Does OSHA have any regulations about trash collectors riding on the back of the trash trucks?

I am looking for regulations, not opinions on the safety of the practice. Asked by Captain-Ozone 25 months ago Similar questions: OSHA regulations trash collectors riding back trucks Health.

Similar questions: OSHA regulations trash collectors riding back trucks.

CONSUMER HEALTH INTERACTIVE Garbage collector David Richard was on his usual pickup route in Boca Raton, Florida, when a fluke accident ended his life. No one knows what happened, but Richards was standing behind his truck when it started moving in reverse. It knocked him over, dragging him 20 feet before crashing through a fence.

Firefighters found him dead when they arrived. At first glance, garbage collecting may not seem extremely hazardous. But research shows that it can in fact be both dangerous and even deadly.

A report from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) shows that between 1980 and 1992, 450 sanitation workers aged 16 or older died in incidents involving refuse collection. Two thirds of these deaths were vehicle related, and most occurred when the worker slipped or fell from a refuse-collection truck and was struck or run over by their own vehicle. Unfortunately, the risk of injury and death hasn’t improved much since then.In 2007, the Bureau of Labor Statistics noted that refuse and recyclable materials collectors had a fatality rate of 22 per 100,000 workers, placing them among occupations with high fatality rates.

In 2004, NIOSH reported that workers in waste management were in the top three job classifications to have the greatest risk of falling, and were number six in having the greatest number of fatalities in the service sector. Solid Waste Collection workers were also two times more likely to suffer lost workday injuries than the average service sector worker. Also potentially menacing are the contents of trashcans.

Into them, heedless owners sometimes dump broken glass, cat and dog excrement, and chemical waste -- one garbage collector in New York City died recently after inhaling fumes from a hazardous chemical someone had illegally poured into a trashcan. Garbage collectors are often disconcerted to find more than garbage in trashcans and dumpsters, including carcasses of pets and possums, broken glass, syringes, even slumbering homeless people."Some people put dead animals in their trash cans instead of calling Animal Control," says Ira Janowitz, a consultant in California who has conducted safety trainings for garbage collectors. "That's heavy stuff.

"Like other professions that require physical labor, garbage collecting can put tremendous strain on your body as well.In some cities, trash pickup crews still run an average of 20 miles a day behind moving garbage trucks. "Vehicular traffic and repeated lifting while on the run causes thousands of crippling injuries each year," says labor historian Earl Dotter. According to a report from the US Bureau of Labor statistics, in 2006 there were over 3,000 instances of lost workdays nationally because of injuries to garbage collectors working for private haulers.

This figure does not even include injuries or lost days for garbage collectors working for county and city collection services. Some injuries stem from constantly repeating awkward movements, such as jumping in and out of garbage trucks and lifting cans that can sometimes weigh 100 pounds or more. The weight and the often-awkward positions can cause back strain and ankle sprains.

And on days when the road is slick, lifting heavy cans can lead to a nasty fall, especially since collectors never know what to expect. "The cans vary widely and unpredictably in weight, which is a big problem," Janowitz says. Louis Montana can attest to that.

On a wet day last spring, the Walnut Creek, California, garbage collector was hauling a trashcan from a customer's house out to his truck when he slipped on the pavement. "I was rolling the can out and it fell out of my hands. I bent over too far to grab it, and it sort of fell on my foot.

I could feel that I had pulled something inside," Montano says. He went home in pain, and although he's back at work, he still feels pain late at night. A doctor who later examined Montano diagnosed a hernia; Montano said he expects to have an operation soon.It's not the first injury he has suffered during his 14 years as a garbage collector.

Ten years ago, he strained his back badly while on his daily route. "I felt a slight pain but I finished the day that time," he says."But the next day I couldn't even tie my shoes. The doctor gave me cortisone shots in my back, and I went back to work a few days later.

"According to a University of Miami report, garbage collectors suffer the most injuries to their lower backs and are plagued with fractured feet, bruised knees, and torn hands from picking up so many cans as well. Another study conducted in Denmark indicates that garbage collectors are twice as likely to suffer from stomach problems than the general workforce, and they are also many more times likely to suffer allergies, infections, and respiratory problems. Because of such hazards, the number of workers compensation cases filed by garbage collectors in some areas is 7.4 times that of the general workforce, according to a Florida study.

.. Sources: http://www.myonlinewellness.com/topic/garbage .

