In the U.S., material recovery facilities (MRFs) employ roughly 20,000 workers. Workers face a number of potential safety concerns due to the nature of the work and the use of equipment like conveyors and balers. This webinar will present an overview of general safety issues, concerns and situations at MRFs. The webinar will also include discussion on trends in worker safety due to factors such as recent pressures to reduce contamination (i.e. China National Sword) and contaminants in the waste stream (e.g. batteries, electronics, household sharps). Speakers will share the results of two recent data collection efforts focused on high-profile safety issues: facility fires and needlestick injuries.
Upon completion of this webinar, the attendee will be able to:
- List common safety concerns at material recovery facilities (MRFs) and their circumstances
- Discuss current efforts to quantify and track fires at MRFs, factors contributing to facility fires and mitigation of risks
- Describe the risk household needles present to MRF workers, and action MRFs are taking to address this risk
- Understand how changes such as operating strategy, climate or policy can impact worker safety.
