Where competition ends and safety begins (Part 2)
In the first part of this series, we looked at how our biggest risks don’t respect company logos. A reversing truck, a hidden battery or a needle on the line pose the same threat, whoever’s name is on the vehicle or gate.
We explored the data that shows how much higher the fatal injury rate is in waste and recycling than the all-industry average, and why incidents involving vehicles and machinery remain so devastating for workers, families and communities across our sector.
We also challenged the idea that safety can ever be a source of competitive advantage, when our people, supply chains and public reputation are so deeply connected.
This second and last part is about what we do with that reality and how collaboration through groups like the ESA Health and Safety Strategy Group, WISH Forum and CIWM is turning shared problems into shared solutions.
Collaboration creates social value
Working together on safety isn't only good for our businesses. It creates real social value in the communities we serve.
Every injury prevented means a worker who goes home to their family, stays in good work and keeps contributing to their local economy. It means less pressure on the NHS and fewer lives changed by long-term ill health. Our crews work on residential streets, near schools and alongside cyclists and pedestrians, so safer vehicles and better practices protect the public too.
Shared standards also help make waste and recycling a sector people want to join and stay in, offering secure, skilled and rewarding careers to local people. And because our customers, especially local authorities, increasingly look at the social value their contracts deliver, a sector that raises standards together is one that earns and keeps public trust.
For us, this is part of what it means to be a responsible business. Our contribution to sector collaboration is one of the ways we give back beyond our own sites and services.
What collaboration actually looks like
Each group plays a different and complementary part.
- The ESA Health and Safety Strategy Group: brings together member companies to set priorities, share performance data and incident learning, and develop sector-wide approaches to our biggest risks. Chairing it has shown me how much we gain when senior safety leaders speak openly about what's going wrong, not just what's going well.
- The WISH Forum: is a remarkable partnership. It brings together the Health and Safety Executive, operators, trade associations, local authorities, trade unions and others to produce practical guidance used across the industry. It's a model of what collaboration between regulators, employers and workers' representatives can achieve.
- CIWM: connects us to the wider professional community. It helps us develop skills, share knowledge beyond our own organisations, and support the next generation of professionals coming into the sector.
The value of the network
Beyond the guidance and the strategy papers, there's something I value just as much: the people.
These networks give you a sounding board when you're facing a difficult decision. They give you someone to call after a serious incident, when you need advice from someone who's been there. They challenge your thinking, introduce you to approaches you'd never have considered, and remind you that you're not alone.
They also offer real professional growth, including mentoring, speaking opportunities, exposure to different operating models, and the chance to help shape the future of our industry rather than simply respond to it.
Some of the most honest conversations I've had about failure, learning and leadership have been with people from other companies. That openness only happens because of the trust built over time.
A note of respect
I have huge respect for everyone who gives their time to this work. The safety professionals, operational leaders, association teams, regulators, local authority partners and trade union representatives I meet through ESA, WISH and CIWM bring honesty, challenge and a genuine commitment to putting people ahead of company interests. Much of this effort happens on top of already demanding day jobs, and it deserves recognition.
Above all, it's for the frontline workers across every company in our sector, the drivers, loaders, pickers, engineers and site teams who keep our communities running every day.
## Get involved
If you work in health, safety or wellbeing in waste and resources, I'd encourage you to join in. Share an incident lesson, contribute to guidance, attend a forum, or simply reach out to a counterpart at another company.
We may compete for contracts. But we should never compete on whether people get home safely.