5. The workplace and the working environment



Key changes and developments since last year


• in June 2017, the TUC published a new Cool it! guide for trade union activists on dealing with high temperatures in the workplace;


• a general union Unite campaign resulted in new Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidance on access to toilets and other welfare facilities for visiting drivers;


• Wales TUC launched new campaign resources to change the way the menopause is treated in the workplace; 


• a long-running case on whether the smoking ban applies to prisons reached the Supreme Court;


• a government-commissioned review of building regulations and fire safety following the Grenfell Tower fire published its recommendations;


• the nurses’ union RCN has highlighted the effects of inhaling the drug known as “spice” on its members working in prisons; 


• unions marked the 30th anniversary of the Piper Alpha disaster by calling for a public inquiry on helicopter safety.