OHS for Refuse and Waste Collection Workers

Refuse collector safety: the nature of the work

A waste collection crew usually consists of a driver and two or three loaders. The crew makes hundreds of stops during a shift; at each stop they get off the vehicle, carry the bin or bags to it, run the compactor and get back on. The work is often done early in the morning or at night, with traffic moving. Refuse collector safety should therefore focus not on a single hazard but on several hazards occurring at the same time.

Risk	How it arises	Priority measure
Entrapment in the compactor	Reaching into the hopper, pushing jammed waste by hand	Emergency stop, controls that stop when released, a rule of no work in the hopper
Crushing by the bin lifter	Standing beside the bin during lifting	Waiting outside the lifting area, locked bin holders
Falling from the step	Riding on the step while the vehicle is moving	Using the step only for short distances, grab handles and non-slip surfaces
Being struck during reversing	The driver being unable to see behind the vehicle	Reducing reversing through route planning, camera, banksman
Traffic	Working on the road side at a stop, crossing the road	High-visibility clothing, working from the kerb side
Sharps injuries	Needles, glass, metal coming out of bags	Holding bags away from the body, puncture-resistant gloves
Biological agents	Contact with waste, leachate, dirty gloves	Hygiene arrangements, vaccination, rules on eating and drinking
Musculoskeletal strain	Pushing bins, lifting bags, frequently getting on and off	Wheeled bins, route and crew planning

Refuse truck compactors and bin lifters

On rear-loading vehicles, waste is drawn from the hopper into the body by sweep and compaction plates. The refuse truck compactor mechanism can pull an arm or body caught in the hopper inside within seconds. The most dangerous behaviour on the job is pushing jammed or overflowing waste in the hopper by hand or foot while the mechanism is running.

When selecting and maintaining vehicles, check the following:

Emergency stop: There should be an accessible emergency stop button on both sides of the hopper, tested at the start of every shift.
Controls: The compaction cycle should be controlled by an arrangement that stops when the control is released, or operated from a position with a view of the hopper area.
Bin lifter: Nobody should stand in the lifting area while a bin is being lifted; holder locks and bin wheel brakes should be checked.
Maintenance and clearing jams: Any job requiring reaching into the hopper is done with the engine stopped and the key removed, the power take-off (PTO) disengaged and hydraulic pressure released. When the tailgate is raised for maintenance, the manufacturer's support props are fitted. For detailed steps, see our article on lockout and tagout.

The European standard for rear-loading vehicles, TS EN 1501-1, provides for devices that detect a person on the step and limit the vehicle's speed and prevent it reversing. When buying a new vehicle, check that these devices are fitted, and on existing vehicles, that they have not been disabled.

Riding on the step, reversing and traffic

Rear steps are designed for riding short distances between stops, not for long journeys or high speeds. Falls from the step usually happen with sudden braking, potholes or turns. The rules must be clear: the step is used only for the short distance between two stops, both hands are on the grab handles, nobody gets off before the vehicle stops, and the crew is taken into the cab when joining a main road.

Reversing is one of the most dangerous movements of a waste collection vehicle: the driver cannot see behind the vehicle, while the crew works exactly in that area. Consider the measures in this order:

Plan the route so that reversing is not needed. For dead-end streets, the collection point can be changed or a smaller vehicle used.
Nobody is on the step during reversing.
Use a banksman: The banksman stands where the driver can see them in the mirror; the driver stops the moment they lose sight of the banksman.
Technical support: A reversing camera and audible warning are used alongside the banksman, not instead of them.

Being visible in traffic is a basic measure. Give the crew high-visibility clothing conforming to TS EN ISO 20471 and replace items that are dirty and have lost their reflectivity. Collection should be done from the kerb side wherever possible, and the crew should not cross the road without traffic being stopped.

For drivers, Art. 98 of the Highway Traffic Regulation allows at most 9 hours of driving a day and requires a 45-minute break after 4.5 hours of continuous driving; for details, see our article on company drivers. On night shifts, under Art. 69 of Labour Law No. 4857, night work cannot exceed 7.5 hours; we also explained the health report requirement in our article on night work.

Needlesticks and sharps waste

A household waste bag may contain syringes, broken glass, can lids or metal parts. Needlestick injuries during waste collection mostly happen when a bag is carried resting against the leg or body, or when a bag is pressed down by hand.

