Shot in the arm for health & safety

Star City casino workers dealing with bodily fluids, including 
vomit and blood, have won the right to free Hepatitis B 
vaccinations.

Punters coughing and spluttering over dealers, dirty sheets, 
handling potentially violent customers are among the safety risks 
faced by casino workers, placing them at risk from contracting 
the disease.

The Liquor Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers' Union (LHMU) 
has secured the measure to protect employees, a move it says 
comes from experience in American casinos where the vaccination 
shots are used to protect hotel and casino employees.

"We have had an ongoing concern about staff in higher risk 
occupations", says Tim Ferrari. "There are not too many people at 
the casino it doesn't affect.

"We'd like to stress that there is not a high level of 
incidents."

The shots will be voluntary but 250 employees took up the initial 
offer when medical staff gave the course of free injections on 
site.

The development follows the success of the casino workers' union 
in introducing measures to deal with aggressive behaviour by 
casino customers, which has increased the confidence of staff.

The LHMU has also achieved the introduction of metal detectors to 
stop guns and knives coming into the casino.

"The odds are getting higher that some disgruntled punter who has 
lost their life's savings would come in seeking retribution", 
said Mr Ferrari, "as happened in Mississippi in 1999 when a 
punter returned and shot three dealers."