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Fatalities among refuse and recyclable material collectors rose again during 2015, the most recent year on record, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which tracks on-the-job injuries and fatalities. In that year, 33 private-sector waste collectors were killed on the job, along with nine public employees working in the same field. That makes waste management the nation's fifth most dangerous profession, ahead of electrical workers and truck drivers, and just behind roofers and deep sea fishermen.The fatality rate in the industry is up from 2014, when 27 workers died, and is even with 2013, when another 33 fatal injuries occurred on the job. The 2015 fatal injury rate was a bit higher than that for 2013 (38.8 per 100,000, versus 33 per 100,000 in 2013) because of increased automation leading to smaller staffs and fewer workers in the industry overall.
Many of the fatal injuries were a result of traffic collisions. Most waste collectors who work in the community drive for several hours a day, which raises their risk of being involved in an accident. Other fatalities occurred while the worker was standing in the open near a busy roadway. Another potential source of harm is in the materials waste collectors are expected to handle — everything from household waste to construction debris, and sometimes chemical agents that require special training to safely handle.
EnviroSolutions takes these hazards seriously, and the company knows even one fatality is too many for what should be a perfectly safe career in waste management. That's why all of EnviroSolutions' workers get regular health and safety training, and management employees are versed in the state and federal laws that ensure a safe and healthy workplace. In the field, EnviroSolutions workers are required to wear protective gear and use the appropriate tools for the jobs they do, and compliance is strictly monitored to keep everybody safe.
EnviroSolutions is part of the Northern Virginia/Maryland area community, and the company works to keep residents safe as well. Drivers for the company are trained to safely operate collection vehicles in the densely populated residential suburbs that make up much of the DC Metro area's communities. Waste collectors are also trained in how to handle and safely dispose of potentially hazardous waste that they might find in a resident's trash receptacle.
This July, EnviroSolutions celebrated a major win in the Capitol area, when the ESI Capitol District crew won the
company's Safety Week prize for safe operations and best practices. Company CEO Dean Kattler paid the winning crew a visit at their facility and treated the whole team to his own barbecued chicken recipe as a thank you for keeping the District of Columbia's streets and commercial properties clean, welcoming and, above all, safe.
Contact Info:
Name: Scot Small
Email: Send Email
Organization: EnviroSolutions
Address: 9650 Hawkins Drive, Manassas, VA 20109
Phone: 877-695-5949
Website: http://www.esiwaste.com
Release ID: 228985