HSE report finds number of failings at Crieff depot where binman died of Covid-19
The inspection noted no deep cleaning was carried out at the North Forr recycling centre after three positive cases were detected
Last updated 10th Feb 2021
No deep cleaning was carried out at a Crieff recycling centre after three coronavirus cases were detected, one of which was fatal.
That's according to a Health and Safety Executive inspection at the town's North Forr depot last month.
It found no coronavirus risk assessments were in place, and no hand sanitizer was available for employees.
Vicki Leonard from GMB isn't surprised by the findings. "They HSE raised most of the concerns we had already raised numerous times with Perth and Kinross Council," she said.
"We don't believe Perth and Kinross Council has done nearly enough to minimise the risk to health and safety in the workplace.
"Simple things like one-way systems, that could have been addressed. We've asked them to address them and it just wasn't done.
"In the end we've raised a collective grievance relating to most of these issues that were discussed in the Health and Safety Executive report."
A Perth & Kinross Council spokesperson said: "The safety of our staff is our priority and we take all practical measures to protect them from COVID-19.
"We welcome the HSE’s involvement and will use their findings to help us improve our processes at the Crieff site.
"We are conducting a further review of the procedures and training in line with their advice to ensure full compliance with government guidelines and health and safety legislation.
"COVID cases remain very low within Perth and Kinross Council’s operational depots and continue to demonstrate the effectiveness of the arrangements we have had in place since March last year.
"All of our staff, across all of our services, have been reminded of the importance of following all public health advice in order to minimise transmission of coronavirus as much as possible, both at work and within their communities."