Incidents of aggressive behaviour against binmen and other Bristol Waste staff have more than tripled in a year.
The problem is so serious that workers at the city’s tips have been given body cameras, while video cameras are now fitted to all company vehicles. There were 68 reported incidents against employees of the city council-owned firm in the 12 months up to October 2021, compared with just 20 the previous year – a 340 per cent increase.
It mirrors a nationwide rise in aggression against people working in the waste industry during the pandemic, partially fuelled by frustrations over the requirement to close or restrict access to recycling centres and the cancellation of some kerbside collections because of a driver shortage and Covid-19. The issue came to light while scrutiny councillors were quizzing managing director Tony Lawless about Bristol’s Waste annual business plan.
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The document said health and safety had been a central focus in 2021/22 and that the company’s priorities for the next 12 months focused on preventing harm to people and the environment. But it said: “Despite the positive effort around improvements, the amount of change has had a negative effect on our health and safety results.
“With Covid-19 restrictions, congested city streets and increased tonnages, we have seen an increase in accidents and incidents.” It said these included injuries in the workforce from slips, trips and falls, manual handling, vehicle accidents and the huge rise in aggressive behaviour towards employees. This is UK wide with a marked increase in incidents of violence and aggression since the onset of the pandemic,” the business plan said.
Green Cllr David Wilcox asked Mr Lawless at Bristol City Council overview and scrutiny management board on Wednesday, February 9: “As a person who makes a coffee for our street cleaner – milky, two sugars – every time he comes through, I’m appalled by the 340 per cent increase in reported aggressive behaviour towards your staff. What steps are you taking to mitigate this?”
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The MD replied: “We’ve put video on all our vehicles now. Any of the incidents that are captured on camera we report to the police. We’ve put body cams on some of our staff who work in the household reuse and recycling centres as well, so there is a lot of video evidence that will be recorded, reported and hopefully prosecuted.”
A Bristol Waste spokesperson said: “We take the safety of our staff seriously and have a zero-tolerance approach to abuse. To help keep our crews safe, collection vehicles are equipped with 360-degree cameras, and body-worn cameras are issued to staff at the recycling centres.
"Any evidence of abuse is shared with the police, which has previously resulted in successful prosecutions. We have support systems in place to look after any staff who experience abuse, including access to mental health first aiders and employee assistance programmes to support wellbeing.
“We believe that our work to encourage reporting, and the business expanding with cleaning and security services, has contributed to the increase in reports, however, nationally the Environmental Services Association has reported a nationwide increase in violence and aggression in the waste industry during the pandemic. We are monitoring this closely and will take any actions needed to ensure the safety of our staff.”
They said the company made a short film last year as part of its ongoing efforts to tackle abuse towards staff, raise awareness and encourage employees to come forward with their experiences, which can be seen here.
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