Caring forcleaningstaffA guide for UNISON safety representatives

Organising for Health & Safety

A guide for UNISON safety representatives

UNISON believes that no one’s health should suffer because of thework they do.

Yet one group of UNISON members regularly suffers health andsafety incidents, accidents and ill-health at work. The health, safetyand welfare of cleaning staff is often overlooked.

Cleaners carry out a wide range of duties that are essential to thesmooth running of any organisation. These include dusting,mopping, vacuuming, sweeping, the buffing or waxing of floors,and the emptying and carrying of rubbish bins and bags. Many ofthese tasks are potentially dangerous because of the way the workhas traditionally been carried out.

But many of the hazards are avoidable.

2Caring for cleaning staff

The scale of the problem

A recent employment survey found that 690,000 people areemployed as cleaners in the UK, 558,000 of whom are women.Over 3,000 serious accidents involving cleaners are reported to theHealth & Safety Executive (HSE) each year. Under-reporting meansthat this figure is likely to be much higher.

In recent years, competition for contracts from private cleaningfirms has forced both in-house and private cleaning services toimprove productivity and cut costs. UNISON members who arecleaning staff have therefore been under increased pressure.

Cleaners are employed in all workplaces, including schools, offices,hospitals and retail outlets. Cleaners employed by privatecontractors are likely to work in a variety of workplaces, while in-house cleaners usually work in the same environment.

Cleaning staff are often employed in workplaces that have beenplanned with other workers in mind, and very little thought hastherefore been given to their needs. This can create a number ofhealth and safety problems for them. For example, unsuitablestorage facilities, location of taps and floor materials, andinadequate access and exits. Cleaners are also expected to carryequipment up and down stairs.

Cleaning work is demanding, and changes within the industry meanthat cleaning staff work under tight deadlines. Many cleaning tasksinvolve heavy manual work and are physically demanding. Cleanersare often required to use heavy cleaning equipment, such as buffingmachines and vacuum cleaners. In addition, cleaners have a widerange of other tasks which can include mopping, wiping surfacesand moving furniture around.

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4Employers’ legal duties

Under the Health and Safety at Work Act (HASAWA) 1974 and theManagement of Health and Safety at Work Regulations (MHSW)1999, employers have a legal duty to assess all risks to the healthand safety of employees, including cleaning staff. If the riskassessment shows that it is not possible for the work to be donesafely, then other arrangements must be put in place.

Risk assessments are the responsibility of the employer, but safetyrepresentatives have the legal right to be consulted about them.Employers are also under a duty to provide:

■ Facilities for first aid under the Health and Safety (FirstAid) Regulations 1981.

■ Suitable equipment and training in its use under theProvision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998and the Lifting Operations and Lifting EquipmentRegulations 1998.

■ Information and training on lifting and handling underthe Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992.

■ Information and training on any chemicals used under theControl of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations(COSHH) 1999.

■ Training and information on fire risk assessments underthe Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997 (asamended in 1999), and the Management of Health andSafety at Work Regulations 1999.

Employers must also report certain accidents suffered by employees,including incidences of violence, under the Reporting of Injuries,Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR)1995.

This is separate from the duty on employers to record all accidents inthe accident book.

5Designers and architects also have a legal duty to ensure thatwhenever premises are planned or refurbished the health and safety ofcleaning staff is taken into account.

Risk assessment: what your employer must do

Employers’ main risk assessment duties under the 1999Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations are to:

■ Make a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risk tothe health and safety of their staff, and others who may be affected.

■ Identify the preventative and protective measures needed(as far as is reasonably practicable).

■ Review the assessment if there is reason to believe that itis no longer valid.

■ Keep a written record, where there are five or moreemployees, of the findings of the assessment and any groupsof employees particularly at risk: for example, cleaning staffwho work alone.

■ Have arrangement for the effective planning, organisation,control, monitoring and review of the preventative andprotective measures.

■ Provide any health surveillance required.

■ Appoint ‘competent’ people to assist them.

■ Establish procedures to be followed in the event of seriousand imminent danger.

■ Provide health and safety information, instruction andtraining for all employees.

■ Consult with safety representatives.

