In this issue:

Acoustic Shock Awareness Reasonable Adjustments Voice and Ear Health Game Show Quiz The Editors Quiz Corporate Killing AR1 Awareness Cyber-Bullying Local History Quiz Results MP Letter Phones Deaths

HARD COPY

Issue 7

Designed and Produced by: Lee W

allace-Dand

Office printers 'are health risk'

An office laser printer can damage lungs in much the same way as smoke particles from cigarettes, a team of Australian scientists has found. An investigation of a range of printer models showed that almost a third emit potentially dangerous levels of toner into the air. Lidia Morawska and her colleagues focused on particles less than a micrometre in diameter. These are not easily filtered out by the lungs and are suspected of causing long-term health problems. The Queensland University of Technology scientists have called on ministers to regulate these kinds of emissions. They say some printers should come with a health warning. The researchers carried out tests on 62 machines. Over a quarter (27 per cent) were found to emit particles of toner-like material so small that they can infiltrate the lungs and cause a range of health problems from respiratory irritation to more chronic illnesses. Conducted in an open-plan office, the tests revealed that particle levels increased five-fold during working hours, a rise blamed on printer use. The problem was worse when new cartridges were used and when graphics and images required higher quantities of toner. The researchers have called on governments to regulate air quality in offices and want companies to ensure that printers are based in well-ventilated areas so that particles disperse. Not all printers were equally bad. In fact, 60 per cent of them emitted no particles at all. Eight of the printers tested emitted only low or medium levels of particulates, but 13 were 'high emitters'. There was also no clear indication that any specific brand was worse than another.

Editorial

Happy August all - A bit damp isn’t it? <Rhetorical question>.

Hopefully you will all have been waiting for the results from the quizzes from last time (there were PLENTY of you entered), they are included in this issue.

The forecast is still grim, more of the British Summertime weather on the way, but, hopefully you can all cheer up with the Hard Copy to keep you going.

Ok, it won’t help, there is nothing better than a nice sunny day with the potential for a BBQ and a few drinks with friends.

Still, lets stay positive…

I hope you enjoy the issue…See you next time. Lee

The town was founded in the early 1830s by Sir Peter Hesketh Fleetwood, and designed in part by the Victorian architect. Decimus Burton, his buildings include, The North Euston Hotel, Queen's Terrace, The Upper Lighthouse, The Lower Lighthouse, Fleetwood's Town Hall (presently Fleetwood's Museum), St. Peter's Church, Lord Street, The Cottages at the rear of the Mount, Mount Street working men's cottages (between Lord Street and Blakiston Street), The old part of Fleetwood is centred around the Mount, the last in a line of sand hills, with the streets radiating outwards, reminiscent of a spider's web.

Fleetwood is renown worldwide for its tram system. In 1885 it was the first tramway to be electrified in Great Britain, and until recently, Fleetwood was the only UK town where trams ran along the main street. Fleetwood once held its own Aviation Week from 18-23 October 1909 - the second of its kind to be held in Britain.

Wilfred Owen, the famous War poet, lived in Fleetwood in 1916, at the age of 23. He stayed at 111, Bold Street, whilst he was in charge of the Gunnery Range in Fleetwood (Fleetwood Golf Club is now there) as a Second Lieutenant in the Manchester Regiment. A display about Wilfred Owen can be found in the main bar of the North Euston Hotel.

John Lennon also spent his childhood holidays in Fleetwood, returning here on 25 August 1962 when the Beatles played at the Marine Hall.

Fleetwood is also the only place outside the United States where a Confederate States Navy Officer (Commander Arthur Sinclair) was buried after dying on active service.

On 15 July 1922, the UK's first automatic telephone exchange began service in Fleetwood.

The Welcome Home statue celebrates 'the heroic lives of Fleetwood's fishermen and their families'. The bronze lifesize statues of a mother, daughter and their dog are the work of the sculptor Anita Lafford.

Fleetwood is unique because it is the only town in the United Kingdom to possess three lighthouses. Two are actually located within the town itself, and are still fully operational.The third - Wyre Light - is unique since it was the first screw pile lighthouse to be built and lit in Great Britain.

The Lower Lighthouse was designed in 1840 by Sir Decimus Burton, the architect responsible for much of early Fleetwood. The light from the Lower Lighthouse is 30 feet above the watermark and can be seen for 9 miles.

The Upper Lighthouse, usually referred to as the Pharos Lighthouse (after the wonder of the Ancient World), was also built in 1840. There are107 steps and a 10 foot ladder to the top. The Upper Lighthouse is 90 feet above the high water mark and visible for 13 miles.

Wyre Light was built in 1840 by Alexander Mitchell, a blind engineer, and rests upon 7 screw piles sunk into the seabed at the northern edge of North Wharf, the sandbank stretching from Fleetwood to the edge of Lune Deeps in Morecambe Bay. Unfortunately, Wyre Light has been allowed to fall into a state of disrepair with no-one wanting to take responsibility for such an important piece of early Victorian engineering. the Upper Lighthouse can be seen behind the Lower Lighthouse. The relationship between the two lighthouses was quite deliberate. The nature of the channel into Fleetwood is such that when the Upper Lighthouse is seen directly above the Lower Lighthouse by any approaching ship the captain knows that the ship is safely in the channel.

THINGS YOU MAY NOT HAVE KNOWN ABOUT

FLEETWOOD

MP’s Letter… This is a copy of a real letter sent to David Milliband MP 16 May 2007 Dear Secretary of State,

My friend, who is in farming at the moment, recentl y received a cheque for £3,000 from the Rural Payments Agency for not r earing pigs. I would now like to join the "not rearing pigs" business. I n your opinion, what is the best kind of farm not to rear pigs on, and w hich is the best breed of pigs not to rear? I want to be sure I approach t his endeavor in keeping with all government policies, as dictated b y the EU under the Common Agricultural Policy. I would prefer not to r ear bacon pigs, but if this is not the type you want not rearing, I will j ust as gladly not rear porkers. Are there any advantages in not rearing ra re breeds such as Saddlebacks or Gloucester Old Spots, or are there t oo many people already not rearing these?

