Union ‘lights a fire’ with workplace safety regulators over station conditions

Fire union representatives John McKenzie and Gus Sproul with councillor Allison Duncan outside Lerwick fire station.

The national Fire Brigades Union (FBU) has escalated its concerns over Shetland’s fire stations to the government’s workplace health and safety regulator.

FBU health and safety representative for Scotland, Scott MacRory, yesterday and today (Tuesday) filed complaints with the Health and Safety Executive over three specific stations: Walls, Bressay and Hillswick.

These stations and others in Shetland are cramped and operate without heating or showering, The Shetland Times has reported previously.

Such conditions are not only a discomfort, but pose a real health risk to firefighters working with hazardous chemicals who have nowhere to wash off after a shift.

“We are past pussyfooting around,” said Mr MacRory, who along with other FBU representatives had threatened to report Shetland’s stations if improvements were not promised in a meeting with Scottish Fire and Rescue leadership last week.

“The lid is well and truly off this,” he said.

The Health and Safety Executive has the power to put businesses on probation or prosecute them if they believe workplace conditions are not up to scratch, though the latter course of action is usually reserved for when a worker is injured or killed.

Government officials are expected to respond to reports within three weeks.

“We’ve lit a fire and now it’s a wait to see what happens,” said Mr MacRory.

• Read more in this week’s issue of The Shetland Times,  out on Friday, December 13th.