A total of 530 major injuries to workers in waste and recycling were reported in 2009/10. Although this is a drop of 10% on the previous year when 590 major injuries were reported, the Health and Safety Executive says more needs to be done.

Geoff Cox, HSE’s Head of Manufacturing, including waste and recycling said: “We are encouraged that there have been fewer deaths and injuries in waste and recycling, but the injury rate, which is stubbornly consistent with that of the previous year, paints a stark picture of how much more needs to be done.”

416 employees per 100,000 suffer a major injury or are killed at work compared with the all-industry average of 102 per 100,000, according to the latest statistics released by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

However, the number of fatalities at work across the UK was down from the year before at 152, the lowest ever recorded.