Ugandan truck drivers on the Road. Tackling the environment at our workplaces

Transcription

1 Ugandan truck drivers on the Road Tackling the environment at our workplaces

2 ATTENTION COMRADES! Do you want to know how climate change affects your environment and your health? How can you reduce pollution, transport substances and dispose of waste in a safe way? Want to learn how to take better care of your truck, drive efficiently and protect the environment? Then read on! This campaign is part of the joint UN- EP-Sustainlabour programme Towards Green and Decent Jobs: Enhancing Workers and Trade Unions Capacity, funded by the Government of Spain.

3 Ugandan truck drivers on the Road Tackling the environment at our workplaces 1. UNDERSTANDING What is happening to the environment? Our world is changing: we are changing our world, our environment, faster than ever in human history. What are we changing? The air, the water, the soil, wildlife, indeed all aspects of our lives.. Changing our climate: the temperature of the Earth is increasing due to human activities. Climate change is caused by certain gases, called greenhouse gases that are emitted into the atmosphere and function as if in a greenhouse, thus making the Earth warmer. How are we responsible? By using fossil fuels for energy (industries, transportation such a cars and trucks, housing), clearing our forests (deforestation), using fertilizers from agriculture, combustion of waste. Which activities produce these socalled green house gases? See below. Is the climate changing fast? Much faster than we can afford. Over the last century global temperatures have increased by 0.76ºC. Scientists recommend that temperatures do not increase by more than 1.5 or 2ºC, otherwise we will not be able to manage this change.

4 Polluting our environment: waste disposal, chemical management Around 110,000 chemical substances are currently being used, but from all of them we only know about the risks of 6,000. What s worse is that asbestos and lead in paint, for which health impacts are already well known, are still being used. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), hazardous substances kill about 650,000 workers annually, but there is no estimate of the percentage of the occupational diseases caused by exposure to chemicals. The World Health Organization indicates that approximately 125 million workers worldwide are exposed to asbestos in the workplace, which results in at least 90,000 deaths every year. More and more people live in cities; consumption is increasing, which as a consequence increases the production of garbage. Many things that are thrown out in the rubbish can contain harmful chemicals that damage the environment. Things like some household batteries, car oil, or old paint all need to be disposed of safely. What types of waste is hazardous? Asbestos pesticides- fluorescent tubes- oils - some paints - some household and car/ truck batteries - discarded electrical equipment like TVs and computer monitors, fridges and freezers - discarded energy saving light bulbs (also known as CFLs). Transport is fundamental: hazardous products could be transported without causing unnecessary risks if they are handled in an adequate manner. 2. JUST LOOKING AROUND What is happening in Uganda and Africa? Unfortunately, it is projected that the greatest warming due to climate change will occur in the Sahel and central southern Africa: loss of livelihoods and assets, increased frequency of drought, human displacement (environmental refugees), loss of agricultural land, conflict over pastures and water, unpredictable weather and seasons. Let s see some examples:

5 Food scarcity: In some countries, yields from rain-fed agriculture could be reduced by up to 50% by 2020 People s Health: out of the top countries that are worst affected by the health impacts of climate change, 10 are African. In Uganda today malaria incidence in the highlands is higher than before (as they become warmer) Water scarcity: Africa will face increasing water scarcity with a subsequent potential increase of water conflicts as almost all of the 50 river basins are trans-boundary. In Uganda erratic changes in seasons are causing food and water shortages From hazardous substances and waste Pesticides and stockpiles. In Africa, chemical-related soil degradation affects 51 million hectares (ha) of land. More than 50,000 tonnes of obsolete pesticides have been stockpiled in Africa contaminating tens of thousands of tonnes of soil. Lake Victoria, for example, receives nitrogen and phosphorus, washed down from surrounding plantations of tea, sugarcane and coffee. Electronic waste and illegal trafficking as an emerging issue: There are many toxic chemicals and heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium that go into computers and other electronic equipment. Biodiversity: It is expected that 25-40% of animal species in national parks in Sub-Saharan Africa will become endangered. Formal e-waste recyclers do not exist in Uganda and therefore much of this waste ends up in municipal landfills or incinerators. Uganda is seeing a reduction in tourism.