Hold bags by the neck and carry them away from the body; do not put them on your shoulder.
Do not press bags down with your hand or foot; do not push waste down by hand in an overflowing bin.
Use cut- and puncture-resistant gloves. No glove can stop a needle completely; gloves do not replace the correct carrying method.
If a medical waste bag or sharps box is seen in a household waste bin, it is not opened and is reported to the crew supervisor; the supervisor passes the source of the waste to the relevant unit.

When a needle penetrates the skin, the wound is washed under running water and not squeezed, the incident is reported to the supervisor immediately, and the worker is sent to a healthcare provider without delay; for a needle of unknown source, the physician decides on prophylaxis. All the steps are in our article on sharps injuries.

Biological exposure, hygiene and vaccination

Waste carries biological agents through contents such as food scraps, animal faeces and used nappies. The Regulation on the Prevention of Risks from Exposure to Biological Agents requires workers needing special protection to be identified through the risk assessment and suitable vaccines to be given to non-immune workers where needed (Art. 16). The workplace physician decides on the need for hepatitis B and tetanus vaccination; the cost of vaccination cannot be passed on to the worker. For setting up the programme, see our article on workplace vaccination.

Hygiene arrangements rest on these simple rules:

The vehicle carries clean water, soap and disposable towels; hands are washed first at breaks.
Nobody eats, smokes or uses a phone while wearing dirty gloves.
Work clothes are changed at the workplace; dirty and clean clothes are kept in separate lockers.
Cuts and grazes are covered with waterproof plasters.

For an overview of infections seen in waste work, see our article on occupational infections.

Manual handling, slips and weather

A single bag looks light, but hundreds of bags are lifted in a shift, wheeled bins are pushed on sloping pavements, and the vehicle step is climbed on and off at every stop. Drop bags in from the edge of the hopper instead of throwing them into the vehicle; do not move a full bin downhill alone. Ice in winter and heat and sun in summer add extra strain: plan layered winter clothing that maintains visibility, and water and breaks in the shade in summer. For clothing selection, see our article on protective clothing in cold and wet weather, and for lifting principles, manual handling and lifting technique.

Municipal sanitation workers: public sector, subcontractors and training

Municipal sanitation workers work either directly for the municipality, for a municipal company or for a contractor under a service procurement. Since the deferral granted to public institutions was annulled by a 2025 decision of the Constitutional Court, the obligation to assign an OHS specialist and workplace physician applies in full to municipalities too. In service procurement, the contractor is the employer of its own workers, while the municipality is in most cases the principal employer; under the 2026 training regulation, the principal employer checks the subcontractor's training records. We explained the sharing of responsibility in our article on subcontractor OHS responsibility.

Every new loader receives at least 2 hours of face-to-face induction training before starting work. In the training, the compactor's emergency stop should be demonstrated at the vehicle, and the reversing and step rules taught practically. A short toolbox talk at the start of the shift is a good tool for reminding the crew of special situations on that day's route, such as roadworks, school closing times or market days.

For waste collection and cleaning service businesses in Bursa and neighbouring provinces, Bursa Sistemer OSGB plans route-based risk assessment, vehicle-side training and site observations through its OHS specialist services. For health surveillance and the vaccination programme, see our workplace physician services.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is riding on the step of a refuse truck prohibited?

Steps are designed for riding short distances between stops. Nobody should be on the step on long journeys, when joining a main road or during reversing; new vehicles should have devices that limit speed and prevent reversing when the step is occupied.

Which vaccines should waste collectors receive?

The decision is made by the workplace physician based on the risk assessment. Because of the risk of sharps injuries and soil-contaminated wounds, hepatitis B and tetanus vaccines are often considered; the cost of vaccination cannot be passed on to the worker.

What should be done after a needlestick during waste collection?

The wound is washed under running water and not squeezed, and the incident is reported to the supervisor immediately. The worker is sent to a healthcare provider without delay; the physician decides whether preventive treatment against infection is needed.

How can jammed waste be removed safely?

The compactor is stopped, the engine switched off and the key removed, hydraulic pressure released and the mechanism prevented from restarting. Only then may anyone reach into the hopper; no intervention by hand or foot is made while the mechanism is running.