Neal Bolton, P.E., President, Blue Ridge Services
Susan Eppes, MS, CSP, ARM, President, EST Solutions, Inc.
Tom Parker, Associate. CDM Smith

FREE FOR SWANA MEMBERS

SWANA is proud to have 3 of the industry's leading safety experts share some of their knowledge on post-collection safety all in one webinar. Whether you run a landfill, MRF, or transfer station, this event will provide you with practical, safety-focused advice. Our presenters discuss leading causes of accidents and injuries in the post-collection world, and then provide safety tactics you can use at your site.

Landfill Safety - The Real Deal
Neal Bolton, P.E., President, Blue Ridge Services

Safety meetings, risk management goals and accident reduction incentive programs are just some of the tools used to keep landfill workers safe. Do these programs work? Well, yes …and no.

Bolton has been an expert witness on more than 40 injury/fatality cases at solid waste facilities, and every one of those facilities had a safety program in place - every single one. So why did the incidents happen?

Well, it wasn't for lack of a safety program. Rather it was a result of a poor safety culture.

Landfill accidents don't "just happen." They are almost always caused by people. There are specific reasons for this - something we might call a root cause.

Nor are accidents the result of just one event such as someone not wearing their hardhat, forgetting their PPE, or neglecting do a walk-around inspection. No, we can't point to a single mistake, but rather to a combination of many events, all aligning at once to create a "perfect storm" scenario.

During this webinar, participants look at a typical - and a hypothetical - incident where a landfill spotter was run over by a garbage truck. There were 9 contributing causes - each of which led to the perfect storm scenario …and ultimately, to a fatal accident.

Keeping Safe at the MRF
Susan Eppes, MS, CSP, ARM, President, EST Solutions, Inc.

In this webinar, Susan Eppes highlights common safety concerns and the main causes of injury in post-collection facilities. She presents a range of tactics that will help operators, managers and workers make MRFs safer places.

Her presentation focuses on safety through effective space management; the critical role that customizing and following an effective lockout/tagout program plays in safe operations throughout all facilities; the value of management buy-in and observations in identifying worker safety issues before they become problems; the importance of training workers through programs that emphasize adherence to safety programs as well as personal responsibility; and how proper wear, care and maintenance of required and optional PPE can help prevent injuries.

Focus on Safety at the Transfer Station
Tom Parker, Associate. CDM Smith

The proliferation of transfer stations has increased the focus of designers and operators on optimizing the health and safety of site users, staff and visitors. An emerging challenge is the coordination of both commercial and self-haul deliveries on the same footprint. Typically these operations are in conflict, with efficiency being the motivation for commercial traffic, and safety/convenience the priority for occasional self-haul users.

Traffic controls must be built into the facility design and enforced using signs, markings and personnel instructions. Proper lighting, including both translucent panels and mechanical features, is essential in providing a safe environment. Emphasis should be focused on the transition areas, where drivers are acclimating from sunshine to darkness.

In addition to the challenges associated with managing daily activities, transfer station operators are adapting to the following trends:

• Air quality concerns, principally associated with diesel emissions.
• Monitoring for radioactive wastes, complicated by some medical discards.
• Using real-time video surveillance of active areas, often to deflect false liability claims.
• Augmenting employee training and contingency planning for emergencies.