Safety In Waste Collection Occupations

Safety is a large concern in waste collection as it has a higher than average fatal injury rate when compared to industry.

Waste collection work is associated with a variety of physical, chemical, and biological hazards. 

Some studies and reports suggest that fatal injuries when exposed to these hazards are more than doubling when considering door-to-door waste collection occupations. 

Waste collectors are required to perform tasks that involve Frequent lifting of heavy loads, high repetitive tasks, long work durations and insufficient recovery times. 

These are seen are significant risk factors that may result in chronic injuries and diseases.

Human factors plays an important role in improving safety for workers by implementing several human factors principles when considering the design of products, processes, and procedures. 

Some of these include:

Training operators on proper lifting techniques

Increasing frequency of collection to reduce overall weight of containers

suggesting rotation of staffing to reduce fatigue in single individuals 

and ergonomic improvements of the collection bins and trucks to be easier to maneuver or use by operators

These are just some of the ways in which Human Factors can contribute to ensure minimal waste makes it to the ocean

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Guest hosted by Matteo Vinci

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