In January, refuse collection vehicle (RCV) driver Scott Hunter, who worked at the site, died with Covid-19.
Soon after, the HSE visited the Crieff Recycling Centre on 20 January to follow up on concerns about safety at the site which were raised last year.
Mr Hunter was one of three working at the Crieff Recycling Centre to contract the virus at the beginning of January.
It has not yet been determined whether the transmission of the virus was work-related. The council has been asked to investigate the circumstances surrounding the infections.
The Crieff Recycling Centre was built in 2011 and sits alongside a depot and waste transfer station.
An HSE spokesperson told letsrecycle.com: “HSE visited Crieff Recycling Centre on 20 January 2021 following concerns raised and found breaches of health and safety law including lack of procedures in place in the event of a positive Covid case being reported.
“We found no training or instruction was provided to employees on precautions to be taken to avoid Covid transmission. There wasn’t a specific Covid risk assessment in place for the site or for cleaning procedures for the site.”
Health and safety
The HSE says the issues it identified are contrary to the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, Section 2(1) which requires employers to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of their employees.
The HSE has sent Perth and Kinross council a Notification of Contravention letter informing them of its inspector’s finding. It says a response is required by 26 February to confirm the action Perth and Kinross council has taken to “remedy these matters”.
One such finding was that three employees who worked in the same team at the site had contracted Covid-19 at the beginning of January 2021. If the employees are found to have contracted Covid-19 in the workplace the council will be responsible for reporting these cases to HSE under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR).
‘Practical measures’
A Perth and Kinross council spokesperson told letsrecycle.com: “The safety of our staff is our priority, and we take all practical measures to protect them from Covid-19.
“The safety of our staff is our priority”
“We welcome the HSE’s involvement and will use their findings to help us improve our processes at the Crieff site.
“We are conducting a further review of the procedures and training in line with their advice to ensure full compliance with government guidelines and health and safety legislation.
“Covid cases remain very low within Perth and Kinross council’s operational depots and continue to demonstrate the effectiveness of the arrangements we have had in place since March last year.
“All of our staff, across all of our services, have been reminded of the importance of following all public health advice in order to minimise transmission of coronavirus as much as possible, both at work and within their communities.”
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