The Waste Industry Safety and Health forum (WISH) has published a detailed plan, consisting of five steps with the aim of enhancing health and safety in the waste industry and reducing the sector’s accident rates. The news will certainly interest many of those that take advantage of Collect and Recycle (http://www.collectandrecycle.com) for services like fridge recycling.
The blueprint was developed after the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) launched a four-year strategy in February this year, outlining the overall strategy with regard to enhancing waste management industry health and safety. The WISH blueprint, although intended to cover the period up to 2018, will be reviewed each year and gives 24 actions that the group will immediately carry out.
The plan divides actions into five strategic themes: providing strong leadership, building competence, involving the workforce, creating healthier and safer workplaces, and providing support for small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). The blueprint includes such initiatives as publishing new training materials on the successful involvement of workers, developing leadership standards from within the waste sector and working with customers to use their leverage in the promotion of improved competence – all aims that may positively impact on such sectors as computer recycling in the years to come.
WISH chair Chris Jones stated about the blueprint: “WISH has been working to improve health, safety and welfare in waste and recycling for more than a decade, and we’ve made some good progress in that time.” He added that the industry did not lack desire to improve its record, as “was clear from the summit in February and the amount of energy and commitment … shown in getting us to this point in publishing the blueprint.”
He added that “everything is achievable, and without unreasonable cost or burden” if the industry combined its efforts, contributed and supported the necessary work, concluding that although there was “a long road ahead” in ensuring “healthier and safer industry … we’re off in the right direction.”
A working group for each of WISH’s strategy goals has been established, allowing for progress to be overseen in relation to each of the blueprint’s stated objectives, while a steering group has also been set up to oversee overall progress towards the aims. The intention is for each working group to serve as a ‘knowledge hub’ communicating with other industry stakeholder groups that are committed to similar initiatives, to enable the harmonization of work across the industry.
Waste management industry representatives, trade associations, the HSE and national and local government bodies all make up WISH. “This is a really important development in the drive for improved health and safety in the waste and recycling sector,” HSE’s waste and recycling lead Graeme Walker concluded.
As a leading provider of services like electrical waste recycling, Collect and Recycle (http://www.collectandrecycle.com) welcomes such moves to improve health and safety in its industry. We remain committed to the very highest levels of health and safety for our workers, as part of an efficient and compliant WEEE disposal service.
