@  Wakefield  College

  HEALTH AND SAFETY

CHARLIE  GILKESON  Health & Safety Official Charlie works for the Technology Sector and has worked in a number of locations within the College over the last 27 years, and has always been involved with the branch committee at Whitwood. Charlie takes responsibility for Health and Safety within NATFHE and is also the editor of the NATFHE Web Site.  Charlie can be contacted at Whitwood on Ex. 2465.

NATFHE and UNISON regularly conduct Health & Safety inspections with Diane Henry.

Please email Charlie Gilkeson for the link to access the reports.

Charlie  works  with Diane Henry ( Ex.4723), but this is an area where we can all play a part in making the college a safer place to work. If you have any concerns regarding Health and Safety please contact Diane directly. Clearly Dianne cannot be everywhere and we can all help by being an extra pair of eyes for her.

Charlie Gilkeson should be your first port of call for any health or safety query or problem. Elected by the union locally, Charlie has the knowledge of the local procedures to deal with health and safety.  Some of the union's regions have set up safety reps information exchange groups, where reps can share information, develop policy and provide mutual support on health and safety matters. NATFHE has representatives on workplace health and safety committees - joint union-management committees set up under the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations.  NATFHE provides training at national level for safety reps, ranging from introductory sessions to access to the TUC's national training programme. Some of the regions also offer health and safety training for members.

Your rights at work    
Health and Safety at Work Act 1974

The Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) is the main legislation covering your health and safety rights at work. The Act puts a general duty on employers to ensure the safety, health and welfare of their employees. 
Under the Act, employers have to consult with employees about health and safety arrangements and prepare a written safety policy. Employers also have to recognise and allow safety reps and safety committees to function, if requested by recognised trade unions.

Health and safety regulations

Detailed regulations specify the employer's particular obligations under the HASAWA. The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 set these out. Approved Codes of Practice give practical guidance to employers on how to comply with the law. Like the Highway Code, these are not law, but breach of them can be presented as evidence in court.

Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992

These regulations oblige employers to carry out risk assessments to prevent accidents in the workplace.

Health & Safety News

A recent TUC Press Release on Bullying at work reports that nearly half UK employees 'have witnessed workplace bullying'. Almost half the UK's employees (47%) have witnessed bullying at work and one in ten report being bullied in the last six months, a new study reveals (14/02/00). The survey, conducted by the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology  (UMIST) and supported by the TUC and the CBI, suggests the phenomenon contributes to the loss of 18 million working days every year. 5,300 employees from the public, private and voluntary sectors completed the survey, funded by the British Occupational Health Research Foundation, making it the biggest UK study of the prevalence and effects of workplace bullying.

The key findings show:

• Almost half (47%) the respondents reported witnessing bullying in the last five years. One in ten (1 0.5%) said they had been bullied in the last six months and one in four (24.4%) said they had been bullied within the last five years.

• An estimated 18 million working days are lost every year because of bullying. Victims of workplace bullying take an average 6.3 days off a year compared to only 2.8 days amongst those who have not been bullied.

• Bullying affects employees at all levels from workers with no management responsibility (10%) to middle (11 %) and senior managers (9%). However, most perpetrators are managers. In three out of four cases (75%) respondents reported being bullied by managers. Just over one third (37%) reported being bullied by colleagues.

• Over half those who were bullied (54%) said they were not the only victims at work.

• Bullying is most common in the prison service (16%), post and telecommunications (16%), teaching (15.5%) and performing arts (14%).

• Bullying is linked to negative management styles. Victims of bullying were more likely to experience autocratic and divisive styles of management than those who hadn't experienced bullying at work.

• Bullying negatively effects morale and productivity. Those who reported being bullied within the last six months consistently report the poorest health, the lowest work motivation and satisfaction, the highest absenteeism figures as well as the lowest productivity, compared to those who were not bullied. Those who witnessed bullying at work were also more likely to report poor health and low morale than those who worked in bullying-free environments. Professor Cary Cooper and Helge Hoel, the study's authors, want employers to:

• develop procedures for dealing with complaints

• train managers so they are aware of the negative effects of bullying

• undertake regular risk assessments or stress audits to identify bullying at work. Professor Cary Cooper said: 'The findings in this study show that with better management training and awareness, bullying is avoidable. Workplace bullying not only damages the individual but everybody who experiences it.' TUC General Secretary, John Monks said: 'These shocking new figures show bullying is rife at work - and that no workplace is immune. The study suggests that bullying is often down to bad management style. That's why it is crucial that unions and employers work together to tackle what is becoming one of Britain's most worrying workplace phenomenon.' Michael Ladenburg, Chief Executive of the British Occupational Health Research Foundation said: 'An important part of the study's value lies in the new insights it gives into the many different types of bullying and the cultural changes companies need to bring about if the optimum balance is to be achieved between efficiency and damaging - and potentially costly - pressure in the workplace. The findings are based on a national sample of 5,300 respondents from 70 organisations

Experience of bullying was measured by presenting the respondents with a definition emphasising the negative, long term and persistent nature of bullying. The study was advised on by representatives from the public, private and voluntary sectors.