Health and Safety
ANDY LEWIS - NORTH EAST HEALTH & SAFETY CHAIR
As well as being the Local Secretary of Sunderland Association I am also Chair of the North East Health, Safety and Wellbeing Committee. Our purpose is to support and empower members seeking to improve or maintain their working environment.
Health, Safety and Wellbeing covers a wide range of areas from slips and trips, RAAC, Asbestos, Excessive Temperature, sickness, workload and working hours to name just a few!
If you have any Health and Safety concerns please do not hesitate to contact me on 07881260516 or via
andysunderlandnasuwt@outlook.com.
We organise and support activities and look to train members in Health and Safety and Mental Health issues. If you are interested in joining our Health & safety team please get in touch.
Northern and Yorkshire & Humberside TUC Workers Memorial Day Tue 28th April
Trade Union health and Safety Morning Tuesday 28th April - Hartlepool College of FE
9am till 12pm, breakfast provided and a buffet lunch. A variety of speakers from around the country talking about Health and safety issues impacting workers.
Speakers/Presentations.
“Mental Health at Work”
Luke Collins, National Health & Safety Officer, UNITE.
“Algorithmic management: injurious by design?”
Dr Craig Gent, "Author of Cyberboss and a Fellow at the London School of Economics"
“Challenging Sexual Harassment in the Workplace”.
Dr Ruth Beresford, Researcher, Sheffield Institute of Law and Social Sciences, Sheffield Hallam University.
'Stressed out. Burnt out: investigate, agitate, negotiate'.
Alexandra Lancaster, National Health & Safety Officer, UCU
“From Hazards to Health: Building Workplaces Where Every Breath Is Safe”
Fiona Belgian, Regional Managing Partner, Thompsons Solicitors.
“The War against the Asbestos Industry”
Harminder Bains, Partner & Joint Head of Industrial Disease Team, Leigh Day.
Workers Memorial Day Events (Tuesday 28th April 2026) – Hartlepool College of FE
Organisations and TUs to lay a wreath at the Workers Memorial Day Remembrance Service & Wreath Laying Ceremony, Tuesday 28th April 2026, 12.30pm, Hartlepool College of Further Education, Stockton Street, Hartlepool, TS24 7NT
The Wreath Laying Ceremony will follow the service and be laid in the College. The wreaths will be transferred and laid, for public display, at the side of Christ Church, Church Square, Hartlepool, TS24 7EQ, following the service.
Please notify Edwin Jeffries if wishing to order & lay a wreath (wreaths can be provided/invoiced at a cost of £50 per wreath (card included). (contact Edwin Jeffries – edwin.jeffries@hartlepool.gov.uk / ejeffries73@gmail.com / 07813073186).
Ashley More was awarded Health & Safety Rep of the Year in the North East.
NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union secured compensation of £15,432,178.60 for members during 2025.
The compensation was awarded for successful claims relating to unfair dismissal, redundancy, discrimination, health and safety and personal injury.
A teacher received a six figure payment in damages after a pupil threw a toaster and a chair at them. The pupil then punched and kicked them as the teacher was removing them from the classroom. This resulted in a physical injury severe enough to require surgery and psychiatric injury.
Another member, who received a six figure payout, contracted leptospirosis from an infestation of rats at their school, causing a range of injuries including headaches, fatigue, dizziness, nervous anxiety, physical and mental weakness and brain fog.
We brought a claim for disability discrimination after a teacher who had been left disabled following a workplace injury was denied access to a suitable toilet and moved to a new job role on a reduced salary.
The teacher was injured after a whiteboard that was not fixed to the wall properly fell on them, resulting in severe injuries which required surgery. The HT refused to adhere to the reasonable adjustments, and the member went on to require further surgeries. After the member had exhausted their sick pay entitlement they received a unilateral change of job role, on a reduced salary with no pay protection they were then awarded a five figure sum on the grounds of discrimination due to their condition.
Matt Wrack, NASUWT General Secretary, said “If all employers took seriously their duty of care and legal responsibilities to their employees we would not be forced to pursue legal remedies to get redress for members.
“Behind every successfully concluded case is a teacher who has suffered months, and in some cases years, of mental distress and anxiety. Some members are no longer able to return to teaching due to the physical injuries they have sustained or the psychological impact of the treatment they have experienced.
“We will not hesitate to pursue justice and redress for members where they are injured, made ill or suffer unfair and discriminatory treatment at work.”
The Health and Safety Representative role and functions
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A Health and Safety Representative (H&S Rep):
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is elected by fellow members of a recognised trade union to represent them on matters of health, safety and welfare at work;
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can be elected to represent members of each trade union within the workplace by agreement;
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may represent members of other recognised unions (not only teachers) if so requested;
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is not liable in law for any duties beyond those common to all employees;
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has rights established in law;
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is not ‘appointed’ by the Headteacher/Principal or Governing Body/Board.
A person appointed by the Headteacher/Principal to oversee health and safety, commonly known as the school or college Health and Safety Officer, or competent person, has quite a different role and is responsible in law for the way in which he/she carries it out. Union Health and Safety Representatives cannot be held legally liable for failing to carry out their functions. An NASUWT Health and Safety Representative is indemnified by the Union.
Teachers seek legal and professional protection from a teachers’ union. They often overlook the role that the NASUWT plays in the protection of their health, safety and welfare. It is important to ensure that all staff are involved in and made aware of the work done in their interests by the NASUWT Health and Safety Representative. Non-members should be encouraged to join and receive the full benefits of NASUWT membership.
Under the Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977 (SRSC), Health and Safety Representative’s functions are defined as:
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representing NASUWT members’ health and safety interests in consultation with the senior management;
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investigating potential hazards and dangerous occurrences;
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examining the causes of accidents at work;
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investigating complaints from the people you represent;
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occasionally meeting a Health and Safety Inspector;
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carrying out safety inspections of the workplace;
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attending meetings of the Health and Safety Committee;
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reading health and safety information provided by an inspector, your employer and the NASUWT.
Resources
Artificial Intelligence and digital technologies
Big Question survey analysis 2025
Causes and signs of stress at work
Cleaning and disinfecting (Post Covid)
Education Support - Stress reduction toolkit
Excessive working temperatures
Managing the Menopause in the workplace
Neurodiversity and risk assessment
Risk Assessment: Violent and abusive behaviour
Safety Representatives and Safety Committees Regulations 1977
Social Media and online abuse of teachers
Strep A & Scarlet Fever guidance
Workload Impact Assessment example for reps
Valued Worker Scheme
At the heart of the Valued Worker Scheme (VWS) is collaboration between employers and employees through their trade unions – the NASUWT for teaching staff, and GMB, UNISON and Unite for support staff. The VWS promotes the adoption of policies and practices that demonstrate employers’ commitment to treating all employees fairly, equitably and with dignity through the adoption of six principles, which can be found on the website at: www.nasuwt.org.uk/ValuedWorkerScheme.