The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) today publishes research showing that injury rates from the waste and recycling industry have decreased since peaking in 2003-4.
At a time when this industry experienced rapid growth, the Bomel report in conjunction with the analysis of recent accident statistics show that, from 2003-4, the injury rate decreased by approximately 15 per cent (to 2007-8).
However, in 2007-8 the injury rate of 2,207 reportable injuries per 100,000 workers is more than four times the 'all industry average' rate of 518. It is also more than twice the reported injury rates for the manufacturing industries and construction.
HSE's Head of Manufacturing Sector, Geoff Cox said: "There has been a lot of work by all parties to improve the industry's poor record since we published the first analysis of the injury rates in 2004.
"Since HSE's first analysis of the industry's injury rates in 2004, there has been a lot of work by all parties to improve its poor record.
"The declining performance at the beginning of this decade has been halted and we can now see improvements that equate to 800 fewer injuries per year.
"There is a long way to go but I am confident we will continue to see far fewer workers killed or injured with the positive lead from the Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) Forum."
The Bomel research report 'Update to mapping the health and safety standards in the UK waste industry' illustrates that the profile of the injuries remains largely unaltered. Handling sprains, trips and 'struck by' incidents accounted for 80 per cent of the total, and more than 75 per cent of those injured were collecting, sorting or disposing of waste materials.
"In the next four years, HSE's programme of activity involves targeting inspections in poorly performing areas of industry, improving the contractual arrangements for outsourced local authority services and undertaking research into occupational ill health'" added Geoff.
"HSE will avidly continue to support WISH's goals. In turn, we ask employers, clients, contractors and workers to examine their practices and where necessary, to change them so the industry's injury rates continue to improve."
1. Injury rates are calculated by dividing the number of reported RIDDOR injuries by the number of workers employed in the industry. Thus, the comparison of rates from one year to another takes into account changes in employment numbers, whereas a simple number count of reported RIDDOR injuries does not.
2. Update to Mapping Health and Safety Standards in the UK Waste Industry (Noble Denton Bomel Ltd) available at www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrhtm/rr701.htm
The report provides data to 2005/6.
3. HSE's statisticians used the Bomel methodology to identify 4515 RIDDOR reports in 2006/7 and 4347 such reports in 2007/8 in the waste industry.
4. The updated report calculated an employment total of 176,452 workers in 2005/6.
5. The Annual Business Inquiry undertaken by the Office for National Statistics shows an 11.6 per cent increase in employment from 2005 to 2007 in the categories devoted to waste and recycling. This figure is applied to the total employment calculated by Bomel for 2005/6 to generate the estimated 2007/8 employment total for the industry.
6. Injury rates for the industry from the updating report (to 2005/06), and by HSE (for 2007/8) as:
| Year | Total injuries | Calculated employment | Injury rate per 100,000 workers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001/2 | 3993 | 176,309 | 2265 |
| 2002/3 | 4176 | 162,556 | 2569 |
| 2003/4 | 4317 | 165,140 | 2614 |
| 2004/5 | 4357 | 169,077 | 2577 |
| 2005/6 | 4456 | 176,452 | 2525 |
| 2006/7 | 4515 | Not calculated | - |
| 2007/8 | 4347 | 196,920 (est) | 2207 (est) |
7. The Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) Forum represents the main stakeholders in the waste and recycling industry and provides information, identifies solutions and stimulates action across the industry to ensure the health, safety and well-being of those working in the industry and those affected by its activities.
8. On 14 January 2009 the WISH Forum launched its strategy to improve performance in the industry. The strategy has five key objectives, relating to reducing accident numbers, ill health, management, safety culture and competence
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