UCU responds to Coggon report on Manchester deaths
30 September 2009
Responding to today's report by Professor David Coggon in to suspected radiation and mercury exposure at the University of Manchester's Rutherford building, UCU said management should have acted earlier to allay staff fears about the potential dangers of contamination.
Six former members of staff died after working at the lab and the union said it was concerned that the university hadn't kept or preserved proper health and safety records before 1999.
Commenting on the publication of the report, UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'It is deeply concerning that staff were not made aware of the potential dangers at an earlier stage. Management has failed to keep or preserve proper records and failed to engage with the staff unions. It is essential that staff and their representatives are allowed to play a leading role in developing health and safety practices at the university in the future.
'I am pleased that the report recommends a further investigation of mercury levels at the building and that proper risk assessments will be undertaken in the future.'
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