Waste management company, Mid UK Recycling, has announced that a 55-year-old man died at the company’s Lincolnshire warehousing complex on Friday (19 July).
Police were called to the company’s site at Ermine Street, Anacaster, but have said they are not treating the death as ‘suspicious’, although the Health and Safety Executive is now investigating how the ‘incident’ occurred.
A spokesperson for Mid UK Recycling said: “It is with great sadness that we have to report on the death of one of our valued members of staff following an incident at our Ancaster site on Friday. We are extremely shocked and saddened by this incident and would like to extend our deepest sympathies to his family.
“At this time we are unsure exactly how the incident occurred. An investigation is being carried out by the Health & Safety Executive and we will of course do everything we can to assist with that.”
Mid UK Recycling has said it is ‘not in a position to be able to release the employee’s identity or to give any further comments while investigations are being carried out’.
The death follows on from the publication of the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) provisional ‘Statistics on fatal injuries in the workplace 2012/13’, released earlier this month, which found that ten workers and three members of the public suffered fatal injuries in the waste and recycling sector in 2012/13, almost double the number of fatalities from the year before (seven).
In order to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured in the waste and recycling industry, HSE has published the ‘Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) blueprint 2012-15’, which outlines 24 ‘immediate action points’ that companies dealing with waste and recycling need to be taken to provide clearer training and safer workplaces.
Mid UK Recycling fire
The recycling company has had a hard 12 months, after a fire broke out at its Caythorpe materials recovery facility (MRF) in October 2012.
Reports suggested that the fire broke out in a 100m x 50m single storey building containing mixed recycling material.
Speaking at the time, Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue said that the fire had caused “severe damage to machinery and recycling materials”.
Read more about Mid UK Recycling.
Get our weekly digest
resource.co article ai
How will the government and DMOs address the challenges of including glass in DRS while ensuring a level playing field across the UK?
There's no easy solution to include glass in the DRS while maintaining a level playing field. Potential approaches include a phased introduction of glass, potentially with higher deposits to reflect its logistical challenges. The government and DMOs could incentivise innovation in glass packaging design and subsidise dedicated return points for glass-handling. Exemptions for smaller businesses unable to handle glass might also be necessary. Any successful solution will likely blend several approaches. It must address the differing priorities of devolved administrations, balance environmental benefits with logistical and cost implications, and be supported by robust consumer education campaigns emphasizing the importance of glass recycling.