Seven Summer Safety Tips from Our Drivers
Summer break is here and Waste Management is encouraging summer safety around our collection trucks. Children outside playing may want to investigate our big green waste and recycling trucks serving their neighborhood, but its important to keep a safe distance and use common sense around trucks – not just during the summer but year-round.
We care about the neighborhoods we serve, and ensuring the safety of residents is our top priority. Here are some summer safety tips our own drivers created to encourage safe habits around residential collection vehicles.
Summer Safety Tips
1. Learn the schedule of when service vehicles are in the area. Waste and recycling trucks, postal vehicles and other package delivery services keep regular schedules within each neighborhood.
2. Keep a safe distance from the truck – at least 15 feet. Never climb on the truck. Do not play or stand in or around waste and recycling bins or cans, since you may not know when the truck is coming to empty them.
3. Do not attempt or allow children to help with loading any materials into the truck. In addition to moving truck parts, debris can come out of the truck when its contents are being compressed.
4. Vehicles like Waste Management trucks make frequent stops and often reverse, so don’t follow the truck closely while walking, running, biking or skating. Stay alert and listen for the “beep-beep-beep” back-up sound.
5. Even with cameras onboard, there are times when visibility may be restricted for the driver. Remember, if you can’t see the driver, he or she most likely can’t see you.
6. It takes service vehicles about twice as long to stop as a passenger car. So keep a safe distance from our trucks, and never cut in front of – or stop suddenly in front of – any service vehicles.
7. Every Waste Management truck is equipped with a back-up alarm. Whether you are walking or driving near one of our trucks, if you hear this sound or see the white back-up lights, be sure to move out of the way.