Members of trade unions can play an active role in environmental issues by taking up issues relating to workplace health and safety. Trade unions can extend their activities beyond immediate workplace needs to the worker environment in general. Trade unions can take action against industries that have a bad effect on the environments in which communities live. For example, if a particular industry dumps its poisonous waste products into a river that runs through a town, this can have serious consequences for people who use the river or children who play in the river. The trade union can take this up with the management and threaten to take action unless management does something about the pollution.