6Any risk assessment must be wide-ranging and take into account thedifferent types of tasks carried out by cleaners. This includes using,moving, lifting and carrying materials and equipment (such asvacuum cleaners, floor buffers, buckets, mops and rubbish bags);the chemicals used for cleaning and disinfecting; and any personalprotective equipment supplied. The assessment should also take intoaccount the layout of the work area, including the cleaning staff’saccess to storage areas and to electrical power points when usingelectrical equipment such as vacuum cleaners.

Common health and safety problems

Some of the common health and safety issues faced by cleaners areset out below. There will be others, and safety representatives willneed to ensure that cleaning staff are included when any riskassessments are carried out.

Hazardous chemicals and other substances

It is common for cleaning staff to use a number of hazardoussubstances. Cleaning fluids such as floor, toilet and windowcleaners, bleach and polishes are regularly used.

Some of these substances are designed for use only in well-ventilatedareas, yet cleaners are expected to use them in places where there islittle or no ventilation. In addition, some substances may causehealth problems such as asthma and dermatitis when usedinappropriately.

By law employers must assess the risk of substances used at workunder the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations(COSHH) 1999.

Employers must:

■ Assess the risk caused by hazardous substances.

■ Decide what precautions are needed to protect workersand the public.

■ Prevent exposure (for example, by using a less harmfulchemical) or if that is not practicable, adequately control it.

■ Ensure that control measures are used and monitored.

■ Monitor exposure to the hazardous substances.

■ Carry out appropriate health surveillance.

■ Ensure employees are informed, trained and supervised.

Safety representatives will need to ensure that employers’ COSHHassessment includes all chemicals used, stored, moved or disposed ofby cleaning staff.

Checklist for safety representatives

■ Have all substances used by cleaning staff been assessed?

■ Have safer alternatives been considered?

■ Are all substances properly labelled?

■ Have cleaning staff received training and information onthe safe use of substances?

■ Is personal protective equipment (PPE) and clothingprovided where necessary?

■ Is training provided in the use of PPE?

■ Do cleaning staff know what to do if any chemicals theyuse affect them?

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Case study 1

The following case study is an example of effective branch action,which succeeded in gaining changes to the substances used by cleaners.

Cleaners in the North East were using a whole range of cleaningproducts from different manufacturers. The products were not labelled,so cleaners did not know which ones to use in which circumstances, orwhat safety precautions they needed to take. Using unlabelledchemicals is extremely risky. Some chemicals must be diluted for safeuse, while certain chemicals must never be used together—such asacids and bleach.

Some cleaners had noticed that certain cleaning agents irritated theirskin. Some of the chemicals smelt strange and caused headaches.

The UNISON safety rep held a meeting with the cleaners to get theirviews and then carried out her own inspection. She reported all therisks she found to management in writing, asked them for theirCOSHH assessments of the products and for a meeting to discuss the problems.

It transpired that no formal risk assessments of the products had beencarried out. It was agreed that management would, as a first step,obtain all the manufacturers’ safety data sheets for each product (datasheets include information about what is in the product, the hazards,the control measures needed, storage requirements and so on) as astarting point for carrying out proper risk assessments.

Among the improvements that UNISON agreed with managementwere that only three main cleaning chemicals would be used, that thesewould be colour-coded and that all cleaners would be given training intheir use, which would cover the risks of using the products and theprecautions to be taken.

Dermatitis

One of the main health and safety risks to cleaning staff isdermatitis. Dermatitis is an inflammation of the skin, and issometimes called eczema. The main symptoms include itching,cracking, blistering and ulceration. The skin often looks red, soreand scaly. There are many different types of dermatitis, but one ofthe main causes of the illness is contact with substances at work.

There are two main types of dermatitis that can be caused bysubstances at work.

The first is called irritant contact dermatitis. The condition arisesfrom working with substances that physically damage the skin whenthey come into contact with it. For example, acids and alkalis suchas caustic soda, and organic solvents such as white spirit andalcohol.

Organic solvents can dissolve the skin’s protective layer of oils,leaving it dry, cracked and vulnerable. Some strong irritants cancause immediate damage, resulting in serious skin burns. Manyweaker substances may have an effect after days of contact.

Certain chemicals known as sensitisers cause the second type ofdermatitis, allergic contact dermatitis. This is where the body’simmune system reacts to a substance. Once a person becomessensitised, a minute exposure may cause a severe reaction.

Cleaners are more likely to develop dermatitis because of thesubstances they work with. For example, detergents, soaps, causticsoda, disinfectants, bleaches, cleaning fluids and ammonia are alllikely to cause dermatitis, as can rubber and latex gloves. Wet workalso encourages dermatitis to develop.

