Drivers Hours

Following a review of the current relaxation of the enforcement of the drivers’ hours rules; which is due to end on 21 April 2020, a decision has been made, based on the current evidence, to continue with the relaxations (apart from the relaxation on the EU break requirements) until 23:59 on Sunday 31 May 2020. Please see the link below to the updated notification on gov.uk for further details:

• Temporary Relaxation of the Enforcement of the Drivers’ Hours Rules

On Tuesday 14th April 2020, the EU published anticipated guidance on waste and recycling. Please find links and a brief summary below provided by the Scottish Government this afternoon .

SUMMARY

The guidance is high-level and draws strongly on recommendations from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). It covers the management of municipal waste, management of waste from healthcare facilities, and the health and safety of waste management operators and their workers.

The main message is “the overall continuity of proper municipal waste management services, including separate collection and recycling, is to be safeguarded in line with EU law.” Adaptations to waste collection practices, in line with EU waste laws, are permitted but should be time- and geographically- limited, and proportionate to what it required to protect human health.

The guidance specifies that in the case waste collection services have to be reduced, the continuity and sufficient frequency of collection of residual waste and bio-waste should be ensured (with change to e.g. frequency of dry recyclables collections or temporary closure of collection points for WEEE, batteries or bulky waste), with any changes communicated to the public.

Management of Municipal Waste

• According to the European Centre for Diseases Prevention and Control (ECDC), there is currently no evidence to infer that standard waste management procedures are unsafe or insufficient in terms of the risk for COVID-19 infection or that household waste plays a role in the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 or other respiratory viruses.”
• Any adaptation to waste collection in practices in the context of COVID-19, should comply with EU law on waste, should be necessary and proportionate to protect human health and should both time and regionally limited.
• EDCD guidance includes a specific section on management of household waste (6 pointers), including noting specific measures for infection prevention and control for suspected or confirmed coronavirus cases.
• In the case of staff shortages, Member States are advised to ensure continuity and sufficient frequency of collection of residual waste and bio-waste, and to consider changing the frequency of collection of dry recycling.

Management of Waste from Healthcare Facilities

• ECDC have issued guidance on disinfection of environments in healthcare and non-healthcare settings potentially contaminated with the Coronavirus and dealing with waste from disinfection: whereby waste from cleaning healthcare facilities should be treated as infectious clinical waste category B (UN3291), waste from non-healthcare settings should be disposed of in a separate bag, and waste from general settings should be disposed of in the residual waste.
• Member States are advised to ensure safe storage of medical waste in the event of any disruption to dedicated disposal or incineration capacity, including storage in secure areas by authorised personnel, suitable cleaning of storage containers, storage locally (thus avoiding need for additional transportation) and considering increasing storage capacity.
• Any change in approach to dealing with medical waste should be time-limited and strictly necessary to address an identified storage capacity issue.

Health and Safety of Waste Management Operators

• The document notes the importance of communicating to key sector workers how the risks are being managed in relation to their work during the Coronavirus crisis. It refers to guidance issued by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work on how to help prevent spread of Coronavirus at the workplace, and lists good practices including availability and appropriate use of PPE, and suitable disinfectants, and adapting organisation of staff to avoid passing infection among teams.

Support from EU Funds and State Aid Rules

• The guidance notes available funds and funding streams that could be used by Member states to address specific challenges related to proper management of waste in the context of the Coronavirus, namely through the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative

Information Exchange and Awareness.

• Member States are invited to communicate measures taken in response to the Coronavirus crisis
• The guidance also notes the Association of Cities and Regions for Sustainable Resource Management (for which Iain Gulland, ZWS, is currently President) has compiled an overview of current practices across the EU (available here).

COMMENTARY

Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius “In this unprecedented crisis, we are working with the Member States and waste operators across the EU to address the challenge of ensuring a high level of protection of human health and the environment. Proper waste management is part of the essential services underpinning the well-being of our citizens, delivered by numerous companies dealing with waste and keeping the circular economy going.”

LINKS

• Commission Guidance: Waste management in the context of the coronavirus crisis (published 14 April)
• EDCD technical report: Infection prevention and control in the household management of people with suspected or confirmed coronavirus disease (COVID-19) (Published 30 March).
• EDCD guidance: Disinfection of environments in healthcare and nonhealthcare settings potentially contaminated with SARS-CoV-2 (26 March)
• Association of Cities and Regions for sustainable Resource management (ACR+): Information on local and national practices Municipal waste management and COVID-19 (Updated as inputs are received)

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) publish its fifth Annual Science Review which this year focuses on their contribution to HSE’s regulatory activities. The review delivers case studies of the science, engineering work they have delivered and demonstrates how the HSE uses science and evidence to help Great Britain Work Well.

• 2020 Annual Science Review

The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) continue to provide services for regulating chemicals during COVID-19.

For further information on their administrative changes for each chemical regime, and updated details on how they can be contacted are set out below:

• Regulation of Chemicals During COVID-19

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) issue a joint statement to provide workers with information about the risks to their health and the actions their employers must take – especially for those continuing to work away from home.

• COVID-19 Joint Statement