Southern Plastics Recycling Ltd, a Chichester-based plastic recycling firm, was recently fined by Worthing Magistrates’ Court after pleading guilty to violating health and safety legislation.
The court heard that on the 17 June 2014, a worker was standing inside an industrial-sized roll on/roll off waste bin while manually tipping out non-recyclable waste plastic into the bin from a tonne bulk bag.
It was whilst emptying the bin at the site in Sidlesham Common, Chichester, that the worker fell approximately 2.5 metres, suffering a blow to the head and breaking his wrist and collarbone.
Following an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), it was found that Southern Plastics Recycling Ltd had no safety apparatus in place to prevent the worker from falling out of the container while manually unloading.
As such, the company was taken to court for breaching Section 3(1) of Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999 and Section 6(3) of Work at Height Regulations 2005, which specify that employers shall take reasonable steps to protect the safety of their employees, and prevent them from falling such distances that may cause personal injury.
Southern Plastics Recycling Ltd pleaded guilty to safety failings and was fined a total of £1,500 and was ordered to pay costs of £1,043.
HSE Inspector Suzanne Matthews said: “Had the company carried out a proper risk assessment of the work, they would have identified both the foreseeable work at height risk involved and how that risk could have been avoided by choosing a system of work which eliminated the need for employees to work at height altogether.”
WISH blueprint
To protect against future injuries, the HSE has published the ‘Waste Industries Safety and Health (WISH) blueprint 2012-15’, which outlines 24 ‘immediate action points’ that needed to be taken to provide clearer training and safer workplaces.
It is hoped that companies can help reduce the number of injuries in the industry by introducing a number of key initiatives such as:
- producing agreed safety leadership standards for the waste management industry and guidance on ‘what safety leadership looks like and how it is demonstrated’;
- developing sharable training materials for promoting and enhancing worker engagement;
- publishing case studies and real life examples of ‘the positive impact of improved workforce competence, including examples of industry best practice and the potential business benefits’; and
- developing guidance and support on Health surveillance (monitoring/screening).
Read the WISH blueprint.
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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.