Five of the 21 sites visited by Health and Safety Executive (HSE) inspectors in January were served with enforcement notices, which forced work to stop in the most serious cases. A total of ten notices were issued, with four of them at just one site.
Most of the notices were issued due to serious problems with the way vehicles are used on site and the associated risk to employees. In a number of cases there was little by way of controls to keep people away from moving vehicles, particularly those reversing.
At other sites visited, health and safety was found to be good, although some were given safety advice where there was room for improvement, such as ensuring adequate maintenance of equipment.
The waste and recycling sector has an overall accident rate around four times greater than the UK average and a fatal accident rate around nine times the average for all industries.
Inspectors from the HSE aimed to raise the level of awareness of the serious hazards and risks associated with waste transfer sites including workplace transport, the operation of large, powerful, machinery and the hand-sorting of waste which often takes place in close proximity to large vehicles.
HSE inspector Edward Walker, who led the initiative, said: "It is totally unacceptable that lives have been lost and continue to be put at risk on waste sites. This is why we carried out the recent campaign targeting sites in Derbyshire.
"Our inspectors found that the majority of sites were operating safely, but the fact there were safety concerns on almost a quarter of the sites is just not good enough. The industry needs to continue to raise its game and ensure the safety of its workers is paramount."
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