A round in all weathers
Your day starts early and runs fast. You pull heavy bins over kerbs, lift sacks that hide glass and needles, and step in and out of traffic hundreds of times. Shoulders, knees and backs take a pounding, and wet or icy pavements bring falls.
Crew drivers manoeuvre a large vehicle down narrow streets while watching for loaders behind. If you split your time between driving and loading, explain that when you apply.
Trade waste rounds and bulky item collections add their own load. Commercial bins are heavier and some sites need emptying before dawn. Recycling crews sort glass and cans by hand, which brings cuts and repetitive strain.
Needles hidden in bags are a particular worry for loaders. A needlestick injury rarely keeps you off for long, but the worry and follow-up tests can be stressful.
Council or contractor: check what you get
Many councils still run their own collections, and their staff often get an occupational sick pay scheme that grows with service. Private contractors running council contracts may offer less. Agency loaders brought in for cover or busy periods usually get statutory sick pay if they qualify.
Your deferred period should start when your sick pay drops away. A loader with six months of council sick pay needs a very different policy from an agency worker who would be on statutory pay from the start.
Statutory sick pay is a flat weekly amount. On a loader's wage, that drop can be hard to absorb for more than a week or two.
- Ask HR how long full and half pay last
- Remember that statutory sick pay runs out after 28 weeks
- Agency work: think about a four-week deferred period
How insurers see collection work
Insurers class refuse loading as heavy manual work. That affects the premium and may limit you to a claim test based on any suitable work rather than your own role. Some insurers rate drivers more kindly. Getting the job description right at the start keeps your cover sound.
Most policies record your occupation when you start. If you change role later, read your policy terms to see whether the insurer needs to hear about it.
Price also depends on how long you want the benefit to last. Cover that pays until your planned retirement age costs more than a policy limited to two or five years per claim, though it protects you against a long illness as well as an injury.
Life insurance and death in service
Council employees often belong to a pension scheme with death in service benefits. That is valuable, but it is tied to the job. If you move to a contractor or retire early, it stops.
A personal policy carries on whatever happens to your employment. Many people use it to cover the mortgage and let any workplace benefit go towards everyday family costs.
Contractor crews may have a smaller death in service benefit or none. Check your staff handbook or pension paperwork to see what applies to you.
Working it out with Hi Tomorrow
Send us your employer type and sick pay terms and we will show you where the gap sits. We compare insurers on our panel, recommend cover that fits your budget and help you through the application from start to finish.
Early starts mean you may finish when most offices close. You can fill in our online form at any time, and our team will call when it suits you.