Skip Hire Safety

This guidance will help to improve knowledge and understanding of the key step needed to prevent injuries in the use of Skip Hire vehicles. It explains the legal duties of operators in the waste industry and how to identify hazards and risks in the Skip Hire Business. The first thing to remember are rules are there for a reason. Skip Hire vehicles are big, heavy and on the whole dangerous when not looked after.

What the Law requires

Safe place of work for employees

Employers have a legal duty to provide a safe place of work. The law expects every employer to make sure employees involved in the waste collection activities are protected from ill health and injuries. In order to follow the guidelines companies must make sure they are up to date with any new information on health and safety.

Safe place of work for other people

Waste collection activities involve other people other than employees, including contractors and members of the public.When managing risks, employers and operators must protect the safety of all people involved in, or affected by waste collection activities.

Safe Loads

Operators of skip collection vehicles also have a legal duty to secure the load. Load securing for road transport is covered by road traffic legislation. It is against the law for skip hire vehicle to be overloaded or for material in a skip to fall onto a public road. Skips must be covered properly so the skip contents does not fall onto road or can harm any of the public. Skips must not be overloaded or exceed the safe load capacity.

Occupational health & safety legislation also applies to load securing.

Employers must make sure that systems of work are planned and carried out correctly for securing and transporting loads. Equipment must be in good serviceable condition for securing loads.
Drivers and loading and unloading staff are given training on loading of Skip Hire vehicles.
The right plans and procedures are also in place to deal with times where a skip, or the load has moved or fallen from a skip lorry.

Risk Assessments

The collection of waste using Skip Hire vehicles can present many dangers. Operators of skip hire vehicles must have up to date risk assessments in place.

Information, instruction and Training

The skip lorry operator plays a vital part in making sure everyone is safe, not just themselves. Drivers must have the relevant qualifications to drive a Skip Hire Vehicle. To meet their legal duties employers must make sure that all skip hire vehicle operators, both new and experienced are properly trained. This includes employees, sub contractors and any others involved in waste collections. Training should be structured , on the job training so the operator gets the knowledge needed to operate safely in the waste industry.

Training should include:

How to regularly inspect the skip lorry , the lifting equipment and the skips.
Safe systems of work for the specific skip hire vehicle they are assigned to.
How to deliver/ collect skips located on or near a public road or close to passing vehicles.
Incident reporting
Use of personal protective equipment.

Inspection and maintenance of waste collection equipment and vehicles

There is a legal duty on operators to make sure vehicles are roadworthy. Maintenance of skip lorries and skips should be carried out at regular intervals. This should be part of a scheduled maintenance program. Skip hire operators will have to keep records of all maintenance checks for each vehicle.

Collection and delivery of skips

In this situation only one full skip, or partially full skip should be carried at any one time. Waste collection vehicles are designed to carry one skip on the chassis of the vehicle. Skips and their contents must not exceed the load capacity of the skip hire vehicle. Loaded or partly loaded skips should not be stacked on top of each other or nested in a empty skip. A skip must never be transported when swinging from the lifting chains.

Empty skips should be stacked on a skip lorry no more than three high as long as the additional two skips are secured. Where more than one skip is being moved from place to place they bust additionally secured to the hevicle framework using straps. The straps should be protected from damage where they cross sharp or rough edges.

Employers must make sure systems of work for securing and transporting skips and loads, are planned, performed and maintained. Drivers loading and unloading skips must be provided with instruction, information and training. Employers must make sure that adequate equipment for securing loads, such as nets and covers are provided and maintained. Hazardous situations can occur when out delivering skips. some of the situations that need to be reported include the following:

An overloaded or unsafely loaded skip which should not be collected by the driver, and the company should raise the issue promptly with the customer.
If there is not enough room to retrieve the skip or container, the driver should not collect un til a resolution is identified.
Where there is soft ground, a driver should identify the hazard even if requested by customer to set the skip. Amore secure location will have to an agreed at time of delivery.

In Conclusion of safety for Skip Hire

As you can see there are lots of rules for health and safety in Skip Hire and for that reason companies need to be well informed. Bushbury Skip Hire are a family run business based in Wolverhampton. We are fully licensed with the Environmental agency and a members of the Health & Safety program from Croner group. We take health and safety very serious here at Bushbury Skip Hire and ensure our staff and customers are protected while delivering/ collecting skips here in Wolverhampton.

Full HSE guidance can be found here https://www.hse.gov.uk/waste/skiphire.htm