RIDDOR CONSULTATION
As trailed in last month’s ‘Monitor’ (page 2) the HSE’s consultation on amending RIDDOR is now open.

The consultation looks at changing the reporting threshold from three to seven days where a worker has been unable to work as a result of an injury. Regulation 3(2) of RIDDOR would be changed so that a report would only have to be sent to the relevant enforcing authority if the worker has been incapacitated for work for more than seven consecutive days (as opposed to three) (excluding the day of the accident, but including any days that would not have been working days i.e. the weekend).

The change would align the incident reporting threshold with that for obtaining a ‘fit note’ from a GP for sickness absence, and would ensure that someone who has suffered a reportable injury has had a professional medical assessment.

The consultation paper is available online at www.hse.gov.uk/consult/condocs/cd233.htm. Responses should be sent by 9 May 2011 to riddor2011@hse.gsi.gov.uk, but can also be completed online or on paper.

EMPLOYMENT TRIBUNAL REFORMS
The Government has announced prospective employment law changes including:

• increasing the qualifying period for employees to be able to bring a claim for unfair dismissal from one to two years;
• introducing financial penalties for employers found to have breached rights.
  

There will be a separate consultation on introducing fees for Employment Tribunal cases and appeals.

It is important to note that the proposal would not affect ‘day one’ rights against unfair dismissal, such as being dismissed for carrying out health and safety duties, for instance, bringing to the employer’s attention a concern about health and safety in the workplace.

The consultation document is available from www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/employment-matters/docs/r/11-511-resolving-workplace-disputes-consultation

CORPORATE MANSLAUGHTER CONVICTION
As we went to press Cotswold Geotechnical Holdings became the first company to be convicted of the new offence of corporate manslaughter at Winchester Crown Court. The company was fined £385,000 but was not ordered to pay any costs.

BOREDOM AND MISTAKES
Research from the University of Central Lancashire found that two thirds of supermarket employees claim that the boredom of their job is likely to lead them to make mistakes. The repetitive and routine nature of the work is blamed for boredom which causes them to lose concentration and daydream.

Dr Sandi Mann’s research at a national supermarket chain also suggested that over a quarter of supermarket employees claim that after a boring day at the checkout they are likely to turn to alcohol to relieve the boredom, with almost half feeling that boredom causes them to become stressed.

ASBESTOS EARLY DAY MOTION
MP Natascha Engel has put down an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons stating: “That this House notes that the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE’s) Hidden Killer campaign has played an exemplary role in informing construction workers about the dangers posed by exposure to asbestos; recognises construction workers are now at greater risk of dying from asbestos disease and that 4,000 people a year die from asbestos related illness; is alarmed to learn that the latest phase of the Hidden Killer campaign has been cancelled following a 35 per cent cut in the HSE’s budget; and calls on the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to reverse this decision and reinstate this lifesaving campaign.”

The HSE says that the campaign had not been cancelled. The Hidden Killer information is available at www.hse.gov.uk/asbestos/hiddenkiller/index.htm

SMOKING AND ASBESTOS
An HSE Research Report examines the link between lung cancer, smoking and asbestos. It is not unusual for those exposed to asbestos to have smoked as well. The main findings are that:

• even after adjustment for smoking status, the mortality due to lung cancer for male asbestos workers was significantly higher than the national population;
• just two percent of lung cancer deaths occurred in asbestos workers who had never smoked;
• after adjustment for the smoking status of asbestos workers, the risk of lung cancer mortality increased with length of exposure and years since first occupational exposure to asbestos – insulation workers had the greatest risk of lung cancer mortality, together with those first occupationally exposed to asbestos before 20 years of age;
• asbestos workers who quit smoking remained at an increased risk for lung cancer mortality up to 40 years after smoking cessation; and
• nearly 30 per cent of lung cancer deaths among all male asbestos workers and 7 per cent among the male national population were estimated to be attributable to asbestos exposure.
  

‘The joint effect of asbestos exposure and smoking on the risk of lung cancer mortality for asbestos workers (1971-2005)’ HSE Research Report 833 is available from www.hse.gov.uk/research

HEAD INJURY MORTALITY
Head injury is associated with increased vulnerability to death from a variety of causes for at least 13 years after hospital admission.

Research published in the ‘Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry’ says there is a need to understand how head injury influences mortality, particularly in younger adults and after mild head injury. Two-fifths of the head injury cohort in the research had died.

J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry doi:10.1136/jnnp.2010.222232 is available from: http://jnnp.bmj.com/content/early/2011/01/09/jnnp.2010.222232.short?q=w_jnnp_ahead_tab

DRAFT ISO STANDARD ON BUSINESS CONTINUITY MANAGEMENT
An international Standard on business continuity management entitled ‘ISO 22301: Continuity management systems – Requirements’ has been issued for comment. ISO 22301 has the same scope as ‘BS 25999-2:2007 Business continuity management – Specification’. The consultation document is accessible via: http://drafts.bsigroup.com/Home/Details/

DUST SAMPLING IN DUCTS
Canadian research body IRSST* has published a document that assesses different methods of sampling dust in ductwork. Its study was carried out under real dust-accumulation conditions inside non-industrial Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning systems (HVAC) (e.g. schools, office buildings and hospitals).

The IRSST says that the ASPEC method “yields the most accurate results and the smallest standard deviation”. The document is available at: www.irsst.qc.ca/fr/_publicationirsst_100561.html

*The Institut de Recherche Robert Sauvé en Santé et en Sécurité du Travail (IRSST).

MENTAL HEALTH STRATEGY
The Government has released its mental health strategy. ‘No Health without Mental Health: a cross-Government mental health outcomes strategy for people of all ages’ is said to be a major step forward in mainstreaming mental health and supporting the Government’s aim of achieving parity of esteem between physical and mental health. The strategy can be found at: www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/Mentalhealth/MentalHealthStrategy/index.htm

WORKPLACE VIOLENCE INCIDENTS
The number of incidents of workplace violence increased last year, although the number of victims fell, official statistics show. The discrepancy is explained by an increase in the number of victims who experienced multiple violent incidents according to the HSE’s analysis of British Crime Survey statistics for 2009/10. Approximately 318,000 workers experienced at least one incident of violence at work in 2010, compared to an estimated 327,000 workers in 2008/09.

The HSE analysis can be found at: www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/books.htm?ebul=hsegen&cr=16/24-jan-11

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