As I see it, the hardest part of this programme wil l be keeping an accurate record of how many pigs I haven't reared. Are there any Government or Local Authority courses on this? My f riend is very satisfied with this business. He has been rearing p igs for forty years or so, and the best he ever made on them was £1,422 in 1968. That is - until this year, when he received a cheque for not rearin g any.

If I get £3,000 for not rearing 50 pigs, will I get £6,000 for not rearing 100? I plan to operate on a small scale at first, holding myself down to about 4,000 pigs not raised, which will mea n about £240,000 for the first year. As I become more expert in not rear ing pigs, I plan to be more ambitious, perhaps increasing to, say, 40,000 pigs not reared in my second year, for which I should expect about £2.4 m illion from your department. Incidentally, I wonder if I would be el igible to receive tradable carbon credits for all these pigs not prod ucing harmful and polluting methane gases?

Another point: These pigs that I plan not to rear w ill not eat 2,000 tonnes of cereals. I understand that you also pay f armers for not growing crops. Will I qualify for payments for not growing cereals to not feed the pigs I don't rear?

I am also considering the "not milking cows" busine ss, so please send any information you have on that too. Please could you also include the current Defra advice on set aside fields? Can this be done on an e-commerce basis with virtual fields (of which I seem to have several thousand hectares) In view of the above you will re alise that I will be totally unemployed, and will therefore qualify for unemployment benefits.

I shall of course be voting for your party at the n ext general election.

Yours faithfully…

Holidays drive up employee stress Holidays are being ruined by job-related stress, new research has found. An online survey of over 3,400

people for Investors in People found about half of employees (51 per cent) report working extra hours in

the run up to taking annual leave. Nearly 1 in 10 (9 per cent) said they felt guilty about leaving colleagues, and nearly one in six (15 per cent) felt stressed that work might not be done properly in their absence.

The research also found that over a quarter (27 per cent) of workers left in the office felt more pressured when a colleague is on

holiday. Simon Jones, acting chief executive of Investors in People, said 'managers can guard against the inevitable 'summer stretch' by openly co-ordinating and discussing holiday dates, identifying potential pinch points and planning extra resource or balancing workloads accordingly. It's about careful planning and prioritisation well in advance.'

Enforcers back 'popular' smoking ban The local authority health and safety enforcement staff policing England's new smoking ban could need protection in carrying out their

duties, public sector union UNISON has said. Speaking ahead of the ban taking effect on 1 July, UNISON general secretary Dave

Prentis said: 'Smoke free public places will be healthier and will help persuade people against smoking in the first place. But government and council employers will need to invest in, and protect, staff enforcing the new laws in potentially volatile situations.

And employers will need to provide help for those who want to pack it in.' UNISON represents some 850,000 workers in local

government including staff charged with advising and enforcing on the ban. Graham Jukes, chief executive of the Chartered Institute

of Environmental Health (CIEH), the professional body for these enforcement officers, said: 'This legislation is popular and the requirements are simple. Any reasonable person will find it easy to comply. In time it will become just another routine requirement for

running a safe and healthy business.' He added: 'Enforcement tools available to local authorities will only be used where there are

clear and persistent offences.' New health secretary Alan Johnson said: 'The smoking ban in England is the 'single most important public health legislation for a generation.'

HSE move will 'haemorrhage key expertise' Plans to relocate the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) policy division will damage its ability to advise Whitehall, fail to produce promised savings and risks haemorrhaging key expertise within the safety organisation, HSE unions have warned. Prospect and PCS

members protested outside HSE's London HQ on 17 July. Prospect negotiations officer Mike MacDonald said the proposals were

'poorly thought out', adding: 'Many experienced staff faced with the option of uprooting families and leaving their homes will view redundancy as a preferable option, draining HSE of its body of expertise.' He said: 'HSE is unique in that it has its own policy

section, staffed by a workforce with a detailed knowledge of what the Executive does - many are former field inspectors - rather

than relying on generic advice from its parent government department. Isolating the policy division from ministers and Whitehall will also marginalise its influence and risks creating a parochial service.' The unions argue that HSE has already admitted that the move

will not realise all the benefits it is seeking but have yet to develop a 'benefits realisation strategy' to say how this can be achieved.

Neil Hope-Collins, Prospect's HSE branch chair, said: 'The Executive is pushing forward with a radical relocation before it has fully assessed the impact of government funding cutbacks which have already led to the loss of up to 350 jobs or the further drive to find

15 per cent cost savings over the next three years. Prospect is calling for HSE to rethink the proposals and discuss other means to

make the HSE more efficient.'

Things you may not have known about

St Michaels Church

Tradition has it that a church

was built at this crossing of

the River Wyre in c.640AD,

at the time of the missionary

and Archbishop of York,

Paulinus. Nothing remains

from that time. A church was

evidently on the site in 1086 -

the Domesday book records

Michelscherce as one of the

churches in the Hundred of

Amounderness.

The earliest parts of the

present church are the infilled

remains of a small lancet - a

"leper window" - and part of

the south aisle. These, along

with a pedestal and

piscina, date from the C13. Of

the C14 are the chancel, part

of the nave arcades and part

of the north wall, though

close dating is difficult in the

absence of any obvious

stylistic elements. In 1956

restoration work on the north

wall of the chancel revealed a

C14 or C15 mural. Though

faded, it is possible to see the

Virgin Mary, apostles and a

foot of Christ as he ascends

into the clouds. The east

window of the chancel may

also be C14. However, many

churches in the north of

England carried medieval

styles through into the C17, and dating can be problematic. The south aisle windows - square

headed with uncusped lights - illustrate the point well.

But there are parts of the church that can be dated with certainty from documentary evidence. The

Butler Chapel was founded in about 1480 by John Butler of Rawcliffe Hall. The tower was built

c.1549. In that year money to the value of 40 shillings was given by John Singleton for the building

of a steeple. He also gave 10 shillings towards the bells. The tower is rectangular but for a stair

projection adjoining the south aisle. It has stepped angle buttresses, a west door and window,

battlements and small corner pinnacles. The 3 bells in the tower are dated 1458, 1663 and 1742.

