The United Kingdom experienced its hottest month of June on record this year and, as we enter July, further heatwaves are expected this week. With a long-term warming trend across the UK and Europe, British summers will inevitable keep getting warmer on average.
In recognition of this, the Environmental Services Association (ESA), the trade body representing the UK’s recycling and waste management industry, has this week published new sector-specific guidance to help operators protect the health and safety of frontline waste and recycling workers as the mercury rises.
The guidance has been produced for organisations and individuals responsible for planning and managing employee health, safety and wellbeing across the broad range of waste management activities.
Executive Director of the ESA, Jacob Hayler, said: “Recycling and waste operatives provide a vital frontline service upon which we all rely – often performing very demanding physical jobs in all weather conditions for prolonged periods of time, while working to ensure that the nation’s waste doesn’t pile up.
Although workers are still more likely to experience cold or wet conditions in the UK over the course of the year, summer heatwaves are becoming commonplace and present new challenges to operatives. In consultation with our members, we have produced practical guidance for employers across the sector to help identify, assess and mitigate risks associated with hotter weather. We hope that this provides a useful resource and contributes towards keeping workers safe across the industry.”
There is no legal maximum working temperature in the UK, which means that responsibility for assessing and managing heat-related risk sits firmly with employers.
The guidance supplements, rather than replaces, existing health and safety management systems; task and site risk assessments; safe systems of work and local emergency plans.
At the centre of the guidance is a set of example heat-index triggers, designed to give supervisors a clear, staged framework for action as temperatures climb. Beyond the heat-index framework, the guidance also sets out a series of operational recommendations, including:
- Rescheduling physically demanding tasks, collections and maintenance activities to cooler parts of the day where operationally practicable
- Reducing unnecessary exposure by combining site inspections and limiting repeat journeys during periods of extreme heat
- Reviewing staffing, supervision and welfare arrangements during prolonged hot spells
- Briefing teams on how heat stress, fatigue and dehydration can affect concentration, situational awareness and driving performance
- Introducing additional welfare breaks for physically demanding activities
The guidance also highlights the elevated fire risk that hot weather brings to permitted sites where waste is stored or processed – with associated recommendations for minimising risks associated with sources of ignition.
A dedicated section of the guidance addresses the challenge of maintaining protective standards while reducing the heat burden of PPE — a trade-off the guidance suggests should never be resolved by lowering protection levels. Instead, the guidance sets out minimum specifications across high-visibility garments, hand, foot, head, eye, face, respiratory and hearing protection, alongside practical measures such as breathable fabrics, moisture-wicking liners and increased glove-change frequency.
To help operators translate the guidance into action, the document sets out the key risk assessment requirements for hot weather, covering thermal (heat) risk, UV and solar radiation exposure, fire risk assessment review under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, air quality considerations for workers with respiratory or allergic conditions, and operational and collection-round planning. A ready-to-use preparation checklist is included, allowing organisations to record actions, owners and target dates.
The guidance is available to download for free from the link below:
