The National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA) released new safety Best Practices for operators of material recovery facilities (MRFs), landfills and transfer stations as part of its comprehensive industry-wide safety effort. As a result of a year-long effort from NWRAs Safety Committee, comprised of leading safety experts from throughout the industry, this set of Best Practices encourages all members and other service providers to incorporate these guidelines into their operations. These Site Safety Best Practices are the first step in NWRA’s comprehensive emphasis on safety. “These Best Practices, which might be adjusted for site-specific circumstances, should be part of a comprehensive on-site safety program,” said Sharon H. Kneiss, NWRA president and chief executive officer. “They can be especially valuable for companies seeking to address safety in managing temporary workers, contractors and visitors that may not be as familiar with post-collection waste and recycling operations as they are for full-time industry personnel.”
The Site Safety Best Practices cover issues ranging from tipping floor safety to the use of personal protective equipment, and incorporating safety technologies such as cameras and alarms on mobile equipment. The Practices also include guidance on making facilities safer through improved communication among all parties in a MRF, transfer station or landfill while minimizing distractions caused by mobile phones. The complete list of Best Practices can be found by visiting: https://wasterecycling.org/our-work/safety. NWRA has made safety its top priority, a pledge shared by its member companies. These Site Safety Best Practices were developed given the unique characteristics of MRFs and landfills, considering that areas such as the tipping floor of a transfer station and landfill are environments where waste industry employees, the general public, heavy machinery, collection trucks and tons of material meet in close proximity. These industry Best Practices are aimed at keeping everyone involved safe.
In November, NWRA’s Kneiss issued a call to action on safety asking the industry to work toward significantly reducing injuries and fatalities in waste and recycling facilities as part of a comprehensive, data-driven and multifaceted initiative. NWRA is making in-house experts available to member companies to assist in adapting the Site Safety Best Practices to their individual facilities and implement them accordingly. As the designated Secretariat for ANSI Standards for the waste and recycling industry for more than fifty years, NWRA coordinates all industry efforts for the ongoing development of new and revised standards for both equipment and protective gear.
For more information, visit www.wasterecycling.org