Posted on: 31 March 2026

Dear GMB Union Member,

Workplace exposure to hazardous substances, particularly fumes, dusts, vapours, mists, and airborne particulates, remains a significant occupational health concern across UK industries. As part of our commitment to safeguarding health, safety, and welfare at work, this Workplace Exposure Register has been created in partnership with our law firm Unionline to ensure that workers have a clear, accessible means of recording and evidencing exposure to potentially harmful airborne contaminants.

This register is designed to complement, not replace, the legal duties placed upon employers. Employers are required to assess, control, monitor, and review employees’ exposure to hazardous substances. However, we recognise that workers themselves are often best placed to identify when exposures occur, especially where controls may be inadequate, inconsistent, or poorly implemented.

In February 2019 the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reclassified all welding fume, including mild steel, as a Group 1 human carcinogen, with no safe level of exposure. This includes both the visible particulate fume as well as the invisible gases generated during welding operations. Welding fume exposure has been linked to lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), occupational asthma, metal fume fever, and long-term neurological, renal, and cardiovascular harm. For these reasons, welding fume is given specific emphasis in this register.

Workers across manufacturing, engineering, shipbuilding, construction, fabrication, and maintenance roles are routinely exposed to welding fume, often in challenging real-world environments where ventilation, extraction, and respiratory protection may be inadequate. Documenting these exposures is essential to ensure early intervention, enforce employer compliance, and protect workers’ long‑term health.

The purpose of this Workplace Exposure Register is to:

Provide workers with a formal mechanism to record instances of exposure to hazardous fumes, dusts, and airborne substances, including but not limited to welding fume, metalworking fluids, silica dust, wood dust, solvents, and combustion products.

Create a contemporaneous record that may assist in enforcing workplace safety improvements and ensuring employers meet their statutory duties under COSHH.

Support members in the event of future industrial disease claims handled through Unionline, by preserving evidence of exposure that may otherwise be lost over time.

Strengthen our ability to challenge unsafe work practices and advocate for better engineering controls, extraction systems, health surveillance, and training.

Who Should Use This Register

Anyone who may be exposed to hazardous airborne contaminants - whether regularly or occasionally - is encouraged to complete this register whenever exposure occurs or when controls fail. This includes welders, fabricators, apprentices, maintenance technicians, cleaners, machine operators, labourers, and any worker who may be unintentionally exposed through bystander contamination or poor segregation of workspaces.

Entries in this register will be securely held and may be used by GMB or Unionline to:

• Identify patterns of unsafe practice
• Support collective bargaining around health and safety
• Strengthen grievances and health & safety reports
• Assist with legal claims relating to industrial disease

By completing this register, members help ensure that exposure risks—especially those as serious as welding fume inhalation—are properly recognised, challenged, and prevented.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PD9HL6M

We urge all members to use this new Register as appropriate.

In solidarity,

Charlotte Brumpton-Childs, Acting National Secretary

Matt Roberts, National Officer

Posted on: 12 April 2021

There has been a lot of discussion in recent weeks over the support operative role at HPC. GMB remains committed to ensuring that the Hinkley Point project develops and trains the next generation of trades people for our construction industry, improving skills and standards and we are opposed to any move to deskill our members’ work and jobs.

As with NAECI projects, operatives play a pivotal role in the successful delivery of the project and so the Hinkley Support Operative role has been developed to continue this. The Bronze, Silver and Gold operatives translate to Grade 1, 2 and 3 within the NAECI agreement and the HPC project has presented a unique opportunity to facilitate operatives applying for and completing adult advanced modern apprenticeships after reaching the Gold Grade (NAECI grade 3).

Because HPC has the extended timeline that many NAECI projects don’t, operatives will have the opportunity to move through the operative training and then on to an apprenticeship, upskilling the next generation of construction worker and ensuring that this project produces an unprecedented amount of skilled, time served, trades people. There are already over 700 apprenticeships that have started on the project, and an additional 500 mechanical apprenticeships outside of the HSO route will be created during the mechanical phase of construction.

The training and timelines involved with the different operative grades will be to at least the same standard as NAECI operatives and will use an ECITB approved framework ensuring that the relevant NVQ level 2 & 3 standards are achieved and maintained.

To be clear, this is an additional pathway for our members to apply for an apprenticeship, once the correct level of operative training and assessment has been completed. It is not and will not be a deskilling exercise and will ensure that the project meets its promise of training up the next generation of trades people for our sector.

Brendan Stack – GMB Senior Convenor at HPC

Charlotte Childs – National Officer for construction and engineering

Posted on: 1 December 2020

Dear GMB Member,

Please be advised that the annual rate review has recently been endorsed by the HPC Joint Project Board by the Client, Contractors and Trade Union Partners. A summary of these changes are detailed below, and you will be advised by your employer separately of these changes if they affect you.

The base hourly rate will increase by 1.7% effective Monday 04 January 2021 for those individuals who work under the Civil Engineering Sector Agreement (CESA), Engineering Construction Sector Agreement (ESCA), Supervisory Sector Agreement (SSA) and Site Operations Agreement (SOA). This increase is calculated by using the 12-month RPI average rate from November 2019 to October 2020.

All other relevant travel and accommodation allowances mirror those set for the appropriate national working rule agreements in construction ECSA sick pay rates increase by 1.0% effective Monday 04 January 2021. This increase is calculated by using the 12-month CPI average rate from November 2019 to October 2020.

Nigel Cann
Programme Delivery
Director, HPC

Jude Brimble
GMB
National Officer

Jerry Swain
Unite
National Officer

GMB@HPC Hardship Fund

How does it work?

If you are a Hardship Fund member and you are off for more than 6 weeks you will receive £750.

How much does it cost?

You will be asked for your contributions whenever it is needed. For example, we will collect £10 per person and see if we have enough to cover the costs. If we have enough, we won’t collect again until needed.

Who is entitled to the pay out?

Only if you join are you entitled to the pay out for the Hardship Fund.