Introduction
Considerable progress has been made by a working group (comprising
representatives from EnviroWaste Services Ltd, Waste Management
NZ Ltd, MetroWaste, Onyx Group, and Streetsmart with administrative
support from WasteMINZ) on the Draft Guidelines for the operation
of rear loading compaction/collection trucks. The aim is for these
Guidelines to become a Code of Practice endorsed by OSH.
The well publicized fatalities and recent near
misses which have occurred during the use of the rear loading
compaction/collection
trucks have prompted the industry to seriously consider the areas
of the business that have the potential to add to the country’s
work related injury rate.
OSH has provided advice on the content of the draft guidelines
which has given those in the group a clear understanding of the
expectations that they (OSH) would like to see in the final document
when it is presented to their policy team to review in preparation
for the document to be accepted as an Industry Code of Practice.
With the production of the Draft guidelines and the aim of having
the document endorsed by OSH, the waste industry is in a position
of being able to show a real commitment to improving the Health
and Safety for the workers in the industry.
A number of issues have been identified and worked through during
the production of the guidelines and alongside the ever important
health and safety issues the group has seriously considered any
operational impacts these changes may have on business.
These draft guidelines are now available on the WasteMINZ website
www.wasteminz.org.nz for submissions and/or comment until 30 July
2004. Operators of these vehicles are encouraged to study the proposals
as they will form an industry standard that OSH will be seeking
to be applied universally, once adopted.
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