Waste no effort

HSE Press Release: E123:04 - 2 September 2004

A new website designed to help waste management and recycling industries has been launched by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

Waste management and recycling is one of the UK's fastest growing industries due to the need to provide environmentally friendly and sustainable solutions to our everyday problems of waste. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most dangerous.

The site, which can be found at http://www.hse.gov.uk/waste, aims to give everyone working in the industry access to free, up to date advice on health and safety.

James Barrett, Head of HSE's Manufacturing Sector, said:

"Of all the industries HSE monitors, the waste management and recycling industry has the highest fatal incident rate, figures that are well above both construction and agriculture. This is simply unacceptable. I welcome this new website as a place where the industry can obtain free advice. The industry itself must take steps to instil effective health and safety management and develop a sensible health and safety culture."

Also speaking about the new website, Trevor Hay, Chair of the Waste Industry Safety and Health forum (WISH), said:

"Sadly, the waste and recycling industry compares unfavourably with most other industries in its health and safety performance. This new site is designed to help the industry improve its performance and because it is so easy to get to and to use, effort will not be wasted in this rapidly growing industry."

Notes to editors

1. HSE publishes annual statistics of fatal injuries. Between 2001 and 2004 the rate of fatal injuries in recycling and waste was 27.7 per 100,000 employees. In a similar period, agriculture had a rate of 6.15 and construction a rate of 4.81. The numbers of fatal accidents occurring in industry are published on the HSE web site.

2. 'Mapping health and safety standards in the UK waste industry', a report of a research project carried out by Bomel Limited for HSE shows that, in 2001-02, the number of fatal incidents are over ten times the national average, the accident rates are over four times the national average. The incidents predominantly occur to refuse/recycling collection workers who manually handle and sort waste, the report can be accessed at http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr240.htm.

3. The Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) forum exists to communicate and consult with key stakeholders, including local and national government bodies, equipment manufacturers, trade associations, professional associations and trades unions. The aim of WISH is to identify, devise and promote activities that can improve industry health and safety standards.

4. HSE's manufacturing sector covers a wide range of industries, including engineering, shipbuilding and repair, motor vehicle repair, textiles, printing, wood working, paper, rubber, plastics, metals, foundries, ceramics, quarries, glass, concrete, cement, and waste recycling - in all employing around 4 million working people.

5. See also press release Waste industry incident rates higher than construction.

Press enquiries

All enquiries from journalists should be directed to the HSE Press Office