Rank: Forum user 
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Good Morning all.
Need a little bit of advice and help if possible.
During the night shift we have had a minor accident and stuck to find a control measure that would be practable to stop it from happening again especially in the summer months.
A individual was splashed with an unknown substance from a plastic bottle on the forearm whilst picking waste from a conveyor belt in a MRF. The individual was treated by the first aider and the injury didn’t t cause any more discomfort. However with the summer months, warm nights, electrical equipment and motors temperatures can still be high even at night.
The solution to the problem would be to introduce long sleeve clothing to stop this from happening again.
However with the warm temperatures, and the first time that this has happened and reported i am unsure weather or not just to put this down to been in the line of fire.
We do have evaporative coolers in place to maintain a steady temperature but I think it would be un-practable to make staff wear long sleeved clothing for a incident that has only happened once in may years
If anyone else has any other ideas from experience then please feel free to help and advise.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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I think you can only monitor the situation. As you have commented, not had a similar incident before and to knee jerk by providing long sleeve PPE is a bit OTT. You could consider issuing gauntlet style gloves for those litter picking which would provide a good degree of protection.
Intrigued about this 'unknown' substance - you should be able to account what it was and where the plastic bottle emanated from as part of your investigation?
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Rank: Forum user
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Hi
Thanks for the reply, i did consider Gauntlet style gloves but again this could be OTT. I was hoping to have the bottle but it was processed and wasn't avalbile for the investgation.
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Rank: Forum user
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I would look seriously at arm protection, possibly Kevlar sleeves? It's been a while since I was involved in the waste industry. I wouldn't worry too much about what exactly was in that bottle in terms of corrective actions. Rubbish has all sorts in it as I'm sure you know, including used needles. One of those in your arm and you have a whole world of worries.
The comfort/heat issue is difficult but I've had plenty of those conversations and the conclusion was always that safety comes first and comfort second. You have some controls already but picking lines are always sweat boxes at this time of year unless you have serious air-con.
I have always had the greatest of respect for MRF pickers. it's one of the dirtiest, worst paid and downright horrible jobs I have ever seen. The fact that people are prepared to do it day in, day out always impressed the heck out of me.
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