In the solid waste industry, there are a lot of “re” words in our occupational vocabulary: reduce, reuse, recycle, renew, recover—the list goes on. Over the past several months, as the COVID-19 pandemic has changed almost everything about work and home life, a lot of us are using other “re” words on a daily basis. We’re “relearning” how to get our work done and accomplish our daily activities while dealing with a new reality. This relearning includes changes for many of us such as educating our children at home and reorganizing the responsibility of caring for family members both in and out of the home. We’re “rethinking” how we prioritize demands, as our previously delineated times for work tasks and family or personal needs blur throughout the day and week. And for many of us, as these changes have forced us to adjust our pace and our worldview, we’re “refocusing” on things like mental health, social justice and the impacts our busy lives have on both ourselves and our planet.
Although we miss seeing our colleagues and friends, attending raucous Girl Scout meetings (in my case), and gathering together for relaxing restaurant dinners, many of us have found that we’re enjoying spending less time commuting and rushing to activities and obligations. You’ve probably heard folks saying they don’t miss bumper-to-bumper traffic and are enjoying how they’re now afforded time to get to know their family members better. (It’s me—I’m “folks”.)
At GBB, our team-based approach to clients and projects has necessitated that we reconsider how we collaborate during the day and across distances. We have been reviewing as an organization how to adapt to being a staff of consultants who are now all working remotely. Before COVID-19, many of us would routinely telework, of course, but not to this extent. We’ve been reexamining how to best manage each day so that we provide seamless service to our clients while also allowing our people to manage and cope with the demands of life outside of work. Similar to the inventory many of us are taking of our personal lives, we’re reflecting on our role in the world. We reaffirmed our commitment to nondiscrimination, while also exploring how we might do our part to recognize injustice and repeal systematic oppression.
We have found that our clients are also doing a lot of review and introspection. Over the past year, we’ve seen many local governments evaluating their operations and programs for both impact and value. Even amid the economic slowdown, this has continued or increased over the past several months as some organizations are viewing the shock to their systems and the “new normal” as the right time to consider (or reconsider) major facility retrofits or programmatic changes. The approach seems to be, “if everything is going to change, let’s look at whether we should redesign what we’re doing while we’re at it.”
This widespread reevaluation is not only a way to breathe more resilience into programs, it can also help encourage fundamental changes in how we operate. Resilience is about flexibility, adaptability, and, often, even complete transformation. Resilience isn’t about remaining steadfast and static; it’s about having the capacity to absorb and rebound from these shocks to the system and keep functioning. We need to employ strategies that are contrary to typical operational thinking—strategies like increasing redundancy and reserves and preserving resource efficiency—so that we can avoid reaching critical, and potentially damaging, tipping points. We need to reduce our risk of succumbing to the stresses of this new normal.
Striving to be more resilient, while simultaneously working to mitigate risk, is a balancing act that requires careful consideration of potential unintended consequences, budgetary impacts, and the sustainability of our operations and precious resources. And while trying to strike this balance will be a challenge for us all, it is also an opportunity to build back—or rebuild—better social, economic and communal security. Together, we can recalibrate our ability to handle whatever may be in store for us next.
A smart solution
Features - Stormwater Management
The state of Maryland tackles stormwater mitigation through a first-of-its-kind partnership between conservation groups and the private sector.
Since becoming an independent company in 2014, OptiRTC Inc., Boston, has grown to become a leader in stormwater infrastructure control systems. Operating in 21 states and over 160 sites around the country, the company provides cloud-based solutions to connect, manage and operate stormwater systems at a watershed scale.
Most recently, Opti has made headlines for a new public-private partnership to benefit the Chesapeake Bay watershed through advanced stormwater control technology. In November 2019, a joint venture between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region III, Walmart, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and Opti Development Partners LLC was announced to help reduce pollutants and curb local flooding in Maryland.
