Last month, Let’s Recycle – the place for waste-related news stories - reported that the HSE would be making 500 surprise visits to waste and recycling sites across Great Britain. This is due to take place over 6 months until March 2023.
They will be targeting the two issues that cause the most fatal injuries: machine guarding and moving vehicles. The figures released by HSE earlier this year showed us that being struck by a moving vehicle remains the second most common cause of fatal injuries at work.
A spokesperson for the HSE told letsrecycle.com:
“During the unannounced visits, inspectors will assess the sites’ specific risk control systems and the “adequacy” of health and safety management arrangements for machinery and workplace transport.”
Inspectors will also identify any measures required to control specific risks or manage health and safety, “to promote sustained compliance and take appropriate action, including enforcement.”
We work with many large and small companies in the waste sector to help them manage the risks of moving vehicles and pedestrians. And we know that tools and technology are only ever part of the solution. When we first visit a site we carry out a full site survey to understand a client’s aims and identify areas at greater risk. This enables us to advise what the most effective solution for them could be.
Proximity Warning Systems remain the most robust plant-pedestrian warning system and are mentioned in the HSE workplace transport safety document. But for any new system to be fully embraced, it must become embedded into the culture and ways of working. This comes down to behavioural change – a topic our MD Gary has recently discussed at the Health and Safety Conference. To make lasting changes and improvements to safety on site it’s about people and how they behave. Technology is an enabler of this, but training, buy-in, and fostering a culture of safety will ensure any new technology is effective.
Would you like to know how we can help you successfully implement and manage a plant proximity warning system? Get in touch with us today to see how we’re different.