Hello and welcome to

Connect

More than one in three employees have been bullied at work in the past six months, prompting calls for specific legislation to outlaw workplace bullying.

A recent poll by the trade union Unison reveals that a third of the 7,000 people polled have either taken time off, or have left their jobs, as a result of workplace bullying.

Perhaps more shocking is that every one of the 7,000 said that bullying was an integral part of their workplace culture and that bullies were able to get away with their behaviour.

IOSH has a number of guidance documents on the subject of workplace harassment and Connect has published a number of articles here and here on the subject to help you tackle what’s a growing problem in workforces across the UK.

In this issue of Connect, we look at the issue of lone working – what the hazards are and what can be done to control, reduce and even eliminate lone working.

Also in this issue, we take a look at the tragic case of a 15-year-old labourer who became the youngest ever person to be killed on a building site, and ask whether we’re likely to see an increase in prison sentences handed down for deaths at work in light of the Health and Safety (Offences) Act that came into force in January this year.

For our On the record interview, Connect talks to firebrand Labour MP Dennis Skinner about his first job working down the coal mines as a young boy.

Thanks to all of you who’ve sent in messages of support for the new-look Connect and our refreshed website. If you’d like to pass on your comments, or want to be featured in one of our interviews, then please drop me a line.

Thanks for reading.

Shaun Gibbons
e-Editor, IOSH