On the parapet of the tower are the coat of arms of Henry Butler, his initials and the date 1611. The

same date is carved over the semi-circular headed doorway of the south porch. The only significant

addition dated after the work of 1611 is the early C19 vestry.

The church has a small number of fragments of old glass including a C14 shield. In the Butler

chapel is a C16 Flemish roundel depicting sheep shearing. The shepherds can clearly be seen at

work with their shears. The crayfish may denote the astrological sign of Cancer (June 21st - July

22nd). Presumably the piece is one of a series illustrating the Labours of the Months - "Junius"

(June) is engraved at the bottom of this panel. Interestingly, June is more commonly illustrated by

grass cutting. Other glass in the church includes a modern representation of the parable of the

sower.

Corporate killing law finally passed The long awaited corporate killing law is to take effect next year. An impasse which saw the law threatened by a standoff

between the Lords and MPs was overcome after MPs conceded the law should also cover prisoners killed in custody. Ministers

had previously insisted that the prison service should be exempt, but the Lords refused to approve the law unless the exemption

was removed. The government agreed this week to introduce new protection for prisoners at some point after the act comes

into force. Most of the laws provisions will now take effect in April 2008. Discussions are ongoing about when publicity orders will

be introduced, but it will be some time after the other provisions. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber gave the law a qualified

welcome. 'Even though unions wanted the bill to make individual directors personally liable for safety breaches and penalties

against employers committing safety crimes to be tougher, we hope it will mean the start of a change in the safety culture at

the top of the UK's companies and organisations,' he said. 'The catalogue of avoidable workplace deaths in recent years has

highlighted in stark terms the need for a change of attitude over safety in UK boardrooms. To make a real difference, we now

need to ensure that this law is accompanied by a new legal health and safety duty on directors and a requirement on companies

to report annually on their workplace safety culture.' Cyber-bullying 'rife' in UK business One in five UK workers has been bullied by email, new research has found. An independent online survey of over 1,000 workers

for the Unite-Amicus led Dignity at Work Partnership found a fifth of respondents have been bullied by email in their current or

previous jobs, and 6.2 per cent have been bullied via a text message. Almost nine per cent believe that cyber-bullying is a

problem in their current organisation. The increased use of communications tools such as Blackberries is also making cyber-

bullying a problem outside working hours, according to 13 per cent of respondents. The survey also found that many

employees do not know what to do if they experience bullying at work, with six per cent saying they would take revenge on the

bully, almost 10 per cent saying they would do nothing and four per cent saying they would leave their job. 'Bullying in the

workplace can destroy peoples' lives,' said Mandy Telford, Unite's Dignity at Work coordinator. 'Our project aims to tackle

workplace bullying in partnership with employers. We hope that showing the financial impact of bullying will encourage them to

develop their own anti-bullying policies, benefiting both their staff and their bottom line.' The project's new booklet sets out the

business case for tackling bullying at work, examines what has worked for other organisations, provides recommendations for

preventing the issue arising and advises employers how to address problems. Dignity at Work is running a series of free seminars around the country on how to tackle bullying at work.

Women and Unions Conference

“Active and Influential”

The North West TUC Women’s Tutor Group cordially invites you to a one day Conference on:

Friday 9th November 2007 - 10.00am to 3.00pm at

THE MECHANICS INSTITUTE 103 Princess Street (Major St Entrance)

Manchester , M1 6DD

Buffet Lunch will be provided

The conference is designed to encourage women to become more proactive in

the union, plus explore the different progression and development routes available in the TUC and their own union. It will give you the opportunity to:

• network with others

• exchange good practice

• receive information regarding opportunities

• structure future conference contents.

The day will comprise of a number of guest speakers and workshop activities

on how to become:

• A TUC Tutor: Delivering courses to trade union activists

• A Union Project Worker: Promoting learning in the workplace

• A Union Organiser: Organising branch development

• An Officer in your Union: Accessing Union positions

R.S.V.P by 7th September 2007, on attached slip to:

Dianne Jones – Trade Union Education Unit Riverside College, Kingsway,

Widnes, WA8 7QQ.

Telephone: 0151 257 2079, Email: dianne.jones@riversidecollege.ac.uk

Reply slip

I am / am not able to attend on November 9th 2007.

(Please delete as necessary)

Name:

Address:

…

Position:

UnUnion:

Contact number:

Email:

Any special dietary needs:

Childcare requirements:

Disability requirements:

Please indicate your preference of workshop:

1. How to become a TUC Tutor

2. How to become a TUC/Union Project Worker

3. How to become an Organiser

4. How to become an Officer in your union

Your place at the conference will be confirmed as soon as possible and further details will be sent to you.

briefing

The PCS DWP Group have supplied the following details: “Telephone Monitoring Clarified The DWP Electronic Media Policy provisions for telephone monitoring, under Paragraph 6, have been updated from 2 July 2007 to:

• clarify the procedural requirements to conduct monitoring; • clarify that the purpose for monitoring may include resolving employee job performance

issues (capability) and/or progress an ongoing disciplinary enquiry; • clarify that it will be extremely rare for an employee’s personal telephone calls to be

intentionally monitored.

The clarifications provide for a better understanding of the previous provisions which told staff that:

• the Department reserves the right to monitor and record actions and accesses for each user at any time for business purposes;

• recordings may also be used when there has been a suspected breach of Departmental policy and disciplinary action is being considered;

• personal use is allowed but such use is subject to the employer’s right to monitor.

Monitoring Core Principles The core principles for legitimate monitoring include: • identifying which of the organisations rules and standards may be enforced partly or

wholly through the use of monitoring; • ensuring that these rules and standards are set out in policies that are clearly

communicated to workers; • ensuring that workers are aware of the nature and extent of any monitoring.

Data Protection Requirements The Data Protection Act does not prevent monitoring. However, monitoring should be a proportionate response to the problem it seeks to address. Managers must comply with DWP procedural requirements in the Electronic Media and Data Handling Policies.