“In most of the country, you need private landowners to participate,” says David Rubinstein, CEO of Opti. “So, we pulled together a relationship with the Nature Conservancy and Walmart to be able to bring these kinds of assets—primarily stormwater ponds and retention basins—to the state and say, ‘We have an opportunity to engage with the private sector, and to have it financed in a manner where you can save a lot of money stretching and leveraging your taxpayer dollars and doing good things for your community.’”
According to the Stormwater Report, a news service operated by the Water Environment Federation, typical stormwater retention ponds accept large volumes of water during heavy storms and drain it at a controlled pace that discourages local flooding and nourishes groundwater aquifers.
However, achieving the most benefit from retention ponds requires operators to know when and how much precipitation is expected, the correct drainage rates to prevent both flooding and pond overflow, and how to put this information to work quickly during potentially extreme and sudden downpours.
NEW TECHNOLOGY
Opti’s solution, known as a “smart pond,” takes the guesswork out of retention pond operations by outfitting stormwater ponds with sensors to monitor water levels and remaining storage volumes.
“[With the smart pond], we’re actually able to retain the water at a higher level because it’s not passive outflow anymore, it’s an automated valve,” says Rubinstein. “What we can do is drain the water out before the next storm comes in. So, not only is it handling water quality, but it handles flood mitigation.”
The internet-enabled system also receives up-to-the-minute weather forecasts. When expecting rain, the system can automatically open valves at the bottom of the pond to minimize flood risks while maximizing retention time. Longer retention times increase water quality by enabling the pond to capture more sediment and nutrients before draining the runoff, the Stormwater Report says.
“[This] technology can have multiple purposes, and having that real-time data can actually inform us as to what the issues are,” says Rubinstein. “For instance, we might sense that the water level is going down, but the valve is not open. Well, there could be a leak in the liner if [the valve] is blocked, etc. There’re a whole host of things that we’re able to diagnose.”
Operators also can manually tune the system from any smartphone, computer or other internet-capable device. The smart pond’s monitoring data is hosted in a software application called Opti Platform, which connects the distributed stormwater systems to a single, secure cloud management layer.
FORGING PARTNERSHIPS
The Chesapeake Bay project represents a first-of-its-kind partnership between the Maryland state government, conservation groups and the private sector.
As part of an agreement with Maryland Environmental Services (MES), the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) will contribute $4 million to facilitate the installation of smart pond technology at a pilot-sized group of retention ponds.
According to EPA, there are currently 65,000 privately held stormwater management ponds in the Chesapeake Bay watershed alone, including 18,500 in Maryland. To demonstrate the potential of working with the private sector to improve stormwater management, the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) and MES approached Walmart with the idea to install smart pond technology in retention ponds near four Walmart parking lots in Maryland.
“This is an exciting opportunity to demonstrate how private-public partnerships can be used to advance long-term environmental preservation goals, and in particular, to help protect the Chesapeake Bay,” said Roy McGrath, director and CEO of MES, in a release. “MES is excited to put its organizational skill and expertise in service of this groundbreaking project.”
"[With the smart pond], we’re actually able to retain the water at a higher level because it’s not passive outflow anymore, it’s an automated valve.” –David Rubinstein, CEO of Opti
The contract between MES and TNC/Opti was finalized on July 8, 2019, with the technology expected to be installed at the four Walmart ponds between summer and fall of this year.
“This program reflects MDOT’s commitment to be responsible stewards of the environment and our mission to explore partnerships and innovation to make our communities better,” MDOT Secretary Pete Rahn said during a press conference at the Walmart Superstore in Fruitland, Maryland—one of the sites that will receive the smart pond technology.
The MDOT public-private partnership also complements other initiatives geared towards implementing water quality improvement strategies that meet the EPA’s Chesapeake Bay total maximum daily load (TMDL) requirements for the year 2025.
CUTTING COSTS
The cost to MDOT for the new credits is about $37,500 per acre, including installation of smart pond technology and 20 years of monitoring, inspecting, operating and pond maintenance conducted by TNC/Opti. That cost is significantly less than the average construction cost of $150,000 per impervious acre treated through stormwater devices such as swales, bioretention cells and stormwater ponds, Opti says.
