Hazards conference 2009

Hazards conference 2009
Making a better world of work possible, 10-12 July 2009, University of Manchester

Conference documents

Our thanks to the 282 sponsors of Hazards 2009. Ever reliable support came from unions from branch to national levels, trades councils, Hazards campaigners and union-linked personal injury solicitors. Delegate numbers held up remarkably well given the economic climate.

Hazards 2009 opened with a meeting addressed by Sarangi Satinath, from the International Campaign for Justice in Bhopal, the Indian city that was devastated by the world’s worst industrial incident in 1984. 42 tons of methyl isocyanate gas were released, which killed an estimated 10,000 people immediately, and has been responsible for some 25,000 deaths since. US company Union Carbide that owned the plant, whose disregard of safe working practices caused the incident, has never paid adequate compensation for their crime.

Hazards 2009 focused on supporting safety reps activities, and the need to ensure that employers are not using the recession as an excuse to relax workplace standards on health, safety & welfare. The conference also picked-up a strand from Dame Carol Black’s report; the need for workers to have good jobs that are safe and without risks to health.

Hank Roberts was awarded the 2009 ‘Alan’ for his campaigning work in schools and the community, and Solihull UCU Branch presented a cheque for £5,000 to the Hazards Campaign.

Nancy Lessin and Charley Richardson from workers’ education centres in the USA, and Hugh Robertson, HSE Board member, were keynote speakers in the opening plenary.  They also contributed to debates on bullying; the creation of “good jobs”; and the importance of health & safety in the recession, supported by David Beale, employment studies lecturer at Manchester University and Hazards campaigners Simon Pickvance and Ian Draper.

Sunday morning meetings topics grouped together issues from the workshop programme, and reports from these meetings fed into the final plenary, where delegates discussed campaigning aims for the next year. A final report of the conference is on the Hazards Campaign website at www.hazardscampaign.org.uk .

Hazards 2010 is going back to Keele University in Staffordshire, the highly praised venue for the 2008 conference. We hope you will continue to be able to support Hazards. Please ask your organisation to consider this appeal positively.
Cheques should be made payable to Hazards 2010, and sent to: Hazards 2010, c/o GMHC, Windrush Millennium Centre, 70 Alexandra Road, Manchester, M16 7WD. Tel: 0161 636 7558. e-mail:  hazconf@gmhazards.org.uk

Conference documents

• Charley Richardson – Recession, Restructuring and Robber Barons pdf
 Nancy Lessin – Green up for grabs pdf PLUS Hazards magazine Green jobs, safe jobs
 Hugh Robertson – Health and safety in 2009 pdf
 Ten key points from the corporate killing meeting pdf
•  Bullying debate – Ian Draper pdf • David Beale pdf
  Stress in the workplace – Info meeting pdf

Conference essentials

• Hazards 2009 conference application form pdf
• Hazards 2009 sponsorship appeal Our thanks to the 289 sponsors of Hazards 2008. Ever reliable support came from unions at all levels, and Hazards campaigners and union-linked personal injury solicitors all contributed. Please ensure 2009 repeats this success by getting your branch to sponsor the conference pdf

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