What are the hazards faced by garbage collectors?
A 66-year-old garbage truck operator has died after being struck by his own vehicle in a residential area of Toronto.
The incident happened on Middleport Crescent, westbound, on December 2. Toronto Police Service said officers responded to a personal injury collision in the area of Middleport Crescent and Pennyhill Drive at 8:34 a.m.
Investigators said “the operator was out of the vehicle” when the truck “began to roll away, and struck the operator.” Police reported that the man “succumbed to his injuries at the scene.”
The collision is being investigated by members of Traffic Services.
What are the hazards faced by garbage collectors?
Officers are “asking local residents, businesses, and drivers who may have security or dash camera footage of the area, or incident, to contact investigators.”
Garbage collectors face a lot of different hazards at work. According to WorkSafeNB, these include the following:
- Falls while getting off truck/platform/moving vehicle
- Being struck by reversing truck or traffic
- Back and shoulder injuries due to manual handling
- Being pinched by the hydraulic mechanism
- Punctures, cuts, abrasions, chemical exposure, biological exposure and contact with flying objects from waste
- Slips and trips
- Heat stroke and frostbite from extreme temperatures
Here are work procedures that employers should remind their workers to perform before doing collection work, according to the government agency:
- Perform a pre-use inspection at the beginning of every shift
- Wear personal protective equipment
- Watch for traffic and stay visible
- Collect from one side of the road at a time
- Stay clear of any pinch points while the garbage is being compacted
- Do not ride on the platform for more than 300 metres at a time
- When a waste collector is standing on the platform, operate the vehicle:
- At a speed no greater than 16 km/h.
- Only in a forward direction.
- At extremely slow speed over bumps and potholes.
- Avoid operating the vehicle in reverse.
