Angus skip site staff are being issued with body cameras as a protective measure against angry customers who council chiefs fear could become more aggressive with the implementation of new rules at local dumps.
They say workers are already subjected to abuse and the body cams will be brought in alongside other measures including controls of the size of trailers allowed at recycling centres, where reduced operating hours are also on the near horizon.
The plans, due to be rubber-stamped by councillors on Thursday, also include a complete ban on trailers at Kirriemuir skip site due to health and safety concerns there.
A report to the full Angus Council is the latest stage in the shake-up of how skip sites are managed after a review instigated by the new cross-party administration which took control of the authority earlier this year, leading to the threat of closure being removed from the Monifieth facility for the next 12 months.
The member/officer group which carried out the review identified several areas of concerns, leading to an immediate ban on pedestrian access to the district’s recycling centres and ending the practice of users being able to tip the contents of wheelie bins into skips.
Waste management chiefs have now drafted tighter rules over the size of trailers which can enter skip sites, suggesting a six-foot limit is applied from the end of the month, when the new opening hours will come into place at all sites except Kirriemuir and Forfar.
Officials admit the reduced hours will lead to increased congestion and more queuing for skip site users, and say the body cameras could offer an additional layer of protection to staff who already have to put up with unacceptable behaviour.
“The enforcement of site rules, such as requirement of pre-paid voucher by commercial customers, at recycling centres can lead to strong opposition from customers and occasionally to employees being subject to acts of aggression towards them,” states the report going to full council.
“This might be exacerbated by the additional rules and new opening hours to be implemented.
“To address this and introduce an added control measure to mitigate the risk of violence and aggression towards staff, body cameras will be worn by employees based at recycling centres.
“These will be visible to customers and can be switched on by staff to record when there is a perceived risk of violence and aggression towards them.”
Angus will also look closely at following its Dundee City Council neighbour, which introduced a household waste permit in July, requiring anyone with a van or trailer to register for the free permit which allows a dozen visits per year.
Local officers say the Dundee move has led to a “significant increase” in commercial vans visiting Angus centres.
“It is difficult to effectively police this as many customers claim to be using commercial vans for disposal of their own household waste,” adds the report.
