Canadian Occupational Safety

18 Canadian Occupational Safety | www.cos-mag.com In an effort to protect waste collection workers from all these hazards, WorkSafeNB launched a dedicated two-year safety campaign in 2015 aimed at both employers and the public. To assist employers, the agency prepared discussion papers containing industry analyses, pre-use inspection checklists for machinery and equipment, employer orientation checklists and a safe waste collection guidebook for workers. The campaign also included focused compliance activities. To start, inspec- tors visited waste collection companies and looked for new employee orienta- tion programs. "If you're stepping into a job that's been identified as a higher risk job, we're assuming that you may not have much experience in that field or know what the hazards of the job are, so a well-constructed orientation and train- ing program that speaks specifically to what are the key hazards is critically important," says Petersen. Inspectors also focused on mobile equipment and employers' facilities. WorkSafeNB recommended that as part of the tendering process, "sig- nificant consideration" be given to the bidding companies' safety policies and procedures when deciding who should be awarded the contract, says Petersen. Historically, the tendering process often focused on the lowest bid with- out regard to safety, which sometimes steered service providers to compro- mise safety to remain cost-competitive. MENTAL HEALTH Aside from the typical hazards waste collection workers encounter, they also have to be trained on how to handle workplace violence and harassment. In June, a homeowner threatened to hurt one of Boudreau's truck drivers in B.C. "We do have issues with clients get- ting angry at them for either not picking up their garbage or not placing their totes back where they are supposed to be," he says. "There's road rage as well… It certainly is part and parcel." A ll workers receive violence and harassment training. They are required to notify Emterra right away if they are subjected to such behav- iour, so the company can notify the municipality. Then, Emterra conducts an investigation and deals with the homeowners involved. Waste collectors encounter a lot of stress to get the job done on time. Trucks need to be off the road by a cer- tain time and landfills are only open for so long, but unforeseeable factors such as bad weather, traffic delays or truck breakdowns can make it diffi- cult to meet the deadline. GFL's entire corporate safety team was trained in first-aid mental health awareness two years ago — but it was a bit of a tough sell. "Everybody was like, 'Are you serious? We're going to be psychiatrists? What are you doing?'" says Fraser. "Physical is already a big issue and you know it's hard to get them to understand and now, all of a sudden, I'm talking about mental, so it's like, 'holy crap.'" Now, Fraser and her safety team talk to the workforce a lot about mental health. They make sure work- ers know about all the resources at their disposal, such as the employee assistance program, and understand what to do if they are having a mental health problem. "You should feel safe to come to your supervisor or HR or the safety team and say, 'Listen, I'm not OK today,' and feel safe that you are not going to be reprimanded. No one is going to look at you and say, 'What kind of weirdo is this?'" says Fraser. "If you have a mental health situation going on, that's impacting your work. Both of those tie together." PUBLIC AWARENESS Since the vast majority of risks that waste collectors face come from the public and what they put in their gar- bage bags, educating the public on what they can do to keep these work- ers safe is very important. "I don't think there's any consid- eration for the guys in the garbage truck," says Fraser. "I don't think they see them as something they need to worry about. As far as the public is concerned, in my eyes, they are pick- ing up the garbage: Get it done and have a nice day." Part of the WorkSafeNB campaign was targeted towards public education. For example, they learned about the importance of not overloading bags and ensuring bins face towards the street. One ad for the campaign was a garbage collector holding his child with the quote underneath: "Your gar- bage isn't the only thing I pick up." "That kind of drives it home. As homeowners, we have to understand that and that makes it very real. These workers are moms and dads," says Petersen. "We want to make it a mind- set so that you as a homeowner, when you're packing your garbage up, you don't even have to think about it. You know you're not throwing broken glass in there… You just know what to do." Municipalities regularly inform res- idents what they should and should not put in the garbage. Waste compa- nies also get involved. For example, GFL rents out community centers and sets up in parking lots to hold educational fairs for the public. It's important to remind them that not only are the men and women who pick up the garbage affected, but so are all the workers in the waste pipeline, such as landfill workers, recycling facility sorters and truck maintenance workers. But at the end of the day, the employer can only do so much to affect the public's behaviour. "We don't have a lot of control over what the public does, although we can identify any immediate and long- term hazards and put some controls in place. For us it's training our workers to recognize the risks and hazards and act appropriately," says Boudreau. "That's what we have control of out there." Health and safety managers can also do their part to ensure the workers who pick up the garbage at their work- places are safe. Waste containers must be in good condition and should be in easy-to-access locations. They should not be too heavy or unevenly distrib- uted because that can cause awkward movements and potential injuries, says Petersen. And any items that are improperly disposed of can pose a risk to the cleaning staff. As they self-supervise for most of their shift, waste collection workers have to take personal responsibility for their safety, says Boudreau. "It's no different than driving. When you're driving a car, the only person you control is yourself. You have to put your skills and your abil- ity and your training to work in order to avoid a collision, and it's no differ- ent for these guys out there," he says. "We need to hammer home and we do emphasize to them that ultimately, they choose to be safe or not." Fraser says people need to get out of the mentality that safety profession- als are the ones keeping them safe — because they're not. "Our job is to teach and train you to be accountable; that means every level," she says. "Safety is not a part- time job. Safety's a part of everyday operations and if you are not doing your job safely, then you're doing a half-ass job. You are not doing it to your potential. That means we're paying you to do half a job." Boudreau believes workers need to take safety beyond the walls of the workplace; otherwise it's very hard to change beliefs and habits. "Safety is about when you wake up in the morning, you start the process in your mind on what the day's going to be like, where you're going to travel, what the weather's going to be like, am I dressed appropriately? This is before you even get to work, and then when you get to work, doing things right," he says. The numbers are still coming in on the WorkSafeNB waste collection safety campaign, but it was very well received by the industry and it contin- ues to raise awareness of the hazards waste collectors face. In fact, the cam- paign won first place in the external communications campaign category of the American Association of State Compensation Insurance Funds' 2017 Communications Awards. So, it looks like the two-year campaign — which would have ended in September — won't be tossed to the curb quite yet. "It's ver y active on our website and we'll continue working with our waste collection industr y partners to help improve safety in this sector next year and beyond," says Petersen. "Hopefully this all translates into fewer injuries." YOUR house, THEIR workplace Here's what you can do at home to keep your garbage collector safe. LIGHTEN THE LOAD. Always ensure each bag can be easily lifted with one hand. BOX YOUR GLASS. Put broken glass in a box and clearly label it "broken glass" or "sharp objects." BE CAREFUL. Take extra care when you see a garbage truck on the street. Approach slowly and carefully, watching for collectors. PROPERLY DISPOSE OF HAZARDOUS WASTE. Hazardous waste, such as bleach and pool chemicals, can be reactive or corrosive. Never put this in your garbage. ENSURE GARBAGE IS ACCESSIBLE. Always place bags and bins on level ground and as close to the street as possible. KEEP NEEDLES AWAY. Never put needles or other medical waste in your garbage or recycling bins. Contact your pharmacy for proper disposal instructions. LEAVE ROOM IN THE BAG OR BIN. Don't overfill garbage bags. Leave enough free space at the top so the bag is easy to grab. Never over stuff bins. ENSURE YARD WASTE IS EASY TO HANDLE. If using bags for leaves, wait until the organic matter is dry before bagging it. Source: WorkSafeNB

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