Safety at 'bring-sites' in the waste management and recycling ... - HSE

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Health and Safety Executive ■■ ■■ Are your systems adequate to control the risk? Do they need revising? Few workplaces remain the same so are your procedures frequent enough? Do you need to do certain tasks more (or less) often? 11 This guidance gives examples that will help you to comply with the law, and may be used to assist with the risk assessment process. It is not, however, a substitute for a suitable and sufficient site- or task-specific risk assessment based upon individual site conditions and layout etc. 12 For further information and guidance on risk assessments visit www.hse.gov.uk/risk/. Public safety 13 Although this section is focused on the public, the same risks apply equally to workers when they are in attendance. The most significant risks to the public who attend bring sites will involve: ■■ ■■ ■■ transport movements; slips, trips and falls; manual handling of materials. Transport movements 14 Vehicle movements regularly cause deaths and some of the most serious accidents within the waste and recycling industry. At bring-sites, because moving vehicles can operate in close proximity to pedestrians, there is the very real potential for collisions. 15 Vehicles driven by the public, as well as vehicles servicing the site, create hazards that should be properly managed. 16 The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 3 require that every workplace is organised so that pedestrians and vehicles can circulate in a safe manner. 17 Operators of waste handling facilities should use this guidance in conjunction with the information available in the HSE publications Workplace transport safety (HSG136) 4 and Safe transport in waste management and recycling facilities (Waste09). 5 Safe site 18 Clear roles and responsibilities should be assigned to those having control of the bring-site and to those operating the recycling vehicles and recycling receptacles. Site layout 19 Consider the following: ■■ ■■ Can bring-site owners achieve a clear directional flow of traffic around the site? One-way systems are best; they can minimise the amount of hazardous vehicle reversing carried out by both the public and servicing vehicles. Are contents of each receptacle clearly marked and visible? This will minimise the possibility of vehicle drivers making late adjustments to Safety at ‘bring-sites’ in the waste management and recycling industry Page 4 of 13
Health and Safety Executive ■■ driving speed and direction. It may also minimise the amount of reversing required when drivers overshoot the receptacle they need. Can skips and other receptacles be positioned to eliminate blind corners? If not, consider providing mirrors to improve any visiting driver’s view of obscured areas. Segregate cars, servicing vehicles and pedestrians 20 Can all vehicle movements (involving private cars as well as collection/ servicing vehicles) and pedestrian activities be segregated? You could achieve this by: ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ scheduling receptacle exchange movements and servicing operations (cleaning etc) during a quieter time of day (eg early morning or at the end of the working day); situating bring-sites away from areas where heavy pedestrian and vehicle traffic is expected (eg away from other shops or facilities that pedestrians or vehicles may wish to access); restricting all access to areas where collection vehicles are operating. Have enough free space around receptacles for safe vehicle manoeuvring and receptacle lifting. Where possible, owners should segregate areas (eg by coning-off) around the receptacle bins (the site is effectively closed) before scheduled servicing or exchange. This should prevent people parking their cars nearby and impeding the visiting service vehicle. The precise method of preventing public access will depend on the layout/design of the site; providing clear drop-off zones for the public (eg marked by bollards, kerbs, painted lines etc), next to receptacles. 21 Further controls may be necessary to ensure that pedestrians and public vehicles are effectively segregated from service vehicle movements. Suitably trained staff from the bring-site or from the pick-up company could be used to help ensure segregation. Slow vehicle speed 22 Consider the following: ■■ ■■ ■■ Is it possible for site owners to slow vehicle speed in the vicinity of the bring-site? Can prominent speed limit signs be placed at the bring-site entrance? Where they would not cause extra risk to moving vehicles, is it possible to use high-visibility speed retarders? Improve vision 23 Consider the following: ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ Can the bring-site be lit during twilight or when it’s dark? This may also deter arson and vandalism etc, and dissuade members of the public from trying to enter bins. Avoid blind corners by appropriate location of receptacles. Where blind corners cannot be avoided, can mirrors be provided? All staff should wear high-visibility clothing when near to vehicle movements. Avoid obstructions around the recycling receptacles. When cones, bollards etc are used to segregate pedestrians and vehicles, they should be highly visible (eg with high-visibility paint, reflectors etc). Safety at ‘bring-sites’ in the waste management and recycling industry Page 5 of 13
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Safety at 'bring-sites' in the waste management and recycling ... - HSE

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