Try not to cart off people, binmen told by health and safety chiefs
By Daily Mail Reporter
11th June 2010
Dealing with the tons of rubbish we throw away used to be a heavyweight but simple task for binmen.
In recent times, however, it's got a lot more complicated, with recycling and all those coloured bins and bags.
Now, it's gone a step further still.
Refuse collectors have been told to check wheelie bins and containers for something which certainly should not be there – people.
To ensure there's nothing living or breathing inside, they have been advised to bang on the sides and prod the contents with a stick.
The guidance has come from the Health and Safety Executive amid concern that wheelie bins are being used as beds or shelter by tramps and drinkers, with sometimes deadly consequences.
Last July, a 35-year-old teacher was found dead at an East Sussex refuse site after taking refuge in a wheelie bin.
Scott Williams, from New Zealand, was tipped into the back of a rubbish truck where he was crushed.
In February, an unnamed 45- year-old in Manchester narrowly escaped being crushed when he fell asleep in a recycling bin after a row at home.
He was tipped into the back of a refuse truck and the driver was about to start the crushing mechanism when he heard the man's screams.
On its website, the HSE tells binmen that looking for a person in a bin is 'simple'.
It says: 'Any manual check should comprise banging on the sides, lifting the lid, taking care to ensure that the person undertaking the check does not put themselves at risk.
'Rummaging around is not recommended although a tool such as a robust stick could be used to prod the contents.'
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