HSE launch initiative with waste and recycling industry to reduce injuries

HSE Press Release: E038:05 21 March 2005

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a three-year initiative with the waste and recycling industry to address the high number of fatal and serious incidents that occur during collection and processing of municipal waste and recycling activities.

Part of the initiative involves visits to private companies and half of all Local Authorities that either manage their own, or contract out services. Inspectors are assessing the management of health and safety, concentrating specifically on the design, specification and management of contracts, workplace transport, manual handling and employee welfare.

At initial visits, inspectors are looking at policies and control measures in place and how these are managed, and will follow up one year later to check that employers required to produce an action plan of improvements have carried these out.

The initiative is supplemented by a rolling programme of advisory seminars to local authorities assisting in contract design and the management of contracts/contractors. The newly launched HSE waste/recycling webpage www.hse.gov.uk/waste/index.htm guides the industry to current sources of guidance and best practice.

A checklist setting out the framework for effective planning, organising, controlling, and monitoring of activities, including a review of protective and preventive measures needed to ensure the health and safety of employees and others, is available from the HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk/waste/checklist.doc . Industry managers are invited to compare their own (management) control systems regardless of whether or not they receive a visit from HSE.

One of the main topics that HSE is promoting under the Health and Safety Commission's overall strategy is joint approaches by management and their workers, since together they are the people best placed to make workplaces safe.

Notes to editors

1. Further information on health and safety in the waste/recycling industry including statistical information can be found on the HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk/waste/index.htm

2. In a report prepared by Bomel Ltd for HSE on the waste industry, the year 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 saw 17 fatalities, 548 major injuries and 3,186 injuries that kept employees from work for over three days. The report 'Mapping health and safety standards in the UK waste industry' can be found on the HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr240.htm

3. A publication targeting the paper recycling industry was published in February 2004 - "Recover Paper Safely" (INDG 392). Single copies are available, free, from HSE Books or viewed at the HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg392.htm

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