“We took their cost of a water quality credit down from $150,000 to approximately $40,000. So, the economics become very attractive,” says Rubinstein.
MDOT’s payment of $4 million will purchase 100 acres worth of Chesapeake Bay impervious area treatment credits generated by the smart ponds at Walmart and additional locations that are still being finalized.
The credits will help MDOT State Highway Administration (SHA) satisfy compliance goals set by the MDE to treat stormwater runoff from 4,621 acres of impervious area by October. As of July 1, 2019, MDOT SHA had treated 3,472 acres, or 75 percent of that requirement.
The smart pond partnership represents the first time a state department of transportation is purchasing credits from a water quality trading program. MDE established Maryland’s program, creating a water quality marketplace for credits generated by pollutant reductions elsewhere in Maryland’s portion of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This market-based approach offers economic incentives for pollutant reductions.
“We need innovative new ideas and partnerships to address stormwater pollution—the fastest growing source of freshwater pollution worldwide,” said Mark Bryer, director of the TNC’s Chesapeake Bay Program, in a release. “This project is a perfect example of what the Chesapeake Bay needs: public and private sectors working together to harness technologies that deliver low-cost solutions to water pollution that can be replicated across the Bay watershed and beyond.”
The author is the assistant editor of Waste Today and can be reached at hrischar@gie.net
Sennebogen, Straubing, Germany, has announced that it has started to lay foundation stone on its new customer service center in Straubing. Construction on the customer service center began in April.
Sennebogen first announced plans to invest about 25 million euros (or $28 million) in a new customer service center in June 2019. The customer service center will feature two office buildings and a new spare parts warehouse built on 87,000 square meters (or about 940,000 square feet).
According to a news release from Sennebogen, the new location is scheduled to go into operation in May 2021. The facility will bundle service activities from spare parts, customer service and Sennebogen Vertriebs GmbH & Co. KG.
Sennebogen reports that earthworks and foundation work for the buildings and for soil improvement are underway. Germany-based Max Bögl is the general contractor for the new service center, and construction is being planned and coordinated by Koch Group.
“We are right on schedule with the construction project,” said shareholders Erich and Walter Sennebogen at the laying of the foundation stone July 10.
Volvo Group recognized for landfill-free facilities
Volvo Group North America, Greensboro, North Carolina, announced on June 26 that it recently received a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Better Plants Better Practice Award for preventing and reducing waste at several North American facilities. The Volvo Group was chosen among a record number of applicants to receive the honor.
The Better Practice Award is presented to partners for innovative and industry-leading accomplishments in implementing and promoting practices, principles and procedures of energy management. The Volvo Group was recognized for implementing several initiatives at its facilities to help the company work toward landfill-free status. Currently, four U.S. manufacturing facilities are certified landfill-free, including the New River Valley facility in Dublin, Virginia, where all Volvo truck models for North America are assembled; Lehigh Valley Operations in Macungie, Pennsylvania, where all Mack heavy-duty models for North America and export are assembled; Middletown Remanufacturing, Middletown, Pennsylvania; and the Volvo Construction Equipment facility in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania.
“Reducing and eliminating landfill waste is imperative to helping protect our greatest resource—the environment,” says Rick Robinson, Volvo Group North America director of Health, Safety and Environment. “We are pleased that our efforts were recognized by the DOE’s Better Buildings, Better Plants program, and we hope to continue moving toward landfill-free at all of the Volvo Group’s North American facilities.”
The Volvo Group began working toward landfill-free status at its North American sites by conducting multiple studies to identify reduction opportunities and develop plant-level initiatives to facilitate waste reduction, reuse and recycling.
The Volvo Group also benchmarked itself against peer companies in the manufacturing industry to determine best practices and created the Landfill-Free Facilities Operational Waste Directive to establish a definition for landfill-free (less than 1 percent of operational waste sent to landfill) and create a process for facilities to achieve Volvo Group landfill-free certification.
