Posted By nice but dim
I am currently serving in Germany With the British Army the Germans are really hot on recycling once a week we soldiers have to get in big bins and empty them all out by hand a number of times people have cut themselves as there is no PPE all the rubish is mixed with smelly food etc 100+ soldiers rubish from beer bottles to used condom what can we do about this.

Posted By MP Grayson
Whilst serving in Germany at a British Sovereign base, as a British Serviceman you and your gaffers have to abide by British Law AND German Law. There are agreements in place which mean that certain German Laws don't apply, but German Environmental Laws DO apply. I'm not too hot on the German H/S legislation so I cannot comment there. However, the Health and Safety at Work Act applies to you and it applies to those that you work with/for.

Section 9 of the Act deals with the provision of PPE at the Army's expense. Also all Regulations apply such as "PPE, COSHH (which includes risks from Bio hazards) & the Management Regs".

As a British serviceman (or British civilian working overseas for the MoD) you are also subject to Military Law. Military Law states that a breach of British Civilian Law and/or German Law is an automatic breach of Military Law. I used to love that "we've got you by the short and curlies now me beauty" approach when I was in the mob.

Sounds like your line manager and H/S advisor needs an e-mail or a visit. He/she needs to be asked:

1. Where's the written Risk Assessment, the Army does employ 5 or more employees, (well at least they did before the last round of defense cuts).
You have to sort the bins for German Enviro Laws and there is clearly a significant risk involved. I'm not saying that it's the H/S adviser's job to write the Risk Assessment, but they are the people to guide the way.

2. What PPE is required and where is it.

Best of luck

P.S.
This little gem (sorting rubbish)is going to have an impact in the UK at the end of October (Landfill Regs - New waste requirements).

Posted By DavidW
You may also want to consider looking in your Joint Service Publication, if I remember correctly it's JSP318 for environmental policies as the MOD has targets etc to attain and there should be a better way to organise the recycling so you don't have to manually sort the waste. There is an Environmental Protection Training team at RAF Halton that can also provide advice and training to key personnel (they provide Tri-Service Training).

Good luck

Posted By Robert.
Wehey,-------refreshing to hear that nouts changed in 40 years!

Posted By mike taylor
JSP 375 MOD Health and Safety Policy Link

http://www.mod.uk/Defenc...fetyPublications/JSP375/

Posted By Manny
Reading the JSP's may provide you with policy but will not be a lot of use when your SNCO orders you to get in the bin and sort out the rubbish, your only means of sorting this problem out is reporting your concerns (via e-mail copy to your Unit Safety Adviser) to your line manager i.e. the person ordering you to get in the bin. You also have within your Garrison/Station/Barracks a designated Safety Adviser who may be able to discuss this with your unit on your behalf (without naming names).
If you have started reading the JSP's and you can't get enough of MOD Health and Safety then I would recommend the BFG SHEF Manual which has been written for units in Germany.

Manny

Posted By David McGuire
I remember having to rake in the bins in Germany every Monday morning to segregrate the rubbish when I was serving in Fallingbostal!

if only I knew then what I know now!!!

Posted By Tony Priest
JSP 375 MOD Health and Safety Policy, this policy is dated April 2003! I would expect that the MOD would have had a more up-to-date policy.
Sorry to go off topic.

Posted By Paul Parry
As an ex RAF type, I would instinctively say no(can't write what I would have said...).

However, as I did say on one or two occasions "It is not a lawful order" if you are put at risk of injury the exception obviously is on operations / war where anything goes (and hopefully nothing from the Americans !).

Getting back to it, if your expected to recycle your rubbish as you dump it then its a fair cop.

If however its work or other then it is an unlawful order, threatening to take it to court marshal on something similar in the charge thrown out and me thrown out of the room.....

Oh and I got the right tool for the job

Happy recycling or not

Posted By MP Grayson
Good idea Ciarán but alas not one that (in my opinion) the guys should follow. It may be a bad career move for them.

I stand by my first reply to this thread. You guys and Gals out in Germany need to speak to your “camp adviser”. Keep it in house, this could push a few noses out of joint and there are going to be a few unhappy Hectors about. Taking this issue out of the Army will do more harm than good. The Brass will no doubt get wind of this thread (well they would have in my time) and I’m afraid the old stick in the muds will not tolerate advice form outside the Army. The Military moves fast when it wants to, but other times, well the phrase “hurry up and wait” still applies. Remember banging your head against a wall uses 150 calories an hour. You may not knock it down, but you may loosen a few bricks, good luck.

And the best of luck to you all in Stan and Iraq.

Posted By Les Welling
JSP 375 is constantly updated. The leaflets in them are checked on a regular basis. However, JSPs are not the issue here. Normall common sense is though.

However, speaking from experience and as an ex CSM, you should ask your CQMS (SQMS) for gloves and even perhaps googles for this task. I assume this has been set by the RSM? A risk assessment should be in place for soldier's having to cary out this work. You Company Serjeant Major should address this.

Anyway it's good character buiding stuff!!