Watch out for your bin man

E035:06 24 March 2006

"Watch out for your bin man" is the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) call to the people of Leicester this week, following the launch of an initiative designed to make householders more aware of the safety of the people who collect their waste and recyclables.

Paul Harvey, HSE's Waste and Recycling Principal Inspector explains:

"Collecting waste and recyclables often goes unnoticed. Collection workers start early in the morning, often before dawn, cover thousands of miles a year and sort and lift huge quantities of our waste and recyclables - we can often take their work for granted. However, they work in an industry that has a fatal incident rate ten times higher than the national average, they cross the road on average 30,000 times a year and lift the equivalent of a double decker bus each day. These are significant hazards."

HSE has sent out 71,000 information packs in the Leicester area detailing three simple steps that householders can take to directly prevent injuries to collection workers. These are:

• Never over-load your waste and recycling bin;
• Drive safely and with caution around your waste and recycling collection workers' lorry; and
• Keep all areas clear of obstacles and anything they could slip on.

The information pack contains a sticker which HSE are encouraging householders to stick to their waste and recycling bin. The sticker asks collection workers to 'watch your back' when engaging in lifting activities.

Notes to editors

1 HSE is running pilot projects in the Northampton, Leicester and Cambridge areas which involve teams providing information direct to collection workers to make them aware of issues that affect their health and safety.

2 Work place transport, slips and trips and musculoskeletal injury are priority topics for HSE. In the waste and recycling industry these three categories account for two thirds of all accidents. Further information on these topics can be found on HSE's website at www.hse.gov.uk/workplacetransport/index.htm www.hse.gov.uk/slips/index.htm www.hse.gov.uk/msd/index.htm.

3 HSE issued a press notice on 1 March 2006 in response to the alarming number of fatal incidents that had occurred over a short period of time in the waste and recycling industry. Many of these involved people being struck by moving vehicles. The press notice can be viewed on the HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk/press/2006/e06023.htm.

4 HSE provides specific advice to the waste and recycling industry including workplace transport and manual handling issues available from the website at www.hse.gov.uk/waste/index.htm.

5 HSE has funded a comprehensive report into health and safety standards in the UK waste industry. 'Mapping health and safety standards in the UK waste industry' was prepared on behalf of the HSE and is available from the website at www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr240.htm.

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