HSE warning over waste and recycling summer death toll

Date:

11 September 2012

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is warning the waste and recycling industry to renew efforts to improve worker safety, following a spate of deaths over the summer.

Nine lives were lost in separate incidents in just 12 weeks between June 2012 and September 2012. Half of the deaths occurred in skip hire and waste transfer premises.

Heather Bryant, HSE's Operations Director and lead for HSE's waste and recycling strategy, said:

"These fatal accidents should be a stark reminder for all employers in this sector to check their controls on use of vehicles and equipment, and to make sure that staff are properly trained and supervised.

"We will not hesitate to take action if we find evidence that lives are being put at risk.

"There is no room for complacency in this sector - close attention must be given to equipment like compactors and skip vehicles."

HSE will be attending the waste and recycling industry's RWM 2012 Exhibition in September to give advice tackling the causes of serious accidents across this high risk sector.

HSE investigations into the nine fatalities are continuing.

Notes to editors

1. Seven of the nine fatal injury reports received are likely to be recorded under the core 2007 Standard Industrial Classification code 38. Waste collection, treatment and disposal activities, materials recovery normally used for official statistics. This number already exceeds the total number of five fatal injuries to workers (provisional figures) recorded for the whole of last year under the same core code (see Press release 5 July 2012 http://www.hse.gov.uk/press/2012/hse-fatals1112.htm).
2. Guidance on how to comply with the law is available free from the HSE website at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/waste/index.htm. This includes guidance developed by HSE with the support of the Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) Forum at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/waste/wish.htm
3. HSE inspectors will be available to answer queries in person at the RWM 2012 Exhibition at the NEC, Birmingham on 11 to 13 September 2012. Visit us at Hall/Stand 20D89 (see http://www.rwmexhibition.com/Show_Exhdetails1.aspx?exhid=exhiReg1451&id=det).
4. Listings of in-year work related deaths reported to the HSE can be found at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/foi/fatalities/in-year-names.htm
5. The nine deaths that HSE is currently investigating which have occurred since 15 June are:
   • 15 June 2012 - employee crushed when operating fork lift truck vehicle which overturned at waste site in Towcester
   • 19 June 2012 - employee crushed between two vehicles at scrap metal site in Dudley
   • 28 June 2012 - employee was struck by boom of JCB whilst he was working on top of skip at skip-hire premises in Wolverhampton
   • 25 July 2012 - self-employed person died after falling out of bucket of excavator at skip-hire premises in Arundel
   • 7 August 2012 - employee crushed by skip which fell on him at skip-hire premises in Kempton Hardwick
   • 10 August 2012 - member of the public run over by reversing refuse collection vehicle in Glasgow
   • 17 August 2012 - employee run over by wheeled loading shovel at waste transfer site in Watford
   • 17 August 2012 - employee trapped in waste compactor/baling machine at recycling plant in Batley, Leeds (subsequently died on 19 August 2012)
   • 5 September 2012 - member of public found crushed in refuse collection vehicle compacting mechanism in Wirral

Press enquiries

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