Political Comment By 

JC Lyon-Taylor

 

Hospital turns away injured child

A SCHOOL local to the hospital at Kew had a child with an injured eye. The school nurse examined the eye and declared that he should immediately go to Hospital for a check as she was afraid of permanent eye damage if not treated.

As this was an emergency Southport Hospital was contacted and the situation explained. The hospital said "under no circumstances would they see the child, he must be taken to Ormskirk A&E." In order to take the child to Ormskirk, Social Services had to be contacted to arrange transport and an escort. It took 2 hours to arrange. 4 hours by the child had been taken there and back and treated.

With our own A&E at Southport the above could have been completed in 30 minutes with one person. Instead of which it took 4 hours, 2 people, and a child in pain for longer. Considering the thousands of children in our schools, it is criminal that our A&E has been closed and all those thousands of children put at risk.

CACTUS FLOWER

LIVERPOOL'S number one 'Flute Rock Band' CACTUS FLOWER are appearing at the BARFLY on SEEL STREET on MONDAY, 25th AUGUST 2003 on stage at 9.30pm.
Also, they are playing the CAVERN CLUB on MATTHEW STREET on THURSDAY, 9th OCTOBER 2003 on stage 9.00pm.

This five-piece band are professional songwriters who pride themselves on producing and performing their own material. Louis Baccino is the front man in CACTUS FLOWER. He is renown for his talent as a flautist and plays along side the CORAL on their number one album.

BIG SWEEP FOR PARK

YOUNGSTERS from Anfield and Breckfield helped to make Stanley Park a litter-free zone, as over 200 children and teenagers took part in a community clean-up at the park on Friday August 22, the final event in the local Summer Splash programme. "The Big Sweep", which involved a competitive, supervised litter pick, was part of a day of fun events at the park including football coaching with Liverpool Football Club staff, a tug of war, treasure hunt and penalty shoot out.

The event was supported by Liverpool City Coucnil, Liverpool Football Club, ENCAMS, Coca Cola, Enterprise Liverpool, the Vernon Sangster Sports Centre and Neighbourhood Councils.

The community clean up has been made possible by funding from the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund's Living Through Change Initiative to help make improvements to the environment in the Anfield and Breckfield area. It is being used to expand the activities of the highly successful Liverpool FC Sweeper Zone. There are a number of projects being undertaken by a community Environment Action team including installing litter bins decorated with artwork by local pupils, putting up planters and staging graffiti arts projects still to take place.
The Lord Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Ron Gould, and Rick Parry, Chief Executive of Liverpool FC, presented certificates and prizes to the teams who took part in the clean-up.

Councillor Gould said:- "It is very important that local communities help to take responsibility for their own environment and this event does just that. The Sweeper Zone has been a big success in the Anfeidl and Breckfield area and the more people who get involved in keep ring their neighbourhood clean and tidy the better."

WE want you to help us by telling us what events you have....  Let us know now for 2004! EMAIL US

THE Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has produced a free information sheet on heat stress in the workplace. It explains the risks of overheating when working in hot conditions found in workplaces such as bakeries, compressed air tunnels, foundries and smelting operations. It does not address issues of thermal comfort in the workplace.

"Heat stress in the workplace. What you need to know as an employer" explains how the body reacts to heat, describing a typical example of a heat stress situation and its symptoms. It provides examples of workplaces where the environment is most likely to cause the problem and then gives advice on carrying out a risk assessment and how to reduce the risks.

Heat stress occurs when the body's means of controlling its internal temperature starts to fail. As well as air temperature, factors such as work rate, humidity and clothing worn while working may lead to this condition. 

Andrew Moore, HSE's technical expert on heat stress, said:- "Heat stress is potentially very serious but it is also preventable. So it's important that people know what it is, can recognise the signs, and have some idea what they can do to reduce the risks. We hope the information sheet provides them with practical help". 

The hot summer months may increase the risks for some people, but in many jobs heat stress is an issue all year round.

For those who want to know more, HSE is currently developing detailed guidance for employers on how to manage and assess the risk of heat stress in their workplace. While developing this guidance HSE will be consulting externally and would welcome hearing from those who would like to be involved. They should contact Andrew Moore on andrew.moore@hse.gsi.gov.uk

Southport Reporter is a registered Trade Mark.   Copyright © Patrick Trollope 2003.