'Significant improvement' in health and safety for waste collectors

There has been a "significant improvement" in health and safety standards in the waste collection industry, claims one industry expert.

According to research undertaken by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), there has been a year on year increase in performance across all areas within the waste industry's approach to health and safety.

The study looked at operations were rated in 37 areas covering topics from pre-tender risk assessment to supervision, monitoring and reversing.

Paul Harvey, HM Inspector, said: "Overall the results from this large number of inspections are very encouraging, there has been significant improvement over a very short period of time."

He added that there has been a good uptake of the safe systems of work that have been promoted by the Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH)

Meanwhile, company directors have been urged to take health and safety training after research from Norwich Union showed that many were failing to take health and safety issues seriously.

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