Serious and potentially fatal risks are posed by rough sleepers who seek shelter in large commercial or communal waste bins and may be inadvertently tipped into waste-collection trucks.
Simple control measures for businesses who manage large commercial bins and storage areas, and those who collect the waste, are set out in HSE’s guidance on preventing people getting into large waste and recycling bins.
The guidance includes:
- increased risk factors, such as unsafe storage areas and bins being too accessible
- duties of waste producers and/or businesses managing bin storage areas
- what waste collectors need to do
- what you should do if people are found in bins
Businesses should focus on reducing the likelihood of people getting inside the bins in the first place. Equally, collection services should check that nobody is inside the bin before it is emptied.
It is strongly recommended that organisations:
- review their waste-storage arrangements
- confirm that contractors have appropriate checking procedures
- incorporate bin inspection into their health and safety risk assessments – especially during colder months when rough sleepers are more likely to seek shelter
You can find more details in the Waste Industry Safety and Health Forum (WISH) guidance on managing access to large waste and recycling bins (scroll down to ref no WASTE 25).
HSE is also supporting industry awareness campaigns on this topic, including the following video: Situational Awareness: People in Bins.
A tragic reminder of the seriousness of the situation can be found from this incident: Man died after bin he was in tipped into a recycling lorry (BBC News)
Two recent cases highlight the the importance of good site design and implementation of control measures:
Waste company fined £2.5 million after worker fatally crushed by a skip wagon
The worker was killed from the injuries sustained when he was run over by a reversing skip wagon at a waste transfer station.
HSE's investigation found the waste company failed to properly review its control measures. These measures were designed to keep pedestrians separate from moving vehicles.
Waste and recycling company fined after worker injured cleaning machinery
The fine was issued after a worker was injured while cleaning a waste picking line, suffering a fractured shoulder, torn ligaments, and a broken finger.
HSE's investigation found the company failed to ensure an isolation procedure was correctly implemented while workers were cleaning machinery.
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