Wisconsin Legislature Passes Waste Worker Safety Bill

Allan Gerlat, News Editor

May 8, 2013

1 Min Read
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The Wisconsin legislature has passed a bill to protect waste workers in the state.

Senate Bill 145, which has the strong backing of the National Solid Wastes Management Association (NSWMA), passed the Senate by a 31-1 vote and the Assembly by a 52-38 vote, according to the state legislature website, and now goes to the governor to be signed into law.

The “Slow Down to Get Around” bill would double the fines for moving violations committed while going around sanitation trucks. It was introduced by Rep. John Jagler (R-Watertown) and co-sponsored by state Sen. Paul Farrow (R-Pewaukee).

“NSWMA is very pleased that the Wisconsin legislature moved quickly to approve this important worker safety measure,” said David Biderman, vice president for government affairs for the association, in an e-mail. “ We will be looking for opportunities to enact similar legislation in other states.”

Jagler authored the bill following an accident that happened to one of his constituents, Mark Friend, a sanitation worker. Friend lost a leg after being pinned between a vehicle and a waste truck while emptying a trash container.

 

About the Author

Allan Gerlat

News Editor, Waste360

Allan Gerlat joined the Waste360 staff in September 2011 as news editor. He was the editor of Waste & Recycling News for the first 16 years of its history, and under his guidance the publication won 27 national and regional awards.

Before Waste & Recycling News, Allan worked at another Crain Communications publication, Rubber & Plastics News, which covers rubber product manufacturing. He began with the publication as associate editor and eventually became managing editor, a position he held for nine years.

Allan is a graduate of Ohio University, where he earned a BS in journalism. He is based in Sagamore Hills, in northeast Ohio.

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