Background

Hazards Bulletin came out of BSSRS - British Society for Social Responsibility in Science, in the mid 70s. BSSRS had a membership, which encompassed both a Nobel Laureate for President, lots of working scientists, but also "Science for People" groups, mainly of students. I worked as "Pollution Person" in the office in Poland St, Soho, London. Joseph Rowntree funded the building which also housed "Friends of the Earth" "Gingerbread", "Social Audit" & "Counter Information Services".

Alan Dalton inhabited the next desk, complete with his rubber plant. We had been involved with a number of community campaigns involving chemicals; I had campaigned around "Death in the Plastics Factory" exposing the new found hazards of PVC manufacture (RSJ v 4 - upload all article?). Into this one day, walked Tony Fletcher who wanted some interesting work to do. So Alan and I suggested he do "Noise" - as we had 'Chemicals' covered. Tony, after doing some research and talks came up with idea of a leaflet to support the message. He had realised that the research work was no use in reference libraries, but has to be where it was needed. While he was writing the Noise pamphlet, Alan picked up the idea and started to do one on "Oil" - the hazards at work. We got a mention in the key paper of the journal for radical scientists - "Science is Social Relations" .

The inevitable happened one afternoon, when one of them said: "If we are writing these pamphlets Charlie, what are you doing?" Which gave me the idea for a magazine which would not just make the science clear (based on expertise) but also carry tales of the shopfloor which helped people organise for health & safety (experience). We recognised that there was a lot of different people interested and we wanted them to keep together thought a magazine may help. (But had no idea just how long!)

Introductory Note to Industrial Health Action Bulletin p 1, 2, 3 , 4, 5

This Introductory Note, with this rough draft called IHAB, would have been sent out to both BSSRS Board (=respectable and responsible scientists), Science for People (=radical scientitsts) and SfP groups (=students).

It was curious at the Hazards Conference 2006 when Lord Hunt, Minister for H&S, mentioned the "right to stop the job" and there was a ripple of approval. We had that as an original demand (No 7) in IHAB, 30 years previously.

While the most enthusiastic response probably came from Sheffield SfP, Manchester SfP offered themselves as a venue for an introductory meeting.

Letter for first Meeting Jan 1976

We expanded our target audience - to our "industrial contacts", such as the unions at BP Baglan Bay, Shell Carrington, and Lucas Aerospace Combine committee. We also had good contacts through TUC Education Dept and many WEAs following our many talks at all sorts of worker groups from Portsmouth to Glasgow.

We realised we had an important role - translating relevant science into everyday language. Tony had said: "but all this stuff is in medical files!" . We said : "It's not much use there!". But we also found out so much listening to what people could see" And we didnt want to just acquire all this knoweldge experince and information to thus become some sort of radical experts. (We didn't approve of "experts"!)

Notes & Minutes of 1st Meeting Manchester Jan '76 Quite how the "case study" driven IHAB - transformed from the "demands" headings to "areas", and how the new format fitted who could do what, baffles me. But each of us knew what we were doing. I was to co-ordinate for first couple of issues, but then responsibility would go outside London - probably Sheffield. Alan, Pat, & Mike and others wrote pieces; and somehow the format emerged which magically mixed the technical, legal and organisational elements - thereby satisfying many. Perhaps the most important decision came towards the end of the meeting, when we discussed what to call the magazine. There is a disagreement as to exactly who came up with the statement: "Why dont we call it Hazards Bulletin - after Pat's book?" I think it was a shop steward from Massey Ferguson, but Seb Schmuller remembers it as the convenor from Shell Carrington. We all agreed the name was good straightaway. The main game to play with the notes and minutes is as to who each of the initials stand for? KG, BG, MH, JH, (M Ferg), RC, TF, SP, SS, - , DH, CC, LN.

Front Page 2 3 4 Centre 1 &2 5 6 7 8

As you can see, the content was a curious mixture - we were very serious but could also make jokes. We were also making H&S as an issue within labour circles - which curiously it had not been. Safety had been the preserve of a few stuffy bores. For some on the left, it was "a diversionary issue" and for many unions, it meant compensation. It is hard to realise now that H&S then was not a mainstream union issue then. (Perhaps there is a lesson for 'the environment' now).

However we seem to have got the mixture - between sceince/technical/fact and political/organisation/comment about right, as most people could relate with some aspect.

Review of HB1 at second Meeting Sheffield p1, p2, p3

The layout was "strongly criticised". Eve Barker, life-time partner of Alan said: "Don't let Charlie lay out / design the next issue". The cartoon above was deemed "irrelevant to the article". There were concerns about puns such as "protection racket" and "cover up operation" and the need to be very clear and as accurate as possible. There was one issue - "inevitable bargain compromise", that would be "worked out in the context of specific examples". Neverthelss, there was clearly a lot of energy to help - as witnessed by somebody else doing the minutes (somebody from Sheffield ?). That energy went go on and get better...

I remember when trying to persuade people to be involved with the magazine, I would say:"We'll do it for about 6 months and then the TUC will see its value and take it over". 25 years later TUC hasn’t taken it over but it now works much more closely with Hazards magazine and the Hazards Campaign at large.

Charlie Clutterbuck

"Pollution Person" @ BSSRS 1974-6