The risk of dermatitis must be considered when the COSHHassessment is carried out. Safety representatives can use the checkliston page 7 to raise the issue of dermatitis with employers.

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UNISON has produced an information sheet on dermatitis (seeFurther information, page 22).

Manual handling

The most common injury at work for cleaning staff is caused bymanual handling. A joint survey carried out by UNISON and theHealth & Safety Executive (see Further information, page 22) foundthat 20 per cent of cleaners using floor-buffing machines, mops andvacuum cleaners needed time off work because of aches and paincaused by using the equipment. The survey showed that over half ofall cleaners had sought medical advice because of injuries.

But it is not only the equipment that can cause a manual handlinginjury. Anyone can suffer a back injury if they lift a load wrongly, ifthe weight shifts, or if the lifting is repeated regularly. Lifting is amajor part of a cleaner’s job—they are expected to lift bins, bagsand equipment regularly.

Employers are required by law to prevent manual handling injuries.

The main law covering this is the Manual Handling OperationsRegulations. These are covered in detail in UNISON’s guide to the‘six pack’ (see Further information, page 22).

In brief, the regulations state that employers must do the following:

■ Avoid hazardous manual handling operations as far as isreasonably practicable.

■ Assess any hazardous operations that cannot be avoided.

■ Remove or reduce the risk of injury using the riskassessment as the basis for action.

■ Give full training to any employee who has to lift or moveany load.

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Safety representatives can ensure that employers prevent or minimise manual handling injuries to cleaning staff by taking thefollowing steps:

■ Talk to cleaning staff to find out what loads they handle,how often, what type, what weight, how far they lift themand with what help.

■ Check that the employer’s policy on manual handlingincludes cleaning staff.

■ Ask cleaners who have a back problem whether they thinkit was caused, or made worse, by lifting, carrying or theequipment they use—you might want to think aboutcarrying out a proper survey.

■ Check the accident book and sickness records—are thereany incidents recorded involving cleaners who have sufferedback problems caused by lifting or manual handling?Cleaners should also be encouraged to report any injuries or accidents.

■ Make your own investigation of the workplace and list allthe tasks which involve lifting, carrying or moving. It may beuseful to target inspections so that they cover all the shiftsthat cleaning staff work.

■ Notify your employer of any unsafe or unhealthy manualhandling work that you have identified.

Make sure that action is taken on every point raised.

Remember to keep cleaners informed at every stage of the process.Individuals often think they are the only person suffering from backpain. Many do not even relate it to their work. By sharing informationon sickness records and back problems, cleaning staff can becomemuch more aware of how important manual handling issues are, andmay even become interested in taking on the role of a safety rep.

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RSI and WRULDS

Repetitive strain injury (RSI) covers a wide range of injuries tomuscles, tendons and nerves. Usually hands, wrists, elbows orshoulders are affected. However, knees and feet can also suffer,especially if the job involves a lot of kneeling or operating footpedals on equipment.

In fact, RSI is only one of a wider set of conditions also known aswork-related upper limb disorders, or WRULDS. There are manydifferent names for these injuries including:

■ Tenosynovitis

■ Carpal tunnel syndrome

■ Dupuytren’s contracture

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Case study 2

Vicky works as a cleaner in a large office block. Her dutiesinclude vacuuming the floors every other day. The vacuumcleaner is kept in a cupboard on the ground floor. Vicky tendsto take it in the lift to the top floor and work her way down.

The lifts regularly break down and Vicky is expected to use thestairs to get the vacuum cleaner to each floor. On one suchoccasion, Vicky slipped on the stairs, which had just beenmopped, and dropped the vacuum cleaner on her foot.

On examination it was discovered that one of her toes wasbroken. As a result Vicky was off sick for several weeks.

Cleaners are often forced to lift and carry equipment from floorto floor.

Employers can seek to reduce this by providing space on eachfloor for storing the equipment used by cleaning staff.

■ Epicondylitis

■ Bursitis

■ Tennis elbow

■ Writer’s cramp

■ Housemaid’s knee

RSI is caused, or made worse by, work that demands awkward orrepetitive movements, especially if there is a need to apply pressureas well. If these movements are repeated frequently then the handsand wrists may feel painful or numb.

