UNISON has called for tighter rules to keep workers on foot away from vehicles after 21-year-old Geraint Eagle was killed by a lorry at a Bridgend recycling firm.
Noland Recycling was ordered to pay more than £300,000 in fines and costs in Cardiff Crown Court last month.
Mr Eagle was cleaning the weighbridge at the waste site when the incident happened. He had only worked at the site for six months and could not be seen from the cab of a lorry while carrying out his work.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said there had been nothing to stop lorries driving on or off the weighbridge when the work was taking place. It added that a risk assessment would have identified the potential danger of lorries mixing with pedestrians on the site, and the appropriate steps to take.
In its submission to the HSE on workplace transport and safety, UNISON has called for improved guidance on keeping vehicles and pedestrians separate from each other and for dealing with emergencies.
But the union says that the best way to make workplaces safer is to increase organisation and recruit more safety reps.
To find out more about becoming a safety rep or recruiting safety reps, get your copy of the UNISON Safety in Numbers toolkit from the online catalogue. Or fill see our pages on becoming a rep and fill in the online form.
HSE press release (external link)
UNISON response to the consultation on the HSE Workplace Transport Guide
UNISON event: European health and safety week
UNISON Knowledge: health and safety topics (member-only content please sign in to view)
UNISON health and safety advice and material (member-only content please sign in to view)
