Latest Edition of Magazine – October 2016
It’s a sad fact that breast cancer incidence has been rising steadily since the 1970s, with a 64% increase. You might be forgiven for thinking this was an acceptable state of affairs as each October millions are raised for breast cancer, yet cases continue to rise. We know and accept that breast cancer is multifactorial – caused by many things – including lack of political will to truly prevent it. But what’s harder to accept is the...
Mesothelioma Day Magazine 2016
Every year the London Hazards Centre commemorates Action Mesothelioma Day in the capital. It’s a chance for us to remember those who have died from Asbestos-related diseases. We host a meeting that has the twin aim of raising awareness of this entirely preventable disease, while at the same time deciding what needs to be done next to reduce the numbers diagnosed with Mesothelioma each year. The meeting always has a number of...
Mesothelioma Action Day in London 2016
Phil did it… He Topped Last Year! The London Hazards Centre Asbestos Support Awareness Group is really taking shape, as this event proved! The day started with Frances O’Grady releasing doves in memory of the victims of asbestos past and present, reminding us that this is an ongoing fight. Then we went inside the TUC headquarters to start interacting with the speakers. This is where it started getting really good....
SERTUC AGM
London Hazards Stall at the SERTUC AGM 2016. We were there promoting the London hazards workers memorial day event and also encouraging TU’s to join our campaign we had a very positive reception from delegates at the AGM...
The London Hazards Centre AGM 2015
The 2015 LHC AGM (Annual General Meeting) was held this November at the offices of the law firm, Leigh Day near Farringdon. The legalese and formalities which are a lawful requirement of a well run charity were dealt with accurately and swiftly. The board led by Peter Farrell quickly moved on to the broad strokes of future plans. There are important projects in the early stages of development. One of these is the London Hazards...
Urgent Action: Stand up for health and safety at work – no more cuts to HSE
PCS and Prospect members who work for the HSE will be staging a lunchtime protest on Thursday against further cuts to be announced by George Osborne in his Comprehensive Spending Review. HSE is braced for another round of cuts on top of the 35% cut already being implemented – further hollowing out the organisation. The relentless attacks by government ministers, most famously David Cameron’s ‘kill off the health and...
Me coming home is not guaranteed anymore
In the UK two companies SEH Commercial and NMH Property Services have been fined – £15,000 and £5,000 – plus costs, after a worker suffered life-changing injuries when he plunged 10 metres through a perspex rooflight on to a concrete floor. Regulation 13 (2) of Construction (Design and Management) Regulations and Regulation 9 (2) (b) of the Work at Height Regulations were breached. Report by Eve Reed in Health and Safety...
Blacklist Support Group Update: Unite declares war on Crossrail
Protest outside Building Magazine award dinner on 19th April Join Blacklist Support Group on FACEBOOK Join Facebook here (it’s free) Justice campaign and support network for anyone caught up in UK construction industry blacklisting scandal. Trade unionists, safety campaigners, lawyers, journalists, academics and environmental activists were all blacklisted by big business. Multi-national building contractors have for...
Health & Safety at TUC 2012
C16 Health and safety at work General background text: TUC 2012 Health& Safety at Work Congress therefore calls on the General Council to: i) mount a vigorous political, public and industrial campaign to prevent the weakening of health and safety laws and to support the right of all workers to enjoy effective health and safety protection, regardless of their employment status or workplace ii) support a lobby of the government to...
Workers Memorial Day 2013
Morning Star feature: Nobody goes to work to die The case for health and safety at work has been powerfully and tragically made in the last year by incidents involving hundreds maimed and injured. Many have been young women in Asia. In the Dhaka clothing factory collapse this week around 300 are believed to be dead as rescuers continue the search for bodies. Fires in Karachi and other places in Pakistan killed over 300 in clothing and...
petition to Primark, Matalan, Mango
Demand justice for victims of Bangladesh building collapse Take Action and sign the petition now: War on Want petition This petition to: Paul Marchant Chief Executive, Primark Isak Andic Chief Executive, Mango Darren Blackhurst Chief Executive, Matalan .@Primarkjobs @Mango @Matalan: ensure safety for workers in Bangladesh & compensate victims of building collapse Petition by Amirul Haque Amin, President National Garment...
Over 440 of Bangladeshi garment workers die
Report from IndustriALL Global Union: “The mass industrial manslaughter occurred at 9am, 24 April. The collapsed building, illegally constructed, contained five garment factories with 2,500 workers. Those five factories are Ether Tex, New Wave Bottoms, New Wave Style, Phantom Apparels and Phantom-TAC. These factories are believed to have produced for several well-known western brands including Mango, Primark, C&A, KIK,...
Driverless Tubes by 1990
Driverless Trains by 1990!East London Line the testing ground! 3000 less jobs! @eveningstandard front page 1977 twitter.com/RMTLondon/stat… — RMT London Calling (@RMTLondon) April 25, 2013 ...
International Workers Memorial Day Sunday 28th April 2013
Join us: 11am Tower Hill at the statue of the Unknown building worker, opposite Tower Hill underground. London Workers Memorial Day 2013 Early Morning Leafleting Monday 22nd 7am Monument Station for Mace, CWC, Ellmer, O’Rourke, Galliford Try, Brookfield Multiplex, Skanska (Bevis Marks) Tuesday 23rd 7am Liverpool Street Station, Broadgate for Mace (Broadgate) & Crossrail: Taylor Wimpey, Laing...
