37th Hazards Conference, 4-6 Sept. 2026, Keele Uni.
Following on from the success of last year’s National Hazards Conference, the 37th annual conference* will be another informative event that safety reps and activists should not miss. As in previous years it will educate, inform and connect safety reps from around the country along with empowering them to prevent risks to workers.
As in previous years, sponsorship and support is vital to run this event and helps to reduce the overall cost for attendees. If your union or organisation would like to sponsor the 2026 Hazards conference please complete the sponsorship form here and email or post back to us. Thank you!
Date: Fri. 4th Sept. (from midday) to Sun. 6th Sept. (closes 3pm) *Bookings will open in spring 2026 at:
https://gmhazards.org.uk/index.php/ev/the-37th-national-hazards-conference-2026
Education Unions Climate Sessions
3oth Jan 2026: Dates for your diary – free online climate change webinars for union members working in education.
4th Feb. 3.30pm – Embedding Climate Education in the Curriculum (UCU)
11the Feb. 3.45pm – What does a Climate Action Plan look like and how can your school create one? (NEU)
4th Mar. 3.30pm – Decarbonise and Decolonise Education (UCU)
14th Mar. 10am – Climate and Nature Festival, Regent High School, The Medburn Centre, 136 Chalton St, London NW1 1RX (NEU, UCU, Unison, Ministry of Eco Education, Climate Majority Project, Campaign against Climate Change).
Hazards, Hallam and WPP seek research participants
Calling It Out: Talking About ‘Unwanted Sexual Attention’ at Work
We are looking for women and non-binary workers in the UK to take part in a focus group to talk about unwanted sexual attention and sexual harassment in the workplace. As thanks for taking part, you will receive a £20 Love2Shop voucher. You may be eligible if:
You are a woman (cis, trans and intersex) or are non-binary.
You are aged 18+
You speak English.
You work in the UK, in a school, in health and social care, the hospitality and leisure industries, or are a gig-worker.
You are interested in talking about how sexual harassment and unwanted sexual attention are talked about in the workplace, and how this could be improved. (You do not need to have experienced or witnessed this to take part).
What’s involved:
A 1.5 – 2 hour online focus group with other workers led by a woman researcher.
Your responses will be kept confidential and you’ll be anonymised in the research.
You will need internet access and a private space to take part.
If you are interested in taking part, want more information or have any questions, please contact the research team:
Dr Ruth Beresford, r.e.beresford@shu.ac.uk
Dr Bob Jeffery, r.f.jeffery@shu.ac.uk
The draft agenda is:
14:00 “Countering the far right at work” (public session)
Troublemakers At Work is having our first AGM starting with this public session, which will include:
A brief presentation on the demographics of Reform support
Discussion on how we respond to Reform supporters in our unions
An activity identifying far-right talking points
Discussion on how we can counter far-right talking points at work
Imagining a better alternative future
Together Alliance march on March 28th, 2026
Together Alliance rejects narratives of division and racism
The voices of division in our country are growing louder. Those who preach division are becoming more confident. Together Alliance seeks to can change things together. The alliance of ov
er 50+ organisations and hundreds of individuals is coming together to say enough is enough.
Together Alliance is mobilising and organising across the country to bring a message of hope over fear, culminating in a major demonstration in London on March 28th, 2026.
Hazards Conference 2025
This year sees the 36th annual Hazard Conference from 5-7 September and like last year it will be a packed weekend for safety activists.
Action Mesothelioma Day – 4th July 2025
To mark Action Mesothelioma Day on the 4th of July this year. The Greater Manchester Asbestos Victim Support Group (GMAVSG) will be holding an event in central Manchester. The event will focus on the Freedom of Information requests obtained by GMAVSG on the levels of asbestos still remaining in publicly funded schools in the Greater Manchester area.
Event Details
Date: Friday, 4th July 2025
Time: 12 noon
Venue: Friends Meeting House, 6 Mount St. Manchester M2 5NS
The GMAVSG 2025 report suggests that asbestos is present in around 80.2% (304 out of 379) of local authority maintained schools in Greater Manchester.
In 2013, figures obtained by the Manchester Evening News found that asbestos was present in around 86.6% (903 out of 1,043) state schools in Greater Manchester.
At this rate, many schools in Greater Manchester will still contain asbestos 100 years from now.
As our school buildings age, and reach the end of their intended lifespans, we urgently need to learn more about the risks to pupils and staff. Read the full report here.
Clean Air Day 19th June 2025
Air pollution affects your health from before your first breath until your last.
It’s lin
ked to a range of health problems at every stage of our lives – from premature birth and effectsnon organ development in childhood, through to causing heart and lung disease, diabetes, mental health and strokes in adulthood.
The impacts of air pollution are felt by everyone, but not equally. You may be exposed to higher levels of air pollution because of where you live. – for example, if your area lacks investment, good planning and government support you are significantly more likely to be exposed to high levels of air pollution. Children, older people and people with existing health conditions are also disproportionately affected by the health harms of air pollution.
