Best Practices for Garbage Collection

Concern Details

Background

Collecting garbage and recyclables is a strenuous job due to heavy loads, awkward postures, and repetitive lifting. Following these recommended practices will help reduce the risk of developing a musculoskeletal injury.

Controls

For the Worker

• Move feet to pick up garbage and place into truck, instead of twisting your trunk and throwing the load.
• Reduce load weight by ensuring you only lift one garbage bag at a time.
• Do not lift heavy, awkward loads by yourself.
• Wear appropriate footwear, gloves, and clothing for the weather conditions.

For the Employer

• Wear appropriate footwear, gloves, and clothing for the weather conditions.
• Ensure trucks have adequate grating on exterior and interior steps to prevent slips.
• Ensure trucks have adequate grab handles at the side doors and back of the truck to encourage 3-point contact. Ensure grab handles have enough grip.
• Ensure that ride-on platforms at the back of the truck are adequate size. Add extensions to steps if necessary.
• Purchase trucks with air ride.
• Purchase trucks with big, wide, and lower side hopper and lower rear hoppers.
• Investigate automated load trucks.
• Investigate design recycling and composite bins to increase vertical han d heights when lifting and to enable 2-handed lifting of organic bins.
• Decrease number of stops per individual worker to reduce high lifting frequency.
• Set a maximum weight limit per container and notify customers that items will be tagged and NOT collected.
• Consider payment by the hour instead of tonnage or using a “finish and go home” pay scheme to discourage work done at excessively fast rates that increases the potential for injuries.
• Improve communication with the community on where garbage should be places, especially during the winter months.