TUC tests union inspection notices

The TUC is piloting a "union inspection notices (UIN) " scheme which it launched in the winter issue of Hazards magazine.

Trade unions have been campaigning for Australian-style provisional improvement notices (PINs) for years, but were opposed by employers when the Health and Safety Commission raised the idea in a discussion document two years ago

The UINs, which safety reps can serve on employers as a last resort before calling in inspectors, should be used to identify breaches of specific health and safety regulations. They are not intended to be used where there is a serious and imminent risk of injury.

The TUC hopes that safety reps' complaints will be registered and dealt with internally, however where they are not, reps will be able to serve a notice if they believe the law is being broken. If the employer does not take appropriate action, the notice will be passed on to the Health and Safety Executive or local authority inspectors. UINs could also be used as evidence in criminal prosecutions or civil compensation cases to prove that employers ignored warnings.

The TUC wants to make it a legal requirement for employers to respond to the notices and is seeking this as part of the forthcoming revised health and safety consultation regulations due to be introduced in 2002.