Health and Safety
Executive / Commission
Waste management and recycling
The Revitalising Health and Safety (RHS) Strategy is a Government and HSC/E initiative to raise the profile of health and safety in the workplace. The Government and HSC/E are committed to improving standards and reducing the toll of occupational injury and ill health in British industry.
As part of the 'Revitalising Health and Safety' agenda HSC has identified a number of priority topics for action. These are:
HSE's plan of work for the Waste Management and Recycling industries in targets the above priority topics. At visits to Waste Management premises, HSE inspectors will be seeking to ensure that management systems are in place to control the risks.
In addition, plans are underway for HSE inspectors to assess the role of the client in controlling the risks to those affected by waste/ recycling collection and processing. This will be conducted in two stages, initially the policies and control measures will be assessed and their practice tested at site visits. The second stage includes contact one year later to confirm remedial actions taken and assess improvement.
Additionally HSE's Manufacturing Sector: Waste and Recycling staff will be working with key stakeholders such as trade associations, trade unions and industry committees to promote good practice and make available general, industry specific and topic guidance.
HSE’s rolling plan of work aims to identify, prioritise and tackle the main causes of accidents and occupational ill-health in the Waste and Recycling Industries. Our current main areas of activity in the Waste and Recycling industries include:
Aim: To reduce the incidence of musculo-skeletal injury associated with the collection of waste and recyclables: February 2005 – November 2007 - research project ongoing.
Aim: To positively influence the design and management of waste and recycling services controlled by local authorities - ongoing.
Aim: To reduce the amount of accidents caused by wheelie bins and bin lift mechanisms at the side/ rear of refuse collection vehicles: February 2005 – March 2006 - completed.
Aim: To reduce the risk of musculo-skeletal injury by promoting the principles of effective ergonomic design of waste/ recycling vehicles and the collection receptacles used by operatives and members of the public: April 2006 – March 2007 - HSL research carried out.
Aim: To reduce the risk of work related upper limb disorders when working at recycling sorting stations: February 2005 – November 2005 – guidance completed
Aim: To reduce the incidence of slip and trip injuries within the waste and recycling industry, particularly those associated with the collection and sorting of household waste: April 2006 – October 2007 - ongoing.
Aim: To reduce the incidence of falls from height injuries in the waste and recycling industry, particularly those associated with sheeting of loads, maintaining vehicle mounted equipment at height and access and egress to cabs and working platforms: April 2005 – May 2007 - ongoing.
Aim: To reduce the incidence of pedestrians being struck by vehicles caused by poor visibility: February 2005 – November 2006
Aim: To reduce the amount of accidents caused by refuse/ recycling vehicles when operating on the public highway/ in public areas: April 2005 – December 2006- task deleted.
Aim: To ensure drivers within the waste/ recycling industry are competent to operate within the environment and hazards specific to the industry: April 2005 – December 2006 - guidance completed.
Aim: To draft and promote standards for the safe provision of waste/ recycling services found in retail, wholesale: February 2005 – May 2005 - ongoing.
Aim: To draft and promote standards that will reduce the risk of sharps injuries in the waste and recycling industry: January 2007 – May 2008 - guidance completed.
Aim: To draft and promote standards that will control the risk of occupational ill health generated by exposure to bio-aerosols and bio-hazards: April 2006 – March 2008 - guidance completed.
Aim: To positively influence the policy making and strategy of DEFRA and the devolved assemblies to promote environmental legislation and policies that ensure the health and safety of those who work in the industry: February 2005 – April 2008 - ongoing.
Aim: To coordinate and maximize the benefits of the operational project delivered by FOD to improve the health and safety standards within waste management contracts: February 2005 – September 2007 - phase 2 implemented and phase 3 planned.
Aim: To coordinate and maximize the benefits of the operational project delivered by FOD to improve the health and safety standards within large waste management companies: February 2005 – September 2008 - ongoing.
Aim: To ensure that health and safety is effectively practiced within the community sector: February 2005 – April 2006 establish links with Community Recyclers.
Aim: To draft and promote guidance and standards to clarify employers duties when engaging contractors, hiring workers via employment agencies and hiring workers with poor communication skills: June 2005 – September 2007
Aim: To efficiently and effectively work with stakeholders involved in the waste and recycling industry to improve the health and safety performance of the industry: February 2005 – September 2008 - ongoing.
Aim: To promote and support the preparation and implementation of competence standards within the waste/ recycling industry to equip workers with competence in health and safety: February 2005 – May 2008 - ongoing.
Aim: To conclude the Manufacturing Sectors involvement in process of identifying and promoting safe systems of work in this new industry: February 2005 – July 2005 - guidance completed.
These include:
Setting and adopting Targets - we are working with the scrap metal industry and waste management industry to adopt targets initiatives so as to achieve significant, measurable reductions in accident incidence rates and instances of occupational ill-health.In June 2004 the Environmental Services Association (ESA) launched their Accident Reduction Charter and aim to reduce accidents by 10% per year for the next 5 years.
We are working with the Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) forum to produce specific guidance for the industry. Completed guidance and documents currently being drafted include: