |
| Richard Morgan | |
| Ray Neary | 07802 793619 |
| Heather Park | |
| Kath Quinn | |
| Dave Robertson | |
| Glenn Slater | |
| John Southwell | 07711 439717 |
| Arthur Teasdale | |
| Steve Tierney | 07802 190300 |
| Steve Whittaker | |
| Colin Wilks |
Updated
::: 05 March 2010
05 March 2010
::: Website Updated
Please login to see our updates