HSE call for vigilance

Letsrecycle.com 27 January 2011

The Health and Safety Executive has stressed the responsibility of employers and those with a duty to ensure safety in the workplace to safeguard workers following a spate of incidents across the waste and recycling sector this month.

The HSE made the comments while outlining its ambitions for 2011, revealing that waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) would become an increased area of focus for its work.

The waste and recycling sector is traditionally seen as one of the most dangerous professions in terms of injuries and fatalities, although it managed to record seven deaths in 2009/10 compared the 12 to 16 usually recorded in the sector annually (see letsrecycle.com story).

However, despite this improved performance, 2011 has already seen two fatalities in the industry.

These include an explosion at the Sterecycle autoclave facility in Rotherham resulting in the death of an employee (see letsrecycle.com story) and a SITA UK refuse collection operative in Kent being fatally injured following an incident with a collection vehicle (see letsrecycle.com).

The HSE said it was unable to comment on specific incidents due to legal issues. However, a spokesman said: "The incidents earlier this year are a reminder of the health and safety responsibilities of duty-holders and employers. HSE will continue to work with industry through the Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) forum to look at ways to prevent people being killed or injured."