DWP Policy, Procedures and Advice for compliance with the Data Protection Act are published in the HR Data Handling Policy.

The Electronic Media and Data Handling Policies are published following consultation but not agreement with PCS.”

Public and Commercial Services Union

SUPERHERO_QUIZ

g{x exáâÄàá Good day fellow law abiders. I hope you enjoyed the quiz I set you last time. Some

of of you got your Spidey Senses into gear to enter, so here are the answers:

1) Whose tag line is “the Man Of Steel”? - Superman

2) Batman protects which city? - Gotham

3) What is Super girl’s relationship to Superman? - Cousin

4) Reed Richards is otherwise known as? - Mr. Fantastic

5) Superman is in love with which reporter? - Lois Lane

6) What or who is Venom? - An Alien

7) Who was Spiderman’s true love? - Mary Jane Watson (We would have accepted Parker too)

The winner was Diane Monkman from

Norcross. Well Done! Diane received a “Super” box of

Thornton’s chocolates as a prize for her “Fantastic” entry.

R E S U L T S

Anarchy! That’s what it was, so many entries, so many wrong! Answers are below for those who lost!

Clash! We had some completely correct entries.

Gruesome! Only one could win. Well done Jill Aspinall from Norcross. I hope

you enjoy your box of chocs! Awesome! Answer 1 According to the song the “Vapors” were turning Japanese. Answer 2 The Stranglers had “5 minutes”, hung around and wanted to straighten out. Answer 3 The Damned sang about a new Rose. Grimly fiendish or what ?

Answer 4 Charlie Harper was the lead singer of the UK Subs. These questions really had a stranglehold on you ! Answer 5 “Nasty Nasty” was a record for 999. Answer 6 White “riot” was the Clash song.

Mosh IT UP!

Business wants regulated workplaces

(TUC Supplied information)

A government push for less workplace regulation and enforcement is the opposite of what works and what businesses want, two new reports suggest. Findings of an 18-month inquiry published this week by Tomorrow's Company, a group of prominent corporate leaders, calls for more, and better, regulation to reward environmentally and socially responsible companies. 'There are serious failures in the frameworks of law, regulations and agreements that frustrate many efforts to deal with some of the global issues both companies and societies face,' said the international inquiry team, which includes chairs and senior executives of Alcan, Anglo American, BP, Ford, Infosys, Standard Chartered and Suez. Companies should use their power, not to resist, but to help create better international agreements and national laws, the inquiry concluded. Wolfgang Schneider, vice-president for legal, governmental and environmental affairs at Ford's European division, said for responsible global companies to thrive, governments have to do more. 'You need to go to ambitious maximum conditions and enforce them worldwide,' he said. A second report, published on 4 July by The Work Foundation, said working life in Britain was 'significantly better' after a decade of Labour power. But is said it was 're-regulation' and not deregulation that had led to the positive changes. It added the government had re-regulated the labour market without any credible evidence of damage to economic performance, while unemployment had remained relatively low. David Coats, associate director of policy at the Work Foundation and one of the authors of the report, said: 'Work is one area of policy where Tony Blair's administrations have not only been extremely active over the last decade, but in which that activity has been for the better.' He added: 'The government has legislated to give workers a means of redress against some of the excesses of flexible labour markets - often in the face of resistance from employers - while simultaneously maintaining the dynamism of the economy.'

Odds and Sods regarding Wyre…

Housing In 1951, 18.2% of households lacked their own toilet. By 2001, this had dropped to under 0.4%. Social Class In 1841, 10.5% of male workers had middle class jobs - now 43.2% do. Learning and Language About 64% of children aged 5-14 went to school in 1851. Today, 51% of 16-17 year olds stay on at school. Industry In 2001, the service industry was the largest sector of the local economy, employing 70% of all workers, while in 1841 51% worked in manufacturing. Work and Poverty Male unemployment in 1931 was 9.1% (12.7% nationally). In 2001, it was 5.2% (6.0% nationally). Life and Death In 1851, 91 babies in every thousand died in their first year. In 1911 it was 120. By 2001 the rate was 5.

Population In 1801 Wyre's total population was 11,093. In 1901 it was 29,193. By 2001 the population was 105,584.

HSE deaths data refusal under investigation

The Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) refusal to provide information on deceased workers is

to be reviewed by the Information Commissioner. The official freedom of information watchdog

will determine whether HSE's refusal to provide the Centre for Corporate Accountability (CCA)

the names of individuals who have died at work is in breach of the Freedom of information Act

(FoIA). Deaths are reported to HSE under the official reporting regulations RIDDOR. CCA says

HSE, however, has refused repeatedly to provide CCA the names of those killed at work, even

after the information had been made public at a coroner's inquest. It says this refusal by HSE

makes tracking work-related deaths extremely difficult. In February 2006, the CCA sent in an

appeal to the Information Commissioner. The Commissioner has now informed CCA that it is

undertaking a review of HSE's decision, and is asking the HSE to respond. Mick Holder, who

monitors workplace deaths for CCA, said: 'The HSE's refusal to provide details of those who

have died at work means that deaths often simply remain a statistic - and are not understood

to be a deep personal tragedy for a family. In addition, without the name of the person who

died, it becomes nearly impossible to track how the HSE responds to the death. It is clearly in

the public interest for the HSE to be forced to change its unnecessarily restrictive policy.' CCA

executive director David Bergman added: 'It is our view that the HSE has no lawful reason to

restrict this information - which is anyway in the public domain, though often very difficult and

time-consuming to access. It is clearly in the public interest for details about the circumstances

of workplace deaths to be given as much media and public attention as possible to prevent

other similar deaths, and to allow the role of state bodies to be monitored.'

