H&S Culture Survey

H&S Culture Survey Results

As part of ESA’s work programme we issued a H&S culture survey in 2022 to better understand individuals’ perception of H&S in the waste industry. The survey comprised nine questions and covered matters such as whether people feel safe at work or feel confident that incidents are reported and investigated. 

The survey received over 1600 responses and was promoted both within and beyond the ESA membership to obtain the views from as wide a cross section of the waste industry as possible. The majority of responses were positive about the industry’s approach to H&S, with 95% of respondents agreeing that they felt able to raise H&S concerns if they had any, while most (86%) agreed that they felt safe working in the waste industry. 

The full findings and subsequent recommendations have been published by ESA in a short report

H&S Culture Survey Report

The charts below show the proportion of respondents who agreed with each of nine statements about working in the waste industry, ranked from highest level of agreement to lowest.

The survey revealed a couple of areas in need of attention, with respondents less convinced that mental health is given the consideration that it deserves. The survey also identified welfare facilities as another potential area of improvement, with only 74% agreeing that these were adequate. 

These two areas have therefore been included in ESA’s workplan as priority risk areas to benefit from targeted action, resources and guidance. 

H&S culture is known to play a key role in reducing injuries and therefore ESA intends to repeat this survey biennially to help keep track of progress.