PLANNED WORKING TIME REVIEW
Extensive discussions between the European Parliament, Council of Ministers and Commission on a revised text for the EU Working Time Directive ended in May without agreement. The current Directive, which retains the ‘opt-out' taken up by the UK (i.e. workers can agree to work more than 48 hours a week), remains in place. The EU failure to reach agreement has left some unresolved legal issues, notably the question of how much ‘on-call' time counts as ‘working' time.

In March 2010, the European Commission published a social partner (essentially employer, authority and union) consultation on the future of the Directive. This consultation asked the social partners to:

• outline how the debate on working time has moved on since the 1993 draft of the current Directive; and
• suggest what a modern Directive that takes account of these changes might look like.

This broad question means that the scope of the next round of EU discussion (e.g. whether linked to specific outstanding issues such as ‘on call', or a much wider reaching review) is unknown.

As ever, we will ‘Monitor' the situation. The new Government is poised to take a pro-employer line on the Directive.

ELECTRICAL STANDARD FOR CONSTRUCTION SITES
BS 7375:2010 ‘Distribution of electricity on construction sites. Code of practice' provides recommendations for the distribution of electricity on construction and demolition sites. It also gives guidance on the application of the requirements of BS 7671:2008 ‘Requirements for electrical installations (the IEE ‘Wiring Regulations')' on such sites. The sites covered include:

• construction work on new buildings;
• repair, alteration, extension, demolition of existing buildings, or parts of existing buildings;
• engineering works; and
• earthworks.

NO WORK BREAKS
Research from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) suggests that one in four people in the UK regularly work all day without taking a break.

Over a third (36%) of staff regularly work through their lunch break and nearly a quarter (23%) take no lunch break at all. Half of those who work through their breaks (50%) do so because they have too much work to do, while almost a third (31%) say it is because there are too few staff to cover the workload.

The CSP says UK workers are increasing their risk of chronic musculoskeletal disorders (such as on-going back pain), obesity, cancer, depression, heart disease, diabetes type 2 and stroke through poor working practices.

Of those questioned by the survey:

• 54% of workers said they ‘always or usually’ go to work when they feel stressed or physically unwell – with 31% experiencing physical pain and 42% feeling stressed at least once a week;
• 46% of workers say their physical pains are due to working in the same position for a long time;
• 46% of workers say their stress is caused because there are not enough staff to do the work expected; and
• 41% of employees say they are too busy with work to exercise regularly.

Full details of the survey can be found at www.csp.org.uk

FITNESS TO DRIVE
The third PRAISE Report issued by the European Transport Safety Council looks into work-related fitness to drive. The report covers legislation, examples of initiatives and case studies, and recommendations to the EU and its Member States, and to employers.

Available from: www.etsc.eu/documents/PRAISE%20Report%203.pdf>


NEW FIRE STANDARD
BS EN 54-23 is a European Standard which specifies the requirements, test methods and performance criteria for visual alarm devices in a fixed installation intended to signal a visual warning of a fire between the fire detection and fire alarm system and the occupants of a building.

It is intended to cover only those devices which derive their operating power by means of a physical electrical connection to an external source such as a fire alarm system.

BS EN 54-23 specifies the evaluation of conformity and the marking of the visual alarm devices. It applies only to pulsing or flashing visual alarm devices, for example xenon beacons or rotating beacons. Devices giving continuous light output are excluded. BS EN 54-23 is not intended to cover visual indicators.

BS EN 54-23:2010 ‘Fire detection and fire alarm systems. Fire alarm devices. Visual alarm devices’ can be obtained from http://shop.bsigroup.com/en/ProductDetail/?pid=000000000030109637 price £172 or £86 for BSI members.

NANOSUBSTANCE EU BAN?
European MEPs have called for nanosilver and long multiwalled carbon nanotubes to be banned in electrical and electronic equipment (EEE). The EU’s Environment Committee flagged up the prospect of a ban in a recent vote on proposed amendments to the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoES) Directive.

The committee added that manufacturers should be compelled to provide the European Commission with safety data on nanomaterials.

The MEPs vote on the new proposals is due this October.

US ACTS TO CONTROL NANO SUBSTANCES RISKS
US Senators recently submitted a Bill that would lead to a Nanotechnology Safety Act. The Act would allow $25 million per year for the assessment of health and safety of nanotechnology in everyday products, plus guidelines for organisations that use nanomaterials.

LEGIONNAIRES’ WARNING
A preliminary Health Protection Agency (HPA) study, published in the ‘European Journal of Epidemiology’, has found an association between not using screen wash in wiper fluid and the risk of contracting Legionnaires’ disease.

The case control study looked into the potential risk factors for drivers and passengers, given that most cases of sporadic, or isolated, Legionnaires’ disease are rarely traced to a source, and that drivers figure disproportionately among cases of sporadic Legionella infection.

Researchers for the study interviewed 75 patients in England and Wales who had recovered from community acquired Legionnaires’ disease between July 2008 and March 2009, comparing them to a group of matched people who had not experienced any similar infection.

The study found two exposures associated with vehicle use where there was an increased risk of Legionnaires’ disease: driving through industrial areas and driving or being a passenger in a vehicle without screenwash in its wiper fluid. These associations had not been previously identified.

‘Windscreen wiper fluid without added screenwash in motor vehicles: a newly identified risk factor for Legionnaires’ disease’ European Journal of Epidemiology.
www.springerlink.com/content/t92532v54003150g/?p=d75c20f288574b48922a64e646a5223e&pi=2

More information about Legionnaires’ disease is available from the HPA website: www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/LegionnairesDisease/

FAKE FIT NOTES
The new fit notes which came into force in April are already being pirated. Readers are warned that it is possible to buy fake fit notes from Doctorsnotestore.com

The site has a disclaimer which says: “Please note that documents purchased on this site are to be used for entertainment purposes only. We do not condone intentional false absence from an employer or educational institution. We do not condone illegal use of these documents.” This emphasises the importance of having a clear absence policy.

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