National Waste and Recycling Association (NWRA) Northeast Region Director Steve Changaris testified at a joint hearing held by the New York City Council Committees on Sanitation and Transportation to discuss “private fleet safety.”

“Safety is our core value in the waste and recycling industry and our focus is to significantly reduce crashes, injuries, illness and fatalities by building out sustainable prevention measures and engagement processes for a stronger culture of safety within the industry,” Changaris said at the hearing. “We are pleased to share with members of these committees the efforts of NWRA and its members to promote safety on the job. As a result of NWRA’s Safety Committee’s advances, the tools and processes we have developed focus on critical hazards and the industry sectors where performance can be improved. Our tools like Safety Monday, National Safety Stand Downs, and multiple education sessions, help to build capability in our employees and employers through best practices within the industry.”

The NWRA New York City chapter is collaborating with state and local regulators. The industry has been actively engaged with the Business Integrity Commission (BIC) and the New York City Department of Sanitation to advance a progressive safety agenda. The fourth annual waste industry safety symposium is scheduled for April 2018.

While not at the hearing, NWRA President and CEO Darrell Smith said in a statement, “Since our Board of Trustees designated safety as a strategic initiative in 2015, NWRA has worked to provide its members with tools and outreach efforts as well as collecting our own data from members to monitor trends in safety. It is important to us that we develop sustainable processes to move our industry off of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ List of 10 Most Dangerous Occupations.”