The certification process includes the documentation and mapping of all waste types; implementation of waste reduction, reuse and recycling programs; and sustaining landfill-free status for a minimum of 12 months. Certified sites must apply to the Volvo Group Environmental Committee for recertification every three years.
The DOE’s Better Buildings, Better Plants Challenge asks companies to commit to reducing energy consumption by 25 percent in 10 years. Since re-pledging the challenge in 2015, the Volvo Group says it has improved energy performance at 14 of its U.S. facilities by 23.4 percent versus a 2014 baseline. The Volvo Group also says it has improved its performance by more than 50 percent since joining the challenge in 2012.
Mack Trucks names new president of Mack Financial Services’ North American region
Mack Trucks, Greensboro, North Carolina, has announced a leadership change at its Mack Financial Services captive finance arm. According to the company, Patrick Shannon will be the new president of Mack Financial Services’ North American region.
In this role, Shannon will be responsible for the business operations and financial performance for Mack Financial Services in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Shannon has more than 30 years of experience in business operations and financial services, and has had various senior leadership roles in sales, wholesale operations and risk management. He most recently was the senior vice president of risk and chief credit officer for Mack Financial Services.
Shannon has a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Saint John’s University and an MBA from Wake Forest University. He will be based out of the company’s Greensboro location.
Wastequip opens new equipment service facility
Wastequip, Charlotte, North Carolina, has opened its first Wastequip WRX equipment service facility in Pompano Beach, Florida. Wastequip WRX (pronounced “works”) will provide parts, service and installation for a variety of Wastequip equipment, including for its Mountain Tarp and Pioneer tarping systems, Galbreath hoists, Amrep refuse trucks, and its Go To Parts OEM and aftermarket parts.
Customers who use Wastequip WRX will receive service from a Wastequip-owned facility with technicians trained in maintaining its specific products, the company says.
“The idea behind Wastequip WRX is to localize maintenance and parts, providing Wastequip-authorized service technicians and replacement parts inventory where we have limited or no authorized equipment dealers,” Wastequip CEO Marty Bryant says. “Additionally, the opening of Wastequip WRX facilities will support the expansion of our Amrep brand in the eastern U.S. by ensuring that customers have convenient access to fleet maintenance and parts.”
The company says that Wastequip WRX will enhance its dealer network and provide access to service and parts for the company’s equipment brands.
Industrial Magnetics appoints regional manager
Boyne City, Michigan-based Industrial Magnetics Inc. (IMI) has announced the appointment of David Seager as its regional manager for the company’s Northwest territory, which includes the states of Washington, Montana, Oregon, Idaho, plus Northern California and Nevada.
Seager has a background in industrial sales that includes stints with Phoenix-based Republic Services and aggregates and cement producers Oldcastle and Cemex USA. His hiring comes in conjunction with the hiring of Aaron Evans as IMI’s Southwest regional manager.
“We’re very excited to finally follow suit in these regions, in that these two additions will be living in the territory for which they are responsible,” says Dennis O’Leary, IMI’s chief business development officer. “Until David and Aaron came on board, we had always managed the western USA from headquarters in Michigan. That hasn’t been fair to our customers and channel partners, who in every other U.S. region have enjoyed the benefit of face-to-face interaction with an IMI regional manager. We believe it’s what sets us apart from many other manufacturers in our space: an in-field regional manager working in concert with everyone in the chain to effectively deliver unique solutions.”
IMI describes itself as a designer and manufacturer of innovative permanent magnetic and electromagnetic devices to meet its customers’ specific requirements in magnetic separation, material handling, work-holding and automated or robotic applications.
Doosan partners with Best Line Equipment
Doosan Infracore North America LLC, Suwanee, Georgia, has partnered with Best Line Equipment via a new dealership in Keyport, New Jersey, to expand its dealer network in New Jersey and New York City. The new facility is Best Line Equipment’s first New Jersey dealership.
