In an effort to recognise the sometimes dangerous nature of the growing waste and recycling industry, a Northern Ireland branch of the Waste Industry Safety & Health Forum (WISH NI) has been set up. This group, comprising representatives from across the sector, hopes to outline the safety issues affecting the industry and come up with workable solutions to reduce their incidence.
WISH has been operating in the UK since 2008, but the Northern Ireland forum launched only last month on the 28th March. Over 60 people are dedicated to the WISH NI project, once a steering committee is decided meetings will begin towards the end of April. The initiative has been spearheaded by the Health & Safety Executive Northern Ireland (HSENI) and CIWM Northern Ireland Centre. Malcolm Downey, Principal Inspector, HSENI, said: “Health and safety is a priority for the waste industry but there is room for improvement and WISH NI will provide a valuable collaborative platform to help HSENI spread important health and safety messages…to an industry-wide audience.”
Because of the differing Heath and Safety legal frameworks in Northern Ireland the UK Wish Forum couldn’t be simply expanded to cover the country; a new one had to be set up instead. The Northern Ireland and UK WISH forums will however share many goals and objectives: in drawing up guidelines for safe procedure, setting minimum industry standards, reducing workplace accidents, assigning key targets for improvement and improving attitudes to health and safety in the workplace.
Once fully up and running the forum will have representatives from many of the relevant trade bodies, including: the British Metals Recycling Association, CIWM Northern Ireland, Container Handling Equipment Manufacturers, Department of the Environment PEPG Unit, District Councils, Environmental Services Association, HSENI, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, relevant trade unions and the Waste Management Industry Training and Advisory Board (WAMITAB).
Safety in the waste and recycling sector is still a major issue. In 2010/2011 the injury rate per 100,000 employees rose to over 2000, with accidents more than four times as likely in the recycling sector compared to the industrial average. But with coordinated efforts across the industry, WISH hopes to make it a safer area to work in.
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