Guidance

ESA H&S Guidance

ESA and its Members have produced a number of guidance documents for its members, and the wider sector.  These guidance documents can  also be found on the Guidance page of the website.

ESA is also working with WISH (Waste Industry Safety and Health) and SWITCH (Scottish Waste Industry Training, Competency, Health & Safety) on helping to improve health and safety performance right across the sector. 

• WISH
• SWITCH

Our H&S Working Groups work closely with WISH. SWITCH and HSE to ensure that the sector is constantly at the forefront of protecting their employees.

Guidance

• Induction Guidance - This guide provides a structure for devising an induction programme which has all the necessary components to ensure an effective and safe induction to your organisation.
• Embedding a Competency System Guidance - This guidance represents a sensible, reasonable and proportionate approach for embedding a competency system, to ensure your system has a logical flow, and presents a package of process and tools, based upon implementation best practices.
• Approach to Risk Assesment brochure - This guidance aims to offer a simple and effective approach to identifying risk, determining appropriate controls and communicating these to the people doing the job.

The guidance aligns a risk assessment approach to a site or activity (ie rather than being topic specific, such as manual handling or working at height) and includes example of such assessments which companies can use or adapt for their own purposes. Appendices to the brochure can be found below:

• Template - Non-Scored Risk Assesment

• Template - Scored Riak Assesment

• Site Process Factors Examples & Template

ESA’s Mental Health Group plans to issue topic specific guidance on a regular basis, each covering a current, pressing matter. 

The first in this series of guidance aims to help manage mental health for those people returning to the workplace upon lifting of lockdown restrictions.  After a year working at home this transition could prove quite stressful for some. 

The guidance is purposely succinct and in bite-sized format covering generic, high level points to consider, and also offers some follow up reading. 

• NEW Supporting good mental health in the waste management industry - This ESA mental health guidance is primarily aimed at managers, highlighting their role in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of their people and providing them with advice and resources to help embed a positive mental health culture within their organisation. While decisions on planning for and integrating mental health into the organisation might not be in a manager’s gift, this guidance aims to offer the tools and suggestions needed in starting a conversation with senior management in leveraging their support and buy-in. 
• Good mental health in the return to the workplace - This  guidance note aims to offer managers and supervisors practical tips to help manage mental health concerns associated with returning to the workplace upon lifting of lockdown restrictions.
• COVID-19: Mental health support & information for the waste management sector - This guidance offers tips, suggestions and points to consider in helping manage employees’ mental health as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It aims to assist and support managers in opening up a conversation on mental health, and to ensure that wellbeing is integrated into day to day business decisions, rather than perceived negatively as some