SWANA Honors Industry Workers that Have Lost Their Lives

April 28 Marks Workers Memorial Day and National Day of Mourning

Silver Spring, MD – The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) recognizes  Workers Memorial Day and the  National Day of Mourning in honor of those solid waste and recycling workers that have lost their lives on the job. Today we remember them and offer our support to their families, friends, co-workers, and communities.

“At SWANA, nothing we do is more important than helping make sure the hard-working men and women in this great industry go home to their families at the end of the day or their shift,” stated David Biderman, SWANA Executive Director and CEO. “The fatal shooting of a municipal collection employee last Friday in Baltimore highlights the diverse array of workplace hazards that our workers face every day. SWANA will continue to lead the way to reduce the number of fatal incidents involving our industry in the United States and Canada.”

Since 2018, at least 173 solid waste industry workers have been killed while on the job in the United States and Canada. In 2021 alone, nine lives have already been lost. As the sixth deadliest job in the United States, and with similar risks in Canada, there is a great deal of work still to be done. SWANA remains committed to working with both the public and private sectors to prevent these tragic incidents.

SWANA thanks all those essential solid waste and recycling workers that continue to protect human health and the environment and honors those who are not with us today. 

To learn more about Workers Memorial Day in the United States, visit
https://www.osha.gov/workers-memorial/workers-memorial-day.

To learn more about the National Day of Mourning in Canada, visit https://www.ccohs.ca/events/mourning.

To learn more about SWANA’s safety initiatives, visit https://swana.org/initiatives/safety.