Report sheets were sent out to all key contacts listed on the AfOR Health and Safety Key Contacts Data base, this equates to ninety (90) organisations.  Respondents were asked to supply the information by completing pre-formatted forms showing categories of occurrence, activity leading to the occurrence and the immediate result of the occurrence. 

Occurrences were listed as RIDDOR, other injury accidents, incidents and near misses. 

Activities were shown as; office based, composting windrow, composting IVC/ABP, AD, engineering & maintenance, visitors & contractors and intruders.  

Results of the occurrence were shown as; impact, slips trips & falls, vehicle & plant, manual handling, needle sticks & cuts, fire chemical & electrical and misc.

A total of seventeen (17) (19%) responses were received.  Of these responses, one (1) referred to the wrong quarter and therefore discounted, another response indicated that the site had been moth balled, a further eight (8) reported no accidents or incidents on member sites in the quarter.  The remaining seven (7) responses showed a total of twenty-eight (28) accidents or incidents.  This may however be skewed as one response showed a total of nineteen (19) vehicle near misses

 

The accidents & incidents arising can be summarised as follows:

Accidents reportable under the RIDDOR scheme, one (1) miscellaneous accident related to engineering and maintenance.
Other Injury Accidents, a total of 6 accidents reported three(3) arising from engineering and maintenance,  results of these occurrences include;  impact vehicle/plant, manual handling, needle sticks & cuts and fire chemical & electrical.

Incidents, one (1) incident was reported, this relates to a fire in a windrow.
Near Misses, a total of twenty (20) near misses were reported all relating to vehicles.  This total included a single report of nineteen (19) occurrences.

It is pleasing to note the high number of sites that reported no accidents or incidents in the quarter; this supports the observations made by the HSE who reported a reduction in industry related deaths in the first three quarters of the year.  
Excluding the report of 19 near misses, the next largest activity leading to accidents & incidents was indentified as engineering and maintenance.   Whilst engineering and maintenance covers many issues this show a need for further study in this area. 

AfOR will continue to collect members' accident statistics and display them on this website.