Manual intervention is needed to ensure the safe treatment of waste electrical and electronics equipment (WEEE) and minimalise the health and safety risk to operators, according to CKS Electronics Recycling Ltd.
CKS Group Plc said it has discovered serious health risks posed to employees at WEE treatment facilities, and has issued a cautionary guidance to operators.
The health and safety record in the industry has been in the spotlight, with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recently issuing a safety alert following nine reported deaths in WEEE factories in only eight weeks.
Although the majority of deaths in the review period were vehicle related, the HSE recommended a review of the industry’s procedures.
The traditional method for disposing of WEEE relies heavily on high-speed shredders that reduce waste before it’s separated into discrete fractions via magnetic and other means – both producing harmful dust particles that can be inhaled by employees.
The health problem is compounded by the fact that many old pieces of electrical equipment contain compounds that are no longer used as they have been recognised as being a significant risk to health.
CSK urged that substances like Beryllium, which ceased to be used after 1949 when it was linked to a high occurrence of lung cancer among people who had been in close contact with it, must be introduced via the Restriction on the use of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive.
“The waste industry doesn’t have a good safety record and shortcuts in WEEE treatment threaten to make the risks significantly higher for waste operators and their staff,” said managing director of CKS Electronics Recycling Ltd, Phil Sprason. “At 3.3 tonnes of Waste EEE per person per lifetime everyone leaves an ecological footprint.”
