Rail union gets employer to adopt "Union Inspection Notices"

The TSSA rail staffs union has negotiated an agreement with Arriva Trains Merseyside that "Union Inspection Notices" (UINs) will form part of the health and safety reps' inspection procedures, complementing existing company procedures.

A UIN will be a formal notice issued to the company by a TSSA safety rep. It will note that the company is not complying with health and safety legislation in respect of an identified workplace hazard, describe the action which should be taken to comply with the law and specify a date by which action is requested.

It is intended that UINs will be issued when:

* the company's internal procedures have been exhausted;

* the employer has failed to respond appropriately within a reasonable time;

* there is a breach of health and safety law;

* the breach has been brought to the attention of the employer in a proper manner through agreed channels; and

* the matter is not already the subject of enforcement action by the Health and Safety Executive or local authority inspectors.