Lorries dumped waste on beach – as Sky News told gangs can ‘make millions’ from illegal tipping
Gangs will charge hundreds to take away waste and claim it will be processed properly – but then just dispose of it where they can. Experts say they’re undeterred by fines and regard them as a “legitimate business expense”.
On a bright but chilly February morning, around a dozen volunteers gather by the beachfront at Minster, on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent.
In bobble hats and walking boots, they carry blue plastic bags and litter pickers.
They wander slowly past the dog walkers and brightly painted beach huts, combing the pebbles for waste. But the rubbish they’re looking for isn’t normal litter; it’s builders’ rubble and shredded household waste.
It was dumped en masse by the lorry load, at an illegal dump site further up the coast by Eastchurch Gap, between 2020 and 2023.
Read more on the Sky News website.
Network Rail fined £3.75m following track worker deaths
Network Rail has been fined £3.75m and ordered to pay costs of £175,000 after pleading guilty to an offence under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, which followed an investigation and prosecution by industry regulator the Office of Rail and Road (ORR).
The incident involved Michael Lewis, Gareth Delbridge and a third track worker, employees of Network Rail, who were working on the track at Margam, Wales on 3 July 2019. A passenger train travelling from Swansea to Paddington struck Mr. Lewis and Mr. Delbridge, who suffered fatal injuries. The train narrowly missed the other worker. The trio were carrying out track maintenance work without site or distant lookout protection to warn them of approaching trains, or a line block which would have prevented trains from travelling on the section of the track they were working on.
For more on the incident visit the HSM website.
IOSH calls for Government action to protect gig workers
The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) today calls on the Government to ensure gig economy workers have the same employment rights and health and safety protections as those in more secure jobs.
In a new white paper, IOSH shines a light on the disadvantages faced by platform workers in the gig economy and also urges the Government to look for alternatives to zero-hour contracts.
The paper, A platform for success: building a better future in the gig economy, highlights how an estimated 1.7 million people made up the UK’s gig workforce last year – a figure predicted to grow by more than 300 per cent by 2027.
IOSH, the global chartered membership body for health and safety professionals, believes that while platform work provides flexible employment valued by many people, the non-standard working arrangements provide health and safety challenges. Many platform workers reportedly experience poor health and safety management and long working hours.
Despite one in five gig workers saying this was their main source of income, an IOSH survey of 1,000 platform workers in the gig economy conducted last year showed that 58 per cent experienced unpredictable income. The same number said gig work made it difficult to care for dependants while 54 per cent had low levels of job security.
Learn more about the white paper on the IOSH website.
BSIF urges businesses to review PPE stock
The British Safety Industry Federation (BSIF) is urging buyers and wearers of PPE to review their PPE stock and replace old and damaged items after a member survey showed outdated and poorly maintained personal protective equipment (PPE) is in use across UK workplaces.
The survey of BSIF members, made up of manufacturers and distributors of PPE who frequently visit workplaces across the UK, highlighted the prevalence of substandard products in use in Britain’s workplaces. The findings emphasise the urgent need for employers and workers to prioritise PPE evaluation and renewal as they prepare for the year ahead.
The survey highlights a worrying trend in the state of PPE and safety equipment across industries.
Visit the HSM website to read more.
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