INADEQUATE PROVISION OF PPE

Our ref: HSR/2/6

Head Office Circular: NP/168/23

19^th September 2023

To: The Secretary, all branches

Regional Councils

 

Dear Colleague,

 

INADEQUATE PROVISION OF PPE 

 

I write to inform you that your 2023 Annual General Meeting adopted the following resolution:

 

Personal Protective Equipment is equipment that will protect the user against health and safety risks at work.

 

I ask this Conference to defend the supplication of adequate PPE for the cleaners at Churchill’s various contracts as it has been observed that most cleaning contractors don’t supply adequate PPE, especially the uniforms worn to work for cleaners in the name of shortage PPE.

 

One uniform given in each season in a year, and shortages of other PPE, makes it difficult and unhealthy for us Churchill cleaners as we are always closer to bins and an unhealthy environment.

 

Most PPE given to cleaners are mostly uncomfortable to work with.  Examples are the safety shoes and the winter jackets which are very heavy and hurtful to work with.   

 

I recommend that adequate uniform should be provided when recruiting and a periodic refresher of PPE should be provided for a long-term worker in every year.

 

This Conference calls on the NEC to instruct the General Secretary to write to Churchill to provide enough comfortable PPE, as mentioned, to comply with the definition of PPE above.

 

At its meeting on 24^th August 2023 your National Executive Committee noted and adopted the following report from its Health and Safety sub-committee:

 

The General Secretary is instructed to write to all cleaning companies where we have membership, reminding them of their responsibilities under the regulations, and of the necessity for PPE to be gender sensitive for women.

 

The General Secretary is further instructed to request that Union Officers and reps throughout the regions carry out inspections, in line with SRSC regulations, having given notice of an intended inspection, with a particular focus on spot checks of PPE provision, before reporting back to this NEC.

 

I am acting in line with these instructions. Please bring the contents of this circular to the attention of relevant members. 

 

Yours sincerely

 

 

Michael Lynch, General Secretary