Safety Matters

2022 SWANA Fatality Report

SWANA has issued its most recent report on worker and third-party fatalities, showing an increase in worker fatalities in 2022 in the United States and Canada after a dramatic drop in 2021. For 2022, 46 solid waste industry worker fatalities were recorded by SWANA compared to 28 the year before.

A reminder that the first goal in SWANA’s Strategic Plan: Forward, Together is getting collection workers off the list of the ten occupations with the highest fatality rate. In 2022, collection worker fatalities increased modestly from 22 to 25. According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) most recent report for 2021, collection workers are 7th on that list, an improvement compared to previous years.

Public sector workers represented a larger percentage of fatalities in 2022, compared to previous years. About 35 percent of all solid waste workers killed last year worked in the public sector, whereas the average was around 21 percent over the past four years.

Collection remained the leading type of work for fatal incidents. The most common cause of collection worker fatalities continues to be their own truck (e.g., either falling off it, being struck by it, or the truck rolling over). Being struck by a third party vehicle remains the third leading cause of death for collection workers followed by crashes with other vehicles.

Post-collection and maintenance activities both saw large increases in fatalities in 2022, representing the bulk of the rise in worker deaths from 2021. Fatal incidents at materials recovery facilities (MRFs) jumped from one in 2021 to seven in 2022. Fatalities at landfills went from five to eight in 2022.

Maintenance also contributed to the rise in worker fatalities in 2022, with four people being killed while working on trucks. Three of these incidents involved working on or around hydraulics.

Mechanical-related fatalities as a whole led the list of fatal events for the first time since SWANA has tracked this data. In addition to truck maintenance, work on and around shredders, balers, compactors and other equipment led to 11 worker deaths in 2022. Single vehicle crashes were again the second leading cause of fatal incidents.

Looking at worker fatalities month-by-month, overall trends of a spring and then a summer spike followed by a decrease through the end of the year continues to hold.

The 2022 data is unusual in that there was a dip in fatalities in June. The previous three years saw a dip in May followed by a spike in fatal incidents in June. However, a spike did occur later in August in 2022.

In addition to worker fatalities, SWANA also tracks events in which a member of the public is killed in a solid waste related incident. For 2022, there was a decrease in the fatalities after an increase in 2021. After several years of increase, pedestrian fatalities are down compared to 2021, but still higher than earlier years. Fatal incidents involving bicyclists also jumped significantly in 2022 compared to 2021 when there was only one recorded.

Texas, California, and New York remain on the list of top five states with the most fatalities in 2022. Florida and Pennsylvania join the list this year, replacing Ohio and Georgia in 2021. These five states represent over 40 percent of all fatalities in 2022. Three fatalities occurred in Canada in 2022, with one in Ontario and two in British Columbia.

Accidents in the News

Through 3/31/23

San Marcos, CA – Shortly before noon, a pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle backing up to a set of scales at a recycling center. MORE

Kansas City, MO – Just before 4:30 pm, a 62-year-old worker was struck and killed by a front-end loader at a material recovery and transfer facility. MORE

Mt. Pleasant, IA – A collection truck driver died after he lost consciousness, went off the right side of the road, then crossed back over both lanes and rolled into a ditch. MORE

Las Vegas, NV – At around 5:45 a.m., a 26-year-old driver died after he hit the right side of a garbage truck that made a left turn onto the road. MORE

Memphis, TN – A landfill employee was struck and killed by a third-party truck at the site. MORE

Emmet County, MI – A helper was out of his truck near the rear of the vehicle when a pickup truck struck the rear end of the garbage truck, killing him. MORE

SWANA Strategic Plan Town Hall – Goal 1 Scheduled for May 25

Throughout 2023, SWANA will be holding virtual Town Halls on each of the four goals in its five-year Strategic Plan – Forward, Together. The first Town Hall will occur on Thursday, May 25 to address Goal 1, “To Get Off the Top 10 List of Most Dangerous Jobs”. SWANA members are invited to join this webinar to learn more about how this goal was chosen and the ways that the association plans to achieve it over the next five years.

2023 Safety Events

National Stand-Down to Prevent Struck-By Incidents
April 17 – 21, 2023
National
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Workers Memorial Day & National Day of Mourning
April 28, 2023
US & Canada
US – Click here to learn more »
Canada – Click here to learn more »

National Stand-Down to Prevent Falls
May 1 – 5, 2023
National
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SWANA Strategic Plan Town Hall – Goal 1
May 25, 2023
Online
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National Forklift Safety Day
June 13, 2023
National
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Trench Safety Stand-Down
June 14–18, 2023
National
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Safe + Sound Week
August 7 – 23, 2023
National
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CCOHS Forum 2023: The Changing World of Work
September 26 – 27, 2023
Halifax, NS
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SWANA Safety Summit
September 27 – 29, 2023
Boston, MA
Click here to learn more »