ESA reports rise in assaults on waste staff

The trade association for the waste management sector has met with the police to highlight an apparent increase in the number of violent assaults against staff in the waste industry.

According to the Environmental Services Association (ESA), operatives on waste collection rounds and staff at household waste recycling centres interact most with the public appear to be most susceptible to such incidents.

One ESA member alone has recorded just under 20 incidents of physical assaults of aggressive behaviour by members of the public against staff in the first six months of 2012.

ESA members also report increase incidences of reckless acts by impatient drivers who attempt to squeeze past collection vehicles while crews work at the rear of the vehicle, often performing illegal passing manoeuvres on the footpaths to avoid minor delays. Another ESA member recorded 12 incidents last year in which staff were struck by vehicles in such incidents.

The ESA met the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) last month (August 15) to highlight this problem and see what could be done to address the situation.

Following the meeting, the ACPO agreed to provide the ESA with a checklist which clarified what information the police would need from members following an assault in order to pursue a positive line of enquiry.

The ESA and ACPO also agreed to consider launching a joint national campaign across the country and a zero tolerance approach.

Incidents

Stephen Freeland, policy advisor at the ESA, told letsrecycle.com that, at present, there is no standardised report method for these incidents and that the checklist provided by the police would help to address this.

He said: The numbers are hard to analyse at the minute, but from what I gather the number of incidents around are getting worse as is the severity. At the end of the day we have collection crews that clear up at night time, when the pubs and clubs finish. They have always been susceptible to attacks.

He added that there have been reports of knife attacks on refuse workers, as well as other kinds of physical and verbal abuse.

Mr Freeland urged members to take a proactive approach and report the incidents to the ESA which can feed the information back to the police. By analysing the information provided by its members, the ESA, along with the police, hope to gain a clearer picture of the severity of the problem.

Vehicles

The meeting follows the launch of a campaign by waste management firm Biffa earlier this year (see letsrecycle.com story) which asked drivers in South Staffordshire to be patient, tolerant and safe when they encounter bin men and their vehicles.

Biffa reported that last year, across its 40-plus local authority contracts, there were nearly 1,100 reports of bad driving near misses and almost 400 recorded injuries, with 12 Biffa staff actually being hit by vehicles.

Discussing the incidents involving vehicles, Mr Freeland said: There are cases on the streets with the collection vehicles blocking the road temporarily and people are getting impatient and trying to squeeze past the collection vehicle and causing contact with the operatives.