Sian Clayton, who took up the team manager post at the beginning of April said: “There have been 33 worker fatalities in the waste sector in the last five years. The fatal injury rate in the waste sector is over 10 times greater than the rate across all industries and almost three times greater than the rate in the construction sector.”
Mrs Clayton emphasised that “Working in partnership with industry and other regulators, such as through the effective WISH forum, is key to making improvements on these statistics. Waste and recycling is a key sector for HSE and I am looking forward to leading the GB team, carrying on the good work that’s already happening.”
Field operations
The appointment of Mrs Clayton to the post follows the move of her predecessor, Chantal Nicholls, who held the position for seven years, back into a “field operations role”. Overall responsibility for health and safety in the waste and recycling sector remains with Rick Brunt, head of agriculture at the HSE, who also covers waste and recycling in his job. He took up his post in 2014.
The new team leader has been with the HSE for 25 years, and she has most recently managing a frontline team in south east Wales made up of inspectors and officers in sectors including general manufacturing, the steel industry and waste and public services. She has experience of the agriculture sector and has promoted safety advice to farmers at the Royal Welsh Show.
Policy
Mrs Clayton has also worked for the policy division of HSE, where – among other things – she was responsible for producing guidance for small firms. Her work has ranged from the need for bed rails in care homes for some residents to advice for farmers on safety in the agricultural sector.
Living in south Wales, Mrs Clayton, in her spare time, is the team manager Blackwood RFC under 15s.
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