Health and Safety – Barnet UNISON sheds a light

Colleagues at Barnet House will be amused to read the conclusion of the Health and Safety Report into the confused evacuation process at Barnet House on 27th September – that it’s all the fault of staff not obeying the fire wardens. Never mind that a number of staff members experienced being given conflicting messages (not necessarily from fire wardens). Of course if a fire warden instructs colleagues to leave the building then this is what we must do, but do we detect a culture of managerial abdication in the face of Health and Safety concerns?

According to another Health and Safety enquiry into the fact that of a lot of workers at the depot, and their lorries and trucks, were plunged into darkness due to building works there cutting the electricity supply, this should have been brought to the attention of management. UNISON believed that given management was standing in the same darkness (literally, not metaphorically) as our members and not doing anything about it, or being unable to state what was being done when challenged, then it was a matter which needed escalating. We did and in less than 48 hours light was brought to the depot. It was an urgent matter and needed urgent rectification. It is alleged that UNISON’s actions delayed the rectification of this matter. We refute this strongly and have evidence of a host of other Health and Safety matters which have invariably been denied and then, when admitted, take months to resolve and in some cases aren’t even unsatisfactorily resolved.

The culture does indeed need to change but with whom?

We are calling on members to help us monitor the issues by becoming a Health and Safety representative.

You will be given full training and there is much that needs doing in this area.

To find out more email contactus@barnetunison.org.uk or ring 0208 3592088