Pilot communications campaign in the waste and recycling industry
Householders' awareness raising exercise
A local newspaper advertorial and mail-shot aimed at householders encouraged them to consider the safety of their collection crews.
Householders were asked to:
- Not overload their bins and boxes to reduce manual handling risks
- Place bins and boxes in accessible positions, free from spilled waste and other obstacles, to reduce the risk of slips and trips
- Drive safely and with caution around collection workers' and their vehicles to reduce moving vehicle accidents
The following text was used in a supporting press release:
'Watch out for your collection workers' is the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) call to the people of (insert District/County) 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.
'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 sift huge quantities of our waste and recyclables - we 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.'
A 'sticker' mail shot was sent to householders. This contained the basic campaign facts and encouraged householders to stick these to their bins to demonstrate their understanding of the role of collection workers.
The advertorial placed in local newspapers