Russia: Keep your deadly asbestos in the ground
Russia is now the largest producer and exporter of asbestos. A letter to the Russian Ambassador to the UK calling for this deadly trade to cease was ignored. The International Ban AsbestosNetwork, The Asbestos Victims Support Groups Forum and GMB are organising this protest outside the Russian Embassy on Friday 26th April- two days before International Workers Memorial Day Leaflet: Protest at Russian Embassy ...
Blacklisting: Smith “grinning like a raver”
The Employment Appeals Tribunal in Blackfriars (Tues 26th Feb) decided that construction giant Carillion must face human rights claims over its role in the construction industry blacklisting scandal. Justice Singh ordered that a High Court judge should hear a 2 day hearing at the Employment Appeal Tribunal in the case of Dave Smith v Carillion. Mr Smith, an engineer from Essex, was repeatedly dismissed and refused work once his name...
Blacklisting BFK & Crossrail
This week it emerged that Pat Swift, previously the human resources contact for the blacklisting organisation The Consulting Association boss Ian Kerr at Bam Nuttall, is now human resources manager for Crossrail’s western tunnels contractor BFK – a joint venture comprising Bam Nuttall, Ferrovial and Kier. The revelation emerged as former Crossrail electrician and Unite union shop steward Frank Morris began employment tribunal...
Fire Services to be Cut by 25% – Unless we Stop It!
The Government is seeking to implement “a fairer funding settlement across Fire and Rescue Services” for the period 2013 – 17. In 2010 the government reduced funding for Fire and Rescue Authorities by 5.8 per cent in 2010-11 and a further 0.7 per cent in 2012-13. It intends to implement very much larger reductions in 2013-14 and the three subsequent years, in total, making a 25 per cent reduction in funding. That is not ‘fair...
Bromley Trades Council: meeting 14th February
Why London needs a Hazards Centre 6pm Thursday 14th February Labour Social Club HG Wells Centre, Bromley Margaret Sharkey, London Hazards Centre worker, will lead a discussion about the effects of the deregulation of safety, HSE cutbacks, and new developments for asbestos victims. ...
Massive cuts to London Fire Service announced
London FBU say the Mayor of London has announced 12 fire stations to close, 18 engines to go and over 400 jobs. The BBC report about the station closures says 520 jobs will be lost. It is bad news and ridiculous and dangerous when the London population is rising all the time. FBU says the plans are reckless and wrong. Paul Embery, London FBU Regional Secretary, says the fire stations earmarked for closure are: Belsize Bow Clapham...
London International Workers Memorial Day 2013
Public Meeting & Organising Event 6pm Tuesday 5th February London Hazards Centre Hampstead Town Hall 213 Haverstock Hill NW3 4QP (Nearest Tube: Belsize Park) Dear Friends We are holding an organising meeting for Workers Memorial Day and request you support this by attending our meeting. We would also like to get feedback from supporters as to the possibility of having an international meeting and demonstration over the attacks...
Latest: asbestos statistics & info on lung cancer
Latest UK figures for mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis and other asbestos illnesses from the HSE. Good article from America Unraveling the Stigma Surrounding Lung Cancer It says : The stereotype that lung cancer is a “smoking cancer” contributes to an assumption that lung cancer sufferers should have known better and are somehow at fault. This stereotype is not true but is so strong that environmental factors for lung cancer are...
Is this asbestos? Update! it is rockwool!
We have been advised by Council Safety Officers that it was not asbestos; that it was rockwool & it has been dealt with. You can’t tell if material is asbestos by looking. We have advised the neighbour who is worried because she “recently returned home after several days absence to find several blocks of fibrous material, around 10cm thick, piled up outside our block of flats in an area where children play and...
What next for health and safety? Public Meeting
What Next for Health and Safety? Thursday 20th September 7:30pm at Bread & Roses Clapham. HSE Consultations so far: on the Tower Crane Register (crane MOT) & the Hard Hat Regulation has resulted in the HSE Board recommending that they be scrapped despite protests from ourselves, a low response and evidently a 50:50 split on the board. on removing/revising 15 ACOPs including the ACOP which goes with the Management of Health...
A shocking case of pregnancy discrimination and bad health and safety
From Maternity Action A recent call to the Maternity Action advice line came from a woman earning just under £100 per week from a part time job in a bakery. When Laura announced her pregnancy, her employer refused to provide paid time off for antenatal appointments during her regular shifts. She was given early shifts despite her morning sickness and her manager insisted on her carrying heavy trays throughout her pregnancy. Her...
Jennifer Deeney to carry the Olympic flame through Merton on Monday 23rd July
Keiron Deeney was killed in August 2004 when he fell through an inadequately covered opening in a lift shaft while working for Laing O’Rourke at Canary Wharf. Jennifer, his wife, has campaigned for better safety ever since and this work is recognised by her being chosen as one of the Olympic torchbearers. If you can, please get along to Merton (preferably wearing a Construction Safety Campaign T-shirt!!!!) to cheer her on. She...
