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Posted By John A Wright
Today Coventry City Council pleaded guilty in Crown Court to breaches in HaSAWA s.3, relating to the fatal accident last year when a refuse truck reversed and killed a schoolgirl.
The driver was originally charged last year but a judge later quashed the nine penalty points and £300 fine originally imposed upon the driver.
Now the council will be heavily fined. I believe the failings include risk assessments not sufficient, no banksmen operating.
One report I read suggested about 50 people have been killed by refuse trucks in the last 5 years. Can anyone confirm that?
John W
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Posted By Stupendous Man
Not sure on the figures of people killed - but I do not recall (during my Local Authority years) reading of anything but a couple of fatalities in the trade press.
Councils are treading a dangerous path nowadays - our refuse wagon only has a driver and one operative to do their round, so all reversing is unsupervised, the cab is left unattended with the engine running, the staff are running around to get the job done and the empty bins are often strewn across the pavement and peoples driveways rather than being left safely.
I'm sure some Councils still operate a 'job and knock' policy which means that without strong local supervision, corners will be cut.
I've also seen a return in other parts of the country of refuse collectors riding on the rear of the vehicle.
And it's not just the in-house Council services that have these problems - I have also seen it of some private contractors.
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Posted By Tabs
Is it still the case that if the round is finished the operatives can knock off?
As school kids on summer holidays, we used to help our local dustmen sometimes, and it was all about getting the job done by lunch time so they could go home.
The contract is based on having enough time to do the job properly, with supervised reversing and due care elsewhere, one would hope.
But, if rushing and corner cutting pays dividend, then it will continue to be done.
It is many years since I helped out - so maybe I am wrong.
Does anyone here know if they can still knock off early?
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Posted By MT
Certainly within our LA, the refuse operatives cannot go home early once the round is finished. They have working hours during which they must be at work, the same as everyone else, and if their round is finished, there's plenty other things they can do.
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Posted By Adam Hammerton
Our refuse collectors are still on job and knock but the HSE suggested as strongly as they could, short of a notice, that the practice be reviewed when we were audited as part of the national waste care initiative in 2005.
Adam
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Posted By Tarquin Farquor John, I know of 2 fatalities of LA municipal waste collection vehicles striking and killing pedestrians and am not surprised by the figure you have quoted (though I couldn't confirm it). An initiative was undertaken (quite a while ago, ie years) to remove the 'cuddly toys' from the fronts of the vehicles radiator as this attracted children to stand in front of the vehicles. HSE have issued some guidance on refuge collection which includes some comprehensive instruction on reversing. http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/waste04.pdfRegards, TF
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Posted By John A Wright
Regarding the quoted ~50 fatalities in five years, it was quoted during an interview by the father of the schoolgirl who was killed but he didn't say source of data. I think he was encouraging a campaign about better safety.
But what of the driver? Let off lightly? If you were driving one of those trucks in a residential street, full of kids walking to school, what would you do? Would you even think of reversing round a corner? Would you not ask your bin-emptying mate to check the back of the truck while you reverse?
Sometimes I think people should be more accountable for what might be called 'stupid acts' or 'selfish acts' e.g. car drivers get prosecuted for traffic accidents where they have done something quickly 'to save a few seconds' and it ended in tragedy and if I reversed out of my drive in my car and killed someone then I would be prosecuted wouldn't I?
John W
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Posted By Stupendous Man
Should Councils operate a policy that refuse collection does not take place in the vicinity of a school during start and finish time?
Remove risk at source?
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Posted By sylvia
There was another fatality this year in Oxford (private company). However, as I am intersted in such matters, no way is 50 fatalities a year correct.
There may have been a reference to '50' in the old PM52 guidance on refuse vehicles. The period this may have covered I can't recall.
It may also be a "fatality or serious injury" figure, often quoted, but later distorted to lose the "or serious injury"!!!
The media do this - recently quoting young driver deaths when the figure related to injuries too. As the definition of serious injury incudes a fractured wrist for example, that is quite a wide grouping.
As for "task & finish" as a work procedure: the HSE have very recently added guidance on this very topic to their ever expanding pages on refuse work. This says it all, but no way is it "banned" or even - as there is guidance! - frowned upon, but it does need additional management for effective safety.
Various other elements of such work is covered, including the one on reversing, as previoulsy mentioned.
It's right that the organisation should take some flak - to put a driver into that situation suggests poor planning and management. If the council can show all guidance WAS in place, then it does boil down to the driver . . .
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