Custodial Link to Health & Safety is Universal

NORTH LANARKSHIRE, SCOTLAND — A Scottish union is accusing the North Lanarkshire Council of putting the safety of students at risk by cutting certain school services, according to STV Cumbernauld.

The council has plans to cut £1.5m from janitorial services, a move the union says would reduce the health and safety of students, the article stated.

"These proposals would reduce health and safety within schools in North Lanarkshire due to cover being stretched thinner and opening and closing times of school buildings being reduced,” said John Mooney, branch secretary of Unison North Lanarkshire.

"The council is not looking at the bigger picture in terms of the vital service that these members provide. Reductions in line with the proposals would mean that no one would be in schools early to ensure that playgrounds are salted in times of bad weather or to check that the classrooms are safe for pupils arriving,” Mooney added.

According to the article, faculty in Cumbernauld schools see janitors as an essential part of school life, ensuring both function and safety.

Click here to read the article in its entirety.

*Source: www.cmmonline.com

Influenza Expected to Kill Half a Million People

BLOUNTVILLE, TN — Tennessee Health Commissioner Dr. John Dreyzehner is sending out a call to action for people to get inoculated with a shot to prevent influenza, according to the Bristol Herald Courier.

Annually, influenza kills about 500,000 people around the world, and some 20,000 Americans under the age of five are admitted to treatment centers because of the virus, the story stated.

According to the story, those most vulnerable are the elderly and the young, notably those with suppressed immune systems, heart disease and lung disease.

Dreyzehner stressed that, if healthy individuals receive a flu shot, they can help protect vulnerable populations and curb the spread of influenza, the story noted.

Infection Awareness Should Not Take A Summer Vacation

Dr. Randy Wykoff, dean of the College of Public Health at East Tennessee State University, said, “A lot of people don’t take this disease as seriously as they should.”

Despite the severity of influenza, less than half of the U.S. population opted for inoculation last year — either the traditional shot or the new nasal spray — last year, the story added.

Click here to read the complete article.