WorkSafe has begun an inspection program to look at safety issues in Western Australian waste and recycling facilities.
The inspection program will look at randomly selected facilities across metropolitan and regional areas of the state throughout the 2024-25 financial year.
Inspectors will look at waste treatment, remediation, and material recovery and disposal services. Focuses will include machinery guarding, safe movement of vehicles manual tasks, training, procedures, consultation, and psychosocial issues such as fatigue.
The waste and recycling industry has been identified as having challenges in relation to safety, due to a high number of injuries from manual tasks and other risk areas.
The inspections will be conducted with the aid of a checklist to ensure consistency across all workplaces.
Sally North, WorkSafe Commissioner, said the inspection program is aimed at assisting employers in the waste and recycling industry to fulfil their responsibilities for the health and safety of workers in their facilities.
“The primary goal of our proactive programs is to provide information and to collaboratively work towards a reduction in work-related injuries and illnesses in the industry sectors we target,” she said.
“However, if our inspectors find non-compliance with work health and safety legislation, they will take appropriate action that could include the issuing of verbal directions or notices requiring the facility to remedy the situation.
“A wide range of safety issues may be present for workers in the waste and recycling industry, and it’s our aim to make employers fully aware of the risks and supply them with information on the measures that can be put into place to lessen those risks.”
For more information, visit: www.commerce.wa.gov.au/worksafe
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