Commercial collection and sorting activities account for up to 80% of reported accidents in the waste and recycling sector, which has a lower performance on health and safety compared to other industries.
According to HSE, collection crew team leaders and supervisors have an important role in persuading their crews of the importance of health and safety procedures and standards, and therefore need effective leadership, interpersonal and communication skills.
However, the HSE research found there is an “over reliance on supervisors being promoted to the role” with the assumption that they have the necessary leadership skills but with “little evidence of non-technical skills development”.
The report found that training provision “does not properly reflect the hazardous nature of the waste industry”, adding that “there is little or no evidence that the training takes into account the complex working environment.”
Furthermore, the study – ‘RR1057: Supervisor and team leader competence in roadside waste and recycling collection’ – found a “lack of consistency in training provision”, meaning that it is possible for two team leaders with the same qualification to have completed different modules.
Unless one of these team leaders is aware of the details of these awards, the report explains, it “may be possible to overestimate the level of health and safety awareness a supervisor possesses”.
Visibility
With a number health and safety challenges outside their control – traffic, weather etc – supervisors have a “difficult task” but still need to provide “visible leadership”, HSE said.
And, the research suggests that while many try to get out of the office to help their crews, supervisors were often found to be held back from doing so by the need to finish paperwork, which “reinforced the often overlooked importance of the role of team leader”.
In addition, the report states: “Both crews and supervisors referred to spot-checks of crews out on collections as ‘spying’ and the negative connotations this implies is not helpful to instilling a health and safety culture.”
Collection vehicle drivers
Elsewhere, the report also highlights the “under-estimated” yet “critical role” of collection vehicle drivers in communicating health and safety between other crew members.
According to the research, the driver of a collection vehicle is often the “main conduit” for health and safety messages between crew members and the supervisor, although these responsibilities were “not always formally recognised” and their “critical role” in promoting good practice “under-estimated”.
Yet, in addition, the focus of a collection vehicle driver’s training is often more on their road skills than on non-technical skills, the report found, with the lack of clarity on drivers’ health and safety role leading to some “feeling that they could not discipline crew members for health and safety violations”.
WISH Forum
The Health and Safety Laboratory was commissioned by HSE to carry out the research due to a “lack of knowledge” about the training and competence requirements for these roles and whether training is required.
HSE launched the supervisor competencies project to identify the skills needed for road side collection supervisors and teams leaders to manage the health and safety of their crews, and has now set up a WISH (Waste Industry Safety and Health) working group to take forward the findings of the research.
The WISH working group will aim to ensure that training provision reflects the hazardous nature of the industry and to make sure health and safety features more prominently as essential requirements in job descriptions and training materials.
Chaired by WAMITAB’s (Waste Management Industry Training and Advisory Board) Chris James, members of the working group include Mentor Training Solutions’ Steve Parfitt, Zero Waste Scotland’s Fiona Craig and Oxford city council’s Chris Hall as well as representatives from Biffa, Suez and Castle Environmental.
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