Since 1980, the U.S. has had 40 hurricanes identified as billion-dollar disasters. The damages from the trio of Harvey, Maria and Irma in 2017 cost more than $250 billion combined, or upwards of 30 percent of the damage since 1980, making it the most expensive year in 38 seasons.

Now that hurricane season is here (June 1 – Nov. 30), it’s more important than ever for businesses of all sizes—from small to large quantity generators—to be prepared for emergencies caused by high winds, heavy rainfall and flooding. The following tips will help you better prepare to protect hazardous waste during extreme weather emergencies.

Create an emergency response plan

Companies should first strategize on a successful emergency response plan and have the plan in place before it’s needed. When creating a natural disaster emergency plan, business leaders should consider several factors.

Executives should initially determine emergency response roles. Who will make crucial decisions in the event of a storm? What’s the chain of command and communication? Who will be involved in hazardous waste management? Who will assist in waste removal?

There are many other elements that should be considered in the emergency response plan, including how to secure all hazardous waste safely outside of potential flooding areas, ways to identify what hazardous wastes could be generated and what type of reporting must be completed after an incident. Make sure to include your emergency response team, like Stericycle Environmental Solutions, in your response plan.

Securing hazardous waste already on-site

Hazardous waste should be removed prior to the arrival of severe weather, but that can be nearly impossible when a hurricane is coming your way. If your location can’t remove all hazardous waste, there are several safety precautions to follow when securing the materials that will remain on-site.

Solids and powders can be covered in plastic and secured properly, and the correct lids should be securely fastened on containers. Containment areas should be set up and properly cleaned. Known waste areas should also be cleared out in advance of a major storm. Whenever possible, move hazardous materials and wastes into higher storage areas and ensure that storage containment such as flammable liquids cabinets are sufficiently closed.

Partner with an emergency response team

There will always be situations where the correct response to a disaster might not be obvious to the untrained eye. This is when partnering with a third-party waste management provider such as Stericycle Environmental Solutions becomes crucial. When facing a large-scale event, Stericycle is able to leverage a nationwide network of experts, facilities, equipment and subcontractors. Managing hazardous waste through emergency response services helps businesses find proper disposal outlets and get help with on-site segregation.

Stericycle Environmental Solutions has responded to thousands of environmental emergency calls, providing disaster recovery assistance after hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and other natural disasters.

Think your business could benefit from Stericycle’s services this hurricane season? Learn more and request a quote today by visiting www.stericycleenvironmental.com.

Wade Scheel is the director of governmental affairs for Stericycle Environmental Solutions, a leading provider of environmental and regulated waste management solutions. Stericycle leverages a nationwide network of experts, facilities, equipment and subcontractors to provide clients with one-call simplicity for any hazardous waste emergency response or disaster recovery need. An emergency response team can be on-site within two hours of the initial call to our 24/7 emergency call center. Learn more about Stericycle’s hazardous waste emergency services at www.stericycleenvironmental.com.

SWANA reports big increase in worker fatalities in 2018

At least 59 solid waste industry workers died on the job in 2018 in the United States and Canada, according to an April 24 release from the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA). This number is an increase of 19 fatalities from the previous year. Fifty-seven of these fatalities took place in the U.S., and 71 percent of them occurred during waste or recycling collection.

In reviewing data collected from various sources, SWANA found that “struck-by” incidents were the most common cause of fatality, followed by collisions and roll-over incidents. Together, these represented nearly 50 percent of all worker deaths. About 10 percent of victims were on the riding step when the fatality occurred. The cause of deaths at landfills, material recovery facilities (MRFs) and transfer stations were more diverse than in collection, though being struck by heavy machinery or lockout/tagout (LO/TO) failures were common.

“The industry’s safety record in 2018 was not acceptable, with at least 19 more worker fatalities than in 2017,” SWANA Executive Director and CEO David Biderman says. “Most of last year’s increase involved collection workers despite the industry’s success in getting states to pass Slow Down to Get Around laws and efforts by SWANA and others to improve safety on the route, as well as at post-collection facilities.

“SWANA calls on local governments, private companies and others to devote more resources to safety and protecting the lives of those who work in the industry,” Biderman adds.

Fatalities among members of the public increased slightly in 2018 from 95 to 101 deaths. These incidents involved the solid waste industry in some fashion, most frequently via a traffic collision with a collection vehicle. About 75 percent of the victims were drivers or passengers at the time, and about 14 percent were on a motorcycle or bicycle. Pedestrian deaths represented another 11 percent of all fatalities involving a member of the public.

Including both workers and members of the public, January had the most fatalities in 2018, with 19 for the month, followed by March with 18. Only in September and November 2018 were more solid waste workers killed than members of the public.

“The 2018 data are of concern to our safety ambassadors throughout the United States and Canada,” says Matt Morales, the Arizona SWANA chapter safety ambassador and project manager for the Flagstaff, Arizona-based Cinder Lake Landfill. “While it is difficult to learn of the increased fatalities, it strengthens our dedication to turning the industry around. It’s obvious that we need to increase our effectiveness on this matter. We need more real-time data on trending accidents and incidents in our states, regions and provinces. SWANA’s Arizona chapter is forming an alliance with the Arizona Department of Safety and Health to provide members with more readily available access to trends. Having access to this data will allow us to keep our eyes on the windshield rather than looking through the rearview mirror.”

