A total of seven fatalities occurred in the waste and recycling sector in 2018/19 figures published yesterday (July 3) by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) indicate.
The data, covering the 12 months from April 2018 to March 2019 indicates that fewer fatalities were logged than during the preceding two years, when the HSE noted 12 and 14 fatalities respectively.
Data published this week shows the number of fatalities suffered by workers in the waste sector
Despite the drop in the number of fatalities in the sector, in terms of the number of fatal injuries per person employed, the waste and recycling sector still remains relatively high-risk compared to other industries.
The HSE data shows that the waste and recycling sector clocked 6.05 fatal injuries per 100,000 workers, around 17 times as high as the average across all industries. Only agriculture, forestry and fishing had a greater high risk of injury at 9.21 per 100,000 workers employed.
The main causes of fatal injuries to workers in the sector are thought to be collision with moving vehicles, coming into contact with moving machinery or injury by collapsing or overturning objects.
Health and safety
Following the release, HSE chair Martin Temple commented: “Today’s release of workplace fatality statistics is a reminder that despite the UK’s world leading position in health and safety, we cannot become complacent as we seek to fulfil our mission in preventing injury, ill health and death at work.
“These statistics also remind us that, in certain sectors of the economy, workplace death remain worryingly high.”
“These statistics also remind us that, in certain sectors of the economy, workplace death remain worryingly high.”
He added: “Whatever the sector, we should remember that any change in numbers provides little comfort to the family, friends and colleagues of the 147 whose lives were cut short this year while doing their job.”
A total of 147 fatalities were recorded across all industries during 2018/19, HSE’s data indicates.
The organisation issued advice to waste sector organisations in June 2018, following analysis that had suggested that ‘inadequate’ safety management systems had contributed to fatalities in the sector (see letsrecycle.com story).
“Some organisations (both SMEs and large) may think their SMS is adequate and well documented the analysis indicated this was not always the case,” HSE said in its analysis.
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Source: letsrecycle.com Waste Managment
