Health & Safety
REPORT 2004
Busy year shows need for more Health & Safety reps
Another busy year for Health and Safety with local representatives
picking up issues in all departments.
Be it heating problems, bad lighting or blocked fire exits,
no department came out with honours with bad housekeeping being
found throughout the council.
That is why it is so important to have Health and Safety Representatives
in all workplaces.
If there is no rep in your workplace why not consider putting
yourself forward? Full training will be provided and you can
be assured of support from branch officers and other reps. Give
me a ring at the office if you are interested.
The next 12 months will see a focus on the new Council Headquarters
which we already know is too small. Management are already talking
about home-working, hot desking and other measures to overcome
the lack of space but each initiative will bring about its own
health and safety problems. If you are asked to change your
working practices make sure you check it out with your local
health and safety rep.who can advise you of any risk assessments.
There will also be further refinements to the Disability Discrimination
Act which will have increasing impacts on individuals. We have
seen more and more people being covered by the DDA because of
mental illnesses brought on by work-related stress. Whilst we
welcome the protections of the DDA, the increase in cases is
a worrying trend which has to be addressed before it gets out
of hand.
My thanks go to all Health and Safety Representatives for their
efforts throughout 2004 and to the office staff for their assistance
and patience with me.
Tom McLeod
Health & Safety Convenor
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