Best Line Equipment is a construction equipment rental, sales and service company that was founded in 1985 in Muncy, Pennsylvania. Since its start, it has grown to serve the entire state of Pennsylvania and the surrounding states. With the addition of the Keyport dealership, Best Line Equipment offers the construction, industrial and landscaping industries a full selection of equipment, including aerials, heavy equipment, compact equipment, generators, compaction equipment and air compressors.
According to Doosan, this new dealership in Keyport is the main service provider for the state of New Jersey as well as the five boroughs of New York City. It offers a full lineup of Doosan heavy mobile construction equipment, including excavators, wheel loaders and articulated dump trucks, to serve a variety of industries.
“Doosan gives Best Line Equipment all the tools we need to serve our customers,” says Armand Cencetti, Doosan sales manager at Best Line Equipment. “It’s been a mutually beneficial relationship between Doosan and Best Line Equipment.”
The business partnership between Doosan and Best Line Equipment began in 2010. Since then, the two partners have grown the brand in the Northeast.
“Best Line Equipment has been an outstanding company to work with,” says Adam Howard, Doosan regional director. “The company has grown into a top customer support dealer and was recently recognized as a ‘Top 100 Best Places to Work’ in Pennsylvania. We are excited for the opportunity to help them grow in New Jersey and serve our customers there and in New York City.”
Best Line Equipment was recognized as one of the top Doosan construction equipment dealers of 2019. It has grown to become a top retailing dealer for Doosan in the past few years, the manufacturer says.
“Best Line Equipment has proven to be an excellent partner with its customers in the Northeast,” Howard says. “This expansion will certainly enable Best Line Equipment and Doosan to expand their footprint to provide sales, service and parts support.”
Shafer Equipment carries Link-Belt excavators in Idaho
LBX Co. LLC, Lexington, Kentucky, has announced the addition of Shafer Equipment Co. as a dealer for Link-Belt hydraulic excavators, material handlers and parts in Idaho.
Shafer Equipment, which is headquartered in Sparks, Nevada, has been a dealer of Link-Belt excavators since 2004. Shafer Equipment’s branch in Boise, Idaho, is now a dealer of Link-Belt hydraulic excavators, material handlers and parts. The location will serve the following counties in Idaho: Ada, Boise, Canyon, Elmore, Gem, Owyhee, Payette and Washington.
“Shafer is proud to represent the Link-Belt line. With over 45 years of construction industry experience, our solution-oriented team is ready to support our customers,” says Jay Shafer, president and CEO of Shafer Equipment.
“The team at Shafer Equipment always goes above and beyond when it comes to the Link-Belt excavator product and taking care of their customers,” says Chris Wise, distribution development manager of LBX Co. “They fully understand the importance of building relationships with each contractor and supporting them with top-notch products and have excelled at doing this in the greater Reno market. I have full confidence they will be just as successful in the Boise market, and we are proud to partner with them as they grow.”
Combating escalating insurance premiums
Features - Safety Focus | Insurance
Waste operators must engage with their insurance agents and be mindful of their CSA scores to help address skyrocketing premiums.
Commercial auto insurance rates continue to rise across the country as a result of costly accidents, “nuclear judgements,” and the overall deterioration of insurance underwriting profits in this line of business.
According to Business Insurance, commercial insurers have seen steep increases, as premiums have risen anywhere from a minimum of 25 percent to well over 100 percent in recent years, and it is getting worse in 2020. Waste companies are feeling massive pressure from these increased insurance premiums, which in turn, erodes companies’ EBITDAs to the point that it is driving some operators to consider selling or even closing their doors.
Traditional methods of combating rising auto insurance premiums and shopping around is not necessarily going to adequately prevent across the board increases when it’s time for waste operators to renew their commercial auto insurance. Instead, the most critical element for combating these increases is for operators to ensure their insurance agent has a specific plan and can tell underwriters a compelling story of how a given hauler is working to improve operations.
