WorkSafe Victoria has announced that its inspectors have begun visiting waste transport workplaces from this week in a bid to target safety issues around loading and unloading, vehicle maintenance and load restraint.
The safety blitz follows the death of eight truck drivers and garbage collectors engaged in waste and recycling transport since 2019, most commonly due to vehicles rolling away or being involved in crashes.
On top of this, WorkSafe says more than 400 truck drivers and garbage collectors in the sector have been seriously injured in the past five years.
WorkSafe health and safety executive director Sam Jenkin says 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,” Jenkin says.
“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.”
The focus on waste management transport is part of a wider WorkSafe push to improve safety in the heavy vehicle transport industry, through strategic visits, compliance and enforcement, and industry partnerships.
WorkSafe says Victorian employers must do everything they can to protect workers and others, including members of the public, from the hazards and risks associated with operating a mobile workplace such as a garbage truck.
This includes being familiar with federal laws and the chain of responsibility, which makes parties other than drivers responsible for heavy vehicles on the road.
To support employers and businesses that generate waste, the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator 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.
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