News

Safety Matters

August 14, 2020

Safe + Sound Week Protects America’s Workers

SWANA is proud to support Safe + Sound Week going on now through August 16. This nationwide event held each August recognizes the successes of workplace health and safety programs and offers information and ideas on how to keep America's workers safe. With at least 23 waste and recycling workers killed on the job in the first six months of 2020 in the United States, more remains to be done to protect the men and women in this industry.

SWANA encourages all solid waste employers in the public and private sectors to have robust health and safety programs in place. Safe + Sound Week is an opportunity to highlight the many resources that are available to build and improve those programs. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides Safe + Sound resources especially for management leadership, worker participation, and finding and fixing hazards. SWANA’s numerous safety resources and initiatives are also available to the entire industry.

“Nothing we do at SWANA is more important than helping workers go home to their families at the end of the day, and unfortunately, we have about one worker fatality each week in the industry,” stated David Biderman, SWANA’s Executive Director and CEO. “We are starting to see an uptick in frequency of these tragic incidents and urge solid waste companies and municipal agencies to focus additional resources on keeping their workers safe.”

Improved health and safety programs are needed within the industry to better protect workers and the public. Between January and June of this year, 23 solid waste and recycling workers were killed in the United States, with more than a third occurring in single-vehicle crashes. Overall worker deaths in that time period are comparable to 2019 when there were 24.

Members of the public killed in solid waste-related incidents are down significantly this year. There have been 28 third-party deaths in the United States through June 30 compared to 40 deaths during that same period in 2019. This reduction is most likely due to fewer motorists on the road and a decline in pedestrians due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Vehicle crashes with waste collection trucks remain the most common cause of death in these cases.

Texas is the state with the most fatal incidents so far with 9 total fatalities, while New York has had 6 and Florida has had 5. Almost 40 percent of all U.S. fatalities involving a worker, or a member of the public occurred in these three states.

“Tragedy has struck our industry many times this year. I have experienced this firsthand,” said Bridgett Biggs, SWANA Safety Ambassador and West Area Safety Manager for Rumpke Waste and Recycling. “Lives that are forever changed in an instant. Safety isn’t a directive, it’s a culture. It’s what gets our men and women home safe at night to hug their families. We have to be vigilant and continue to stress the importance of safe practices within our workplaces. We have to educate our drivers and help them understand the risks that are out there on the roadways. Distracted driving is one of the biggest issues we are seeing this year. Whether it be the motoring public or our drivers. Our message is to be alert and be aware at all times out on the route.”

Biggs added, “Our people are the heartbeat of our industry. It is our responsibility as safety professionals to educate and encourage them. They should know their importance and feel that from their leaders.”

Accidents in the News

Through July 31

Auburn, NH – Around 2:30 pm, a long-haul tractor-trailer went off the road and into the woods, bringing down power lines which caused a small fire. The driver of the vehicle was pronounced dead at the scene. MORE

Memphis, MS – A worker was killed after releasing a malfunctioning truck gate that had already been tipped. The waste struck him and pushed him into the landfill. MORE

Middle Township, NJ – A collection vehicle with its hydraulic lift raised struck an overpass and then crashed into a residence. The 64-year-old driver was killed and the person in the home was not injured. MORE

Saranac Lake, NY – A 40-year-old bicyclist traveling downhill was unable to stop in time at an intersection and was thrown into the path of garbage truck. MORE

Devine, TX – A yard waste truck stopped for collection began to roll and the driver, who was out of the vehicle at the time, tried to chase it down. The truck struck and killed him.

Corte Madera, CA – Around 5:45 am, a garbage truck rolled over while driving down a steep and narrow driveway, killing the driver. MORE

Haverford Township, PA – A mechanic was killed while working on the rear hopper of a garbage truck at a facility. MORE

Kitchener, ON – At around 9 a.m., a 68-year-old woman walking her dog was crossing the road when she was struck by a private sector garbage truck. She died from her injuries a day later. MORE

Charlotte, NC – A collection worker died after being hit by a car while emptying containers into a garbage truck. MORE

Richland, PA – At around 9 a.m. a 38-year-old man was reportedly driving erratically when he crossed the center line and crashed into a waste vehicle stopped at a red light, dying in the collision. MORE

Troy, NC – A 50-year-old man was killed when he crossed the center line and collided with a garbage truck travelling in the other direction. MORE

Winston-Salem, NC – A 45-year-old woman was killed and her passenger seriously injured when for unknown reasons her SUV collided into the back of a stopped garbage truck. MORE

Casper, WY – A man ran a stop sign and struck the front driver side of a solid waste truck, ejecting him from his vehicle and causing fatal injuries. The truck driver suffered minor injuries. MORE