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Solid Waste and Recycling Workers

Solid Waste RecycleFrom 1992 to 2012, 43 workers were killed while hauling solid waste and recycling materials in New Jersey. Many more were seriously injured. This Web page provides resources to promote safe work practices in this industry.


Hazard Alerts/Fact Sheets
  • Solid Waste Workers Killed on the Job (New Jersey) English [pdf 1m], Spanish pdf 209k]
  • [pdf 120k] (Massachusetts)
  • [pdf 1.9m] (NIOSH)
  • (NIOSH)
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Fatality Investigation Reports Related to Solid Waste and Recycling Workers

The NJDOH conducts in-depth investigations of select fatal occupational injuries as part of the Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Project, with support from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). FACE is designed to identify the underlying causes of work-related fatalities and detect common patterns of fatal injuries in New Jersey. Through FACE Investigation Reports, FACE informs employers and workers of commonly occurring hazardous operations and work practices including recommendations for preventing similar incidents in the future.

The following are FACE investigation reports related to solid waste and recycling workers who were fatally injured in New Jersey and other states from 1990-2013. All these reports are available on the by using the search feature. Suggested key words include: refuse truck, trash truck, recycling, garbage truck.

NEW JERSEY

  • [pdf 171k]
  • [pdf 243k]

CALIFORNIA

  • [pdf 921k]
  • [pdf 3.1m]

IOWA

  • [pdf 753k]

KENTUCKY

MARYLAND

MASSACHUSETTS

  • [pdf 235k]

MISSOURI

NEBRASKA

NEW YORK

  • [pdf 584k]

NORTH CAROLINA

OKLAHOMA

TEXAS

VIRGINIA

  • *

*NIOSH in-house report; state never had a FACE project.

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New Jersey Haulers Licensing and Regulations

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) :

  • Administers the licensing (A-901) of companies engaged in the solid/hazardous waste business
  • Registers solid and hazardous waste transporter vehicles and equipment
  • Enforces the provisions of the NJ Solid Waste Management and Solid Waste Utility Control Acts
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New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development (NJDLWD)

The NJDLWD’s enforces OSHA standards in New Jersey’s public sector. The NJDLWD also offers to New Jersey private and public employers.

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American National Standards Institute (ANSI)

ANSI oversees the creation, promulgation and use of thousands of norms and guidelines that directly impact businesses in nearly every sector: from acoustical devices to construction equipment, from dairy and livestock production to energy distribution, and many more. The following ANSI standards are particularly pertinent to the solid waste industry:

  • ANSI/ISEA 207-2011:
  • ANSI Z245.1-2008:
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National Waste and Recycling Association (NWRA)

(NWRA): the trade association focused on making trash collection, processing and disposal operations less dangerous by encouraging safety training, assistance for compliance with regulations, company safety rules and policies. 

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New Jersey Chapter of the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA)

has made its mission to advance the practice of environmentally and economically sound management of municipal solid waste in North America and provides a forum for solid waste professionals to share information and promote training. SWANA’s technical conferences and training programs cover all aspects of integrated municipal solid waste management, and the Association is a major policy and technical representative of solid waste management practitioners, executives, companies and government organizations.

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