May I share a concern with you?

My name is Larry Stone and I am the director of safety at Rumpke Consolidated Companies, Inc. During the past 12 months we have seen the families of two employees devastated as a result of inattentive or impatient motorists. One employee died from injuries he received and the other suffered multiple injuries and extensive brain damage. This is not an isolated incident within our industry. The solid waste industry already has developed safety standards and training programs to protect our employees, but today more than ever, we need your help to educate the motoring public about this safety concern.

We all lead very busy lives with a never-ending list of commitments, meetings, and obligations. It is human nature to become frustrated or impatient when forced to slow down or stop because of a service vehicle. In most construction areas, signage is present to warn motorists of hazards ahead. And the law requires us to stop when we see a school bus with its flashing red lights. We have been taught to understand that flashing red lights signal that children are either loading or unloading from the bus, therefore disregarding the lights and choosing to pass the bus would place children at risk.  On the other hand, that level of understanding is not always present when we see a worker jump out of his or her service vehicle on a congested street. In fact it never seems to be the right time for a service worker to perform his or her duties. 

Because of impatience or aggravation, some drivers accelerate rapidly to move around the inconvenience, placing the worker in unnecessary danger. Package delivery, postal workers and various other service providers face this same issue on a daily basis. Currently statistics are not available to graphically illustrate the hazards refuse haulers and other service workers face each work day, but many of our employees can tell you that there are several near misses daily.

We are counting on your help with this campaign. I want to thank you in advance for your interest in this program.  Please feel free to use this logo and information.

Sincerely
Larry Stone
Director of Safety
Rumpke Consolidated Companies
Larry.Stone@rumpke.com