RSI is a serious issue for many cleaners. Cleaning staff whose workoften involves awkward postures, prolonged gripping, repeatedmovements, physical force, vibration and the use of badly designedequipment could be at risk.

Employers have a legal duty to prevent RSI and the risk assessmentwill identify ways of doing so. Prevention measures can includechanging the way cleaning is carried out, and adapting or replacingoutdated equipment such as floor buffers and vacuum cleaners.Safety representatives can use the following checklist to getemployers to prevent the risk of RSI to cleaning staff.

Checklist for safety representatives

Does the work involve:

■ Awkward movements of the hand, wrist, arm or shoulder?

■ Rapidly repeated movements?

■ Prolonged physical pressure, such as gripping or squeezing?

■ Holding an uncomfortable position for a long time?

■ Lack of variety of physical tasks?

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Is health and safety information and training provided to cleaning staff?

Are the problems:

■ Reported to management?

■ Recorded in the accident book?

UNISON has published detailed guidance on RSI (see Furtherinformation, page 22).

Hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS)

Some equipment used by cleaners—for example floor cleaningmachines—can cause hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS). TheHealth & Safety Executive/UNISON research (see page 22) foundthat cleaning staff are potentially exposed to HAVS when usingfloor-buffing machines.

Hand-arm vibration syndrome is the name given to a group of diseases commonly known as vibration white finger. HAVSoccurs when workers are exposed to high levels of vibration from hand-held tools and equipment. HAVS is extremely painfuland can cause:

■ Painful finger blanching attacks (triggered by cold or wetweather).

■ Loss of sense of touch.

■ Numbness and tingling.

■ Loss of grip strength and manual dexterity.

Employers have a legal duty to prevent HAVS and the disease isreportable under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and DangerousOccurrences Regulations. Safety representatives can use their rights

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to identify cleaners at risk and ensure that employers makeimprovements. A checklist is set out overleaf to help you do this.Safety representatives will also need to ensure that cleaning staffreport and record any symptoms of HAVS and seek medical adviceas early as possible.

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Case study 3

Theresa noticed that whenever she used the floor-buffingmachine at work she always suffered pain in her wrist, handand neck.

She mentioned it to a colleague who advised her to tell hersafety representative. The safety rep was concerned because, inthe past few weeks, a number of cleaners had complainedabout pains—especially in their hands and arms—and all ofthem said that the pain went away at weekends or while theywere on annual leave. The safety rep decided to do a survey ofall cleaners and found that most were experiencing pains intheir elbows, knees, wrists, hands, lower back, neck andshoulders. A large number of cleaners had taken time off workas a result of these pains.

All of the cleaners used a floor-buffing machine regularly, andmany of them felt that this, along with the new mops whichthey were now using, was the cause of the problem.

The safety rep brought the results of the survey to hismanager’s attention, and the manager agreed to review the riskassessment previously carried out for cleaning staff, consult thecleaners before buying any further cleaning equipment, andarrange for cleaners to have health and safety refreshertraining. It was also agreed that a reporting and recordingsystem would be set up to enable cleaners to record anyaccidents, injuries or ill-health.

Checklist for safety representatives

Are tools and equipment:

■ Too heavy?

■ The wrong shape to be comfortable?

■ Designed for men but used by women?

■ Do they vibrate?

Is training:

■ Adequate?

■ Provided when there is a change in the equipment or workmethod?

Is information provided to cleaners on:

■ The risk of HAVS?

■ The symptoms and what to do if they occur?

Is there a recording and reporting system in place?

Lone working

Some cleaners may work alone—often they clean premises beforeworkplaces are open, or after they have closed in the evenings, orlate at night when the rest of the workforce has left. Under thesecircumstances, cleaning staff face a number of health and safetyrisks. These include the risk from fire (see section on fire, opposite)and the risk of violence. The need for first aid if an accident occursor the worker becomes ill must also be considered.

Safety representatives will need to ensure that risk assessments for

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cleaning staff take account of these hazards. Where the riskassessment shows that the work cannot be carried out safely whencleaners work alone, arrangements for help or back-up must be putin place.

UNISON has published detailed guidance on lone working (seeFurther information, page 22).

Fire

Fire drills, training on fire risks and the testing of fire alarms oftentake place when cleaning staff are absent from the premises.Cleaners may therefore not be aware of the procedures to follow if afire occurs.(see Case study 4 overleaf)

Electrical safety

Many cleaners are required to use electrical equipment such asvacuum cleaners on a regular basis. In some cases, the machinesmay be old, worn-out and inadequately maintained.