Garbage collection service setup leaves few options. (Turning trash into cash).(Waste Management Inc The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is an agency of the United States Department of Labor. It was created by Congress of the United States under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, signed by President Richard M Nixon, on December 29, 1970.

Its mission is to prevent work-related injuries, illnesses, and occupational fatality by issuing and enforcing rules called standards for workplace safety and health. The agency is headed by a Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor. The OSH Act, which created OSHA also created the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) as a research agency focusing on occupational health and safety.

NIOSH, however, is not a part of the U.S. Department of Labor. OSHA federal regulations cover most private sector workplaces. The OSH Act permits states to develop approved plans as long as they cover public sector employees and they provide protection equivalent to that provided under Federal OSHA regulations.In return, a portion of the cost of the approved state program is paid by the federal government.

Twenty-two states and territories operate plans covering both the public and private sectors and five — Connecticut, Illinois, New Jersey, New York and the US Virgin Islands — operate public employee only plans. In those five states, private sector employment remains under Federal OSHA jurisdiction.In 2000, the United States Postal Act made the U.S. Postal Service the only quasi-governmental entity to fall under the purview of OSHA jurisdiction. This change permits OSHA to fine the U.S. Postal Service as if it were a regular non-governmental organization.

Regulatory impactHere are some of the changes in industrial safety regulation brought about by OSHA: 1. Guards on all moving parts - By 1970, there were guards to prevent inadvertent contact with most moving parts that were accessible in the normal course of operation. With OSHA, use of guards was expanded to cover essentially all parts where contact is possible.

2. Permissible exposure limits (PEL) - Maximum concentrations of chemicals stipulated by regulation for chemicals and dusts. They cover around 600 chemicals.

Most are based on standards issued by other organizations in 1968 or before.3. Personal protective equipment (PPE) - broader use of respirators, gloves, coveralls, and other protective equipment when handling hazardous chemicals; goggles, face shields, ear protection in typical industrial environments 4. Lockout/tagout - In the 1980s, requirements for locking out energy sources (securing them in an "off" condition) when performing repairs or maintenance 5.

Confined space - In the 1990s, specific requirements for air sampling and use of a "buddy system" when working inside tanks, manholes, pits, bins, and similar enclosed areas 6. Hazard Communication (HazCom 4) - Also known as the "Right to Know" standard, was issued as 29CFR1910.1200 on November 25, 1983 (48 FR 53280), requires developing and communicating information on the hazards of chemical products used in the workplace. 7.

Process Safety Management (PSM 5) - Issued in 1992 as 29CFR1910.119 in an attempt to reduce large scale industrial accidents. Although enforcement of the standard has been spotty, its principles have long been widely accepted by the petrochemical industry. 8.

Bloodborne Pathogens (BBP 6)- In 1990, OSHA issued a standard designed to prevent health care (and other) workers from being exposed to bloodborne pathogens such as hepatitis B and HIV.9. Excavations and Trenches - OSHA regulations7 specify that trenches and excavations wherein workers are working 5 feet or more down must be provided with safeguards in addition to proper sloping and storage of excavated material in order to prevent collapses/cave-ins.8 10. Exposure to asbestos - OSHA has established requirements in 29 CFR 1910.1001 for occupational exposure to asbestos.

These requirements apply to most workplaces - most notably excepted is construction work."Construction work" means work for construction, alteration and/or repair including painting and decorating. Occupational exposure requirements for asbestos in construction work can be found in 29 CFR 1926.1101. Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupational_Safety_and_Health_Administration .

Ours have been automated robot arms for as long as I can remember...

Captain-Ozone replied to post #1: 2 The people who ride on the back are called "bumpers". I cringe when I see a truck going 45 MPH with the collectors standing on the back. Even firefighters no longer do that.

There are lots of places still using them. Especially where there are narrow streets. The advantage of the old way is trash can be collected on both sides of the street at once.

I'm not sure about the cost effectiveness, as the automated trucks only use one person - the driver, vs.. two or three on the manual trucks.

The people who ride on the back are called "bumpers". I cringe when I see a truck going 45 MPH with the collectors standing on the back. Even firefighters no longer do that.

There are lots of places still using them. Especially where there are narrow streets. The advantage of the old way is trash can be collected on both sides of the street at once.

I'm not sure about the cost effectiveness, as the automated trucks only use one person - the driver, vs.. two or three on the manual trucks.

We have people that go around in trucks and do just that. " "How do you give a holiday tip to your trash collectors when you never see them?

We have people that go around in trucks and do just that.

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