Every week, local residents have peace of mind knowing the trash they set out will be picked up by Indianapolis sanitation workers.
Yet, many people may not realize some of the risks they face.
Concerns over the safety of sanitation employees was brought to the forefront when Thomas Welch, 45, was killed while his co-worker backed up a garbage truck on 35th near Bancroft Street during the morning of April 8.
“Incidents such as this remind us that we must remain diligent about safety,” said John Campanelli, editor of Waste & Recycling News, which covers developments related to sanitation workers.
Campanelli added that Welch’s death is among 10 fatal incidents around the country involving sanitation employees so far this year.
Welch’s death is currently being investigated by the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Department of Public Works (DPW), which oversees local sanitation collection, and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department.
Last Friday it was announced that (DPW) fired two of its sanitation officials amid allegations they were involved in backdating and back-signing of inspection reports following Welch’s death.
John Workman, DPW’s director of solid waste, and Scott Hendrickson, a supervisor in solid waste, were fired for falsifying documents after it was discovered that up to 30 garbage truck inspection reports had not been signed and dated.
The driver of the truck that killed Welch has been transferred to the parks department.
Some say that Welch’s death, along with the actions of Workman and Hendrickson, prove that more must be done to protect sanitation workers on the front end to prevent dangerous scenarios.
“It indicates that there are serious problems,” said Robert Turner, attorney for Welch’s family and former Public Safety Director.
Although encouraged that DPW took disciplinary action, Turner said preventing accidents should “go beyond” inspections to include examination of the qualifications and training provided to operators of trucks and equipment.
Speaking on a condition of anonymity, a former DPW employee who describes himself as “still close” to sanitation workers describes them as a close knit family who “often find themselves in dangerous situations, but don’t want to speak out about those dangers. They are afraid of losing their jobs”
Turner said he has known sanitation workers, and employees from other city agencies, who have expressed concern over lack of proper training and equipment.
“It seems this has been increasing with a general decline in the professional standards that once existed in city-county agencies,” he said. “It could be lack of money or having the wrong people in the wrong places, but we need good people in the right places so they can affect positive change.”
As in most major cities, sanitation employees are represented by the local American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), a union for public sector employees.
Steve Quick, president of local AFSCME Council 62, referred questions about the safety of sanitation workers to DPW, citing the “sensitive legal nature” of the Welch situation.
He did, however, say that AFSCME has not received complaints about dangerous conditions from its local sanitation employees.
“I’ve been in here 29 years, and that (Welch’s death) was the first situation where we had an employee that worked with us getting killed,” said Quick.
When contacted by the Recorder, Lesley Gordon, public information officer for DPW, sent an outline of the department’s training and safety program.
“Classroom training coupled with on-route training help ensure that our employees are applying what they have learned in the field,” Gordon said.
According to program documents, new employees receive training during a 12-day orientation phase on various aspects of the job such as city regulations and rules that must be followed when picking up trash, proper operation and cleaning of trucks, loading and backing up safely and correct use of safety equipment.
“DPW takes safety very serious,” Gordon said. “The department is continually examining our internal processes to identify areas that can be strengthened.”