Most insurance agents take the easy path of simply submitting the business renewal opportunity to multiple insurance companies without any specific action plan. It’s at this time that the insurance agent likely explains they have sent submissions to multiple insurance companies, but all of them either declined or offered terms materially more expensive. As a consequence at renewal time, waste operators have little time and few options for finding another solution and are forced to pay these elevated premiums. This isn’t an inevitable conclusion when renewing commercial insurance, it is the result of the insurance agent not doing an adequate job preparing underwriters properly.
In this troubling time for auto insurers, insurance agents must utilize inspection data from the Department of Transportation (DOT) to help tell a positive and compelling story for their clients, particularly if this data is trending in a negative direction.
The Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) program overseen by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is designed to make DOT inspections easily analyzed. CSA is FMCSA’s data-driven safety compliance and enforcement program designed to improve safety and prevent commercial motor vehicle crashes, injuries and fatalities. The CSA consists of three core components: the Safety Measurement System (SMS); interventions; and a Safety Fitness Determination (SFD) rating system to determine the safety fitness of motor carriers.
The system is updated monthly with new inspection data from roadside inspections. The inspection data is lumped into the following categories: Crash Indicator, Hours of Service, Unsafe Driving, Controlled Substances, Driver Fitness, Hazmat Related (if applicable), and Vehicle Maintenance. To view this information, which is available for every company, all one needs to do is visit the FMCSA website.
While waste and recycling companies should be diligent in reviewing this data in-house, the company’s insurance agent must especially be diligent in pulling these reports and walking his or her client through the process of how it can be improved upon. Moreover, they must be aggressive during renewal time to help avoid the commercial auto premium increases. Operators should look to partner with insurance agencies experienced in representing waste and recycling companies. Not only will these insurance companies know the ins and outs of an operator’s business, they’ll be able to share best practices for fleet maintenance and other safety-related matters to ensure they are proactively doing everything to combat high insurance premiums.
Commercial auto underwriters will check these scores prior to even opening a submission from a commercial insurance agent. Checking these scores is comparable to a lender checking a FICO score before going through the approval process for a loan—it’s not the only piece of relevant information, but it can give quick insight into a company. If one has a poor credit history, or has filed for bankruptcy, there is a low chance of being eligible for a loan or being able to pay favorable terms for the loan if it is ultimately approved. The same is true for commercial auto insurance. If one has a history of poor DOT inspections and does not have a story or plan of attack for counteracting this, they’ll likely be subject to higher insurance premiums and limited insurance options.
Commercial auto underwriters place more emphasis on CSA scores than on a company’s loss history, which immediately can correlate to massive commercial auto premiums. Additionally, if there is a history of poor inspections paired with an unfavorable loss history, the premiums can rise to unprecedented levels. Simply put, insurance companies are concerned with companies that have poor DOT inspection histories, and the potential for large judgements or settlements as a result of an auto accident in an area of prior violation is significant. When accidents or other incidences occur, courts can easily pull inspection data that may show the company in question was negligent for similar infractions in the past. If the company has not done anything to remedy its CSA violations, this is a recipe for disaster.
There are two inspection categories that are routinely above acceptable thresholds in the waste space: maintenance and safety-related history. A fleet maintenance program must begin with operators performing pre- and post-trip checks. If these checks are ignored or service issues are not fixed after they have been identified, inspections will not be favorable. All violations are assigned a severity weight that reflects the crash risk based on a scale of 1 to 10, with a score of 10 representing the highest crash risk. For example, violations related to a vehicle’s lights being out are typically categorized under the safety category and may receive a 4 out of 10 violation weight; however, these failures can adversely impact the CSA scores quickly. This is why companies must institute a zero-tolerance policy for conducting fleet inspections and be diligent in performing any subsequent repairs.