By cleaning up our air, we can all benefit from immediate and lasting health improvements, and help ensure that future generations can live happier, healthier lives. The UK Government has committed to reviewing its air quality targets, and we can all play a part in making sure these targets are ambitious enough to ensure we can all breathe cleaner air.
This Clean Air Day, ask your MP to champion the introduction of World Health Organization air quality targets in UK law so that we can all breathe cleaner air and live healthier lives.
Join the campaign and put your local MP to work on cleaning up the air at the link below:
https://www.cleanairhub.org.uk/clean-air-day#top
Information and image: The Clean Air Hub/ Global Action Plan.
Safety Campaigner Caroline Shelton laid to rest – 31st July 2025
Veteran safety campaigner Caroline Shelton died on Saturday after a long and painful battle with cancer. Caroline was a long-standing widely-respected TUC tutor at the Workers’ Education Association and regular participant in the National Hazards conference at Keele, and at London Hazards Centre trustees’ board meetings since 2018. London Hazards Centre board of trustees elected Caroline as honorary president in May in our grateful appreciation for her ma
ny years’ service as a determined fighter for a safer London. Caroline’s funeral will be on Thursday 31st July in Saint Botolph’s, Northfleet, Gravesend DA11 9EU.
Words and photo from Steve Ballard London Hazards Centre.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/jul/30/caroline-shelton-obituary
Taking Action over Working in Heat 25th June 2025
Free Organising Seminar on Taking action over working in heat
Wednesday 25th June (11.00 – 16.30) at TUC Congress House, London
As the world gets hotter, so do our workplaces. In recent years we’ve seen workers taking action to keep cool, and nationally we’ve been demanding a maximum working temperature.
For Summer 2025, the TUC, Heat Strike and the Hazards Campaign are collaborating on a week of action. Between 14 – 20 July, we are asking union activists to take a form of action to organise against working in unsafe, unreasonably hot temperatures. This seminar is aimed at trade union reps and activists who are already planning to take action, and is an opportunity to meet others and plan in detail your organising activity to build for the week of action.
Join us on Wednesday 25 June.
Please note: Capacity for this event is very limited. Please only register if you are able to attend. Organisers reserve the right to cancel registrations if certain thresholds are not met.
We regret that we are unable to cover travel expenses. Please speak to your union for help with this.
Union reps have a right to reasonable paid time off to carry out union duties and undertake training.
Only authorised TUC staff will have access to your personal data and they are obliged to respect its confidentiality, and store the data securely.
TUC: Find out about the week of action in July here
Heat Strike: More about the campaign here
For any questions about this event, email healthandsafety@tuc.org.uk
The Miners’ Hymns – Film Screening 12th June 2025
The Miners’ Hymns – Film Screening & Community Reflection at Langworthy Cornerstone
Step back into Britain’s industrial past and explore the powerful legacy of coal mining communities through “The Miners’ Hymns” – a unique film experience combining archival footage and evocative music.
🗓 Date: Wednesday, 12th June 2025
🕐 Time: 1:00 PM – 3:15 PM
📍 Venue: Langworthy Cornerstone, 451 Liverpool Street, Salford, M6 5QQ
About the Event:
This special screening will showcase film clips that portray the conditions of working coal miners and the eventual decline of the coal industry in Britain. The session will open with an introductory talk by Paul Kelly, a former miner at Agecroft Colliery, offering personal insight and lived experience.
Event Highlights:
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- Talk by former coal miner Paul Kelly
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- Documentary screening of The Miners’ Hymns
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- Scenes from the iconic Durham Miners Gala
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- Open community conversation and engagement
This event is part of our ongoing effort to explore and honour local history, social heritage, and working-class experiences.
Register at the reception desk to attend for free – all are welcome.
Join us to reflect, learn, and connect.
Annual diary dates:
4 Feb – World Cancer Day
8 March – International Women’s Day
March – National Apprenticeship Week
2 April – Autism Awareness Day
28 April – International Workers Memorial Day
1 May – May Day
May – Deaf Awareness Week
May – Mental Health Awareness Week
June – Clean Air Day (3rd Thursday)
1st Fri July – Action Mesothelioma Day
July – Disability Awareness Day
Sept – National Dementia Carers Day
Oct – Breast Cancer Awareness Month
1 Oct – Older Workers day
Oct – Dyslexia awareness week
10 Oct – World Mental Health Day
Oct – European Health and Safety Week
Oct – TUC Inspection Day
Nov – National Stress Awareness Day
Sept – Hazards Conference
14-18 Nov – Anti-Bullying week
Dec – Disability History Month
1 Dec – World Aids Day
10 Dec – Human Rights Day
National Hazards Conference 4-6 Sept. 2026
Start on: 12:00 PM
The 37th Hazards Conference will take place at the Keele University Campus in Staffordshire, UK. This annual event brings safety activists together from around the UK and further afield in […]