50 years ago, wearing seat belts wasn’t a legal requirement and smoking was commonplace in pubs, restaurants and public transport. It's unsurprising then that road traffic accidents and lung cancer were some of the biggest causes of death of men in the UK, but so were workplace accidents.
October 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the Health and Safety at Work Act becoming law. This groundbreaking act brought in to address high numbers of work related fatalities including the Aberfan coal mining disaster, also paved the way for regulations allowing unions to elect and accredit workplace safety representatives. These regulations gave RCN health and safety representatives powerful legal rights in the workplace, such as the right to inspect workplaces where our members work and to be consulted on changes at work.
50 years on the world of work has changed, more women are working full time, we have an ageing workforce and there is less heavy industry, and whilst nursing has also evolved some of the hazards we face are the same. In March 1987, 400 patients and 250 staff underwent an emergency evacuation from the main block of Woodilee hospital in Glasgow following a report saying that structural beams were completely rotten and about to collapse (Rogers et al., 1988). A legacy of lack of investment in health and care buildings continues…fast forward four decades and we see the same issues with RAAC and asbestos in our hospitals.
There are also newer hazards such as the impact of increasing work pressures on mental health, the rise in both physical and verbal abuse, more work on computers and laptops (and the risk of musculoskeletal issues) and emerging infectious diseases such as the Mpox virus.
RCN campaigning activity over the decades, driven by our health and safety reps and the committee has led to a number of improvements to the health and safety of nursing staff, from calling for a ban on the use of glutaraldehyde, a cold sterilant that led to occupational asthma, to being a leading partner in a European wide campaign to press for better protection from needlestick injuries and the introduction of safer sharps. You can find out more about our campaigning work by visiting the RCN health and safety pages.
50 years on from the Act we need RCN health and safety reps more than ever, just as hazards have changed, the role of health and safety reps has evolved. Reps are increasingly involved in wellbeing at work, from campaigning for better support for members going through the menopause; to getting employers to tackle work related stress; to action to get nursing staff access to improved rest facilities at work. More traditional safety issues are also important particularly in overcrowded units and with corridor care, where fire exits may be blocked or trip and slip hazards present.
Follow the #RCNactivismacademy and #RCNinspecttoprotect over the coming weeks to find out more about the work of RCN health and safety reps. If you are a health and safety rep you can access inspection resources via the reps hub.
If you want to play a part in improving working conditions for you and your colleagues and influencing the RCN’s work on the health, safety and wellbeing of member, you can find out more by registering for our webinar on the work of health and safety reps or visiting the get involved pages.
References
Rogers R and Salvage J (1988) Nurses at Risk: a guide to health and safety at work Heinmann Nursing: London
October 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the Health and Safety at Work Act becoming law. This groundbreaking act brought in to address high numbers of work related fatalities including the Aberfan coal mining disaster, also paved the way for regulations allowing unions to elect and accredit workplace safety representatives. These regulations gave RCN health and safety representatives powerful legal rights in the workplace, such as the right to inspect workplaces where our members work and to be consulted on changes at work.
50 years on the world of work has changed, more women are working full time, we have an ageing workforce and there is less heavy industry, and whilst nursing has also evolved some of the hazards we face are the same. In March 1987, 400 patients and 250 staff underwent an emergency evacuation from the main block of Woodilee hospital in Glasgow following a report saying that structural beams were completely rotten and about to collapse (Rogers et al., 1988). A legacy of lack of investment in health and care buildings continues…fast forward four decades and we see the same issues with RAAC and asbestos in our hospitals.
There are also newer hazards such as the impact of increasing work pressures on mental health, the rise in both physical and verbal abuse, more work on computers and laptops (and the risk of musculoskeletal issues) and emerging infectious diseases such as the Mpox virus.
RCN campaigning activity over the decades, driven by our health and safety reps and the committee has led to a number of improvements to the health and safety of nursing staff, from calling for a ban on the use of glutaraldehyde, a cold sterilant that led to occupational asthma, to being a leading partner in a European wide campaign to press for better protection from needlestick injuries and the introduction of safer sharps. You can find out more about our campaigning work by visiting the RCN health and safety pages.
50 years on from the Act we need RCN health and safety reps more than ever, just as hazards have changed, the role of health and safety reps has evolved. Reps are increasingly involved in wellbeing at work, from campaigning for better support for members going through the menopause; to getting employers to tackle work related stress; to action to get nursing staff access to improved rest facilities at work. More traditional safety issues are also important particularly in overcrowded units and with corridor care, where fire exits may be blocked or trip and slip hazards present.
Follow the #RCNactivismacademy and #RCNinspecttoprotect over the coming weeks to find out more about the work of RCN health and safety reps. If you are a health and safety rep you can access inspection resources via the reps hub.
If you want to play a part in improving working conditions for you and your colleagues and influencing the RCN’s work on the health, safety and wellbeing of member, you can find out more by registering for our webinar on the work of health and safety reps or visiting the get involved pages.
References
Rogers R and Salvage J (1988) Nurses at Risk: a guide to health and safety at work Heinmann Nursing: London
