France: Gas explosion leaves 5 injured, 2 missing
A gas explosion at a house in Niort has left 5 people injured and 2 missing, work was in progress at the property when a gas leak was reported, the explosion occurred after fire crews had arrived, 1 of the injured is a fireman listed in critical condition. 6th November 2007.

Austria: Worker buried in unstable Graz excavation
Rescue and recovery workers strove on Friday evening to locate a 45-year old worker buried in a collapsed excavation in Graz where a water pipe was being repaired for Kanal Wasser und Strom, the victim was in the 4-metre deep excavation when a colleague climbed out to fetch a shovel, at which point the excavation became unstable. 3rd November 2007. Hungary: Three children killed in gravel pit accident
A substantial ingress of sand at a gravel pit in Veszprem, western Hungary, has killed three 12-year old children who were playing there yesterday, fire crews recovered 2 of the bodies quickly but it took a digger and searcher dogs some hours to locate the 3rd child. A 15-year old boy who was playing with the group managed to extricate himself and raise the alarm. 1st November 2007.

USA: Quadruple confined space fatality at Wisconsin landfill site
A quadruple confined space fatality occurred on Thursday night in a collection tank at a landfill site in Superior, Wisconsin, where the 4 victims were overcome by hydrogen sulphide fumes in the 4-metre deep tank which contained drainage and water from the landfill. The scale of the accident reflects the efforts colleagues made to rescue victims stricken in the chamber, a 5th worker raised the alarm at the landfill site owned by Kimmes Construction. Fire crews recorded hydrogen sulphide readings of 200 parts per million, safe levels are regarded to be less than 1 part per million. 3rd November 2007.

USA: Construction firms push unions as safer choice
With the number of construction deaths on non-union sites skyrocketing, New York's largest building contractors’ association has launched a $1 million (£0.5m) ad campaign to underscore the importance of hiring union workers. The year-long media blitz is aimed at “public policymakers and real estate developers,” said Louis Coletti, president of the Building Trades Employers' Association (BTEA).

Bulgaria: Shelving collapse injures female workers
The collapse of shelving at a metal machining factory in Druzhba, Sofia, on Wednesday has left 2 female employees with serious injuries, one of them has been listed in critical condition. 1st November 2007.

Canada: Work-related deaths rising sharply
The number of work-related deaths in Canada is rising sharply, revealing a dark side to the boom in the oil fields, mining and the construction sector. The escalating work deaths figure also reflects a steady increase in the number of workers dying from long-ago exposure to dangerous products such as asbestos, according to a report from the Centre for the Study of Living Standards.

Europe: Cooperation is key says EU employment chief
High quality industrial relations including safety measures make a significant contribution to economic performance, from company-level to the economy as a whole, says a new European Commission report. It highlights health and safety agreements as prominent examples of cooperation at work, including Europe-wide deals on telework and stress and silica dust and ongoing discussions on violence at work.

Australia: Self-insurance for firms to hurt workers
A new Australian government move encouraging big businesses to self-insure for workers’ compensation could mean substantially reduced payouts for injured workers and could significantly lower the national standard of workplace health and safety, union federation ACTU has warned. It said the federal government is supporting moves by large businesses to withdraw from state-based schemes linked to enforcement, and instead sign up as self-insurers under the national Comcare scheme.

Europe: MEPs pass diluted REACH solution
The European Parliament has brought the passage of European Union (EU) legislation on the trade in chemicals close to completion. A plenary vote by members of the European Parliament leaves the REACH proposal requiring just the backing of the Council of Ministers, the final hurdle before implementation.

Global: IFJ hails UN action to protect journalists
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has welcomed a move by the United Nations Security Council to press governments to give more protection to journalists in conflict zones and to fully investigate cases where media staff are killed under fire. A draft UN resolution sponsored by France and Greece and backed by Britain, Slovakia and Denmark says attacks intentionally directed against journalists covering armed conflicts are war crimes.

Europe: Cancer problems hidden at work
Occupational cancers are being missed because of flaws in the reporting system, according to a new report. It says a major factor in the near invisibility of occupational cancer is that the related tumours in the great majority of cases only occur after the worker has retired - however, a pilot scheme by France’s health protection agency which started in 2005 is using post-occupational monitoring for employees and self-employed skilled workers. 

Global: Finger points at Browne on BP safety
BP chief executive Lord Browne was aware of safety concerns at the company’s Texas City refinery for at least two years before a deadly explosion at the plant. An internal email suggested Lord Browne, the London-based global head of the company, knew of problems at Texas City as early as 2003 and that he was personally monitoring the site's monthly safety statistics.

Australia: Call to tailor safety laws for young workers
A children's watchdog in Australia has called for a change in workplace health and safety laws after a study found four in every 10 employees aged 16 or under had been injured at work. “Specific consideration” should be given in law to the health and safety of workers under 18, the New South Wales (NSW) Commissioner for Children and Young People, Gillian Calvert, reported in recommendations on children at work tabled in the state parliament on 13 December 2006.

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