Also known a baby freighters, Baby RCV’s, Narrow access or rural collection vehicles, these are typically in the region of 7.5 tonnes to 14 tonnes.
It hadn’t occurred to me until recently that in some cases, the bin lift control panel is located within close proximity of the lifting equipment itself. The associated risks became very apparent when I saw a shocking video of an operative trapping his hand in a bin lift clamp. The vehicle CCTV camera has recorded the operative attempting to open a bin lid whilst operating a manual collection cycle via the control panel. Whilst the extent of the injury couldn’t be confirmed from the footage, it was obvious from the operative’s reaction that the incident had caused significant pain.
This incident could’ve been attributable to a momentary lapse in concentration, complacency or a lack of adequate training or supervision. Either way, it has raised concerns across the industry regarding the safety of these small RCV’s and the risk of entrapment in the lifting machinery.
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) reviewed over 500 RIDDOR reports that were completed between 2013 and 2021 to understand the extent of the issue. The data confirms that there had been 7 cases relating to an amputated finger as a result of entrapment within vehicle machinery, putting these incidents in to the ‘low frequency but high severity’ category.
The Waste Industry Safety and Health (WISH) Forum are keen to understand how many of these small RCV’s are currently being used across the UK. There are a number of manufacturers in the UK producing small RCV bodies but control panels are mounted in a variety of locations, albeit, on the side of the side of the vehicle body.
The inherent safety risk relating to the location of the lift cycle control panel does give significant cause for concern given that there are no consistent or minimum safety standards to stipulate the location of these panels. Therefore, WISH are currently collating data before engaging with manufacturers to define appropriate safety standards. I have since heard that several fleet operators have identified the risk and used fleet maintenance teams to physically relocate control panels further along the vehicle body to reduce the risk of entrapment and entanglement. This option could be a suitable rectification for in-house or contracted services, however, it is unlikely to be an option with those operating leased or hired vehicles.
- If you are an authority operating these vehicles, please can you confirm:
- 1) The number in operation
- 2) Body manufacturer
- 3) Vehicle age
- Email your reply to Admin@larac.org.uk by 1 August 23