Electrical cord that trails across wet floors while cleaners are using the equipment is an additional risk. The use of circuit breakers should be considered to ensure the safety of staff in suchconditions.

Employers are legally required to carry out regular testing andexamination of electrical equipment under the ElectricityRegulations 1989. In addition, under the Provision and Use of WorkEquipment Regulations 1998, they must ensure that the workequipment provided is suitable and maintained in efficient workingorder and in good repair.

Cleaners should also be trained to identify defects in equipment andwiring. Where damage is identified, the equipment must not be used.

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Case study 4

Ms Jones is one of six cleaners employed in an eight-storeytower block in the North of England. All the cleaners workin the evenings, after the other staff have left. The employerprovides a number of health and safety courses for staff, aswell as regular compulsory fire training and fire drills.

No one had notified the cleaners of any of the health andsafety training, nor would Ms Jones have been able to attendeven if she had been told—she looks after her younggrandchildren during the day.

Although the fire training was supposed to be compulsory, itwas organised on a floor-by-floor basis at lunchtime and nothought was given to cleaning staff who did not work on aspecific floor and were not present at lunchtime. In addition,none of the fire drills had been held in the evening, so thecleaners did not know what the alarm sounded like, or whatto do if there was a fire.

Employers’ duties under the Fire Precautions (Workplace)Regulations 1997 (as amended in 1999) include checkingthat workers know what to do if there is a fire. Safetyrepresentatives should ensure that arrangements are made toinform and train cleaning staff on fire risks, precautions andevacuation in the event of a fire. The testing of fire alarmsshould also take place when cleaners are working, so thatthey are able to recognise the sound of the alarm in anemergency.

An information sheet on fire safety is available fromUNISON’s Health and Safety Unit (see Further informationon page 22 for contact details).

Personal protective equipment and clothing

Cleaners may be issued with personal protective equipment (PPE), or clothing to protect them while at work. The PersonalProtective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992 say that protectiveclothing and equipment should be suitable for the risk and for thewearer, should be maintained and should be provided free of charge.The law also states that personal protective equipment is a last resortthat should only be used after other solutions have been investigatedand found inappropriate. If protective clothing is issued, cleaningstaff should not be responsible for the cost of cleaning it. This mustbe borne by the employer. In addition, staff must be trained in theuse of any PPE issued. Training must include details of what to do ifthe PPE is not effective, dirty, damaged or poorly maintained.

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Case study 5Rose works as a cleaner for an advice centre in Wales. She isemployed for two hours, six days a week. When she startedwork she was given gloves and a protective overall.

As she had to wash the overall twice a week, there was notenough time for it to dry, so she asked for a second overall. Themanagement refused, saying they would only supply areplacement overall once the existing one was worn-out.

She spoke to her UNISON safety rep who pointed out to Rose’smanager that the overalls were protective equipment which sheneeded to do her work and that they had to be suitable andprovided free of charge. One set of overalls for a person whoworked a six-day week was clearly unsuitable. The safety repalso pointed out that the overalls are classed as ‘protectiveequipment’ (see the Health &Safety six pack guide -details inFurther infomation page 22) and must be laundered at no chargeto the cleaner. As a result Rose was given a second overall and aweekly allowance towards cleaning her overalls.

Cleaners’ duties

It is important that cleaners are given a clear description of theirduties. If this includes any specialist tasks, they must have propertraining, information and equipment to do the job safety. It shouldbe made clear to cleaning staff that where such tasks are not listedas their duty, they should not do them, but seek further advice. This will help to protect cleaners from exposure to potential health hazards.

The safety representative’s role

Under the Safety Representatives and Safety CommitteesRegulations (SRSCR) 1977 (1979 in Northern Ireland), UNISON’ssafety representatives have a legal right to consult with managementover safety issues, represent members, inspect workplaces andinvestigate problems. They also have the right to receive all relevant

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Case study 6

Caretakers in a school in London are responsible forclearing any blocked toilets. Although not part of their duty,cleaners have often carried out this task if they notice that atoilet is blocked during their shift. They are, however, nottrained to do this, and have not been given the correctequipment to do this work. After one such occasion, anumber of cleaning staff became ill with gastric and otherstomach problems. The safety representative reported theproblem to their employer and a new system of work wasnegotiated. Cleaners were asked to report any blockedtoilets at the end of their shift and the caretakers, who aretrained to carry out this work safely, would be notified.

information from management, including risk assessments that havebeen carried out on cleaning staff.

