98 Waste Industry Fatalities in One Year Time Period : SWANA Data Shows 3 Deaths per Week Last Month in Solid Waste Industry

There were a total of 98 deaths related to municipal solid waste collection in the US between 1July 2015 and 30 June 2016, according to the latest data from the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA).

The organisation said that it is the first time that it has released annual figures on fatalities in the industry.

Of the fatalities reported 38 were solid waste employees on the job, a majority of which occurred during collection. However, 13 of the fatal worker incidents took place at a landfill or materials recycling facilities. The average age of workers who died on the job was 41.7 years old, with 60% being over the age of 40.

SWANA added that that 11 of the fatalities during collection were the result of an employee being struck by a vehicle while working outside of a waste collection truck, with an additional four fatalities happening due to workers falling off a truck they were riding. At post-collection facilities, being struck by a vehicle was also the most common cause of death.

The organisation also identified 60 third party fatalities during the one year period. These are incidents that involved solid waste trucks or equipment resulting in the death of a member of the general public.

Over 70% of these fatalities were said to be the result of a collision between two or more vehicles. Just over a quarter of the incidents were found to be the result of a collision between a solid waste collection vehicle and a pedestrian or bicyclist.

The month of April saw the most fatalities so far in 2016, with eight third party and five worker deaths. The deadliest single incident occurred in Ohio in May of this year when a driver and three passengers died in a collision with a solid waste vehicle.

Ongoing Problem

Since 1 July 2016, SWANA said it has recorded 28 additional MSW related fatalities, with 18 third party and 10 employee incidents. There have also been at least three fatal incidents per week for each of the past ‘three weeks.

“The sobering statistics continue to shock our senses regarding the number of our peers that don’t make it home to their families every year,” commented SWANA safety committee chair Tom Parker of CH2M. “We must and can do better to provide training and programs to help all industry sectors. Our committee will work harder in developing programs to make our industry safer.”

David Biderman, SWANA’s executive director added: “These data likely do not include all of the fatal incidents involving our industry that occurred during this time period. There are almost certainly fatalities that occurred that we are not aware of, but will likely be included in the federal government’s next safety data release.”

“I hope that industry leaders will join SWANA’s effort to get waste collection employees off the list of ten most dangerous jobs,” he continued.

Historical Stats

In 2013, the last year for which federal data on solid waste collection, MRF, and landfill worker fatalities are available, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported 36 employee deaths, or three deaths per month in 2013.

The rate for the 2015-2016 period collected by SWANA is around 3.17 worker deaths per month. The BLS reported 40 solid waste collection worker deaths in 2014, but did not list MRF and landfill workers separately in their data.

The 2015 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) is scheduled for release on December 16, 2016. SWANA said that preliminary releases, which normally appeared in August or September in past years, will no longer be produced.

Safety Ambassadors

In addition to collecting and analysing fatality data, SWANA and its Chapters provide information and support through the organisation’s Safety Ambassador Program. These Ambassadors serve as safety leaders within the Chapter to help reduce accidents and injuries by distributing information, providing training, and providing sympathy and educational outreach to an organization that suffers a fatality.

SWANA said that providing education is a key component of its renewed focus on safety, and it will hold a safety seminar in Texas in November in response to the 9 fatal incidents that have occurred in Texas over the past four months.

The half-day program will provide attendees with tools that they can use to improve the safety culture in their organizations and reduce injuries and accidents.

“SWANA has a responsibility, given the recent epidemic of fatal events involving private and public sector trucks in Texas, to provide targeted safety information and training to employers and employees in that state. This will be the first of several SWANA safety events in Texas over the next 15 months,” concluded Biderman.

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