Urgent action call as deaths soar

Deaths at work are at a five year high, new figures from the Health and Safety Executive

(HSE) show. Statistics for 2006/07 released on 26 July show 241 workers died, up 11 per cent

from 217 deaths in 2005/06. The fatalities figure is the highest since 2001/02. A total of 77

construction workers died, up from 60 the previous year, an increase of over 28 per cent. The

number of deaths also increased in the service sector. Fatalities increased in both England and

Wales, but fell slightly in Scotland. Commenting on the shocking figures, TUC urged the

government to get tough with safety criminals. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said:

'These figures are dreadful. Each one of these tragic deaths was preventable and shows that

employers are not doing enough to make their workplaces safe. Among the worst offenders

are employers in construction, the waste industry, and agriculture, where there are high

concentrations of migrant workers. This requires urgent attention.' Mr Barber added: 'The UK

needs a massive change in its workplace safety culture. Making employers more accountable

when things go wrong and increasing the likelihood of a visit from a safety inspector would

make a real difference. But ministers have refused to place a specific legal duty for health and

safety on company directors, and with less money than ever at its disposal, the HSE has had

to cut its staff, including the number of its safety inspectors. Employers must be encouraged

to work more closely with union safety reps. Where there is a union presence at work,

employees are at much less risk of fatal accident or injury.' Mr Barber said ministers, HSE and

local authorities all had to take a harder line against criminal employers, adding 'with

employers only likely to get a visit from a safety inspector once every 11- 20 years, it's still far

too easy for them to risk the safety of their workers without fear of getting caught. Unless the

government gives the HSE more resources to do their job properly, today's increase could

very well become a trend.' HSE chief executive Geoffrey Podger indicated the safety watchdog

had started to reverse the dramatic downward trend in enforcement. 'In the past year we

have approved 25 per cent more prosecutions than the year before and our inspectors have

served 1,000 more

enforcement notices,' he said. 'No one should believe that

they can get away with serious breaches of health and

safety.'

PCS NW REGIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY ACOUSTIC SHOCK SUB COMMITTEE

SECRETARY: Ann Tuft

ASSISTANT SECRETARY: Aaron Carter

AR1 Awareness

This circular is a brief guide to remind staff of the importance of recording accidents and a summary of the key responsibilities of Staff, Line Managers and TU Appointed Safety Representatives. Incidents such as walking into doors, coat stands toppling over, tripping over a chair or slightly burning your hand under the tea urn tap may appear to be insignificant incidents, however, it is essential that ALL accidents are reported. Once reported, appropriate action can be taken, lessons are learned and control measures can be put into place to prevent reoccurrence. Your Responsibilities You as an employee of DWP have a duty of care to take reasonable care for health and safety of yourself and other persons who may be affected by your acts or omissions. This means you are required to report all accidents, near misses/dangerous occurrences and occupationally linked diseases immediately to your Line Manager. When an incident occurs you need to complete an AR1 form. Line Managers Responsibilities: To carry out preventative action in conjunction with senior management immediately following an accident to make the area safe. Notify the TU Appointed Safety Representative. If consent is not given for this, then the individual’s personal details should be removed before the representative is involved. Request LST/Senior Site Manager following all accidents, near misses/dangerous occurrences into the workplace to carry out investigations and that the TU Appointed Safety Representative has been invited to attend.

Any control measures implemented following an investigation are implemented and reviewed and that this is communicated to the staff. Any RIDDOR incident is reported to HSE by either LST or the nominated person for reporting RIDDOR. LST/ nominated persons are informed of any incident resulting in absences of over three days, hospitalisation for 24-hours or more, inability to carry out normal duties for over three days and maintaining the Line Manager’s control record AR2. A copy of the accident is placed on the individual’s personal file. Trade Union Appointed Safety Representatives Responsibilities TU Appointed Safety Representatives have a legal right to carry out inspections following accidents, dangerous occurrences/near misses and work health issues under the Safety Representative and Safety Committee Regulations (SRSC) Regulation 6. A copy of the completed AR1 Form must be passed to the Safety Representative. Consent from the member of staff must be given, if declined; personal details must be removed from the AR1 before it is passed to the representative. The Safety Representative must be involved in any investigation to determine the causes so that action can be taken to prevent reoccurrence. This can be done both independently of management and also working in partnership with LST and management. If urgent steps are implemented after an accident either by LST or senior management to control an accident or prevent further reoccurrence the Safety Representative must be informed of the action

and this should then be confirmed in writing

Department for Work & Pensions Group

Voice & Ear Health Background The PCS NW Regional Health & Safety Committee has created a sub-committee to investigate and carry out research into Acoustic Shock. Naturally headset hygiene and equipment lifecycles is tied into these investigations that we are carrying out into acoustic shock. As part of our work we have constructed a survey. We are rolling this survey out at a rate of one site per month within the NW Region. In addition to this, the Sub Committee has opened up a network of communication between site Health & Safety Representatives throughout the DWP to establish an understanding of the quality of headset training/hygiene within the Department.

This work is on going and at various stages we intend to rollout Circulars providing advice to members on the various aspects of topics covered by the sub committee’s agenda. What should my employer do about voice and ear care? Line Mangers have a general duty under the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974, to provide you with a safe system of work and to assess any risks faced by their staff. Preventing injury to your voice or infection to your ears is part of that duty. The human voice and ears are two of the most important tools for staff working in offices and contact centres. Site Reps feedback/results from first survey Through our communications with site Reps within DWP it is clear that managements approach to headset training and it’s ability to provide consistent and effective equipment on a regular basis to staff is at best described as sporadic. There is currently no comprehensive recording mechanism to ensure that staff are receiving adequate training, reminders, hygiene wipes or prompts making them frequently change [every 6-months] their voice-tubes or ear foam parts of the headsets should it be necessary.

Furthermore, the first site’s PCS Acoustic Shock survey results had a return of 42.6% out of 150 staff. 78.1% of the respondents stated that they NEVER cleanse their headsets. 84.3% of the respondents stated that they had NOT received sufficient training, time and materials to cleanse their headsets. 29.7% of respondents stated that they had suffered from earache whilst working in a call centre environment. 28.1% stated that they had suffered loss of voice. 29.7% stated that they had suffered from throat infections. On the balance of probability it could be argued that poor headset training and the lack of replacement equipment might be a contributing factor to attendance absences for sickness such as throat infections and earache within the DWP. Current DWP Guidance Guidance states, “There may be an increased risk of ear irritation and infection because headsets are worn so intensively. To reduce this risk, call handlers should be trained in headset hygiene and given the time and materials to complete a hygiene programme.”

