{"id":3503,"date":"2023-02-07T15:32:37","date_gmt":"2023-02-07T14:32:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uni-europa.org\/?post_type=news&p=3503"},"modified":"2023-02-08T15:34:11","modified_gmt":"2023-02-08T14:34:11","slug":"unions-protect-window-cleaners-from-falls","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.uni-europa.org\/news\/unions-protect-window-cleaners-from-falls\/","title":{"rendered":"Unions protect window cleaners from falls"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Falls are the second top cause of fatal accidents at work in the European Union, with more than 3,400 people losing their lives since Eurostat <\/span>records<\/a>\u00a0began in 2014.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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And around half of all workplace injuries caused by falls involve ladders, according to an\u00a0analysis<\/a>\u00a0of accidents in Germany.<\/p>\n

Despite that, manufacturers wanted to set a new European standard for ladders used by window cleaners which would have lower safety requirements.<\/p>\n

Higher Risk<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Leaning ladders used by window cleaners often are supported by a ladder foot to increase stability.<\/p>\n

Manufacturers, who dominate the committee for standardisation on this issue (CEN\/TC 93), wanted to decrease the width of the ladder foot.<\/p>\n

That would make ladders more unstable and increase the risk of accidents, an expert\u00a0study<\/a>\u00a0of the proposal for the ETUC found.<\/p>\n

Following consideration of these findings, as well as a targeted awareness-raising campaign by the ETUC\u00a0and UNI Europa, the European trade union federation for cleaners,\u00a0the members of CEN\/TC 93 decided to withdraw the proposal.<\/a><\/p>\n

It means window cleaners will continue to benefit from the current and stronger safety standards for all ladders as foreseen in EN 131-2 \u2018Ladders – Part 2: Requirements, testing, marking\u2019.<\/p>\n

The work is part of the ETUC\u2019s \u2018Zero Death\u2019\u00a0campaign<\/a>\u00a0to eradicate accidents at work in Europe by 2030.<\/p>\n

ETUC Confederal Secretary Isabelle Sch\u00f6mann said:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWith hundreds of people losing their lives each year at work due to falls, any attempt to lower safety standards for ladders is clearly irresponsible.<\/p>\n

\u201cWindow cleaners do dangerous work and it\u2019s important they have the highest standards of safety.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople go to work to earn a living for themselves and their family \u2013 no one should leave home worried that they won\u2019t come back.\u201d<\/p>\n

UNI Europa Regional Secretary Oliver Roethig said:<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cThis case shows how a strong union voice at the table puts workers\u2019 safety first.<\/p>\n

Many of the standards set at European level have profound impacts on working people\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n

To ensure those impacts are positive, national and European standardisation bodies ought to consult and include unions from the very beginning rather than propose standards which undermine workers’ safety.”<\/p>\n

Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n

Study on the safety of loft ladders and ladder foots<\/a><\/p>\n

Eurostat statistics on workplace accidents\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0
\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0
\nManifesto “Zero Death At Work”<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Falls are the second top cause of fatal accidents at work in the European Union, with more than 3,400 people losing their lives since Eurostat records\u00a0began in 2014. And around half of all workplace injuries caused by falls involve ladders, according to an\u00a0analysis\u00a0of accidents in Germany. Despite that, manufacturers wanted to set a new European<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3505,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","categories":[],"topics":[],"sectors":[19],"projects":[],"cross-sector-groups":[],"workers-rights":[],"global-issues":[],"regions":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nUnions protect window cleaners from falls - UNI Europa<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uni-europa.org\/news\/unions-protect-window-cleaners-from-falls\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Unions protect window cleaners from falls - UNI Europa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Falls are the second top cause of fatal accidents at work in the European Union, with more than 3,400 people losing their lives since Eurostat records\u00a0began in 2014. 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