HSE releases new guide to totting
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has released a new piece of guidance aimed at preventing injuries to people who work in recycling and waste facilities.
Focusing on 'totting', or sorting waste and recyclables through hand picking, the guide points out that personal protective equipment such as safety gloves and safety boots are crucial for people working in this sector.
A number of hazards are present in this kind of work, including high noise levels that can cause hearing damage and dangerous dust and fumes that can potentially affect the respiratory system.
Given that those who sort through waste manually can come in contact with dangerous items such as needles and broken glass, providing staff with the right kind of equipment is extremely important, the HSE argued.
According to the organisation, the incidence of fatal injuries sustained by people working in the waste sector was nearly seventeen times larger than in other UK industries between 2009 and 2011.
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