A healthy team is a happy team, which is why workplace safety is vital for running a successful business.
You need to be able to identify hazards, put in measures to limit the risks as much as possible, and work with other companies who put the same care into their side of operations, from supply fulfillment to waste management.
That’s why today we’re going to cover:
What dangers do waste management and disposal pose?
The benefits of safe waste management
Where does OSHA factor in?
Put safety first with Trashco Inc.
Let’s get started.
What dangers do waste management and disposal pose?
Some dangers posed to waste management and disposal workers are self-evident; working with heavy machinery, some of which is designed to crush mass amounts of tough materials, being around waste of all kinds, and having to handle harmful items such as sharp objects, and even chemical waste.
However, others are more insidious, especially when considering that these aren’t dangers that are solely posed to our team here at Trashco Inc. when we take away your trash.
We’re not downplaying the obvious hazards. Driving garbage trucks, moving heavy containers, operating waste compactors, all of this presents a very real risk to those involved, whether it’s one of our drivers or one of your team operating the compactor. The issue is when those are the only problems your team keeps in mind.
For example, let’s say that you’re part of a construction company and your latest project involves remodeling part of an existing structure. Your team has scoped out the building, done some tests, and you know that the location contains asbestos that needs to be disposed of appropriately.
The asbestos doesn’t only pose a serious health risk to your team as they’re removing it. It poses that risk for the entire time that it’s on-site and to our team once we come to pick up your waste (including the asbestos).
This situation extends to less serious risks too, such as with food waste. If you don’t have a solid plan for how you’re going to store this waste (say, in a front load dumpster) then your team could become ill as a result of it decaying before it’s picked up for disposal.
The benefits of safe waste management
First, if you ensure that your team is safe at all times (or, as safe as they can be) you’ll reduce the amount of accidents and injuries in your team. Fewer injuries mean less time off to recover, meaning that your team can keep working at full capacity instead of having to slow down due to a lack of workers.
Second, if someone is injured they’re far less likely to be seriously injured if safety protocols have been enacted and followed. Even when you can’t completely eradicate danger from your workplace, you can do a lot to reduce the seriousness of the consequences should something go wrong.
For example, let’s say that you’ve rented a waste compactor from Trashco Inc. to more effectively store your waste before and after disposal, and to reduce the number of collections you need to pay for per week. Having one trained, dedicated person on your team operating the machine will already massively reduce accidents, but going one step further to ensure that another person is on hand while the compactor is on to help in the event of an emergency will allow your team to act fast and reduce whatever harm is inflicted.
It’s not rocket science to point out that people won’t show up to work if they’re recovering from an injury or sickness, but have you considered how having a safer working environment will improve the quality of work your team produces when they are in-house?
Think about it; rather than having to spend their time and energy double-checking everything and running through their own safety procedures off the cuff, your team can forge ahead knowing that their safety isn’t an afterthought. That’s less time spent wondering how they can do something that has an associated risk, and more time spent doing their job effectively.
Where does OSHA factor in?
It’s hard to think of a name more renowned when it comes to workplace safety than OSHA. That’s because, since its founding in 1971, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has helped reduce workplace fatalities by 66%.
Being the champion of workplace safety that it is, the OSHA standards are the bare minimum that you have to meet when setting up a business. Following the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act), employers must comply with OSHA standards - it’s not optional, and this probably contributes to why many deride it as being unnecessary and overly cautious.
While some may complain about the “red tape” that OSHA introduces, all of these measures are created to help you and your team stay safe while carrying out your work. From safe operating procedures to identifying the most dangerous areas of your workplace, chances are that you’ve already had an OSHA consultation for free advice. So, other than making sure that those standards are upheld in your day-to-day operations, there’s only one thing left to worry about…
Put safety first with Trashco Inc.
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
Supply chains fail if the main materials supplier can’t meet demand or has a system outage. Machines break if the engineer servicing them gets sick and you don’t have a backup. Waste piles up and poses a new hazard to your team if it’s not disposed of efficiently, reliably, and appropriately.
That’s where we here at Trashco Inc. come in.
Not only are we fully OSHA compliant, but our state-of-the-art fleet of trucks and dedicated, passionate team make us the best waste management company in Laredo and the surrounding areas. We turn up on time, every time, and make sure that nobody is at risk (on your end or ours) when we take care of your garbage.
Our team of experts is even happy to chat with you directly if you’re unsure as to what waste management plan would work best for you, from price, to container selection, to collection frequency and any other specific needs.
Click here to chat to our team today! We’re cleaning up Laredo, one truck at a time.
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