CEO Column

Two tragic events last month reaffirmed for me why SWANA needs to continue to be a leader in the solid waste industry on safety. Neither incident involved solid waste.

On August 4, a severe thunderstorm hit Washington, DC. Tragically, three people were killed and a woman was seriously injured by a single lightning bolt. These individuals were sheltering under a tree in Lafayette Park, across from the White House, in downtown Washington, DC., when lightning struck the tree.

I think we were all told at some point not to be under a tree during a thunderstorm. Sadly, for whatever reason, these folks, who were a mix of tourists and DC area residents, used the tree to shelter from the storm. We need to be reminding everyone about basic safety rules—both work-related and otherwise, frequently.

The previous day, a fire at a vacation rental house killed two college-age sisters on Long Island. A Washington, DC area family had rented the house for a week before sending the girls back to their respective colleges. The overnight fire is under investigation. A focus of the investigation is whether the smoke alarms in the house were functional. The owner of the house reportedly had not obtained a permit to rent it, which would have required a safety inspection.

I have family members who live in the community where this tragic fire occurred. As recently as last year, I had college age children, and my family frequently rents houses while on vacation (including last week in New Hampshire). The woman who survived the lightning strike in Washington DC was going to start a graduate program at my alma mater later this month. Both incidents are a little close to home.

We can’t stop lightning from hitting trees, but we can remind people not to stand under them during thunderstorms. We can’t always stop fires from starting, but we can remind people to check smoke alarms and other safety equipment (e.g., carbon monoxide detectors) when they arrive at rented houses.

Similarly, we can’t prevent every single injury or collision involving a solid waste employee, truck, or heavy equipment, but we must train our industry’s workers about safety rules and best practices and remind and require them to follow them and applicable traffic laws at all times. As directed by SWANA’s new Strategic Plan, we will continue to lead the way on safety for the waste industry in the United States and Canada. Please attend the Safety Summit at WASTECON^® in San Diego to learn more about how you can help reduce accidents and injuries – and save lives.