Ouvrage en collaboration
| Résumé : | This guide suggests a methodology for workplace risk assessment for use by trade union activists involved with occupational health. But its underlying principles apply equally well on a wider scale to all union action on health at work. This guide draws on trade union experience in different countries, and stems directly from two eminars staged in 1995 and 1997 by the TUTB and AFETT (European Association for Training Workers in New Technologies). This guide uses the expression “risk assessment” throughout, because that is the term used in the Community Directives incorporated into the different national legal systems. Users will find that the aim is not so much to look at risks in the narrow sense as to assess workplaces and working conditions in the round. What we propose is a general framework which applies to all work situations, so it will obviously need adapting to fit specific situations. Generally, two types of scenario are likely to arise: one relating to identified priorities, like preventing musculoskeletal disorders, for instance; the other relating to specific sectors, activities or occupations. An example is the TUTB Guide to Health and Safety for European Works Councils, which contains a specific questionnaire on lift maintenance/ servicing. The guide falls into five parts. Section One positions risk assessment within developments in prevention policies and considers the implications for trade unions. We emphasise the need for independent union action and its aims. Section Two broadly outlines the proposed method through the key aspects which add up to make our proposed risk assessment method chime with the union’s general activities. Section Three positions our approach with regard to current practice. We distinguish five broad categories of risk assessment and examine the pros and cons of each. This guide suggests a methodology for workplace risk assessment for use by trade union activists involved with occupational health. But its underlying principles apply equally well on a wider scale to all union action on health at work. This guide draws on trade union experience in different countries, and stems directly from two seminars staged in 1995 and 1997 by the TUTB and AFETT (European Association for Training Workers in New Technologies). This guide uses the expression “risk assessment” throughout, because that is the term used in the Community Directives incorporated into the different national legal systems. Users will find that the aim is not so much to look at risks in the narrow sense as to assess workplaces and working conditions in the round. What we propose is a general framework which applies to all work situations, so it will obviously need adapting to fit specific situations. Generally, two types of scenario are likely to arise: one relating to identified priorities, like preventing musculoskeletal disorders, for instance; the other relating to specific sectors, activities or occupations. An example is the TUTB Guide to Health and Safety for European Works Councils, which contains a specific questionnaire on lift maintenance/ servicing. Working with the different trade union confederations concerned, the TUTB will be building up a database of questionnaires and other specific assessment tools in the near fu ture for use by all trade union organizations. It is an ambitious proposal which demands strong trade union support. Generally, it should strengthen our arm as organizers of labour. But there are situations in which for one reason or another the proposed approach cannot be applied. So it must be adapted or alternatives must be found. The essential thing is to trigger a momentum which builds up velocity. Getting to grips with a specific problem, even with limited objectives, helps workers build up confidence and gradually map out a strategy driven by their own specific needs. So, in workplaces where the union has little experience in action for health, a specific objective can be set for priority action, after which the experience gained can be channelled into work on other issues. The guide falls into five parts. Section One positions risk assessment within developments in prevention policies and considers the implications for trade unions. We emphasise the need for independent union action and its aims. Section Two broadly outlines the proposed method through the key aspects which add up to make our proposed risk assessment method chime with the union’s general activities. Section Three positions our approach with regard to current practice. We distinguish five broad categories of risk assessment and examine the pros and cons of each. Section Four explains how independent union action will be confronted with proposals made by the other players in the workplace (employer, preventive services) resulting in concrete decisions on risk assessment. This means fitting our proposal into the framework of workplace industrial relations. Obviously, not all eventualities can be properly accounted for here. So broad guidelines are set which must be adapted to the practical situation of each workplace. Section Five contains questionnaires and checklists to help put the method into practice. These are not intended to cover all the risks of every workplace. They are meant to be changed and adapted to the practical needs of a particular situation. |
