MSW Management

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By Neal Bolton

For many people, safety is limited to a program of meetings and maybe a list of operational dos and don’ts. In a typical application, safety training is simply another item on the list, falling somewhere between “rebuild dozer engine” and “test groundwater.” Such a finite perspective typically provides very limited results.

The word safety, covers lots of territory. It’s a broad term—as broad as your operation … and then some.

At facilities where safety is seen as a holistic component of the operation, worker safety becomes less of a program and more of a lifestyle. Of course, there are still requirements to conduct safety training and follow basic safety guidelines. But it becomes wider, deeper, and much more effective. Workers understand that the actions of every person affect, to some degree, everyone else on the crew. They also realize that what they do off the job can affect their performance on the job. Managers realize that safety must span all aspects of the operation from design to closure.

This brings to point an important issue, that of “follow through.” Safety programs can fail—and often do—because the folks who promote safety (typically managers) do not follow through on what they say is important. It can be a case of “Do what I say, not what I do.”

Here is a common example.

Unauthorized scavenging at transfer stations or landfills is a serious problem and, in most cases, is a violation of regulation and facility policy. However, because it is so easy to do—and because rules against it are so difficult to enforce—at many facilities scavenging is ignored. But like the emperor’s new clothes, ignoring a fact (or a threat) will not change it, and sooner or later the truth will be exposed.

The solution begins with you. Make sure you understand the policy. Communicate it clearly to the entire crew. Once that’s done, enforce it.

Now you may be thinking, “Sounds great, but it will be very difficult to enforce. It’s been going on since day one.” It’s true. In the waste industry, scavenging has become a perk—a tradition—and traditions are hard to change. But consider this from the perspective of the witness stand. An attorney (who is not your friend) may ask questions like these:

Are you aware of regulations prohibiting scavenging?
Do you have a policy that prohibits scavenging?
Were you aware of the potential risk of injury or death scavenging could present?
Did you communicate those rules and policies to the crew?
Were you ever aware that anyone was scavenging?
And what did you, as the manager, do about it?

Remember that this same attorney is going to ask similar questions of others, as well. If you are allowing scavenging to occur at your facility, you’re assuming a major risk.

This is just one example of many. It really comes down to following through in all areas, so that daily activities line up with your facility’s policies and procedures.

Try this exercise: Review all of your stated policies and procedures. Highlight those that refer to a specific method or activity. Then mentally review the operation and carefully evaluate how well they agree. From the worker’s perspective, do you say what you mean and mean what you say?

In order to improve safety awareness for any group of workers, managers must consistently follow through. Only by getting the operation’s head, hands, and heart all working in the same direction can we instill safety as a culture rather than simply an activity.

Neal Bolton specializes in landfill operations

MSW - January/February 2008