In a bid to cut the injuries and deaths from waste and recycling collection vehicles, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) launched their new guidance, Waste and Recycling Vehicles in Street Collection, on 4 September 2006, at an event in Northampton.
Six people have been killed since December 2005 due to reversing waste and recycling vehicles and in a bid to eliminate these fatalities, the Guidance contains detailed information on the reversing of the vehicles with recommendations such as the following:
- The use of reversing aids.
- Trained assistants to make sure pedestrians do not enter areas surrounding reversing vehicles.
- Information on vehicle safety checks.
- Information on driver assessment.
- Information on personal protective equipment (PPE).
- Supervision and monitoring.
- Responsibilities of individuals.
Commenting on the new Guidance, Chair of the Health and Safety Commission, Bill Callaghan said:
"We want to encourage these partnerships, using the skills and experience of key workers at grass roots level to develop solutions that will work for them.
"The challenge now is for the industry to implement the controls and ensure that tragic incidents are prevented in the future."
Chief Constable Meredydd Hughes, Head of the Association of Chief Police Officers Road Pricing Policy, commending the new Guidance said:
"There is a tragic history of pedestrians and particularly children and old people being run over by refuse collection vehicles.
"We welcome the systems of work set out in this guidance as they can greatly reduce the risk of pedestrians entering the reversing area whilst the vehicle is moving."
The HSE Guidance, in pdf format, can be accessed by clicking the following:
Waste and Recycling Vehicles in Street Collection
The HSE Guidance was developed with the assistance of the waste and recycling industries, local authorities and the Waste Industry Safety and Health Forum (WISH).
The WISH Forum can be accessed from the HSE Webpage, by clicking the following:
Health and Safety in the Waste Management and Recycling Industry
Article by Alexandra Johnston
