Guidance and an information sheet for the effective monitoring of safety in refuse and recycling collections have been produced by the waste industry’s safety organisation, the WISH Forum.
Published today, the Forum noted that monitoring should be “a core element of any local authority or private contractor health and safety management system”.
Monitoring ‘should be a core element of health and safety work’
And the public/private sector organisation emphasises that effective monitoring in the waste and recycling industry is essential because of the constantly changing environment during refuse and recycling collection activities.
The WISH (Waste Industry Safety & Health Forum) information sheet provides two example checklists and a matrix to assist those involved with such monitoring. It is free to download from the WISH website.
The information sheet emphasises that “One of the core elements of effective health and safety management is to check that policies and procedures are actually being followed.”
Good practice
Prepared by a working group of health and safety practitioners within WISH, the Forum points out that the document is “not formal guidance and represents good practice, which typically goes beyond the strict requirements of health and safety law”.
Nine suggestions are made regarding effective monitoring. This includes on how to advise crews that they are being monitored with the following points:
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- All drivers and loaders (including agency staff) should be advised about monitoring arrangements and why they are in place i.e.to ensure they are following the procedures that they have been trained in;
- A system should be in place to manage the feedback to crews about areas of non-compliance – particularly in the case of the contractor employee’s;
- If any part of the service is contracted out the crews should be made aware whether they will receive separate visits from the LA Clients and how these will be undertaken;
- This information may be conveyed at their training or via tool box.
More information about the activities of WISH can be seen at WISH Forum.
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Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
