
Issue No 71		15 September 2000

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Call Centre Workers Compo Call Answered

Industrial deafness is an incurable disease. It not only occurs in the traditionally noisy industries such as construction, it is also prevalent in the new technology industries such as call centres.

According to experts in the field of industrial deafness, the current methods of hearing protection such as ear muffs and plugs are about as effective as filters on cigarettes.

The only way to protect workers is to reduce the noise levels they say.

These experts say there is new evidence that may lead the way for call centre workers to obtain workers' compensation.

Acoustic Engineer and Consultant, David Eden, says there is evidence available to support workers who have developed hearing damage from headsets.

David has provided expert advice on noise levels and safe systems of work to solicitors representing industrial deafness cases in the District Court. Three of the cases involved Telecom workers and 'shrieks' from headsets.

"One 'shriek' can cause instantaneous deafness," he says.

"There were a $100 million dollars worth of claims for hearing loss last year - and this is on the increase. Clearly the regulations are not protecting workers.'

"There have been only two prosecutions against employers who breach noise laws and this was between 1979 and 1997. "

The Labor Council's watchdog, Mary Yaager, says WorkCover Authority has to get tough and mount a campaign to ensure employers do something about noise at work.

Prevention is the only answer as there is no cure she says.

Mary will also be calling on the government to introduce a code of practice for the call centre industry. She will request that within this code, there is a requirement to provide headsets that will not cause damage to hearing.

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Issue 71 contents

Interview: Surviving The Firestorm
After several years as the focus of some brutal politics Carmen Lawrence is back on the ALP front bench. She talks to Workers Online about her new portfolio, unions and the ALP and mud slinging in politics.

History: Unions, Sport and Community
Remember when sport was a fun way to relax after arduous labour? The fight for the eight-hour work day was based around a slogan that said, in part, eight hours work, eight hours play. The play was unpaid and unsung, but enjoyable.

Politics: Global Failures
Sharan Burrow told the World Economic Forum this week that the union movement acknowledges the benefits of globalisation but it's time to address the failures.

International: Mobile Workers
A global IT labour shortage is throwing up challenges for both the developed and developing world. Gerd Rohde, from the Geneva-based Union Network International, is working to strike a balance.

Unions: Stuffed or Stoned?
In a recent dispute at the South Blackwater Coal Mine in Central Queensland CFMEU members resisted the introduction of random drug testing in the absence of a better strategy to test impairment and not just lifestyle.

Review: A Perfect Circle- Mer de Noms
Peter Zangari believes the music world has moved on from the simplistic chords of Nirvana and Soundgarden and the grunge scene has been obliterated. But like most other things, especially music, it re-invents itself.

Satire: Silly 2000
Editors demand something happen: �We�ve got 300 Olympic pages to fill and everyone is training�.

» Protesting Posties Blast Bosses in Swank Hotel

» Mario Carries Torch For Workers

» Union Flag Flies High At Olympic Park

» International Passport for IT Workers

» Homecarers Strike Another Blow Against Outsourcing

» Alliances The Legacy of S11 Say Protestors

» Violence Rife Against Union Activists

» Call Centre Workers Compo Call Answered

» Better Pay, Big Screens and Ice Cream for Bus 2000 Drivers

» 'Appalling' Detention Centres Behind Riots

» Election of Burmese Official A Slap In The Face

» Away For The Games

» Sport

» Labour Review

» Tool Shed

» Listen To The Young

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