Commentary: Waste Collection is More Dangerous than Ever. Take Proactive Steps to Address the Problem

It is clear that having brand new trucks, cameras, and computers in the trucks isn’t sufficient to reduce fatal incidents in collection.

SEATTLE (Waste Advantage): The federal government’s most recent occupational safety data for the solid waste industry came out on December 19th, and the news was not good. The category of “refuse and recyclable material collectors” rose from 7th to 4th on the list of occupations with high workplace fatality rates. The number of recorded collection fatalities increased to 41 and reflects an 83 percent increase over the prior year. There was also an uptick in fatalities for landfill employees (3) and material recovery facilities (9).

Solid waste collection workers have fluctuated between the 5th and 9th most dangerous job in the country for the past decade. This new Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data is the first time the industry has ever been as high as number 4. The fatality rate of 41.4 per 100,000 workers is the highest since 2018 when the industry reported 57 fatalities and had a rate of 44.3.

Recent Activity

Over the past few years, numerous small and medium-sized waste haulers have sold to the big national companies. The larger companies have robust safety programs and typically operate newer trucks, so the expectation was this consolidation would lead to better safety results for the industry. In addition, automated side-loaders have been replacing manual rear-loading trucks for decades, which reduces the injury risk to the operator. Numerous companies and municipal sanitation providers have installed telematics systems and in-cab cameras in their trucks. These systems provide managers and supervisors with better visibility regarding what is happening on the route, and the ability to discipline drivers or helpers who are violating a safety rule, speeding, or otherwise driving dangerously.

Instead, despite consolidation and a wave of new technology, waste collection is more dangerous than ever, at least as measured by worker fatalities. Although some organizations frequently point to distracted drivers as a primary source of collection worker fatalities, the truth is that these incidents comprise a small percentage of the overall 30 to 40 worker collection fatalities that occur each year. The most common cause of dying on the route is by being run over or pinned by your own truck, as in the case of Timothy Cartwell who was in an alley in Baltimore, MD in November 2024.

When I was the Safety Director at the National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) and Executive Director at the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA), for more than 20 years, I religiously collected information on each of these tragic occurrences, evaluated trends, and shared insights and recommendations with the industry. These incidents helped propel the development and content of Safety Monday at NWRA and Safety First at SWANA. However, it is clear that weekly safety newsletters isn’t enough to get the industry off the BLS “top 10” list.

Driver and Management Responsibility

My experience in the industry allows me to say, with great conviction, that many of these fatal incidents were preventable. As I was writing this article on December 20, 2024, I received an alert about a fatal incident in Jacksonville, FL. In that incident, a helper tried to climb onto the riding step of a backing truck to avoid a vehicle coming in his direction, fell off, and was run over by his truck. There is an ANSI standard that states a helper is never allowed to be on the riding step when the truck is going backwards. However, for whatever reason, this worker chose to do so anyway.

I have been providing a lot of safety training to front-line workers and performing safety audits since I departed SWANA last year. Nearly everyone knows the safety rules, including not to be on riding step when the truck is backing. Unfortunately, this rule is frequently ignored. I see it ignored nearly every week in my neighborhood by a small waste collection company in Alexandria, VA. The driver backs up an alley with the helper on the riding step. I’ve spoken to the company’s owner about it, and he said he would “look into it.” If he did, nothing has changed on this route.

Several industry veterans have suggested to me that because it is so difficult to find and retain drivers, some companies’ tolerance for collisions has risen and disciplinary action has declined. I have seen that at one of my clients and recommended increased focus on the few drivers responsible for a disproportionate percentage of their claims.

So where do we go from here?

Back to Basics

It is clear that having brand new trucks, cameras, and computers in the trucks isn’t sufficient to reduce fatal incidents in collection. Consolidating hundreds of small haulers has not gotten waste collection out of the “top 10 list” of most dangerous jobs. Holding an annual Safety Summit at WASTECON® (now replaced by the new event, RCon™ in 2025) and increasing the amount of safety content at Waste Expo has not resulted in better safety numbers.

Perhaps a back-to-basics approach should be considered, including the following components:

1. Better screening of prospective employees
2. More initial safety training at time of hire and more frequent ongoing training
3. Meaningful job hazard analysis – the truck, MRF, transfer station, and landfill
4. Frequent and consistent safety communications from management
5. Coaching by management when safety violations are identified
6. Prioritizing safety over productivity
7. Progressive discipline for employees who have at fault incidents
8. Evaluating results on a regular basis

Different companies have different fleets, workers, and operations. But they all share a common interest in making sure their employees finish their day safely and go home to their families. Leaders in the solid waste industry need to do a better job of providing their employees with the resources, support, and training they need to do so.  Lives depend on it.

Courtesy: www.wasteadvantagemag.com

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