About Us
Health and Safety
Health and safety at work
The NUJ knows that health and safety matters. It may be good for cheap laughs from comedians or politicians, but the so-called health and safety culture is about keeping you safe at work. Remember, your work can endanger your health, and even your life. The NUJ wants you to be able to go home at the end of a working day without damage or injury
The UK government says occupational ill-health, accidents, disability and death cost its economy more than £30billion every year. It also says most of this cost would be prevented if employers and companies complied with the requirements of UK health and safety laws.
The situation is just as serious in Ireland, and in other countries where NUJ members work. In short, health and safety is not an optional extra, it is an essential consideration in the world of work. It matters for you and your colleagues, for your families and the wider community.
The NUJ recognises our role in trying to reduce damage to its members at work by representing their interests at the workplace, nationally and globally. The union recognises that most freelance members will also have health and safety issues, though they may usually work from their own premises.
The NUJ has been at the forefront of the campaigns to prevent repetitive strain injury (RSI), bullying, stress, working in conflict zones and in tackling the health and safety issues arising from the introduction of new technologies.
To help achieve this the web pages below aim to help anyone working in the media to investigate or resolve an issue at their workplace, or for those just looking for further information on an occupational health and safety issue.
The advice here is often just common sense, though you may be surprised at the extent of legislation intended to protect your health. For guidance on regulations covering the Republic of Ireland, try this helpful link:
For general NUJ guidance on health and safety, visit the advice pages below
