Posted By David Brede Well, thank goodness it was not for real. Clearly the collective concerns of the H&S professionals and the 'robust' response of the union representative goes to show what a potential minefield we work in. However the language used by some correspondents could have dire consequences. Labelling someone 'accident prone' would not look well in an industrial tribunal if it were used to evidence constructive dismissal. Perhaps our union colleague could share with us some of his experiences in that area. At bottom one would hope that both employees and managements together with the H&S profession have a interest in building and sustaining safe working environments so we should do whatever we can to stay focussed on achieving that objective.

Posted By R.Woods David, nice to hear some common sense. I came to the safety profession via the trade union route taking the TUC certificate. I am not the firebrand that you may perceive through reading my response to this thread, but sometimes people leave themselves wide open. You are absolutely correct that management, workers and unions need to work together regarding H&S. Low accident rates benifits all parties concerned. I am employed at the moment as a OSH advice/information worker and see lots of people who contact me with similar stories to the thread. I also see employees that are permanently injured with WRULD's, cancers and other work related ailments all of which could be prevented by complying with legislation. Compliance can be facilitated by a good H&S manager if they are allowed to do their job. I have found through experience that all too often pressure is put on the safety officer/manager to find a scapegoat after an accident, usually the person at the bottom of the line [as maybe in this hypothetical case]. My point being he who pays the piper calls the tune. How can/do OSH professionals deal with this situation. Or do we have to tow the line and keep our heads down or loose our jobs. There is plenty of legislation to protect union safety reps in such intances but very little for the likes of you and me, what if anything can wew do to rectify this? Maybe this should be a new thread? If you need any info on how unions work contact me anytime bob@klyworksafe.fsnet.co.uk or 01535 664462 Did you know that a unionised workplace has on average more than 50% fewer accidents than a non unionised one.

Posted By R.Woods Ben you realy have stirred up a hornets nest,I'm expecting Jerry Springer to reply shortly. Lets hope it's been a learning experiance.