New Guidance For The Safe Use Of Bin Lifts

In January 2024 the Waste Industry Safety and Health Forum (WISH) produced new guidance following concerns that when refuse collection vehicle (RCV) bin lifts are in automatic mode, they do not adequately differentiate between a person and a bin, meaning that individuals approaching close to sensors or switches may accidentally cause the lifting mechanism to activate, leading to injury. Historically, a number of fatal accidents have been reported involving RCV bin lifts.

Recently WISH has updated this guidance and published a set of frequently asked questions that have been received regarding improving the safety of bin lifts.

INFO 26 “Safety in the operation of automatic bin lifting equipment on RCVs” – highlights risks linked to bin lift equipment and identifies physical and procedural controls that can be put in place to minimise these risks. This can be downloaded from the WISH website.

REF 13 “FAQs – Safety use of automatic binlifts on RCVs” – contains responses to twelve common queries. This can be downloaded from the WISH website.

If you have any questions or would like support with managing issues at your workplace, please speak to your usual contact or get in touch using the form below.