Safety standards improving in waste sector

However, the Health and Safety Executive has warned that in order for the industry to maintain the change and alter its reputation for poor safety, these principles must be ingrained into the behaviour of the industry's work force.

The comments came from the HSE's Paul Harvey, who was speaking at an Environmental Services Association seminar in London today on progress in health and safety.

Mr Harvey explained that during inspections of around 260 local authorities as contract managers in 2006/06 and 2006/07, HSE officials had noted improvements in areas from high visibility jackets to health and safety awareness.

Improvement was particularly noted in the area of “hardware” – which includes the provision of equipment such as guards and CCTV.

Mr Harvey also noted that levels of health and safety training were improving and councils were beginning to consider health and safety in their procurement of new waste contracts.

He told letsrecycle.com: “We have carried out hundreds of inspections primarily of local authorities as contract managers which includes the private sector and the community sector and we asked them 39 questions and there was improvement in all areas which is significant.”

However, the HSE official said that to sustain this change, the industry needed to engender a safety-conscious culture including reviewing health and safety performance and focusing on it at management level.

He said: “We need to get the right attitude in the industry. I believe that by developing the right attitudes and behaviour we have got the early shoots of improved performance which will create sustained safety in the industry.”

The research, which is due to be published soon on the HSE website, suggests that the level of accidents in the waste industry could also have decreased.

The HSE is due to publish a report in October named “Borrel 2” which will confirm the latest statistics on accidents in the industry.

WISH

Geoff Smallwood of waste firm Shanks, explained to delegates that the Waste Industry Safety and Health Forum (WISH) had produced a variety of guidance on health and safety in the waste industry to help councils and waste firms maintain high standards.

Guides include one on health issues relating to green waste collections health issues and recycling vehicle collections. Other in the pipeline include safety at bring sites and collecting glass at the kerbside.

He said: “There has never been more, or more accessible, guidance for waste managers aimed directly at the industry. Increasingly this good practice guidance is filling the gaps where general H&S guidance ‘misses the mark' for waste management activities.”