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Waste electrical and electronic equipment: guidance for collection, reuse and recycling

• How to use this guidance
• Guiding principles for managing and handling WEEE
• Collecting, transporting and storing WEEE
• Guidelines and recommendations for WEEE reuse and recycling operators
• Reuse of EEE
• Recycling WEEE
• Exporting hazardous WEEE
• Overview of other WEEE good practice guidance/advice and standards
• Health and safety considerations when reusing or recycling WEEE
  • Health and safety advice for New Zealand businesses reusing or recycling WEEE
  • Health and safety considerations for all WEEE operators
  • Recommended health and safety good practice
  • Employer and employee responsibilities under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 1992
  • Working with overseas operators
• WEEE directive categories
• Bibliography
• Glossary
• Consultation
• Feedback

Recommended health and safety good practice

Olsen (2007 and Unpublished) identifies the following as the main ways to reduce the health and safety risks associated with waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).

Cleaning procedures

• Use vacuum cleaners with a high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter, not brooms.
• To further prevent dust swirling up, use a vacuum cleaner on a wet floor.
• Use wet cloths.
• Clean regularly.

Hygiene procedures

• Provide overalls, gloves, boots, face masks and other suitable personal protective equipment.
• Ban eating and drinking at work stations.
• Wash hands and face before drinking, eating and smoking.
• Wash hands and face and take off overalls and other personal protective equipment before entering the eating area or leaving the plant.

Noise reduction

• For shredders, balers, cutting equipment, air guns and compressors:
  • evaluate and post noise levels, and provide adequate hearing protection when those levels exceed applicable regulated requirements
  • reduce the reverberation time in the room (using sound absorption materials)
  • place the noisy processes in separate rooms or outside
  • refer to the Department of Labour’s Approved Code of Practice for the Management of Noise in the Workplace (www.osh.govt.nz, PDF, 442 KB).

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Preventing musculoskeletal disorders

• Use adjustable worktops.
• Use electrical or hydraulic tables to handle monitors containing cathode ray tubes (CRTs) or other heavy equipment.
• Organise work to create varied jobs so repetitive and monotonous tasks are minimised.
• Use air-driven tools where possible.

Health, safety and hazard management initiatives

• Hold regular safety committee meetings (perhaps on a monthly basis).
• Hold regular meetings for all staff where health and safety is a topic on the agenda.
• Conduct, as a minimum, a documented annual risk assessment of operations.
• Employ staff dedicated (part time or full time depending on the size of the company) to health and safety and environmental issues.
• Hold regular routine inspections and air monitoring.
• Carry out continuous employee training.
• Establish a procedure for cleaning, maintenance and hygiene.
• Compile a hazard identification checklist.
• Regularly review health and safety procedures.

Specific training

Continuous employee training - management has a role to ensure each employee has a clear understanding of safety requirements, and that this is refreshed regularly.

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Last updated:15 March 2011