Municipal PCD Draft Credit 7: Post-Collection Disposal Facility Safety Protocols and Training (x points)

Intent:

To reduce accidents and injuries and ensure worker safety and health outcomes during daily waste disposal facility* operations through attention to hazards and making worker protection a part of company culture 

To Rreduce material disposal accidents and injury.

Requirements:

• Implement a weekly safety and equipment usage training program 
• “Accessible” Training (Mandatory for new hires; ongoing) Training is available in the predominant/fluent language of the workers being trained; graphic-based or video training; globalized hazard recognition symbols used
• Operates in a documented safety-training system that complies with all or most of SWANA’s recommended ANSI equipment safety guidelines as applicable: https://swana.org/Safety/ANSIStandardsforWasteandRecycling.aspx
• Verify that weekly safety training demonstrations and training are being conducted for all employees

Strategies:

Accomplish increased operational regulation, safety resources, and safety awareness campaigns by implementing the relevant SWANA equipment safety recommendations. 

• Complete all employee safety and health training programs
• Complete and record Risk Assessments for all work tasks
• Implement a system to report near-misses
• Implement and follow a Safe Driving Policy & training for facility rolling stock (option: using SWANA’s template)
• Incentivize workers for monitoring, recording, and reporting worker fatalities and injuries 
• Conduct regular safety training at least weekly for all employees 
• Create and maintain standard operating procedures based on industry best practices 
• Regularly hold focus group meetings between employees and employers. Ensure both parties have the opportunity to communicate opinions on the effectiveness of worker safety regulation, and suggestions for improvement 
• Regularly hold focus group meetings comprised of employees only to discuss the effectiveness of worker safety regulation, and suggestions for improvement.
• Have a safety committee regularly present findings and recommendations from these employee-only focus groups to the employer 
• Disconnect incentive programs from accident-free periods *Note: “Waste disposal facility” includes transfer stations, landfills and thermal conversion facilities.

http://www.forworkingfamilies.org/sites/pwf/files/publications/SustainableAndSafeRecycling.pdf 

Mandatory: Implement an ongoing safety and equipment usage training program.

Tier 1: “Accessible” Training (Mandatory for new hires; ongoing) In the predominant/fluent language; graphic-based or video training; globalized hazard recognition symbols used.

Tier 2: Conduct an OSHA (or equivalent)-Level audit by a qualified auditor

OSHA-level audits follow the official forms.

Qualified auditors include:

• Federal or State OSHA inspector;
• Insurance inspector;
• Union safety official;

Tier 3: Full remediation of all OSHA (or equivalent) incidents reported