Staff safety whilst on site isn’t a priority. It’s a necessity.

Significant progress is being made within the industry as we push for increased site safety, but what can individual businesses do to ensure their sites are safe for their staff?

Check out our latest blog with notes from our Business Performance Partner, Crystal Fraser, as we discuss just what we’re doing at Smart Environmental Support Services to educate, emphasise, and ensure site safety.

Whilst significant progress has been made to improve site safety in the UK waste industry, there were six reported worker fatalities in 2022-23.

There is an ongoing need for vigilance, and the need for continued efforts to prioritise safety at all levels.

Waste and Recycling sites are hubs of activity. Machinery, heavy equipment, and diverse materials mean that the potential for accidents and hazards is ever-present.

Adopting robust health and safety protocols means that the risks presented on a Waste and Recycling site can be mitigated.

So, What Protocols Do We Have?

• We invest heavily in our people’s safety. At Smart, we equip our staff members with IOSH Managing Safety Qualification. This is a globally recognised program equipping them with the essential knowledge and skills to create a safer work environment for themselves and their colleagues.
• We actively learn from all reported accidents and incidents. These learnings fuel our monthly health and safety briefings and training, to ensure that our employees are equipped with the knowledge and skills to avoid a similar situation.
• We operate monthly health and safety briefings to help us create a lasting safety culture on our sites.
• Our picking staff get hands-on training that blends safe work practices with productivity techniques for optimal performance.
• Our teams proactively completing site health and safety audits. Ensuring our workers are compliant and following risk assessments.
• We also complete Team Leader training which heavily focuses on Health and Safety.
• We run Harness training sessions and then regularly observe any workers we train to ensure they’re working safely.

Working With Our Clients

Alongside internal initiatives, we also work extremely closely with our clients to ensure the safety of our workers.

• We partner with our clients on their own safety campaigns, which gives us the opportunity to elevate our safety culture onsite.
• We partner with top clients to tailor and enhance site inductions.
• We also invest in ongoing training and development for our account managers, equipping them to deliver these crucial health and safety inductions for our clients with expertise and confidence.

Ensuring site safety is a necessity for any business working within the waste sector. Whether this be to protect workers, comply with legal requirements, conserve the environment, and maintaining a positive reputation.

By prioritising health and safety measures, businesses can demonstrate their commitment to ethical, sustainable, and socially responsible operations.

If you want to learn more about what the work that our Business Performance Team undertakes to ensure site safety, contact us here.