THOMAS Howard and John Keys caught in a thunderstorm WerE Cockfosters station, one night last May. They sheitered in a London Transport toolroom, and there they died.
The two men, both maintenance workers- employed by Transport, were asphyxiated carbon monoxide fumes from a gas fire in the toolroom. An inquest held into the case at the end of last month, and as the evidence unfolded it became apparent that the fatal accident bad resulted from incompetence and carelessness.
London Transport gas fitters had moved the heater from the ceiling onto the wall, despite the fact that it was a model designed to be suspended horizontally the 'homemade" and badly aluminium shield had then been stuck on top of it.
Ten months before the deaths, the heater had supposedly been serviced, yet on the day the men died old plaster from a ceiling repair done two years before was found in the airways of the fire.
A technical officer of Board gave some extremely damaging evidence. He said that the heater contravened building regulations, there must be permanent ventilation in any room with a flueless heater, There was onlv one smal window in the toolroom, which closed when the men's bodies were discovered.
There is no reason to believe that the ignorance and neglect which led to this fatal incident are anything but commonplace. LT management had Socialist Challenge 16 August 1979 • at North London, employee fell Although received a ticking. coroner about London her or his health and safety.
ASLEF
their own safety rep, ceiling.
• fitted inspect it.
Many safety rep deal with the Gas dispute about this.
particular local was found satety rep no record of the heater being moved, nor of the ceiling being repaired. They claimed that they didn't know about a similar incident in 1973, when another unconscious while sheltering in the same toolroom.
London Transport Kirby off the their inadequate servicing and inspection, and weakly out replied I'll follow that up, Sir', it's abundantly clear that to worker can rely on the employers to look out for Ironically, those who should have been protecting the men's interests, job the trade unions representing workers many at Oakwood and Cocktosters, were being played off one against the other by LT at the time of the men's deaths.
members had appointed but because none of their members did jobs which were likely to take them into the toolroom, management refused them the right to The NUR, to which Howard and Keys belonged, had not yet appointed as wanted centralised body within the union to the whole of London's health and safety problems, instead of don't having local safety reps elected by the members --and there was an internal It's obvious from this case that only knowledge and vigilance could safeguard the interests of workers themselves. It is apparent, too, that members of the NUR needed to be more aware of their own health and safety, and one of the roles a local can play is to constantly remind and educate other members of their rights and needs in this area: By Bristol Voice AN EMPLOYMENT officer at one of Bristol's largest Job Centres was victimised exposing discrimination. This is what Steven told an industrial tribunsi earlier this month.
Kirby said that when he tried to find action to take against discriminating employers who the Job Ceatre, colleagues told him: 'It goes all the time. Don't ge yourself imvolved.' While working as an interviewer for applicants, Kirby found that employers use colour as criterion for job suitability.
When & young black student was refused a job the Bristol's Somerville Club, the steward explained that a black bar person ' might upset some of the customers':
Kirby informed the Commission for Racial Equality, and his evidence resulted the first -successful prosecution the 1976 Relations Act in Bristol.
But Kirby was promptly transfered to a filing job, and when he asked why he was being demoted he was told by the manager of the Job Centre: "
want you drop department in the shit again'.
The CRE supported Kirby's case al at which he claimed unfair treatment. The defence by the Montower services ComfusSon was extremely confused:
At first, Kirby was accused of breaking the Official Secrets When this excuse failed, they fell back that Kirby broken the unwritten rules of the department by taking independent Needless Manpower Services Commission has louged discriminatory employers.
Facial The tribunal judgement. The case is important, not only because it is against a govern. ment body, but because the first time that a case of indirect used of Race and fight the back Liverpool to Blackpool, Act!
1-5 had September complaint against this country reserved it is the prove discrimination has been brought in - Kirby is arguing that sections of the Race Relations Act have been contravened.
As the CRE's solicitor told the tribunal: 'If protection is not given to informants it will become impossible crimination. Cases of racial dis+
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