Liverpool City Council workers have taken advantage of an important workplace health initiative, with a Mobile Lung Screening Clinic brought directly to the workplace to help protect the long-term health of our members.
The clinic provided voluntary lung health screenings for workers who may have been exposed to dust, asbestos and other hazardous airborne contaminants during their working lives.
Importantly, the screenings were conducted during work time, removing a potential barrier to participation and making it easier for workers to access an important preventative health service.
For many USU members working across local government, exposure to dust and other airborne hazards can be an unavoidable part of their working environment, particularly for employees who have spent years in outdoor, operational, construction, maintenance and trade-related roles.
The effects of occupational exposure may not always be immediately apparent. That is why prevention, health monitoring and early detection are so important.
The Mobile Lung Screening Clinic is a practical example of putting those principles into action.
The clinic was also attended by Sophie Cotsis MP, NSW Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Work Health and Safety, together with Charishma Kaliyanda MP, Member for Liverpool.
Their attendance provided an excellent opportunity for Liverpool USU delegates to meet and speak directly with the Minister responsible for Work Health and Safety and the local State Member.
For our delegates, these opportunities are important.
Delegates are the eyes, ears and voice of the Union in the workplace. They understand the work our members perform, the conditions they face and the health and safety issues that can arise on the job.
Having workers and their representatives engaged in conversations about workplace health and safety is essential to ensuring that decisions affecting workers are informed by the people who actually perform the work.
Work health and safety cannot simply be about responding after a worker has been injured or becomes unwell.
It must also be about prevention, education, consultation, health monitoring and early intervention.
Workers deserve to know that their health is being protected not only today, but throughout their working lives and into retirement.
This was a fantastic initiative by Liverpool City Council and a positive example of what can be achieved when the health and wellbeing of workers is placed at the forefront. Special recognition must also go to Liverpool City Council’s Director of Operations, Peter Scicluna, for taking the initiative to arrange the screenings and, importantly, for committing to making them an annual event. This ongoing commitment will ensure workers continue to have access to important preventative health screening and demonstrates a genuine investment in the long-term health and wellbeing of Council employees.
The USU therefore welcomes Liverpool City Council’s decision to host the Mobile Lung Screening Clinic and to allow workers to participate voluntarily during work time.
It is a positive initiative that demonstrates what can be achieved when worker health and wellbeing are treated as a genuine workplace priority.
The Union will continue to advocate for strong health and safety standards, meaningful consultation with workers and their representatives, and initiatives that protect the long-term health of our members.
Every worker deserves to go home safe and healthy at the end of their shift, and to finish their working life in good health.
