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SWITCH Webinar -Lessons Learned from Delivering Waste Collection During COVID-19

View David Goodenough, West Lothian Council (SWITCH member of Education, Training Competence group) webinar on Lessons learned from delivering waste collection during COVID-19.

In this webinar David takes us through the key stages of delivering a collection service this year as covid 19 restrictions developed including the issues which arose trying to keep a collection service operational and how health, safety and training issues were resolved. Followed by a Q&A session where David shares his knowledge further on some of the issues they faced, how they were resolved and what are the upcoming issues for the remainder of 2020 and going into 2021.

SWITCH will be running a series of webinars which usually take place on the last Thursday of each month on a range of topics and issues relevant to the resource management industry and for everyone working in the sector – so all are welcome to join,

We are always interested in hearing what other topics and subjects you would like to hear more about and discuss and share practice on. Even better if you are able to offer to present on this monthly seminar the please drop and email to admin@switchforum.org.uk.

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Save the date for the November Seminar 

Topic: Promotion of Mental Health and Wellbeing During COVID-19

When: Thursday 26th November 10:00 – 11:00

 

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HSE Weekly Digest: Health & Safety News, Information and Guidance

For the latest HSE Weekly Digest please follow the links below.

Topics include:

Please forward this on to any colleagues that you feel will benefit

 

 

 

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Webinar – Adapting Waste Services to COVID-19

Wednesday 11th November 14:00 – 15:00

Click Here to Register to join the webinar

Why this is relevant:
COVID-19 has had a profound effect on every aspect of our lives, from the pattern of business activity, to where we shop and how we socialise. For London waste authorities this impacts how they deliver services. The capital’s local authorities have had to be responsive and adaptive to maintain their domestic and commercial waste and recycling collection services, whilst attempting to forecast the ongoing impact COVID-19 will have – which is particularly important given the likelihood now of a second wave.

About the event:
LWARB is hosting this webinar to share knowledge on three COVID-19 research projects we commissioned to help London local authorities respond to the pandemic. Join us to hear insights on:

• A study to predict the impact of COVID-19 on commercial waste volumes and composition within London;
• Learnings from London waste authorities’ responses to the need to protect waste and recycling services during the March 2020 COVID-19 lockdown; and
• An extension to the waste compositional study conducted as part of the ‘Making recycling work for people in flats’ project, to look at the impact COVID-19 measures have had on waste volumes and composition in purpose built flats.

Although London is the focus of this research, it will be of interest to local authorities elsewhere (particularly those in urban areas), regional and national government, as well as the wider waste industry.

Agenda:

  • Antony Buchan Scene setting
  • Cathy Cook Learnings from waste authorities’ responses to protecting waste and recycling services
  • Sarah Craddock Assessment of the future impact of COVID-19 on commercial waste volumes and composition
  • Gemma Scott Impact of COVID-19 on waste composition in purpose built flats
  • Questions
  • Antony Buchan Summing up
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RMAS – Test & Protect and When to Isolate

Test and Protect

  • Test and Protect has now been operating for more than four months and is doing what we need it to – identifying positive cases and tracing their close contacts so they can get appropriate public health advice to limit the spread of the virus.
  • It is still essential to continue with other measures to reduce transmission: physical distancing, hand and respiratory hygiene, and appropriate use of face coverings.

Complex cases, including those involving key and emergency service workers, are escalated to experienced teams

  • We cannot offer blanket assurances that certain workforces can be exempt from isolation.
  • If co-workers have been maintaining appropriate physical distancing, then they may have no or few close contacts.
  • If a case is wearing PPE, a risk assessment to assess close contacts is needed.
  • In complex cases, specialist public health advice and management will be required.
  • It is essential that employers carry out a Covid-19 risk assessment to reduce the risk of transmission in the workplace and have robust plans in place to manage the impact of workforce absence due to isolation.

Self-Isolation

  • We currently advise that if someone has been identified as a close contact of a COVID case they have to self-isolate for 14 days. This 14-day period is critical to prevent the virus from spreading because it can take up to 14 days for an infected person to develop the illness (the incubation period). This means that if they get tested and receive a negative result before the 14 days have passed, we cannot be sure that the illness will not develop. If they leave isolation before these 14 days are complete, they could potentially spread the virus in the community.
  • A close contact is defined as a person who, in the infectious period from 48 hours prior to and 10 days after the confirmed case’s symptom onset, or date a positive test was taken if asymptomatic, had at least one of the following types of exposure
  1. Household contact: those who share the household or have spent a significant amount of time in the house without social distancing or This also includes cleaners, even if the index case is not present due to the invasive nature of this job.
  2. Direct contact: close contact outside the house without PPE, of within one metre of index case.
  3. Proximity contact: close contact without PPE for more than 15 minutes between 1 and 2 metres of index case.
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Zero Waste Scotland (ZWS) – Managing Waste During COVID-19

ZWS provide dedicated waste hub  for Scotland’s recyclers and waste management operations during COVID-19 with support and advice from the Scottish and UK Governments, Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and Health Protection Scotland. The resources provide information and signpost to the most up-to-date guidance on a range of topics, including support for businesses, environmental regulations, temporary regulatory positions and health and safety.

The campaign reinforces the legal responsibility to recycle and manage waste properly. There is also a warning to those who are seeking to use the opportunity of disruption to services to their criminal advantage, and a plea to businesses to help SEPA to tackle unscrupulous companies and individuals by reporting suspicious behaviour and making sure they only deal with legitimate waste companies.

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HSE – Increase in Legionella Risks During COVID-19

If your building has been closed or had reduced occupancy during the COVID-19 outbreak, water system stagnation can occur due to lack of use, increasing the risks of legionnaires’ disease.

See HSE guidance on managing legionella risks during the outbreak and how to protect people when the water system is reinstated or returned to use.

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HSE – Working Safely During COVID-19 Outbreak

HSE guidance on working safely during the coronavirus outbreak includes practical measures you can take that will help you manage the risk.

There are two downloadable guides designed to help you keep people safe while running your business

 

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HSE Updated Regulatory Statement

As we move into a new phase of supporting a safe return to work across Great Britain, HSE adjusts its focus of its activities, including visits to business premises and sites which will be conducted in line with social distancing regulations and guidelines. HSE activities continue to be guided by the specific requirements and characteristics of the sectors they regulate and in line with advice from the UK Government and Public Health Bodies.

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Mental Health Awareness Week – Depression

Depression is more than simply feeling unhappy or fed up for a few days. Depression is an illness and can have a serious effect on a person’s life and the lives of those around them. It can affect anyone, and is one of the most common mental health problems affecting 1 in 10 of people at some point.

For more information on how to recognise and deal with depression please see below from the Mental Health Foundation.

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Mental Health Foundation – Mental Health Awareness Week 18th – 24th May

Mental Health Awareness Week 2020 takes place from 18-24 May. The Mental Health Foundation has selected Kindness as this year’s theme in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.

 

 

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