The following Safety Alert was released by SWANA on March 24, 2023. Safety is a top priority for SWANA in our industry.
SAFETY ALERT
SWANA has released its most recent report on 3rd party and worker fatalities. This report shows an increased number of worker fatalities from 2021 to 2022. 46 solid waste industry fatalities were reported by SWANA for 2022 with 28 being reported the year before. The graphics below contain more detailed information on these incidents.
Fatalities by event show that the largest amount of incidents involve the mechanical side of collection. This is the first time mechanical-related fatalities led the list for fatalities. Truck maintenance, work on or around shredders and balers or compactors led to 11 worker related deaths in 2022.
Worker fatalities on a month-to-month comparison continue to show that spring and summer is a spike in incidents followed by a decrease through the end of the year. 2022 is unusual in that there was a dip in fatalities in June where previous years showed June to have a spike in fatalities.
For 2022, there was a decrease in the fatalities of a member of the public involved in a solid waste related incident after an increase in 2021. These third party related fatalities are down compared to 2021 but higher than the previous two years.
SWANA offers a wide variety of safety-related resources and safety initiatives. Please take a moment to use these resources and help promote safety in the solid waste field.
