Occupational risks, environmental hazards and operational inefficiencies
in waste management are a triple threat to your bottom line
Waste management is prone to a number of potentially costly
issues, from workplace
injuries to environmental
contamination, and it’s
easy to see why. Overexertion
and heavy lifting – two common ailments
that can result from lugging heavy garbage
containers and lifting bags into dumpsters – are also two of the main causes for
workplace injury, according to 2015 data
from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Employers pay an average of $60,618 for
each workplace injury claim and lose an
average of 39 working days each year. Add
in potential fines for improper disposal
and the financial toll that any inefficient
process can take, and it becomes clear how
problems in the waste management process can become costly very quickly.
“Every company, from an office or factory to a construction site or hospital,
produces and must dispose of waste,”
explains Derrick Masimer, Vice President
of Sales Operations for Toter, a manufacturer of ergonomic waste carts, containers and lifting equipment. “However,
improper disposal, hauling and lifting
practices can cause overexertion, repetitive stress or back injuries, result in slip
and fall incidents or expose workers to
other workplace hazards. Taking a closer
look at your facility’s waste stream and
making a few simple changes can have a
huge positive effect on workplace safety
and injury prevention.”
Where Hazards Happen
Facilities with waste management
processes that require manual lifting
and dumping are the most vulnerable to
workplace injury claims, Masimer says.
Bending, reaching overhead, lifting heavy
items or even just slipping on some trash
that has escaped its receptacle can easily
result in a workplace injury.
continued on page 50
Are You Throwing Money in the Trash?
“Front load dumpers have loading
heights of 4 to 5 feet, which can be a risk
to staff who are trying to lift a 30-pound
garbage bag over their head and into a
dumpster. There’s a chance of back inju-
ries,” adds Geoff Aardsma, Vice President
of Client Services at Enevo, a technology-
enabled waste and recycling services
provider for facilities. “These are steel
containers that aren’t always the safest,
so if you interact with the steel, there’s
the chance of a cut. The area around
the dumpster always needs to be kept
very clean because otherwise rodent
infestations or slip and fall situations
might arise. Some properties also have
mechanical equipment like compactors,
and those have several moving parts with
safety concerns.”
Environmental risks abound as well,
especially if you’re disposing of potentially
dangerous material. A spill that’s not dealt
with properly or an improper disposal that
contaminates the whole load could result
in fines – to say nothing of what could
happen if you miss someone else throwing