By using these rights, safety representatives can help to make thework of cleaners safer. They may also encourage cleaners to becomesafety representatives.

Safety representatives can find out whether cleaning staff areexperiencing problems by talking to UNISON members on theirregular workplace inspections, and by carrying out surveys. You willneed to explain that UNISON is trying to gather information on thehealth and safety concerns of cleaning staff and is gatheringevidence of these concerns to present to the employer. Surveysshould be very simple and to the point, as cleaners often work totight deadlines and may not feel able to spend large amounts of time responding.

Keep in touch with members

Make sure that you keep in touch with UNISON members who arecleaners. Many cleaners will work outside of the usual shiftpatterns, and may work early mornings or evening shifts. Specialefforts may therefore be needed to ensure that contact is maintained.Always report back to cleaning staff on the results of any surveysand any action taken. UNISON branches also have an importantpart to play in ensuring that cleaners know who to contact foradvice or help, and where to find them. Branch secretaries shouldensure that cleaning staff are notified of and invited to attendbranch meetings and events.

Further information on the role of the safety representative isavailable in the UNISON Health and Safety Representatives Guide(see page 23). UNISON has also produced a leaflet encouragingmembers to take up the role of the safety representative and an A4poster to help with recruiting safety representatives (see page 23).

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The concerns dealt with in the previous pages are only some of themany hazards faced by cleaning staff. There are many others.

Safety representatives will need to ensure that employers address thehealth and safety concerns of cleaners. Safety representatives willalso want to ensure that employers include cleaning staff wheneverhealth and safety strategies or policies are discussed and developed.Focusing on the concerns of cleaning staff may encourage morecleaners to take on the role of safety representative, and may alsohelp to attract potential UNISON members.

UNISON has produced a range of guidance and information sheetswhich safety representatives can use to tackle any health and safetyproblem faced by members. These are available from UNISON’sHealth and Safety Unit—along with ones on Fire safety andDermatitis. If you would like copies of any of these publicationscontact the the Health and Safety Unit at the address below. We canalso e-mail you, please specify which word processing package youuse, for example Microsoft Word 97.

The following UNISON publications are available free (to UNISONmembers) from the Communications Unit, UNISON, 1 Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9AJ. Please quote the stocknumber when ordering.

Risk Assessment: A guide for UNISON safety representatives(A4 booklet, stock no. 1351).

The Health and Safety ‘Six Pack’: A guide to the six pack set ofhealth and safety regulations (A4 booklet, stock no. 1660).

Repetitive Strain Injury: Guidance for safety representatives andmembers (A5 pamphlet, stock no. 1057).

Working Alone: Guidance for safety representatives (A5 booklet,stock no. 1750).

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Further advice and information

Designed and produced by UNISON Communications Unit. Published by UNISON, 1 Mabledon Place, London WC1H 9AJ.http://www.unison.org.uk CU/Sept 2000/11192 /stock no:1793 Printer’s ref: 4481

Health and safety representatives recruitment poster(A4, stock no. 1681).

Health and safety representatives recruitment leaflet(A5 pamphlet, stock no. 1682).

Does your work make you sick? (A5 recruitment leaflet, stock no. 722)

UNISON Health and safety representatives guide (A5 booklet, stock no. 1684).

The following publication is available from HSE Books, but it is apriced item. You should try to get your employer to buy it, ratherthan using branch funds to do so.

Musculoskeletal Health of Cleaners. Contract report 215/1999.Priced £37.50 from HSE Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, SuffolkCO10 6FS. Tel: 01787 881165. Website:www.hse.gov.uk/hsehome.htm

If you have any specific health and safety queries, your branchhealth and safety officer or branch secretary may be able to help. Ifthey are unable to answer the query, they may pass the request toyour regional office or to the Health and Safety Unit at 1 MabledonPlace, London WC1H 9AJ, tel: 020 7551 1446, fax: 020 75511766, e-mail: healthandsafety@unison.co.uk

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Your commentsUNISON welcomes comments on this booklet from branch health andsafety officers and safety representatives. Either write to or e-mail theHealth and Safety Unit at the above address.