In 2021, the second year of reported workplace COVID-19 cases, morbidity among solid waste collection workers dropped sharply. | | Joyce Ray/Shutterstock
Injury rates in the waste and recycling industry will drop in 2021 to the lowest level since 2006, according to federal data.
2021 Employers Report Workplace Injuries and Illnesses, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report, the incidence of injury and illness among solid waste landfill workers has decreased from 3.4 cases per 100 full-time employees to 2.2 cases per 100 full-time employees in 2021. Meanwhile, the percentage of solid waste collection he decreased from 5.2 to 4, and the percentage of MRF workers decreased. From 5.2 to 3.2.
said David Biderman, executive director and CEO of the North American Solid Waste Association (SWANA). statement The data “reflect historic improvements in worker safety in the solid waste industry,” it said.
“Last year’s injury and illness rates were less than half what they were in 2017,” he added. “SWANA will continue to lead industry efforts to further reduce them and achieve the strategic plan goal of removing solid waste collection workers from the list of the 10 most hazardous jobs.”
said Darrell Smith, President and CEO of the National Waste Recycling Association (NWRA). statement The data point in the right direction, but “more work is still to be done to reduce injuries and illnesses in the waste and recycling industry.”
“While we are pleased with the significant reduction in landfills and waste transport, we cannot be complacent with this report and still have a long way to go to break out of the top 10 worst industry list,” he said. Added.
SWANA said in a statement that this year’s Injury and Illness Survey is the second year that workplace COVID-19 cases have been reported and that the incidence of solid waste collection illnesses is higher than that of full-time workers in 2020. decreased from 22.4 per 100 persons to 8.4 in 2021. However, no morbidity data were available for solid waste landfill or MRF employees.
Overall, private sector employers saw a 1.8% decrease in non-fatal workplace injuries and illnesses in 2021, with 2.6 million reported cases. This decline was due to a decline in the number of sick cases, which overall he fell by 32.9%, while the injury rate increased by 2.2 cases per 100 employees in 2021, compared with his 2020 record of 2.2 cases. He increased slightly to 2.3 cases.
Fatal Work Injury Census data will be released Dec. 16.