Clearly the Department does provide headset awareness to new staff during their induction training. However, PCS has concerns regarding the “back-up support” to this training. Given the target driven environment inside the DWP Contact Centres and the daily workload of staff it is easy for staff to become complacent in regards to cleansing their headsets and replacing defective equipment. The shortcomings arising from Guidance is that there are no prompts for management to ensure that staff are adhering to the headset induction training. One possibility would be to place a prompt on screen when staff turn their PC units on. It could remind them to keep their headset cleansed and replace equipment once it is suspected that it is defective or over 6-months old. PCS Recommendations for DWP PCS believes in order for DWP to attain the best hygiene standards for headset and telephone users would be to create and enforce via Business Support Units, automatic equipment replacement and headset/telephone hygiene wipes supply system. This would require Business Support Units to record when new voice tubes and ear foams are handed out to individual staff, [every 6-months] and Business Support Units would also supply Team Leaders [again by Team Leaders signing for them] hygiene wipes on a quarterly basis. Naturally we

would also urge Operations Mangers to ensure they constantly have sufficient supplies of all equipment on the premises. Another option would be for staff to actively use their individual Health & Safety Record Sheets as a prompt to request new equipment or more hygiene wipes. Given the feedback from PCS Safety Reps and the results of the first site survey completed it is fair comment to state that the current “staff self policing culture” is inadequate and needs reform. It is also clear that there may well be a causal chain between poor headset hygiene/old equipment and sickness absence. Given the fact that the DWP is striving to achieve attendance management targets of fewer than 8 days per rolling 12-months for all staff, PCS believes that it is essential that changes be made immediately and collectively across the Department. My voice/ears already hurt. What should I do? Contact your PCS Health & Safety Representative for help and advice. Speak to your GP. Explain fully what you do, how much you use your voice/headset. Confirm how often you cleanse your headset/telephone.

Inform your line manager and complete an accident form (AR1 form). Ask your manger to refer you to OHS for advice. Ask your line manager for a short break away from duties that involve your voice/using a headset/telephone. Aaron Carter Deputy NW Region DWP Health & Safety Officer

The following detail have been supplied by the PCS DWP Group:

Sick Leave Procedures Updated

“DWP Policy Clarified Two clarifications have been introduced to the DWP Sick Leave Procedures. A new paragraph 4.19 is a simple statement of current DWP policy that annual leave cannot be taken during sick absence. A revised paragraph 4.17 clarifies the application of extension of paid sick leave. Extension of Paid Sick Leave

Procedures for extension of paid sick leave are published in paragraphs 4.15 to 4.18 of the DWP Sick Leave Procedures.

When normal full and half sick pay has expired due to a long absence, the manager may authorise an extension of paid sick leave of up to 40 calendar days for: • Minor ailments unrelated to the original illness or injury • Continuing treatment of the original illness or injury, which requires time off

work to administer • Debilitating side effects, recovery from which requires time off work. This extension should not be granted to employees who have exhausted their sick pay entitlement by a variety of illness. In addition to the initial 40 days extension up to a further 20 calendar days paid leave may be allowed for continuing treatment of the original illness or injury. This will be considered by the manager when it is necessary for the employee to be away from work to receive treatment or recover from the side effects. Extensions are subject to a maximum of 60 days paid sick leave within a 4 year period starting from the date of your return to work from the original long illness (para 4.17) Annual Leave During Sickness The Legal challenge remains to be decided at the European Court of Justice. The key issue to be resolved is whether or not there is a legal entitlement under the Working Time Directive to take paid annual leave during a period of absence due to sickness.

The Court of Appeal’s decision in Commissioners of Inland Revenue v Ainsworth and others [2005] EWCA Civ 441 ([2005] IRLR 465) overruled the EAT’s decision in Kigass Aero Components V Brown EAT/481/00 ({2002] IRLR 312), with the result that workers on long-term sick leave are not entitled to take holidays during that sickness absence. The ruling will affect those whose contractual sick pay has expired and who for a while after the Kigass decision would have been entitled to full pay for days that they chose to take as holiday during that period. The court held that a worker absent on long-term sick leave could not be said, at some arbitrary period during that absence, to be on leave. Additionally, leave in those circumstances could not be said to serve the health and safety purpose intended by the working time directive. European Court Will Decide The PCS supported legal action is now listed as HM Revenue and Customs v Stringer and others, formerly Commissioners of Inland Revenue v Ainsworth (ECJ). The House of Lords decided to refer this case to the European Court of Justice (ECJ) to resolve the issue of whether paid annual leave can be taken during a period of sick leave. The PCS case joins one from Germany on the same issues so the legal dispute will be decided by the ECJ under the case of Gerhard Schulz-Hoff v Deutche Rentenversicherung Bund. The ECJ decision will be reported to members when received. Advice For Members The DWP has recognised that whilst it has been decided to withdraw statutory annual leave for the above reasons, individuals may continue to make claims. PCS advice to members is that individuals should make a written claim in the above circumstances, as this will preserve their entitlement should the legal situation be resolved in their favour. When the DWP introduced compliance with the Kigass decision in DWP HR circular 16/2002, the Department stated in paragraph 16 that : “backdated claims for carry over or payment of unused statutory leave cannot be made for previous years unless there is evidence that a request was made and refused at that time.” Members should therefore continue to claim when appropriate, and keep the written refusal which they should receive, so that a backdated claim may be made should the legal situation be resolved in our favour.

Charles Hancock’s

Game

Show

Quiz II

It’s a bull’s-eye. Yes it’s me Charles Hancock back with a quiz about Game shows. And you can’t beat a bit of Bully.

