The local coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death at the end of 2006. A spokeswoman for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said this week that it still looking into the incident, which happened in the Stoke area of the city at 7.45am on the morning of Tuesday 4 April, (see letsrecycle.com story)
The spokeswoman added that the HSE will decide soon whether it believes the council to be guilty of breaking health and safety regulations. If so, a case would be brought against the council in the local magistrate's court in the first instance.
 The scene of the accident last year. Photograph: Coventry Evening Telegraph |
After the accident, the HSE issued Coventry with an “improvement notice” detailing measures to ensure health and safety procedures are fully implemented.
The HSE today told letsrecycle.com yesterday that it was “fully satisfied” that the council was complying with the improvement notice.
The council issued a statement this week to letsrecycle.com saying that it was addressing any health and safety issues.
This stated: “Following the accident on 4 April, the Council has been working with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) …who had served an Improvement Notice on the Council. This required the Council to carry out a “suitable and sufficient” risk assessment of the risks to the health and safety of the general public and employees undertaking the waste refuse collection service, including recycling collections.
Risk assessments
“This work included a full audit of the Council's current risk assessments in the service. An action plan was then produced by the Council to deal with any measures that may need to be introduced as a result, and the HSE is satisfied with the Council's response to the Improvement Notice.
“A thorough and complete review has been carried out over the past few months to ensure all refuse crews are updated on all safe working practices, and the Council will be continuing to work with the police and the HSE on this work.”
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The sector continues to be heavily targeted by the Health and Safety Executive with some evidence that standards are improving. However, fatalities involving the sector, primarily vehicles, are thought in 2005/06 to have reached 19 whereas an annual figure for earlier years was around the 13 mark.
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