[Recycling Sector] Industry'S Poor Injuries Record

Incidents of fatal and major injuries in the recycling sector are four times the all-industry average, figures reveal. According to H&S data, 416 employees per 100,000 in the recycling and waste sectors experience a major injury or are killed at work compared with an all industry average rate of 102 per 100,000. Four fatalities were reported from working directly in the waste sector in 2009-10 - a reduction of three from the previous year - while three members of the public were killed due to work activities related to the industry. "Major injuries" such as amputations, dislocations, broken limbs and injuries requiring recuscitations accounted for a quarter of all injuries in the sector.