Health & Safety
HSE aims to decrease tragic fi gures through new initiative
ORGANISATIONS and people working in the waste and recycling industry are being told they must pay closer attention to how they manage workplace risk, or face serious penalties.
The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) programme of proactive inspections will review health and safety standards in waste and recycling businesses across the country, and the industry is being warned that unannounced inspections will begin right away.
The visits come as HSE releases its sector plans, which pinpoint the waste and recycling industry as a priority sector.
The waste and recycling sector, which is made up of around 120,000 workers, has a statistically higher rate of workplace injury and work-related ill health than other sectors. Workers in this industry are likely to suff er work-related illness than many other sectors.
Threat of moving vehicles
Within the waste and recycling sector the main causes of fatal injuries to workers are being struck by moving vehicles, coming into contact with moving machinery, and being injured by something collapsing or overturning.
HSE insists these incidents can be prevented, when organisations have proper risk management in place. In the fi ve years to 2016/17 there were 39 fatalities to workers and 11 members of the public were killed as a result of work activity in the sector.
The inspections will ensure measures are being taken by those responsible to protect workers and employers against risk and injury, and HSE will not hesitate to use enforcement to bring about improvements.
HSE’s head of waste and recycling Rick Brunt, said: “The waste and recycling
industry continues to have one of the poorest health and safety records. This inspection initiative will look at certain activities to ensure eff ective management and control of risk.
“HSE is calling on anyone working in the industry to take the time to refresh their knowledge of our advice and guidance, available for free on our website.
“Every worker has the right to return from work safe in the knowledge that their employer takes their health and safety seriously.”
Priorities for HSE
The priorities for the HSE within Waste and Recycling sector will be:
• A reduction in the number of people killed by moving vehicles/caught in moving machinery
• A reduction in the cases of MSDs and occupational lung disease
• Ownership of the challenges by the industry, and leadership on implementing the solutions
The key areas that inspectors will be considering will include:
• Workplace transport issues (to include suitable pedestrian segregation)
• Machinery safety, especially guarding and isolation procedures for cleaning repair and maintenance activities
• Safe storage of compressed gas cylinders
• Handling of other hazardous materials e.g. chemical or biological materials
• Application of Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations (LOLER) for lifting machinery, skip-loaders etc
• Musculoskeletal Disorders, particularly for tasks where signifi cant handling of materials is involved
• Work at height, especially for cleaning repair and maintenance activities
• Slips and trips (good housekeeping) COMPASS’s Deborah Williams • Welfare provisions
In accordance with The Health and Safety and Nuclear (Fees) Regulations 2016, a fee of £129 per hour could be payable if the inspector believes that you are in material breach of health and safety law.
This hourly rate can include the Inspectors time at your business or workplace; preparing reports; getting specialist advice; talking to you after the visit, and talking to your workers.
To assist operators to ensure they comply with health and safety law and regulations, the HSE website contains useful information.
Alternatively, if you would like a visit from a Health and Safety Advisor to identify any issues that need to be addressed and advise you how they can be rectifi ed, please contact Compass via the telephone number 01257 692696.
Deborah Williams CMIOSH RMaPS is Principal Safety Consultant at Compass Ltd.
Deborah specialises in assisting private sector organisations within the construction, waste management and extractive industries.
You can contact her on - 01257 482256 or via email:
dwilliams@compass-ms.co.uk 26 SHM November, 2017
www.skiphiremagazine.co.uk
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