The plan is expected to detail what action needs to be taken to achieve a 10% year-on-year reduction in the number of health and safety incidents across the sector and eliminate fatal incidents altogether. It is also expected to outline what guidance the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) forum will publish in the future.
It will be published following ratification by the WISH forum and will contain sections on a number of areas, including: leadership; competence; worker involvement; support for small business; and, creating safer, healthier workplaces. A section on the collection of waste from highways and fast-moving roads is already under development.
The strategy, which the action plan will build on, was published at a waste and recycling summit earlier this month (February 7) (see letsrecycle.com story).
At the event a number of workshops took place which saw industry leaders voice their concerns about issues in the waste and recycling industry and what can be done to tackle its poor health and safety record. So far in 2013/14 14 people have died in industry related incidents (see letsrecycle.com story). The issues identified at the event will be addressed in the action plan.
Delegates at the event were also urged to sign up to a statement of intent on the HSEs website, making a public commitment to drive improvements.
Challenge
Discussing the challenges facing the industry, David Palmer-Jones, chair of the Environmental Services Association (ESA), said: The stark statistics which surround our sectors record on health and safety tell their own story. We as the industry, both public and private sector, need to take stock and react appropriately to this challenge. I can say that within the Environmental Services Association we have made progress in recent years.
John Skidmore, president of the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM), added: The industrys record is not good. We are the leaders in the industry and we have to do something about it. We cant leave it others. We all have individual and collective responsibility. Our journey will be a marathon and not a sprint. Yes, lets get those quick wins if we can but we must all be prepared to be in it for the long haul.
Opportunity
Heather Bryant, HSE director, said the industry has a real opportunity to deliver an improvement in health and safety.
She said: The summit was only the start of the process of Delivering the Solution Together, our work does not stop here. It is important we harness the commitment and energy shown and move forward together we have a real opportunity to make a difference. We now have a common understanding that there is a lot more work to do to reduce accidents and ill health, combined with a willingness to work together to develop and deliver new solutions.
Register for free to comment