In October 2019, the European Occupational Health and Safety Symposium "Vision Zero in the Waste Industry" took place in Hamburg. The event was organized by the ISSA Section on Prevention in Transportation.

Close to 100 guests from ten European and African countries took part in the two-day event, including representatives of municipal utilities and waste management companies, manufacturers of waste collection vehicles and prevention experts from social accident insurance institutions.

In numerous specialist presentations, speakers described how occupational health and safety is developing in the waste industry and which problems and possible solutions exist. The focus was on the question of how accident and health risks in the industry can be reduced to zero in accordance with Vision Zero.

Eliminate serious and fatal accidents

"The ISSA launched the Vision Zero campaign at the World Congress on Safety and Health at Work in Singapore two years ago. This first global prevention campaign aims to eliminate serious and fatal accidents as far as possible. Accordingly, measures to implement Vision Zero were also given a prominent place at this ISSA Transportation Section symposium," says Dr. Christian Felten, Secretary General of the ISSA Section for Prevention in Transportation.

Another topic at the symposium on 23 and 24 October was the innovative principle for testing systems for safe reversing, developed by the Prüfstelle der DGUV (the German Social Accident Insurance's Test Centre) at the BG Verkehr. In order to get an idea of good practice in occupational safety in waste management, numerous guests of the symposium took part in excursions to companies in Hamburg. In special in-depth workshops, the participants discussed the hazard potential of bio-materials and the benefits and risks of running boards on waste collection vehicles.

At the end of the event, it became clear that Vision Zero in the workplace is no longer an unattainable dream if one takes a goal-oriented approach. People must be at the heart of it all.

For more information on the presentations and the results of this symposium, feel free to contact the General Secretariat.