6 3. IS MY TRUCK CONTRIBUTING TO THIS ENVIRONMENTAL MESS? the soil and can prevent crops and plants from growing in the future. Water pollution: When a truck is washed, the waste water that runs off contains a range of substances that pollute the environment, such as soaps and detergents, mud, rubber and grease. One litre of oil pollutes about one million litres of water, forming a patch of four thousand square meters. The impacts that trucks have on the environment range from air pollution to water pollution. Understanding the risks and challenges can help us to reduce the impact. Soil pollution: Oil and fluids used in your truck are changed very often. If simply thrown away as trash, they take up a lot of space in our landfills and can pollute the local environment. Dumping material in wetlands (such as swamps and marshes) along the roads and other remote areas, affects wetlands and they can hardly recover to their original state. Climate change: The transport industry is globally responsible for 25% of the total emission of CO2 in the world. Semi trucks, for example, run on diesel fuel and produce pollutants such as carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide and nitric dioxide that lead to a warming of the climate. Acid rain: The pollutants mentioned above reach the earth s atmosphere and fall back to the ground in the form of acid rain. Acid rain can eat away at plants and flowers, destroy forests and reduce crop yield. This affects

7 4. WHAT CAN I DO? Acting from my workplace When to wash your truck or car - Wash your car on a grassy area to minimize the runoff. - Wash your car in the driveway if it drains onto a lawn or garden area, but avoid using the driveway if the water runs into a street or drain. Reducing energy (fuel) use: cheaper and environmentally friendly driving!!! Respect speed limits, although this may seem inconvenient. Drive at a constant speed, avoid fast acceleration. Driving with the windows lowered at more than 60 km/h increases fuel consumption by 5%. Don t wait to warm up your engine. Drive the first few miles without forcing the engine (cold force causes excessive consumption, damage and premature wear). Turn off the engine at long stops. Distribute the weight load evenly. - Ensure the area where you wash your car does not drain into the storm water system, including the drains in the street. - Look for an alternative location - perhaps your friends or neighbours, suitable for your use. - Service stations provide an area for car washing, where runoff water is treated to remove pollutants before it goes into the sewer. - Use a trigger hose - or even better, a bucket - to save water. - Use detergents and soaps sparingly. Better still; just use plain water, a coarse sponge and a little elbow grease. - Dispose of waste water onto a garden or lawn. - Wash your car only once a month at most.

8 Where to throw fuels and oils!!! - Never throw the used oil in wetlands along the roads and other remote areas. This affects the wetlands which can hardly be brought back to their original state, even if the culprits are required to restore them. - Discharging pollutant materials (oils, detergents, chemicals, litter, and packaging) should only be done in facilities designated for this purpose. - Put used motor oil into a clean plastic container with a lid. - Do not store tyres in poor conditions because they can cause a fire - Do not throw the tyres into nature because they easily gather water, increasing stagnation and promoting the proliferation of different insects that transmit diseases such as dengue fever or malaria. - Recycle your rubber by trading it through a business-to-business exchange. Know what you are transporting, follow recommendations for hazardous substances transportation and say No to unsafe transportation and disposal of hazardous substances and waste!!! Check your tyres and recycle them!!! - Regularly check the air pressure of your tyres, you can save up to 5% in fuel and 20% of the vehicle s life expectancy. - Recycle your tyres. Take tyres to companies that are in charge of material recovery. They can be used for: Surfaces for playgrounds, artificial turf, security plates, insulation for homes, or to create composite restraint and anti-flood materials. - Never burn your tyres as they pollute the air, water and soil. If you are transporting hazardous substances: Carefully follow disposal indications from the cargo labels that provide information for proper disposal, recycling, transport, and basic classification information for the transporting of a hazardous substance. - Check that goods are properly packaged. - Handle substances as recommended on the label and refuse to transport substances with missing or incomplete labels.

9 5. BUILDING OCCUPATIONAL, HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENTAL COMMITTEES Struggle to have an OHSE committee and negotiate for a change - Demand for complete information on the cargo you are transporting: workers have the right to know, are we transporting hazardous substances? What are they? How can they harm our environment? Our health? - If you are asked to dispose of waste, demand the employer for the permit or regulation allowing for that particular waste to be disposed. - Demand for a recycling point for tyres, oils and spare parts. - Demand for distribution of specific bottles in order to recycle the used oil and take them to designated clean spots. - Trade unions and Employers can carry out joint actions and ask the Ugandan environmental authorities to set up clean spots. - Get informed, demand and use clean spots: these are places where you can take the trash, used oil and spare parts so that the government can manage and dispose of them properly. - Demand that tyres are sold to those companies that are in the business of recycling tyres.

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