Beyond maintenance, the top two safety-related items in terms of DOT violations include crashes and unsafe driving. These are directly correlated to each other and are reflective of employee behavior behind the wheel. Driving carelessly and speeding is a choice. A driver with a history of these infractions can massively contribute to DOT violations. More importantly, unsafe driving can lead to severe injuries to drivers and put the lives of third parties in jeopardy.
Employers can improve driver behavior by implementing training programs that emphasize defensive driving strategies, active driving techniques and training methods for safer operation. A way to ensure employees understand the importance of safe driving is by having management conduct in-person ridealongs and offer feedback on performance.
When there is an accident, companies must focus on what countermeasures may be able to be taken to prevent such accidents in the future. Any such countermeasure a company takes must be expressed to the insurance community when an insurance submission goes out from an insurance agent. This reinforces the importance of insurance agents being able to tell the prospect’s or client’s story to the insurance community as opposed to just sending submissions for the renewal.
All commercial auto underwriters will review DOT violation activity and then immediately ask the insurance agent, “What has the insured done to prevent reoccurrence?” If there is a compelling story that shows action and intent to improve on the part of the hauler, it can help overcome any adverse perceptions of the account that might otherwise be held on to.
We are in a commercial auto insurance crisis. Waste operators can either fix underlying safety and maintenance issues or be forced to reckon with the consequences. As an insurance agent, we do not see any positivity on the horizon in the next three to five years for commercial auto premiums to lower. Waste companies are at a particular disadvantage because of the preconceived notions of this sector being a tough class of business and having adverse losses experienced by the commercial auto underwriting community.
By having a history of violations as evidenced in their FMCSA/CSA scores, companies will experience unfavorable commercial auto insurance renewals. In fact, it may make it challenging to obtain commercial auto insurance at all. Insurance agents must work with their clients to help understand CSA scores, implement best-in-class countermeasures for reoccurrence and present the best story possible to the underwriter community. The effort an insurance agent puts into this process, alongside the hauler’s commitment to improving its CSA scores, will have a massive correlation to the commercial auto insurance premiums experienced at renewal time. As always, getting ahead of any issues and having proactive, rather than reactive, discussions with an insurance agent can help waste operators lay the groundwork for more favorable insurance renewal processes and premiums down the line.
Stericycle Inc. knows the importance of evolving to meet the needs of its customers. The Bannockburn, Illinois-based business-to-business waste services company and provider of compliance-based solutions has worked to diversify its offerings over more than three decades in an effort to help its clients deal with their waste-related challenges.
“Since our founding over 30 years ago, we have grown from a small startup in medical waste management into a leader across a range of increasingly complex and highly regulated arenas serving healthcare organizations and commercial businesses of every size,” says Selin Hoboy, vice president of Government Affairs and Compliance at Stericycle.
Presently, Stericycle provides solutions for regulated medical waste management, secure information destruction, compliance, customer contact and brand protection for customers in the U.S. and 18 countries worldwide. The company also offers pharmaceutical waste and controlled substance disposal services as well as sharps management, compliance training, document destruction and information security solutions.
With its foundation in medical waste services, Stericycle jumped at the chance to answer the call when COVID-related cases spiked late in the first quarter. Specifically, the organization worked to develop a special program to reduce the risk of transmission through used personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare and commercial businesses.
“In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we developed a PPE disposal solution to help businesses of all sizes manage the disposal and testing of used PPE to help reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread within the workplace,” Hoboy says.
The company developed PPE waste pickup and mailback options to help customers dispose of used PPE and testing materials. It also developed destruction services for companies to handle this material in house. Moreover, Hoboy says the company has worked to become a resource for safety best practices for those in the healthcare and commercial sector.
Reducing risk
According to Stericycle, as companies work towards implementing strategies to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in their work environments, they also need to consider how to dispose of used PPE generated by employees and on-site testing. An important step in addressing the disposal of used PPE is reviewing state guidelines, as some states are creating specific mandates for the industries generating used PPE.
“Out of an abundance of caution, some businesses are opting to classify these materials as regulated medical waste (RMW), which requires a special type of waste container and a specific process for safe and secure disposal and treatment,” Hoboy says.
