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Valley Waste Stands Up for Industry Safety

5/15/2016

Beaver Falls, PA—May 16, 2016—Valley Waste Service, Inc. announced today that it has joined the 2016 Safety Stand Down on Water Rest and Shade, an initiative of the National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA.) This weeklong training and awareness effort is focused on keeping collection workers safe during hot weather. The 2016 NWRA Safety Stand Down on Water, Rest and Shade launches on May 16 with a weeklong training and awareness initiative focused around reducing heat-related illness and injuries, a common challenge for industries where workers spend considerable time outdoors. This NWRA Safety Stand-Down will include a daily focus on safety issues related to keeping cool, hydrated and healthy in warmer weather and will conclude on May 20, 2016. Valley Waste Service, Inc. is a member of the Pennsylvania Waste Industries Association (PWIA), NWRA’s Pennsylvania Chapter, and shares NWRA’s commitment toward significantly improving safety for the waste and recycling industry.

Participation in the stand down means that Valley Waste Service, Inc. has joined with waste and recycling companies across the country to commit to:

1. Conducting a risk assessment at job sites and review safety policies and procedures for water, rest and shade.

2. Review company policies, procedures, consider enhancements, and then training employees on any changes.

3. Posting Stand Down materials to the company website, in employee meeting rooms and on social media sites.

“We are proud to participate in this nationwide effort as we come together to ensure that our workers, customers and community are all safe,” said Douglas Vogel, Vice-President of Valley Waste Service, Inc. “Through training, effective communications and heightened awareness we are committed to helping improve safety across our industry.”

NWRA has made safety its top priority, a pledge shared by its member companies. This Stand Down will provide participating companies with the tools, guidance and support necessary to move the needle on heat-related health incidents. In 2014, 1,160 injury and illness cases with lost workdays involved exposure to environmental heat in the services providing industries. The Waste and Recycling industry falls into this sector. The NWRA is assisting with tools to help employers make employees aware of the risk. Through this Stand Down, NWRA aims to prepare companies to address the concern and provide employees the resources they need to stay healthy in the heat.

"The purpose of the NWRA Safety Stand Down is to raise awareness, prevent, and teach waste and recycling industry workers and employers about working in hot weather and provide valuable resources to address these concerns', said NWRA President and CEO Sharon H. Kneiss.

This Stand Down comes on the heels of the highly successful NWRA Stand Down on Backing that took place in January. This Stand Down brought together more than 60 percent of the industry for a week of education, discussion and resource sharing to reduce backing related incidents.

The Stand Down brings together companies and interested parties throughout the nation to raise awareness and standards for safety by following sound safety practices and by sharing experiences and solutions. Additional details about the Stand Down can be found at: https://wasterecycling.org/our-work/safety. The Safety Stand Down effort is using the social media hashtag #KeepSafetyCool

As the designated Secretariat for ANSI Standards for the waste and recycling industry for more than fifty years, NWRA also coordinates the ongoing development of new and revised standards for both equipment and protective gear.

ABOUT NWRA

The National Waste & Recycling Association is the leading organization providing leadership, advocacy, research, education and safety expertise for the waste and recycling industries. NWRA advocates at the Federal, State and Local levels on all issues of importance to our member companies as they provide safe, economically sustainable and environmentally sound services to communities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.