Cameras on waste vehicles could reduce accidents

The cameras are currently being used on large vehicles working in the open cast coal mine industry following a serious fatal accident in a mine, she explained, and the waste and recycling sector could benefit from similar technology.

According to Mrs Hackitt, the technology is inexpensive and already fitted as standard to some private cars.

In an article posted on the HSE website (see letsrecycle.com opinion), she said that a solution to the waste sectors persistently poor record on health and safety must come from the industry, but that solutions could be found by learning from other industries.

According to the HSE, over the seven year period from 2004/5 to 2011/12, it received reports of almost 120 fatal injuries some of whom were members of the public and close to 4,000 major injuries to workers in the waste and recycling sector. Fatal injury rates for employees are also 10 times higher than all the industry average.

She said that as the waste industry continues to grow the number of injuries and fatal injuries needed to be tackled, but that this did not need to come at the expense of impeding the industry’s rate of growth and expansion.

‘right direction’

However, Mrs Hackitt said that although the industry was moving things in the right direction and injury rates had fallen by around 20% in the past eight years, there was still plenty of room for improvement.

Commenting on the 360 degree camera technology, she said: If these camera systems were fitted on all waste collection vehicles would it reduce the number of serious and sometimes fatal accidents involving employees and members of the public? It’s got to be worthy of consideration – even if it is an idea recycled from elsewhere.

She added: Waste and recycling is important to all of us, it’s a sector which is growing and enjoying economic success. It has the opportunity to be even more successful if it can improve its safety performance – and that’s an opportunity that must not be wasted.

In February, the HSE launched a new four-year health and safety strategy for the waste industry in a bid to cut incident rates by 10% year-on-year and reduce the number of fatalities to zero (see letsrecycle.com story).