April 28, 2022: All Belgian waste incineration facilities call for extra attention to safety on World Day for Safety and Health at Work

Every truck driver who enters one of the Belgian waste incineration facilities on 28 April will be addressed regarding safe behaviour. That day is World Safety Day. The members of Belgian Waste-to-energy are raising awareness of the fall risks and of wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment. 

Every incident is one too many
This awareness campaign on safety in the waste acceptance hall is taking place for the 2nd time at the initiative of safety staff of the Belgian waste-to-energy facilities, because every incident is one too many.  All too often, rules are broken for various - often human - reasons. BW2E shared a short film online, based on real events. In the film, a truck driver recounts how he fell into the bunker after parking his vehicle, out of politeness to fellow drivers in the hall, closer to the bunker’s edge than the rules stipulate.

“We hope that with this short film, drivers will be persuaded to follow the rules to the letter. For their own safety and that of the people around them,” says BW2E chairman Geert Magerman. “Our sector is making great efforts to improve safety in and around the tipping halls of waste-to-energy facilities: by means of signage, training, PowerPoint presentations, etc. But sometimes people do not stop and think about the impact that a given behaviour can have on safety.  Think, for instance, of the importance of seeing and being seen and wearing a high-visibility vest. It is often only after an incident that people become aware of this. In our view, continuing to raise awareness is the message.”

Campaign with a focus on personal contact
Just as it did in 2021, BW2E has opted for a personal approach to the truck drivers who come to deliver waste: a short personal conversation about safety, flanked by banners, flyers and a social media campaign. Two topics this year: wearing the right personal protective equipment (helmet, vest, goggles, safety shoes) and the risk of falling.

Reinforcing safety
During the campaign, we measure which dangerous situations occur most frequently.  Additional attention will be paid to this in the weeks following the campaign. The aim is to ensure even better prevention of unsafe situations in the waste acceptance halls in future.

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Belgian Waste-to-energy unites all of the Belgian facilities that treat residual household and similar commercial waste and recover energy from it. Altogether, they convert 2.8 million tonnes of waste into energy and materials for today and tomorrow. Every year they produce more than 1.5 million MWh of electricity which is partially renewable. This is the equivalent of the energy needs of 430,000 households.  In addition, BW2E members supply heat to residential or industrial heating networks. www.bw2e.be