Sharp increase in waste and recycling fatalities

Number of fatally injured waste and recycling workers "disappointing and a serious cause for concern", says HSE

OFFICIAL statistics published last week show that the number of workers killed in Britain's waste and recycling industry last year has sharply increased.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has released provisional data for the year April 2010 to March 2011 which shows the number of workers killed was nine – an increase on the previous year when three died.

Peter Woolgar, the HSE’s head of waste and recycling, said: ‘The increase in number of workers killed last year in the waste and recycling industry is disappointing and remains a serious cause for concern.

‘The fact that nine people failed to come home safe and well from their jobs…is a stark reminder to the industry that it still has a long way to go.

‘The rate of injuries in the sector has consistently fallen in recent years but we need to see this improvement transferred to fatal injuries and sustained. Waste and recycling must learn from other higher-risk industries and not fall behind in managing workplace risks.’

According to the HSE, the rate of fatal injuries in the sector has stayed broadly the same at 7.0 per 100,000 workers over the past five years.