Tip sheet: Garbage collection

Recommended practices

For the worker:

1. Follow good lifting techniques – refer to “Lifting Safety” brochure by the Transportation Health & Safety Association of Ontario (THSAO), now the Infrastructure Health & Safety Association. 
2. Move feet to pick garbage and place into truck, instead of twisting the trunk and throwing the load.
3. Reduce load weight by ensuring workers lift only one garbage bag at a time.
4. Do not lift heavy, awkward loads by yourself. 
5. Wear appropriate footwear, glove and clothing of the weather conditions. 

For the employer:

1. Ensure trucks have adequate grating on exterior and interior steps to prevent slips.
2. Ensure trucks have adequate grab handles at the side doors and the back of truck to encourage three-point contact. Ensure grab handles have sufficient grip.
3. Ensure that ride-on platforms at back of truck are adequate size. Add extensions to steps if necessary. 
4. Purchase trucks with air ride.
5. Purchase trucks with big, wide, and lower side hopper and lower rear hoppers.
6. Investigate automated load trucks.
7. Investigate design recycling and composite bins to increase vertical hand heights when lifting and to enable two handed lifting of organic bins.
8. Decrease number of stops per individual worker to reduce high lifting frequency.
9. Set a maximum weight limit per container and notifying customers that items will be tagged and NOT collected.
10. Consider payment by the hour instead tonnage or using a “finish and go home” pay scheme that encourages work at excessively fast rates and increases the potential for injuries.
11. Improve communication with the community on where garbage should be placed, especially in winter months.