SWANA urges helpers not to ride on steps when trucks are reversing following worker fatality

A solid waste collection employee recently died following a fatal collision with a tractor trailer in Nassau County, New York. According to local media reports, the truck was backing onto a customer's property when it was struck. 

The Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) reminds all solid waste and recycling collection workers that riding on the riding steps or the back of the truck when the truck is backing is very dangerous and can lead to a fatality.

"We are saddened by this worker's tragic death, which likely would have been prevented if he had not been riding on the outside of the truck when the collision took place. One of the most important rules in the waste industry is not to be riding on the outside of the truck when the truck is going backwards. It violates the applicable ANSI standard and is simply an unsafe practice," stated David Biderman, SWANA Executive Director and CEO.