Publications and guidance
This page provides links to sources of information and guidance on health and safety in the waste management and recycling industries.
- Industry specific
- Asbestos
- Metal recycling and motor vehicle dismantling
- Paper recycling
- Plastics waste and recycling
- Machinery
- Transport (industry-specific)
- Transport (general)
- Waste collection
- Landfill
- Noise
- Health
- Falls from height (general)
- Slips and trips (general)
- Manual handling and musculoskeletal disorders
- General
- Managing health and safety
- Research
Industry specific
- Waste Industry Safety and Health - reducing the risks (INDG359) [207KB]
- Health and safety training: Guidelines for the waste management and recycling industry (Waste21) [165KB]
Asbestos
Metal recycling and motor vehicle dismantling
- Lead and you (INDG 305) [23KB]
- How to reduce exposure to dioxins in aluminium recycling (INDG377) [30KB]
- Is it explosive? Dangers of explosives in metal recycling (INDG335) [502KB]
- A guide to the handling and storage of airbags and seat belt pretensioners at garages and motor vehicle repair workshops (INDG280)
- Safe use of petrol in garages (INDG331) [168KB]
- Safe working with vehicle air-conditioning systems (INDG349) [103KB]
- Hot work on vehicle wheels (Engineering Information Sheet No. 1) [36KB]
- Using electric storage batteries safely (INDG 139) [160KB]
- Working with Nickel - are you at risk? (INDG351) [106KB]
- LPG-fuelled motor vehicles (INDG387) [51KB)
- The safe recovery of petrol from end-of-life vehicles (WASTE10) [337KB]
- Magnetic lifting devices [33KB]
Guidance on work with liquefied petroleum fuelled vehicles (autogas) can be found on the LPGA website.
Paper recycling
Plastics waste and recycling
- Plastics Recycling - Plastics Processing Sheet No 2 PPIS2
- Fire and explosion risks from pentane in expandable polystyrene (EPS) PPIS1
Machinery
- Compaction equipment: User and public safety WASTE08 [65KB]
- Baling machine guidance can be found in section 8 of INDG392 - recover paper safely (INDG 392) [523KB]
- Crushing
Transport (industry-specific)
- Hook loader vehicles: Applicability of Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations 1998 (LOLER)
- Safe transport in waste management and recycling facilities - (WASTE09) [215KB]
- Sheeting/Unsheeting tipper lorries
- Skip and container safety in waste management and recycling facilities (WASTE06) [211KB]
- Safe use of skip loaders (INDG378)
Transport (general)
- Managing Vehicle Safety at the Workplace (INDG199) [266KB]
- Driving at work: Managing work-related road safety (INDG382) [230KB]
- Research report RR018 - Management of work related road safety
- Research report RR020 - The contribution of individual factors to driving behaviour: implications for managing work-related road safety
Waste Collection
- Safe waste and recycling collection services (WASTE23) [272KB]
- Safety at 'bring sites' in the waste management and recycling industries (WASTE11) [169KB]
- Hand sorting of recyclables ("totting") with vehicle assistance (WASTE18) [150KB]
- Operating Civic Amenity Sites Safely (WASTE01) [85KB]
- Orphaned compressed gas cylinders in the waste and recycling industries (WASTE03) [91KB]
- Green waste collection - health issues (WASTE02) [61KB]
- Waste and Recycling Vehicles in Street Collection (WASTE04) [220KB]
- Kettering County Council's Reversing Training Film
- The safe use of refuse collection vehicle hoists and bins (WASTE05) [234KB]
Landfill
Noise
Health
- Managing offensive/hygiene waste WASTE22 [90KB]
- Handling Needles in the Waste and Recycling Industry (WASTE19) [160KB]
Falls from height (general)
- Height safe - Absolutely essential health and safety information for people who work at height [240KB]
- Inspecting fall arrest equipment made from webbing or rope (INDG367) [96KB]
Slips and trips (general)
- Slips and Trips: Guidance for employers on identifying hazards and controlling risks HSG 155 HSE Books 1996 ISBN 0717611450
- Preventing slips and trips at work (INDG225 rev 1) [219KB]
- HSE Slips and Trips website
Manual handling and musculoskeletal disorders
- Ergonomic Considerations for Designing and Selecting Conveyor Belt Systems [861KB]
- Manual Handling: Guidance on the Regulations (ISBN 071762823X)
- Upper Limb Disorders in the Workplace (ISBN 0 7176 1978 8)
- Manual handling : solutions you can handle (ISBN 0717606937)
- A pain in your workplace? Ergonomic problems and solutions (ISBN 0 7176 0668 6)
- HSE Manual handling website
- Magnetic lifting devices
General
- Stay clean - stay healthy: Looking after your health in the waste/recycling industry (INDG415] [169KB]
- Health hazards in the waste and recycling industry (Waste15) [170KB]
- Work equipment and machinery
- Supplying new machinery: a short guide (INDG270)
- Buying new machinery: a short guide (INDG271)
- Simple guide to the Provision and use of Work Equipment regulations 1998 (INDG291) [43KB]
- Do you use a steam/water pressure cleaner? (INDG68) [925KB]
- Five steps to risk assessment (INDG163) [664KB]
- Management of Health and Safety at Work (ISBN 0717624889)
- Workplace Health, Safety and Welfare (ISBN 0 7176 0413 6)
- Risk assessment
Managing health and safety
Research
- RR609 – Collecting, transfer, treatment and processing household waste and recyclables – a tool to help organisations select the most appropriate system (in terms of health and safety risk).
- HSL/2006/25 - research examines ergonomics of box collections - Manual handling in kerbside collection and sorting of recyclables
- RR130 - Occupational and environmental exposure to bioaerosols from composts and potential health effects - A critical review of published data
- RR240 - Mapping health and safety standards in the UK waste industry
- HSL/2002/21 - Manual handling in refuse collection
- RR620 Review of targeted initiatives in the manufacturing sector
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