Dirty Little Secrets about Dumpster Safety

Dirty Little Secrets about Dumpster Safety with a Health and Safety Plan--Call to Action!Most businesses and job sites have a dumpster on the property. Without them, rubbish in the office would get out of hand. They are taken for granted, unless perhaps a garbage strike happens. But using this essential tool safely is more involved than simply tossing in bags of garbage and paying your share of the utilities each month.

Accidents and even fires can happen in and around dumpsters. Stress injuries can occur if a worker throws the trash in improperly. And pests can take up residence in them. Following a sound health and safety plan will help you dump your garbage without the worry over injuries.

Here are a few tips for tossing garbage into a dumpster safely:

  • wear safety equipment including eye protection and gloves
  • if sharp or abrasive material is regularly thrown out, consider wearing a hard hat and work boots
  • open the lid carefully, especially on windy days, using both hands
  • keep your hands away from pinch points
  • don’t overload the bags and boxes to prevent shoulder and back injuries from too much weight

Also, use proper lifting form when putting garbage in a dumpster. This means never twist your body to throw the trash. Instead, lift the bag and place it inside the dumpster.50 things you must know about safety leadership

If an item is heavy, get help lifting it. If an item is cumbersome, break it down so it is easier to maneuver.

Keeping it Clean

Pests love dumpsters. If you don’t want an infestation, plan on regular cleanup around the outside. At the same time, make sure there is nothing around the outside that can become a trip hazard. Keep ample space open around the dumpster so people have plenty of room to maneuver when getting rid of trash.

Put food waste in sealed plastic bags. This removes temptations for pests. And always close the lid of the dumpster securely after getting rid of trash.

Never try to get more in by standing on trash in the dumpster to compact it. Never use your hands to try to stuff more in. If you need to shift the garbage around, use a step ladder and a long pole.

You can’t always be sure what people are putting in trash bags and it is possible for a fire to start in the dumpster. Never try to fight it yourself. Always call the fire department. Never put hazardous waste in the dumpster. Never smoke around one. Just in case, it’s a good idea to store a fire extinguisher close by, a basic element of a business’s health and safety plan.

Inventing a Better Dumpster

fctc-online-bannerTo cite one example of safety awareness and hazard mitigation around dumpster safety, a physical therapist and ergonomics specialist joined with members of the Department of Biological and Agriculture Engineering at the University of California at Davis to develop a better dumpster.  Members of the large custodial department at the University were suffering from a number of injuries, including impingement syndrome (involving the tendons of the rotator cuff muscles), shoulder injury, neck pain and back stress.

The people-friendly dumpster they designed is 39 inches tall, not the standard 55 inches. Consequently, it is better suited to most people’s height. They also designed the Dumpster Prop, an adjustable, lightweight device that holds the lid open easily without putting them in danger.

Dumpster safety doesn’t need to be complicated.  As the faculty at UC Davis discovered, a little safety awareness–and ingenuity!–goes a long way toward keeping people safe on the job!

~Mary Hannick


LIKE WHAT YOU SEE? Just complete the subscription form (below or top right of our home page) and we’ll send each issue of Recordable INSIGHTS Newsletter to your inbox for free! Instructional videos, audio clips, articles, e-books, and other resources on how to better lead a safety culture delivered directly to your Inbox each issue!

NOTE: Please use a company domain to subscribe to the Recordable INSIGHTS newsletter. Hotmail, Yahoo, Live, and other generic domains may not allow subscription completion.

ALSO, be sure to check your Inbox for the Confirmation email after subscribing. You must click the Confirm button in that email to complete your subscription. Subscription requests that are not confirmed are purged from our system. [mailpress] safetyBUILT-IN YouTube ChannelBe sure to see our other Vlog (Video Blog) entries on our safetyBUILT-IN YouTube Channel

About the Author

SBI
safetyBUILT-IN is the safety-leadership learning and development division of SCInc. We believe sustainable safety performance is best achieved through a core-values based safety culture, and that culture must be driven by leadership. Our safety-leadership programs are competency-based, and focused on performance outcomes. We believe in building capability and ownership into our client organizations—as well as sustainability into our programs—so that our clients can continue running those programs long after we’re out of the picture. Our emphasis is on building better leadership presence, better leadership communication and better leadership coaching by first building relationships of trust with people and learning how to engage them on the level of their core values and beliefs.