Health, Safety and Environment Initiative
 |
Introducing the District 4 Health, Safety and Environment Initiative |
 |
The USW has been a leader in the field of occupational safety and health. Our great Union played a leading role in winning Congressional approval in 1970 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Since that time, the USW has continued to lead the charge on health, safety and environmental protections for our members.
The struggle against injury and death on the job involves more than the passage of legislation. It involves a sense of determination of all concerned to see that safety programs and legislation are effectively implemented.
Health and safety programs are going to be made or broken at the local union level, by how well our local unions and their health, safety and environmental committees do their job, and by the involvement of individual members. This District 4 HSE Initiative is designed to meet that goal.
Today we hear from our management counterparts that “government regulations are bad for business.” Not only must health, safety and environmental laws be preserved, they must be administered with zeal and genuine concern to reduce death, injury and illness at the workplace. This is the highest national interest and our Union will insist upon that kind of administration of such laws.
Let us all, then, pledge our energies to implement not only the District 4 Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Initiative, but to fulfill our responsibilities to build workplace health and safety programs focused on finding and fixing hazards so our members will enjoy the safest and healthiest working conditions possible.
Health, Safety and Environment Initiative Goals:
Develop and Implement a District-Wide Campaign to:
- Improve workplace health and safety to prevent injuries, illnesses and fatalities;
- Use the USW Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) union approach to health and safety that strengthens union voice and power in health and safety and focuses on finding and fixing hazards through the USW’s system of safety process;
- Eliminate and prevent programs that blame workers rather than hazardous conditions for injuries, and discourage injury reporting (behavioral safety programs);
- Generate a spirit of district wide activism;
- Involve USW members and build the union in and through health, safety & environmental issues;
- Address environmental issues to improve health and safety inside and outside the workplace; and
- Build community and labor alliances to strengthen the overall movement for safe jobs and a healthy environment for all.
Click Here to download the goals.
Safe Workplaces at National Grid
Unite and USW continue to push for high health and safety standards at all National Grid worksites.
Dan Fowkes, the leader of the USW safety committee at National Grid, led a delegation of U.S. trade unionists to a major safety conference at National Grid in the UK.
This is part of a continuing effort by the Unite and USW to raise workplace safety standards at National Grid in the U.S. to the level they’re at in the UK.
National Grid is a UK headquartered company focused on the distribution of electricity and natural gas. USW and Unite both have hundreds of members employed by National Grid.
Through previous dialog, USW and Unite representatives recognized that workers safety standards are higher at National Grid in the UK than in the U.S. These union representatives continued to dialog with themselves and the company on how to raise safety standards in the U.S. to the UK level.
National Grid then agreed to open its annual company/union safety conference in the UK to U.S. union participation.
Fowkes said he learned about different safety policies and regulations in the UK, and that knowledge gained during the conference and UK site visits will be useful in representing USW members on safety matters.
Unite safety reps and National Grid employees Howard Beynon and Keith Stephens are playing a lead role in this ongoing effort.
A HSE training class in session on December 4
Participants and trainers at the Health, Safety and Environment Training in Puerto Rico
Presentation of the plaque. The names and positions from left to right.
Del Vitale -District 4 Sub-Director
John Shinn - District 4 Director
Nancy Arizmendi - Support Staff PR
Perdo Cepeda - LU 8198 Delegate
Luis Fourquet - LU 8198 President
Jorge Rivera - LU 8198 Treasurer
Mayra Rivera - LU 8198 Recording Secretary
Ana Carlo - LU 8198 Sergeant-at-Arms
Juan Roman - Staff Representative
Safe Workplaces at National Grid
Unite and USW continue to push for high health and safety standards at all National Grid worksites.
Dan Fowkes, the leader of the USW safety committee at National Grid, led a delegation of U.S. trade unionists to a major safety conference at National Grid in the UK.
This is part of a continuing effort by the Unite and USW to raise workplace safety standards at National Grid in the U.S. to the level they’re at in the UK.
National Grid is a UK headquartered company focused on the distribution of electricity and natural gas. USW and Unite both have hundreds of members employed by National Grid.
Through previous dialog, USW and Unite representatives recognized that workers safety standards are higher at National Grid in the UK than in the U.S. These union representatives continued to dialog with themselves and the company on how to raise safety standards in the U.S. to the UK level.
National Grid then agreed to open its annual company/union safety conference in the UK to U.S. union participation.
Fowkes said he learned about different safety policies and regulations in the UK, and that knowledge gained during the conference and UK site visits will be useful in representing USW members on safety matters.
Unite safety reps and National Grid employees Howard Beynon and Keith Stephens are playing a lead role in this ongoing effort.
Photos from the 2013 Health, Safety and Environment Conferrence
Hazard Alerts
The following is a list of recalled or defective items that are known to be actively used by USW members.
This is not meant to be a complete list, but contains those that have been brought to the attention of the District 4 Health, Safety and Environment Initiative staff.
Hazard Alert - Fatal Accident - Stored Hazardous Energy Kills Maintenance Worker
Hazard Alert - Babbitrite - Discontinue use of Babbitrite
Hazard Alert - Breast Cancer Risk - New study: Workplace chemical expsure and breast cancer risk
Health, Safety and Environment Initiative Committees Corner
This section will contain information and training initiatives for activists throughout District 4
OSHA Heat Stress and Fatigue-related Safety