Morales adds, “To increase awareness and accountability, SWANA safety ambassadors are tasked with bringing safety training events to our drivers. SWANA chapters are holding hauler safety outreach events in their states and provinces. These events provide the chance for us to reach out to both private haulers and municipal collection operators. Importantly, it helps them know that we care about them. Finally, the event is unique because each attendee is given the opportunity to take the SWANA Safety Pledge. For operators, the pledge is a demonstration that SWANA stands behind their efforts to be safe out on the road.”

On April 28, SWANA honored the men and women who have died on the job during Workers Memorial Day. During this time, the organization reflects not only on those who have died, but also on how the association can keep the hundreds of thousands of industry workers safe.

For more information on SWANA's safety program, visit swana.org/safety.

Wheelabrator, NWRA file lawsuit against city of Baltimore

On April 30, Wheelabrator Baltimore, Curtis Bay Energy, the Energy Recovery Council, the National Waste & Recycling Association (NWRA), and TMS Hauling joined together to file a lawsuit against the city of Baltimore for the recently signed Baltimore Clean Air Act.

According to the lawsuit, the groups believe the Baltimore Clean Air Act is an effort by the city to shut down the Wheelabrator Baltimore waste-to-energy facility and the Curtis Bay Baltimore Regional Medical Waste Incinerator via restrictive air quality regulations—a move that would have sweeping ramifications to the region’s waste infrastructure.

The Baltimore Clean Air Act, which was signed into law by Mayor Catherine Pugh March 7, “is the first effort by the city to regulate air emissions that have been subject to federal and state air quality management under the federal Clean Air Act for 50 years. The act is not a good faith effort to regulate air emissions. Rather, it is a targeted attempt to shut down two specific facilities [Wheelabrator Baltimore and Curtis Bay Energy], ignoring all other stationary and mobile sources of air emissions in the city,” the lawsuit states.

With the passage of the Baltimore Clean Air Act, the sites in question would be forced to revamp operations and include new monitoring equipment to comply, which the plaintiffs state would be unnecessarily prohibitive and threaten Wheelabrator and Curtis Bay’s ability to continue operations.

The lawsuit goes on to state, “The act imposes extraordinary and unprecedented constraints that do not advance public health, are not science- or fact-based, and in fact are in furtherance of an agenda to close the facilities regardless of the consequences to residents and businesses in Baltimore city and beyond. The city acknowledges that the act will at a minimum require the Wheelabrator facility to close for some indeterminate period of time, and perhaps forever. The act will also cause the Curtis Bay facility to shut down at least temporarily to install unnecessary and financially burdensome equipment upgrades.”

“NWRA joins Wheelabrator and Curtis Bay Energy LP in asking the federal court to declare the Baltimore Clean Air Act to be unlawful and preempted under federal and Maryland laws,” NWRA President Darrell Smith said in a statement. “The solid waste facilities operated by Wheelebrator and Curtis Bay Energy LP have met all science-based emissions standards established under federal and state laws and are fully licensed to operate under federal and state law.”

Republic Services appoints new company president, COO

Republic Services Inc. of Phoenix has announced Jon Vander Ark is assuming a new role as president of the company. As president, Vander Ark is responsible for the company's ongoing transformation and growth, Republic says. He will oversee operations, sales, marketing and business development and will continue reporting to Republic CEO Don Slager.

Prior to Vander Ark’s appointment as president, Slager served as both president and CEO of the company.

Vander Ark was promoted from his role as chief operating officer (COO), where he helped the company develop a greater rigor around safety, fleet readiness, labor effectiveness and route optimization, Republic says. He joined Republic Services in January 2013 as executive vice president (EVP), chief marketing officer, responsible for advancing the Republic Services brand and its customer-centric service approach.

In 2016, Vander Ark assumed the role of EVP, operations, overseeing performance and financial results across the company's field organization. Prior to Republic, he served as a partner at McKinsey & Company's Detroit office, managing clients across a variety of industries, including transportation, logistics, manufacturing and consumer products. He received a bachelor's degree from Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Tim Stuart will succeed Vander Ark as COO. Starting as operations supervisor, Stuart has had nearly 25 years in the industry and gained deep experience across all aspects of business operations, Republic says. He joined the company in 2006 as director of operations and has since held roles of increasing responsibility, including area president, vice president of customer experience, region vice president, region president and, most recently, EVP of operations.

Republic says during his tenure, Stuart pioneered the company's customer experience efforts by implementing service commitment methodologies and metrics. He also implemented the use of a net promoter score as a key customer insight tool. Stuart received a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa and an MBA from Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers.

As COO, Stuart is responsible for continuing to operationalize the company's strategy and execute its business plan across field operations. In addition to leading the general management organization, he will have functional responsibility for safety, operations effectiveness, engineering, environmental compliance and fleet management, Republic says. Stuart will continue reporting to Vander Ark.