Frying, flooding, fouling and freezing: Short, medium and long term OHS challenges for Unison Scotland members linked to climate change, public health& related air quality issues, and pandemics. What can be done about them?

Andy Watterson

Occupational & Environmental Health Research Group,

Public Health & Population Health Research Group,

University of Stirling,

Scotland FK9 4LA

Twitter: @aew1aew1

AEW1 Unison Scotland October 22 2021 event

Who is going to protect you at work? HSE, your employer or your union? Covid lessons.

HSE inspector Rebecca Vaudrey in September 2021 said: “HSE prides itself on being a proportionate and evidence-based regulator. Since the beginning of the pandemic HSE has carried out more than 316,000 Covid spot checks, with the priority to urgently make workplaces safe from transmission risks, rather than heavy-handed enforcement”.

One prosecution resulted from those 316,000 ‘spot’ checks’ across the UK. None apparently in ScotlandHSE gave OHS to PHE and PHS during the pandemic

AEW1 Unison Scotland October 22 2021 event

October 2019. Lists 15 principles based on UN recognition of safe and healthy work as a human right 50 years earlier :-

7 principles on prevention

3 principles on links between workers’ rights to information, participation and assembly

4 principles on workers’ rights to effective remedies including for occupational injury

AEW1 Unison Scotland October 22 2021 event

Due to ITUC pressure, ILO finally on track in 2022 to recognise OHS as one of the International Labour Organisation’s ‘Fundamental Rights at Work.’

AEW1 Unison Scotland October 22 2021 event

Who is protecting you and how?

AEW1 Unison Scotland October 22 2021 event

FRYING in the UK (1) – temperature, location, workload, ergonomics, hours worked………..HSE May 2021 – ‘the proportionate non-enforcer and non- inspectorate’ for many UNISON members

What the law says. Find out about the basic factors that cause discomfort in the workplace

Temperatures in the indoor workplace are covered by the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, which place a legal obligation on employers to provide a 'reasonable' temperature in the workplace.

Minimum workplace temperature. The Approved Code of Practice suggests the minimum temperature in a workplace should normally be at least 16 degrees Celsius. If the work involves rigorous physical effort, the temperature should be at least 13 degrees Celsius. These temperatures are not absolute legal requirements; the employer has a duty to determine what reasonable comfort will be in the particular circumstances.

Higher workplace temperatures. A meaningful figure cannot be given at the upper end of the scale due to the high temperatures found in, for example, glass works or foundries. In such environments it is still possible to work safely provided appropriate controls are present. Factors other than air temperature, ie radiant temperature, humidity and air velocity, become more significant and the interaction between them become more complex with rising temperatures.

Risk assessment. In addition to the Workplace Regulations, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to make a suitable assessment of the risks to the health and safety of their employees, and take action where necessary and where reasonably practicable. The temperature of the workplace is one of the potential hazards that employers should address to meet their legal obligations.Employers should consult with employees or their representatives to establish sensible means to cope with high temperatures.

AEW1 Unison Scotland October 22 2021 event

FRYING in the USA (2)FACT SHEET: Biden Administration Mobilizes to Protect Workers and Communities from Extreme Heat September 20, 2021 • Statements and ReleasesNew Initiatives at OSHA and Across Agencies Enhances Workplace Safety, Build Local Resilience, and Addresses Disproportionate Heat ImpactsPresident Biden launched a coordinated, interagency effort to respond to extreme heat threatening lives & livelihoods of Americans, especially workers, children, & seniors. While climate-related disasters like hurricanes, wildfires, and floods produce dramatic images of devastation, extreme heat often takes place out of sight and out of the news. But heat is the nation’s leading weather-related killer.

To better protect heat-exposed workers, OSHA is:• Launching a rulemaking process to develop a workplace heat standard

• Implementing an enforcement initiative on heat-related hazardswith resources made specifically available and additional information

• Developing a National Emphasis Program on heat inspections:

• Forming a heat work group to engage stakeholders and inform ongoing efforts:

AEW1 Unison Scotland October 22 2021 event

OSHA ACTION

• Developing Workplace Heat Standards/Increasing Enforcement in OSHA

• Heat is a growing workplace hazard, with the climate crisis making extreme heat more frequent and severe. Too often, heat-induced injuries and illnesses are misclassified or not reported

• Implementing an enforcement initiative on heat-related hazards. OSHA will prioritize heat-related interventions and workplace inspections on days when the heat index exceeds 80°F. On these days, OSHA Area Directors will dedicate additional resources

AEW1 Unison Scotland October 22 2021 event

Frying in Scotland? Who assesses the risks? (3)• Respiratory problems and asthma from

wild fires due to pollutants travelling 50 miles or more in the UK

- PM2.5 levels above WHO safe levels

- Benzene

- Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) Reducing public exposure to these cancer-causing chemicals was one of the primary motivations behind the banning of stubble burning in the 1990s

- Carbon black

- Carbon monoxide

- Wider issues around rising temperature and air quality in cities and towns

(Information from researchers not HSE)

AEW1 Unison Scotland October 22 2021 event

FRYING IN EUROPE (4) EASHW and high temperatures

AEW1 Unison Scotland October 22 2021 event

FLOODING AND FOULING (1)HSE Advice March 2020 – missing the workers & buck passing as with Covid OHS?

Recover your business safely after flooding. There are basic things you need to think about when you return to your premises to safely get your business up and running again.

For guidance on flooding in general read the Environment Agency guidance on GOV.UK.

The basics: What to think about when you return to your premises

Minimise the risks from floodwater

Dry your premises safely

Electrical safety of the building and equipment

Cleaning premises

Hazards to be aware of when cleaning premises

AEW1 Unison Scotland October 22 2021 event

FLOODING AND FOULING (2)

AEW1 Unison Scotland October 22 2021 event

FLOODING AND FOULING (3) Drowning, injury, trauma, Vector-borne diseases like leptospirosis and infectious diseases (ILO) + Covid issues

Guardian April 2021, Ian Forsyth picture

AEW1 Unison Scotland October 22 2021 event

FREEZING (1) Advice available: Unison back to 2019

AEW1 Unison Scotland October 22 2021 event

FREEZING (2) HSE 2021 focus mainly on heat stress and not cold working conditions !

Cold stress: HSE doesn’t have specific guidance for working in temperatures below 13°C but probably legal compliance occurs if you work in accordance with British/European Standards & possibly by other means.

HSE recommends reference to BSI standards in the 1st instance :-BS EN 511: Protective gloves against coldBS EN ISO 13732-3: Ergonomics of the thermal environment. Methods for the assessment of human responses to contact with surfacesBS 7915: Ergonomics of the thermal environment. Guide to design and evaluation of working practices in cold indoor environmentsDD ENV ISO 11079: Evaluation of cold environments. Determination of required clothing insulation (IREQ)BS EN ISO 15743: Ergonomics of the thermal environment. Cold workplaces. Risk assessment and management

AEW1 Unison Scotland October 22 2021 event

FREEZING (3) US Advice available from OSHA

AEW1 Unison Scotland October 22 2021 event

Where do we go from here?Identifying, reducing or removing climate change OHS hazards & risks in the future

Key approach?

• Use trade union rights and organisation as safety reps

• Draw on TU, STUC and TUC health and safety resources

• Use WHO, ILO, US OSHA and European health and safety materials

• Draw on Hazards Campaign, Scottish Hazards & Hazards Magazine resources

Secondary sources?

• Employer resources & information in public sector, local authorities, NHS etc.

• The HSE - currently ineffective at the top, under-staffed & under- resourced in the field?

AEW1 Unison Scotland October 22 2021 event