Hats create difficulties

The General Workers' Union has directed security guards at St Luke's Hospital to wear personal headgear to protect themselves from the sun until they were provided with adequate hats by the Health Division.

The union said in a statement that in the past weeks, security guards were using their personal headgear to avoid the direct glare of the sun as much as possible.

They were using hats whose colour was as close as possible to their uniform.

But a few days ago, hospital superintendent Frank Bartolo objected to the guards wearing these hats, the GWU said.

The union said this reaction came only a few days after a fax was sent from the same superintendent's office, on July 24, with recommendations issued by the chairman of the Dermatology Department aimed specifically at this category of workers.

The subject of the fax was "Recommendations for sun protection for security staff employed with the Health Division".

The GWU said the recommendations clearly stated that facilities offered to these workers should include "uniform that includes short-sleeved shirt, and headgear that protects the face, ears and back of neck".

But the guards were never provided with headgear under the pretext that this was not part of their uniform entitlement.

But a spokesman for the Health Division said when asked about the issue that the security guards in question were those on duty at the main gate.

These, the spokesman said, had more than adequate protection since they worked from inside a guard house.

But the GWU is insisting that if the need for headgear had never been felt before, this did not mean that these workers should never be provided with headgear and use an alternative until the division actually realised the need for such gear, with the workers taking the necessary precautions themselves.

The union directed the guards to wear their personal headgear until the division provided them with adequate hats following a discussion with them to ensure that these would be adequate.