WorkSafe Victoria is launching a statewide inspection program targeting safety issues around loading and unloading, vehicle maintenance and load restraint in the waste and recycling transport industry.
Inspectors will be visiting workplaces from this week.
The safety blitz follows the deaths of eight truck drivers and garbage collectors, engaged in waste and recycling transport, since 2019 – with the most common causes being vehicles rolling away or being involved in crashes.
These tragic deaths include two workers crushed between their trucks and brick walls in separate incidents at St Albans in July 2021 and in Melbourne’s CBD in June 2023.
According to WorkSafe, in the past five years, over 400 truck drivers and garbage collectors in the waste and recycling sector have been injured seriously enough to receive workers compensation.
Body stressing, falls, being hit by moving objects and vehicle incidents accounted for the majority of injuries.
WorkSafe executive director of health and safety Sam Jenkin said the transportation of waste carried unique risks that employers must take every reasonable step to control.
“Workers in the waste transport sector often work in confined conditions with unpredictable loads that can become unstable, while improper maintenance can lead to damaged vehicles, skips, bins and lifting gear – putting workers and others at risk,” he said.
“Sadly, we continue to see serious and sometimes tragic incidents in this sector that could have been prevented, which is why these issues will be a particular focus for our inspectors.”
WorkSafe says its focus on waste management transport is part of a wider push to improve safety in the heavy vehicle transport industry, through strategic visits, compliance and enforcement, and industry partnerships.
The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator has also recently launched a Waste and Recycling Industry Code of Practice to guide the industry on its obligations, common hazards and ways to eliminate or reduce the risks. It can be viewed here.
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