Here are your questions on quizzes and game shows. In 1 My hero Jim Bowen did the original Bull’s-eye but who replaced Jim (is that even possible) in the re-make. Was it Dave?

a) Spivey b)Lee Travis c) Cameron d)Dee e) Spikey

In 2 Which Kelly used to present “going for gold”. Was it:

a) Matthew b) Henry c) Holmes d) Gene e) Ned

In 3 Which hilariously funny comedian used to host “the price is right”. Was it?

a) Leslie Crowther b) Les Dawson c) Les Dennis d) Bob Monkhouse e)Arthur Askey

In 4 What type of house did Bob Monkhouse have according to the Game show? Was it a?

a) Open b)Free c)Tree d) Full e) New

In 5 Which snooker player co-hosted “big break” with my favourite comedian Jim Davidson. Was it:

a) Steve Davis b) Jimmy White c) Fred Davis d) John Virgo e) Dennis Taylor

In 6 What type of “fortunes” did both Les Dennis and Max Bygraves host. Was it:

a) Big b) Family c) Lost d) All Star Family e) The Winner Takes it all

Please send your answers together with your name and details to Jacqui “I like to watch the odd Game show especially on Saturday night, I’ll have you know” Dunkerley to arrive no later than Friday 14th of September 2007. The winner will receive a box of chocs. Please remember that only members of the Fylde Central Office, excluding Branch Executive Committee can enter the quiz.

If you don’t win you won’t even get BFH, bus fare home! - Charles

MMMMoreoreoreore Quiz RESULTS

Jacqui’s

Holiday

Quiz

The winner of Jacqui’s Holiday Quiz was Karen Poppleton from Peel Park (all the P’s).

Well done Karen. Answers are below.

Karen has received a box of chocolates for her winning entry.

Charlie’s

Quick

Quiz

The winner of the caption competition last month was Roy Griffiths from Norcross. Roy won the editors votes with the quote: “Have you seen the bum on that horse?” Well done Roy. Roy received a box of chocolates for his superlative entry.

Answer 1

“Here comes the sun” was written by George Harrison.

Answer 2 The “Cape Verdi Islands” used to be a Portuguese colony.

Answer 3

The seaside holiday resort of Brighton is in Sussex.

Answer 4 “Doc” Holiday’s real first name was John.

Answer 5 Blackpool Tower is 518 foot tall.

Answer 6 The Sex Pistols did not want a holiday in the sun.

Background This circular highlights what reasonable adjustments are and the key aspects to how they should be implemented and reviewed. A number of Trade Union and Health & Safety Representatives have highlighted the fact that line managers are not following DWP Reasonable Adjustment Guidance. It is essential H&S Representatives ensure during inspections and for personal cases that involved the Member requiring any form of a reasonable adjustments that they formally request RA1’s, 2’s and 3’s immediately. What are reasonable adjustments? If an individual has an underlying medical condition or disability a reasonable adjustment is a modification to a physical, environmental, workloads feature identified for an individual. This will ensure that they do not suffer a detriment whilst conducting their individual job roles. When would one be required? When an employee or employer becomes aware that they are unable to perform any duty or tasks due to the impact it is having on a persons individual health safety and well being. Who identifies the need? Your Line Manager must make the necessary referral to a professional organisation that can assess you and your working environment. They will make recommendations, which your Line Manger must then take the necessary steps to start the process of obtaining what is required and has been classed as reasonable. This can also include you travelling to and from work and if necessary seek the assistance of Work Step

What is “reasonable”? There is no specific or restricitve definition either in law or DWP guidance. The interpretation of “reasonableness” is the balancing of various factors. These would include, will the adjustment remove the disadvantage? How practical is it to make the adjustment? How much will it cost and how disruptive will it be? What resources are available? Key elements of the process Once an obstruction to work is identified that directly affects an employee’s performance, it is essential the Diversity Policy and Procedure is evoked. A discussion is held with the employee and the appropriate steps are put immediately into place, it is essential the correct policy is applied and the appropriate measures put in place. All necessary referrals are implemented immediate and the employee is issued with all draft documents before they are progressed. RA1/RA2 Forms When the first meeting concludes between the line manager and the employee the manager must complete form RA1, (Reasonable Adjustments Assessment Recommendation Form). This crucial document helps determine what type of assistance the employee will get. The value of this form increases if the employee’s condition changes. It provides an accurate historic record of what has and what has not been requested as adjustments. It is essential that only “professionally trained organisations” are used to assess employees. The line manager needs to also complete and hold on to the RA2 form. This provides a detailed record of past and planned reasonable adjustment reviews for the employee. Clearly, the form enables management to demonstrate that they are implementing their statutory duty of care as an employer towards staff with either an underlying medical condition or a disability as defined under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. If you identify the process has not been applied, immediately bring it to the attention of the appropriate manager in writing, and seek a resolution as to how they intend to implement the process immediately.

Reasonable Adjustments What should happen?

Continued…

Consideration has to be given to persons with progressive conditions. If the underlying medical condition or disability degenerates and no adjustments are put in place, applying a formal review process. It is essential members keep all applicable RA documents issued to them. Workstation Assessors. Line managers are responsible for ensuring that employees have read the workstation user guideleines for healthy working. If as highlighted above either an underlying medical condition or disability is discussed between the line manager and employee and it is acknowledged reasonable adjustments are required for the workstation then the line manager will need to select the relevant assessor(s). It is possible that some staff may require assessment off more than one assessor. Combining assessments to be carried out on the same day allows assessors the opportuniity to discuss together solutions. Arrival of an adjustment Land Security Trillium must provide a demonstration to the employee of the functionality of the furniture/equipment they have been given. This is in addtion to any instruction manual that arrives with the equipment. Capita, in certain circumstances, can provide a re-visit to the office to ensure that the employee is set up correctly and the necessary training supplied to use the equipment to gain the maximum benefit. An employee should also be given the option of having assistive technology training at the time of delivery of IT equipment. Time should be booked for the training once notification of delivery is received. Is the employee happy with the adjustment? If an employee is satisfied with the adjustment, the line manager will sign off the assessment as complete, this does not however withdraw the right of the individual to request a review at any time.

