HUNDREDS of trade union health and safety reps are taking part in TUC-organised action to inspect their workplace buildings this week in the run-up to Workers’ Memorial Day.

More than 600 reps are checking for life-threatening problems like Reinforced Autoclave Aerated Concrete (Raac), asbestos and fire hazards ahead of Sunday April 28, when unions will remember those who have lost their lives due to work-related illness or injury.

More than 100 schools in England were shut down last year after the discovery of Raac, a material used mainly in public buildings between the 1950s and ’90s, which has a lifespan of just 30 years.