14 deaths in waste sector in 2012/13 so far

The waste and recycling industry needs to step up to the plate if it is to see an improvement in health and safety, according to Wayne Williams, inspector for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

The call for action comes after a bad year so far for the industry after it was revealed that 14 people were killed in waste and recycling related incidents between April 2012 and January 2013. Ten of the deceased worked for the industry while four of the fatalities were members of the public.

Mr Williams said the majority of the incidents involved vehicles and machinery however three out of the four members of the public who were killed were sleeping in waste containers.

The number of people working for the waste industry who have died so far in 2012/13 is double that of 2011/12 when five workers died (see letsrecycle.com story). A spate of incidents between June and September 2012 saw nine people killed (see letsrecycle.com story). Five more people have died since then.

Gauntlet

Speaking to letsrecycle.com yesterday (January 16) Mr Williams said 2012/13 has been a bad year for health and safety in the waste industry, which is still lagging behind other industries in terms of performance. In a bid to reduce the number of incidents, Mr Williams called on the waste sector to take action however he insisted that the organisation not trying to pass the buck and still has an important role to play.

He said: At the HSE we do what we can but I think we have to say we are there to support and encourage the industry and clearly we are the regulator. However, most of these changes and initiatives have to come from within and a lot of the industry needs to step up to the plate and go for it. They need to see that lagging behind the other industries is not good enough. We want to be regarded as leaders in terms of health and safety.

Mr Williams added: At the end of the day it is with the industry to pick up the gauntlet and demonstrate that they are taking it seriously and moving forwards.

“At the end of the day it is with the industry to pick up the gauntlet and demonstrate that they are taking it seriously and moving forwards.”

– Wayne Williams, HSE

Sleepers

Commenting on the members of the public who have died in waste related incidents in 2012/13, Mr Williams said there was an increase in sleepers in bins, which has not been such a problem over the last couple of years since the HSE issued guidance on the topic in 2010.

The publication of the People in commercial waste containers guidance (see letsrecycle.com story) followed several incidents where people were found dead at waste depots after waste was unloaded from collection vehicles.

Mr Williams said a cursory glance in the top of commercial waste containers by collection operatives could save lives.

Trends

Looking forward, Mr Williams said he wanted to see the number of injuries including fatal, major and reportable drop. He said that comparing figures on a year to year basis is difficult, particularly for fatalities, which can be sporadic, but that trends over a number of years give a better indication of the performance of the industry.

Generally, Mr Williams said, the number of incidents in the waste industry was falling (see letsrecycle.com story) but not quick enough.

We have had better years with fatalities. What we want is for incidents to continue to go down in terms of serious and other reportable incidents but we want them to go down faster than it has been. However, we would like the fall to be dramatic and sustainable.

WISH

Because of the nature of the industry, Mr Williams said that waste will remain a high priority inspection area for the HSE. In a bid to engage members of the industry the HSE and the Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) form a body of industry experts who advise on health and safety is set to hold an invitation only summit on February 7 in Solihull which will gather key players from the waste industry.

The summit will enable attendees to explore key issues and to contribute their ideas on potential topics and actions for the WISH forum.

The summit follows a major restructure of the WISH forum, which has the twin aims of including all of the waste and recycling industry and taking action to improve health and safety standards.

Under the new structure, a steering group will handle the day-to-day activities of the forum and ensure that the WISH strategy is delivered. At the same time WISH membership will be opened up to a wider range of industry organisations. Under the restructure a number of working groups, which are open to all WISH members, will be formed which will be aimed at specific areas of the industry.