Neal Bolton

By Neal Bolton

As with good weather or youthful health, a safe work environment is one of those things that we don't really think about too much. It's easily taken for granted until something happens, and then suddenly we haven't got it anymore.

Imagine a workplace where contractors, commercial trucks, and self-haul (public) vehicles converge to unload tens, hundreds, even thousands of tons of bulky, smelly, potentially hazardous waste material every day. Imagine this taking place in a chaotic environment of heavy traffic, big tractors, dust, blowing litter, and noise. Now imagine that you're there, in the midst of it, but it's not your imagination - you're at a landfill.

Yes, landfills can be dangerous places, but they don't have to be. The fact is that every landfill can be operated safely and efficiently. It's just a matter of knowing where potential safety problems are and then addressing them before a potential problem becomes an accident or an injury. All landfills, even the most progressive ones, have to work at being safe.

According to the United States Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), in calendar year 2001, 5.2 million American workers were injured and 5,900 workers died as a result of work-related accidents. In two OSHA categories related to our industry (Transportation & Public Utilities and Construction), there were more than 900,000 injuries/illnesses and 2,100-plus fatalities in 2001. The financial cost is measured in the tens of billion of dollars. The human cost is infinitely greater. Safe work habits will save money and save lives.

Is safety an important issue for your landfill? Of course it is. Safety issues abound at every landfill.

Recently it has become common practice to toss around terms like safety awareness, risk management, and health preservation. That's fine, but tossing around terms is one thing; making your landfill safe is quite another.

Fact is, while a safe work environment might start with an idea or a policy, it won't become reality until somebody takes charge and makes it happen. So how does a landfill manager implement a safety program? Good question. It reminds me of the fellow who wants a bearskin rug. Where should he start? Well, first he has to find a bear. Want your crew to work safe? First you have to find out what a good safety program consists of.

Creating a Safety Program

The first step to developing an effective landfill safety plan is to identify specific areas or topics for training. This would include those that are required and those that are simply necessary.

Required elements include those things required by law. For example, landfill workers are required to receive safety training on such topics as confined space, lock-out/tag-out, and blood-borne pathogens. Are these important topics? You bet they are, and they should be included in every landfill's safety training effort. But don't stop there; there are many more topics that, while not required by law, should be considered necessary.

Think about it. How many types of injuries might occur at landfills that would not be caused by confined spaces or sharps? Plenty. Necessary elements address common landfill activities for which safety training is not mandatory but still a darn good idea. Operating heavy equipment around customers, traffic safety, working with waste, spotter safety, and scores of other topics are common to landfills and pose potential risk.

Remember, the primary goal is not to satisfy the legal requirements for safety training, though that often is the focus. The true goal is to keep people safe. When we get right down to it, we're talking about people's lives - maybe even yours or mine.

Some years ago I helped coordinate the response to a landfill emergency. It had been a serious accident with severe injuries to both man and machine. One of the things that became evident during the follow-up investigation was that even though the written safety program was in place, it had never been translated into the field. As a result, a landfill worker nearly died while the safety program that could have protected him gathered dust on a shelf in the landfill office. Please note: There are safety programs and then there are safety programs. Not all are effective. An effective safety program is one that gets off the shelf and into the field.

During my travels around the country, I've talked with hundreds of landfill managers. All of them acknowledge the importance of good safety training. Most of them want to provide good, practical safety training to their crew. Few of them have the resources or time to do it. Does this indicate a lack of commitment? No, but it does point out a lack of landfill-specific resources for practical safety training. Here are some ideas for implementing a practical - and effective - safety program at your landfill. We'll cover five basic steps for developing a safety training program.

Step 1. Set Goals

This is the brainstorming step. It can be as formal or informal as you wish. The key is to clearly define what you want from your safety program. Here are a few ideas to get you started.

• Address regulatory minimum training. List various types of training that are required (i.e., by regulation). To compile this list, check with OSHA, local and state regulators, or trade associations.
• Address historical problems at your landfill. If your landfill has had specific safety problems in the past, those are great topics to mark as top priority for your safety training program.
• Address potential problems that might be unique to your landfill. For example, a landfill in southern Arizona might be concerned with poisonous snakes but probably not with frostbite.
• Be proactive in regard to safety.
• Conduct weekly/monthly training.
• Develop a "work safe" attitude in the crew.
• Encourage safety through recognition or reward. Give away a jacket, a hat, or a steak dinner to employees who work safe.
• Document all safety training efforts.

Step 2. Develop a Plan

This is where you develop the written plan. I like to arrange it in an outline format like this:

Types of Incidents. Identify the types of safety issues important to your landfill. Start with those that are required, have been historical problems, or have a higher probability of occurring. Be sure to select incidents that are relevant to your landfill crew. You might be able to find safety training material on high-voltage transformers, but chances are that won't be very useful to most landfill workers.

Gather Information. Gather information on the various topics you've identified as important. Arrange the information into a clear, practical training that focuses on safety: the risks and solutions.

Response and Responsibility. Whenever you address a specific safety issue, it's critical that everyone know who is responsible. For example, when it comes to keeping the tipping area safe, both the spotters and equipment operators have critical but different responsibilities.

Training. Identify how you'll train your crew. It's fine that you want them to be safe. But first you must teach them how to be safe. In your safety plan, discuss how you'll train, what you'll train, and how often you'll do it.

Documentation. Providing documentation of your training effort is vital. In many cases, it is required by regulation or perhaps as part of your landfill's permit. In every case it's a good idea. Always, always have your employees sign off when they've received specific safety training. Keep these records in a safe place. If something happens and the landfill gets sued, training records can be invaluable for your defense.

You can (and will) add to the safety plan over time. Be patient: This is a job that never will be completely finished. Remember, even the great pyramids were built one stone at a time. Start by working on the high-priority issues first.

Step 3. Conduct Training

Once you've developed a safety training plan, it's time to transfer it from the shelf to the field. Should it be monthly, weekly, or daily? That's up to you and might be dictated by your safety officer or risk management staff. Regardless of how often you train, it's most important that you do train. Remember, safety meetings should:

• be short and to the point (five to 15 minutes is enough);
• be applicable and relevant (may vary from site to site);
• be based on historical problems;
• be signed by all participants;
• include everyone: rookies, old-timers, and contractors;
• be consistent.

Step 4. Document Your Efforts

The primary purpose of having a safety training program is to keep your workers and customers safe. By documenting your efforts to conduct safety training, however, you might also avoid costly or unfair litigation if an accident should occur.

Have you ever noticed the odd relationship between resources and safety? You know the story: Far too often there isn't enough time or money to adequately address safety issues - until somebody gets injured or killed. Then there's all the time in the world, and money is no object. Unfortunately, at that point it's too late.

Step 5. Keep Up With Current Issues

Finally, once you develop a safety training program, you'll find ways to expand and refine it. Good safety training programs don't end, but they do evolve. As you address high-priority issues, other issues will move up the list. Also, as our industry changes, new safety issues will appear.

As an example, 10 years ago, few landfills would have been concerned with safety issues related to composting or gas extraction. Thirty years ago, few landfills gave much thought to the danger posed by asbestos, methane, or plain old dust. Times are changing.

Working at a landfill is hard work. And working safely is a serious responsibility. Do your part by developing a practical safety plan and transferring it to the crew.

Finally, remember that safety isn't a plan, it's an attitude. A hardhat won't be much help if you get run over by a scraper, nor will a simple dust mask protect you from toxic fumes. Use common sense and judgment and work safe.

Neal Bolton is a consultant specializing in landfill operations and management. He is principal of Blue Ridge Services in Atascadero, CA.

MSW - November/December 2003