“As businesses enact more safety precautions, they have also started to question whether or not they should put disposal protocols in place for discarded PPE and testing materials,” Hoboy says. “We are advising companies that this is an extra precaution they can take and recommend following guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], Occupational Safety and Health Administration [OSHA] and their state, local, tribal and/or territorial health or environmental department(s) to understand the requirements.”
In addition, Hoboy says that organizations should think about partnering with a knowledgeable waste disposal expert to reduce transmission risk in the workplace.
One thing businesses should not do is disregard recommended protocols and requirements in an attempt to return to “business as usual,” Hoboy says.
“The key tactics to slow the spread of the virus—social distancing, hand washing, cleaning and disinfection, wearing PPE (including face coverings) and inquiring of our own team members’ health—should be woven into our daily professional lives just as much as in our personal lives. Companies should follow the ongoing updates to the CDC website, as well as updates from local health authorities who are changing guidelines as necessary to accommodate unique local situations during the pandemic,” Hoboy reports.
While Hoboy says Stericycle employees are already trained to handle dangerous waste, the company has also looked to CDC guidance to inform its policies and procedures.
“Our safety protocols are designed for infectious diseases, which now includes COVID-19 waste. By focusing on our existing protocols and working with our customers to add COVID-19-specific protocols, we are able to best protect our frontline employees and our customers,” Hoboy says.
Open lines of communication
Hoboy says that for Stericycle, effective communication with customers is essential as the company works to navigate challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic. To ensure effective communication, Stericycle has developed a Coronavirus Knowledge Center which is aimed at educating clients on keeping their operations safe and effective.
According to Hoboy, “proper packaging of waste—both regulated medical waste and solid waste—plays an important role in protecting all of us in the management of waste, from our customers’ employees to waste workers downstream. As a generator, customers need to be aware of not just their state regulations, but also federal regulations.”
Not only does Stericycle encourage companies to familiarize themselves with the state and CDC guidelines, Hoboy says it advocates for adopting stringent policies and workplace practices that encourage and enforce adoption.
Speaking on the need to follow COVID prevention best practices, Hoboy says, “This includes preventing and reducing the transmission among employees by encouraging sick employees to stay home, conducting on-site virtual health checks, conducting regular in-office hazard assessments, modifying work environments to ensure workstations are 6 feet apart and providing PPE and face coverings to prevent the spread of the virus.”
"The key tactics to slow the spread of the virus ... should be woven into our daily professional lives just as much as in our personal lives.” –Selin Hoboy
As the virus continues to serve as a threat to workers, it is critical that organizations conduct open, ongoing communication with their teams in order to protect employees and customers.
Within the company, Stericycle has put in place protective safety measures for its drivers and frontline staff including making proper face coverings and PPE available to all team members, staggering employee shifts to promote social distancing, dedicating trucks to specific drivers to reduce the chance of exposure and virus spread, and implementing more rigorous cleaning protocols for all facilities and trucks.
In regard to customer and employee interaction, Hoboy adds, “We have worked directly with our customers to adapt protocols and procedures, particularly for in-hospital services or circumstances where our teams have to enter customer locations [to keep everyone safe].”
For those customers who might not be adhering to these guidelines, Stericycle has empowered its employees to refuse service. Hoboy says Stericycle team members are authorized to deny pick up from its customers who are not following its waste acceptance protocols or packaging guidelines.
In addition to Stericycle’s Coronavirus Knowledge Center, which is aimed at keeping businesses informed of proper safety protocols, Stericycle has held multiple webinars to provide further information on waste management best practices during COVID-19.
Although staying vigilant in communicating and enforcing COVID safety best practices requires ample diligence on the part of respective companies, Hoboy says helping workers do their jobs so they can go home safe every day is what it’s all about.
“Providing employees with training, updating employees about new protocols and explaining safety measures to employees will give them the confidence to do their job safely every day,” Hoboy says.