DSE-risk assessment The line manager is responsible for ensuring that the employee completes the DSE checklist and to arrange the DSE workstation risk assessment. Review-RA2/RA3 Forms All reasonable adjustments are subject to a formal review process. The initial review is called the Post Implementation Review (PIR). It is mandatory for this interview to occur 4-weeks after the reasonable adjustment has been implemented. The idea of this review is to highlight to both parties whether or not the adjustment is removing the disadvantage and enabling the employee to carry out their role successfully. At the end of each meeting, both parties should agree a date for the next formal review. Both forms RA2 and RA3 will require completion/updating as they represent a historical record of reasonable adjustments carried out whilst the person has been an employee in DWP. PCS Recommendations for Representatives Request that the line manager disclose the RA1/RA2/RA3 forms. If these have not been completed ask the manager to explain what review procedures have been put in place and why Guidance has not been followed. Aaron Carter Deputy NW DWP Regional Health & Safety Officer

PCS NW REGIONAL HEALTH & SAFETY ACOUSTIC SHOCK SUB COMMITTEE

SECRETARY: Ann Tuft

ASSISTANT SECRETARY: Aaron Carter

Acoustic Shock Awareness This circular is aimed at both telephone and headset users within the DWP as a brief guide to define both the definition of acoustic shock and remind staff what they should do if an incident of acoustic shock occurs.

Acoustic Shock Definition In lay terms, it is on sonic surge, or shock delivered via a telephone system. It is caused by a sudden spike or surge of noise at a given frequency that will damage the ear. The effects vary from a ringing in the ear for a short period of time, to permanent damage of the inner ear affecting the organic mechanisms of balance.

Telephone Changes in the DWP BT has been contracted by DWP until mid 2011 to transform DWP’s WAN, LAN and telephony Network. To implement these changes the Department will nominate Telephony Champions from within to train staff. This will be in addition to face-to-face training the Department will receive from BT. Currently BT has sent their new digital noise limiters off for independent research and testing. Only 5 members of staff are presently using them in the whole of DWP. This is down to individual requirements based on recommendations from OHS referrals. The Department’s Senior Management team have stated that they will only have one big spend and need to get the “best in class.”

Background Information The Health and Safety Executive carried out it’s own study in 15 call centres within the UK. Since then new research has been carried out in Australia and Denmark (1991-seminar). This research concluded that noise of high intensity and high frequency might cause symptoms at exposure levels that are lower than previously thought to be the case. The research also highlighted the importance of previously unconsidered variables. These include factors such as, the sudden onset of the noise, stress and an individual’s personal susceptibility. Over 100 cases have been recognised in Australia and a lesser number have been recorded in Denmark. The HSE is still considering the new information and remains in contact with experts from around the world. Current advice to call centres is that they should implement a traceable reporting system for headset users who may be exposed to acoustic shock incidents.

(Continued on next page)

Key factors to record if an incident of acoustic shock occurs The following information should be recorded:

• Date and time of the incident

• Details of the source of the exposure

• Description of the noise

• Duration of the exposure

• Details of the headset and telephone equipment used

• Whether the incident was electronically recorded (a copy should be kept for future reference)

• Symptoms experienced by the operator directly related to the acoustic shock incident

DWP Guidance Guidance states that staff who are exposed to acoustic shock incidents should record these as near misses. If however, the incident causes you an adverse response then the incident should be recorded as an accident/injury using the AR1 form. To assist with this staff should follow the Guidance for the completion of Accident, Near Misses and Workshop Health Issues Report Form AR1. In addition to completing the AR1 form any adverse effect should also be reported to your GP for advice.

Conclusion It is clear from global research that acoustic shock can occur at low levels. Staff should be fully aware of the importance of recording incidents and the need for completing an AR1 form should they suffer an adverse effect from the incident. Currently the main protection from acoustic shock is to quickly remove the headset or press the call termination button on the telephone. Once the new digital receivers are purchased by the DWP they should provide substantial but NOT complete protection against acoustic shock. Aaron Carter Deputy NW England Health & Safety Officer

TTTT HHHH EEEE EEEE DDDD IIII TTTT OOOO RRRR SSSS QQQQ UUUU IIII ZZZZ

People, well “a” person to be accurate, have asked how were the Editors drawn together. Was it because of our skills, or our wide-ranging knowledge?

The answer is neither we all met way back in the 70’s when we were a boy/ girl band. We were very similar to ABBA or Brother Hood of Man.

To celebrate good times here is a quiz about our music and our era.

Question 1

According to the ABBA song, what did they ask Fernando, if he could hear? Was it;

a) Bells b) Drums c) Guns d) Times they are a changing e) The sounds when doves cry

Question 2 Who said that they could boogie but they needed a certain song. Was it:

a) Bacardi b) ABBA c) Brother hood of man d) Baccara e) Heatwave

Question 3

“Even though you're only three” was the final line in which classic song. Was it?

a) Save all your kisses for me b) Voulez-Vou c) Angelo d) Waterloo e) I’m in the mood for Dancing

Question 4 If we said “so get on up and then let your body sway”. What mind blowing song are we singing? Is it?

a) Disco Inferno b) Bring me sunshine c) Angelo d) Boogie Nights e) I’m in the mood for Dancing

Question 5 “Wanted” was a hit record in 1979 for which much under rated band. Was it: a) Bon Jovi b) The Nolans c) ABBA d) The Dooleys e) The Grumble weeds

THE EDITORS QUIZ CONTINUED...

Question 6 If you’re all alone when the pretty birds have flown is a lyric from which ABBA hit? Was it: a) Mamma Mia b) Dancing queen c) Take a chance on me d) Knowing Me Knowing You e) The Winner Takes it all

Please send your answers together with your name and details to Jacqui “I was the dancing queen in Ossett, I’ll have you know” Dunkerley to arrive no later than Friday 14th of September 2007. The winner takes it all and will receive a £20 gift voucher. Please remember that only members of the Fylde Central Office, excluding Branch Executive Committee can enter the quiz. Will you take a chance take a chance take a ch, ch, ch chance on entering the quiz? The Editors