The two drivers were employed by Serco on its contract for Milton Keynes council and died after contracting the virus (see letsrecycle.com story).
In an interview with letsrecycle.com, Richard Owen, regional organiser at the union with responsibility for Milton Keynes, said the sector as a whole needs to do more to avoid the “tragic incident” happening again.
“I’m not looking to attack Serco here, they have actually been one of the better companies to work with,” he said.
Mr Owen added: “We don’t know the full circumstances of the incident yet, such as where the two actually caught the virus.
“However, we are concerned that nearly a year into this pandemic, and we are still having to have conversations with the waste industry across the country about the basics, such as wearing a mask and social distancing. The waste industry has been one of the worst offenders in this department.”
Concerns
“Many companies are still prioritising their bottom lines over the safety of our workers, which concerns me. The incident in Milton Keynes was tragic and extremely sad for all affected. I would urge the sector as a whole to double its efforts, or we could see incidents similar to this across the country.
“As a union we recognise that the responsibility of health and safety doesn’t lie exclusively with the employer”
“Despite this, as a union we recognise that the responsibility of health and safety doesn’t lie exclusively with the employer. I would urge all of our members to follow guidance and wear a mask wherever they can.”
Distancing
One problem faced by many refuse crews is that social distancing can be a challenge in cabs.
Milton Keynes has arranged access for front line crew members to have rapid Covid-19 Tests (with results known within an hour) to identify people who have the virus with no symptoms and “break the chain of transmission”.
Along with many other councils, Milton Keynes also suspended garden waste collections until further notice, a move described it as “sensible” by Mr Owen.
“I welcome the sensible step to suspend garden waste collections, given the circumstances. I understand that waste needs to be collected, but I think companies can be doing a hell of a lot more to stop crews contracting the virus. For example, we have seen across the country waste collection crews have to meet for work at the depot, where it can get crowded, before all piling into vehicles without masks, or taking steps to increase ventilation.
“Enforcement of mask-wearing has also been very limited, and I think we can help with this if companies were to approach us. Many crew members would be more open to speaking with union representatives than their supervisor for example.
”I have seen examples of some councils doing things such as running mini-buses for crews, which I think is a great way of keeping crews socially-distanced”.
Guidance
Mr Owen concluded by saying that the guidance issued by the Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) Forum is “great”, but it is only effective if enforced correctly.
He says in some places, he has seen “little evidence” of this being the case.
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