Safety Matters

OSHA to Issue Revised COVID-19 Guidance, Consider Emergency Standard

President Biden signed an executive order directing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to revise its COVID-19 guidance within the next two weeks. It must also reevaluate whether emergency temporary workplace standards to address the pandemic are necessary, including a standard for masks in the workplace. Under the previous administration, existing standards were used to address coronavirus safety in the workplace, including use of the General Duty Clause.

Should OSHA find that emergency temporary standards are appropriate, they must be issued no later than March 15.

In addition to reviewing pandemic guidance and standards, OSHA was also directed to review enforcement efforts related to COVID-19 and identify changes that could be made to better protect workers and ensure equity in enforcement.

States that have their own occupational safety and health plans will have to be consistent with any revised guidance or emergency temporary standards issued by OSHA. For those without state plans, the executive order directs OSHA to “consult with State and local government entities with responsibility for public employee safety and health and with public employee unions to bolster protection from COVID-19 for public sector workers.”

Safety Matters Weekly Newsletter Coming February 22

SWANA is excited to announce another valuable safety resource:  Safety Matters. This will be a weekly SWANA safety newsletter starting on February 22 containing useful information for you and others in your organization to use at safety meetings and tailgate talks. It will help remind front-line employees and workers at all levels of safety hazards associated with solid waste management and how to avoid them. The new Safety Matters newsletter will replace Safety Monday which SWANA has ceased distributing.

If your organization is interested in sponsorship opportunities for Safety Matters, please contact Jesse Maxwell at jmaxwell@swana.org.

Accidents in the News

Now that 2020 has ended, what kind of year was it for industry safety? Advocacy & Safety Senior Manager Jesse Maxwell will examine 2020 worker and 3^rd party fatalities across the United States and Canada as part of the SWANA Safety Summit on February 25. He’ll share SWANA’s annual report with attendees and provide insights on incident trends. By understanding these tragic losses, attendees can better direct their resources to the leading causes of fatalities in the industry. 

North Augusta, SC – An SUV crossed the center line crashing head-on into a garbage truck driving the opposite direction. The 25-year-old driver of the SUV was killed. MORE

Champaign County, IL – A 17-year-old woman was killed in a crash with a garbage truck at an intersection. MORE

Clarksville, TN – A collection worker was retrieving a trash bin when a car smashed into the back of his truck, pinning him in between. He later died from his injuries. MORE

Merced, CA – A 44-year-old woman was killed after her Jeep collided with a garbage truck and then was struck by a semi-trailer truck. MORE

Quarryville, PA – Three juveniles were killed and four injured when the horse and buggy they were riding in crashed into a garbage truck. MORE

Washington County, PA – A 33-year-old man died after he lost control of his vehicle and hit a garbage truck. MORE

Greenville County, SC – The driver of an SUV crashed into the back of a stopped collection vehicle. The SUV driver was killed, but no collection workers were injured. MORE

Brooklyn, NY – A 32-year-old man died after his car crashed into the back of a garbage truck stopped for collection just before 4 a.m. No sanitation workers were injured. MORE

Indianapolis, IN – Just before 1 a.m., a car and garbage truck collided at an intersection, resulting in one fatality. MORE

Lancaster County, PA – At around 5:20 a.m., a 36-year-old collection worker out of his vehicle was struck and killed. MORE

Brooklyn, NY – A roll-off driver had a medical emergency while out on collection and died. NO ARTICLE

OSHA Penalties Increase

The U.S. Department of Labor has announced adjustments to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) civil penalty amounts based on cost-of-living adjustments for 2021. Starting January 15, maximum penalties for serious and other-than-serious violations increased from $13,494 per violation to $13,653 per violation. The maximum penalty for willful or repeated violations also increased from $134,937 per violation to $136,532 per violation.

In 2015, Congress passed the Federal Civil Penalties Inflation Adjustment Act Improvements Act to ensure monetary penalties remained effective deterrents over time. Under the Act, agencies are required to publish “catch-up” rules that adjust the level of civil monetary penalties and make subsequent annual adjustments for inflation each year. States that operate their own  Occupational Safety and Health Plans are required to adopt maximum penalty levels that are at least as effective as Federal OSHA's. Visit the  OSHA Penalties page for more information.

Upcoming Safety Events

SWANA Safety Summit
February 25, 2021
Virtual
Click here for more info>>

Safety and Health Week
May 2-8, 2021
Canada
Click here for more info>>

Gold Rush Chapter Safety Webinar
May 14, 2021
Webinar
Click here for more info>>

Heat Illness Prevention Campaign
May 22, 2021
U.S.
Click here for more info>>

Safe+Sound Week
August 9-13, 2021
U.S.
Click here for more info>>