Simple measures can reduce the risks of people being able to get into large commercial and communal domestic bins and being killed or injured.
This page is for you if your business produces waste or you manage bin storage areas, including for retail, restaurant and leisure premises.
The precautions you need will depend on:
- how foreseeable it is that people can gain access and get into the bins
- how likely they are to be found if they have got in one
Increased risk factors
The following factors increase the foreseeable risks.
Bin storage area
There will be greater risks if the area is:
- isolated and quiet
- dark and unlit, especially at collection times
- open and unsecured, permitting easy access to the bins
- somewhere that makes bin lids easy to reach by their position and/or leaving items to climb on
The bins
Bins will cause more risk by:
- having lids that are not secured and easy to open
- having large openings that are easy to get through
- being stored for long periods, unemptied and undisturbed
- containing dry and comfortable type waste (paper, card, textile and other similar dry wastes are more likely to attract those seeking shelter)
The environment
There will be much greater risks:
- when rough sleepers, drug abusers, alcoholics and vagrants known to be in the area
- if there are known instances or people being found in the bins or in the storage area
- during periods of wet or cold weather (people are more likely to seek shelter, and for longer in these conditions)
In most cases the person in the bin is either very drunk or under the influence of drugs so they simply don't hear the collection. They also tend to bury themselves under cardboard etc to keep warm, so they are hard to see.
Those in control of the site have the greater responsibility to prevent people getting into bins, rather than the companies collecting them. With multiple workers and constant access required, it is therefore important to maintain a high state of security where bins are stored.
Key issues
Key issues to address are:
- reducing the likelihood of people getting into bins
- checking there is nobody inside before emptying
- stopping the compactor quickly as soon as employees realise someone has been tipped into the collection vehicle
Types of bins
The types of bins involved are normally larger ones (typically at least 660 litres capacity and with 4 wheels) used for commercial and communal domestic collections, euro carts, front-end loader containers, paladins and skips.
Waste bins sometimes have warning signs attached to them about the dangers of sheltering inside and/or reminders to check before emptying. These are useful (especially if pictures are used to overcome literacy and language difficulties), but are not required to achieve compliance with the law.
Duties of waste producers and/or businesses managing bin storage areas
If your business produces waste or you manage bin storage areas you should:
- where practicable, locate bins in a secure area
- where there have been signs of people getting into bins (or trying to), and it is reasonably foreseeable, use bins most suitable to minimise risks (for example with lid locks, lid-opening restrictors, fixed or lockable grilles or other access-restrictors)
- follow the supplier's instructions for bin security devices and ensure they are used and properly maintained
- inform relevant employees about people getting into bins and the action required to prevent/minimise this
- ensure employees watch out for and report any signs of people getting, or trying to get, into storage areas and especially into bins
- ensure employees check bins regularly, especially before a collection is due
What waste collectors need to do
If you collect waste, you should:
- ensure collection drivers and loaders are fully aware of the potential for people to be in bins
- inform drivers and loaders about checking the bins before emptying them, including what to do if a person is found in a bin
- ensure waste collectors know how to stop the compactor as soon as they realise someone has been tipped into the collection vehicle
- supervise employees to ensure the necessary actions are taken
How to check bins to see if people are inside
To check if anyone is inside a bin, a visual check of the bin contents is enough. This can simply mean being aware of what waste should be there, looking for obvious signs of disturbance and checking for unexpected items, such as bags, blankets etc.
Physically disturbing and rummaging around in the contents is not necessary and should be avoided.
Where bins are being emptied by front-end loaders, tapping/banging the bin on the floor using the lift mechanism is also recommended before emptying.
What you should do if people are found in bins
You should give relevant employees clear information and instructions on the risks and what to do if a person is discovered inside a bin (or collection vehicle). This should include:
- how people are likely to behave, especially the potential for becoming aggressive and possibly violent (there is HSE advice in the violence webpages)
- not trying to restrain the person, especially if they attempt to escape
- how to help people get out of the bins or the vehicle
- how to report any incidents where people have been found in bins – you must report any fatalities or serious injuries to people needing treatment in hospital under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations (RIDDOR)
Good practice – recording and sharing incident details
Although they are not legally required, you could consider other measures, which include:
- recording brief details of all incidents involving people found getting into storage areas and/or bins (even if they are not reportable under RIDDOR)
- sharing this information with other relevant parties (for example between those producing and collecting the waste and, for example, the landlord/owner of the areas where the bins are stored, if they are different)
- taking the information into account when deciding whether the existing control measures are adequate and whether any improvements are needed
Find out more
There is guidance from the Waste Industry Safety and Health Forum (WISH) on:
- managing access to large waste and recycling bins
- how to design larger waste containers to reduce the likelihood of unauthorised entry