Safety Matters

SWANA Celebrates National Safety Month

June is National Safety Month and SWANA is celebrating by sharing safety tips every single day. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram to get daily tips and resources to improve your safety operations. SWANA’s Safety Committee has developed 30 safety messages centered on the 2020 National Safety Month topics - Mental Health, Ergonomics, Building a Safety Culture, and Driving. Be sure to share this valuable information both in-person and online all month long.

June also sees the return of Waste & Recycling Workers Week. From June 15 to June 19, SWANA will be sending a daily safety message directly to all members’ inboxes. We think the best way to honor industry workers is by ensuring they stay safe and healthy. 

There is much to celebrate in June and we encourage you to share your own safety tips online as well by tagging them with #SWANASafety.

OSHA Recordable Illness Policy Updated for COVID-19

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released a new enforcement policy for reporting of COVID-19, revising its previous enforcement policy. Under the new recordkeeping requirements, coronavirus is a recordable illness, and employers are responsible for recording cases of the coronavirus, if:

1. The case is a confirmed case of COVID-19, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) [at least one respiratory specimen that tested positive for SARS-CoV-2];
2. The case is work-related as defined by 29 CFR § 1904.5; and
3. The case involves one or more of the general recording criteria set forth in 29 CFR § 1904.7 [criteria include days away from work, medical treatment “beyond first aid,” loss of consciousness, and restricted work or transfer to another job].
   

This replaces the April 10, 2020 OSHA guidance that required recording cases of coronavirus only for high risk jobs in the healthcare industry, emergency response, and correctional institutions. On May 26, 2020, the previous memorandum on this topic was rescinded, and the new memorandum went into and remains in effect until further notice.

OSHA has also announced it will be increasing in-person inspections at all types of workplaces. In geographic areas where community spread of COVID-19 has significantly decreased, OSHA will return to the inspection planning policy that it relied on prior to the start of the COVID-19 health crises, with priority given to COVID-19 cases. The memorandum also includes guidance for handling COVID-19-related complaints, referrals, and severe illness reports.

SWANA continues to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and response. Resources and information valuable to the solid waste industry are updated on the SWANA website here and here. This will also be a major topic discussed during the virtual SWANApalooza taking place June 22 – 25.

Accidents in the News

Through April 30

Scottsdale, AZ – A homeless person sleeping in an alley was killed when a garbage truck struck him. MORE

Lindenhurst, NY – A 59-year-old collection worker died after he fell off the back of a garbage truck and was struck while it was reversing. MORE

Studio City, CA – A vehicle and a garbage truck collided resulting in a fatality. MORE

Perry, KS – A 32-year-old garbage truck driver died after losing control of his vehicle due to inclement weather and road conditions, striking a bridge guardrail, and overturning into the water. MORE

Cypress, TX – A 64-year-old man died after being struck by a backing garbage truck that then left the scene. MORE

Midland, TX – A tractor-trailer crashed into a slowed garbage truck and pickup truck on an interstate, killing the driver and passenger of the tractor-trailer. MORE

Durham, ON – A 46-year-old driver died after his garbage truck rolled onto its side off of the roadway. MORE

Garner, NC – A car travelling at high speed crashed into a pick-up truck causing it to cross the median and strike a garbage truck head-on, killing both truck drivers. MORE

Martinsburg, WV – A 23-year-old motorcyclist died in a collision with a garbage truck. MORE

Naples, FL – A 72-year-old man died when a garbage truck backed into the golf cart he was driving. MORE

Vigo County, IN – After a crash between an SUV and a garbage truck, the drivers got out of their vehicles and were then struck by a third vehicle that came along. The SUV driver was killed and the garbage truck driver suffered non-life-threatening injuries. MORE

Safety Sessions at Virtual SWANApalooza

The switch to a virtual SWANApalooza event means those who might not normally be able to travel to this great conference can experience it for the first time. And part of that experience is a slate of terrific safety sessions that address some of the most pressing concerns and challenges facing the industry. Check out some of the great sessions planned below and register today.

• Health Risks in the Waste Industry: A Focus on Injury Prevention and Crash Risk Reduction
• Calling 911 Is Not a Landfill Fire Mitigation Plan
• “Are Your Workers Safe?” OSHA, SWANA and NWRA—Working Together to Improve Safety and Health and Build a Better Work Environment
• Using Behavioral Safety to Move Beyond Zero