Summer Safety: Be Mindful of Garbage Trucks, Service Vehicles

Posted: Jun 14, 2012 4:05 PM by Melissa Canone

Summer has arrived in Louisiana, and vacation time is in full swing. More children are at home during weekdays when delivery or service trucks come through residential neighborhoods, so it is important that parents talk to their children about watching for waste trucks and maintaining a safe distance from those vehicles while playing outside.

Waste Management suggests parents take a minute to speak with their children about safety around waste vehicles as well as general safety precautions to take around all vehicular traffic.

"Neighborhood streets are generally much busier in the summertime and children are often curious about garbage trucks," said Jack Quinn, district manager, WM Acadiana. "Safety is a top priority to us, and we ask that parents advise their children to stand a considerable distance away from these trucks. While it may appear that our trucks are stopped, they have a lot of moving parts that at any point could begin moving again."

Waste Management provides these tips to be safe around their vehicles:

· 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 (a loud beeping) or see the white back-up lights, be sure to move out of the way of the truck.

· Keep your children and pets at a safe distance from the truck and make sure they know never to get near or climb on the truck, whether it is parked or operating. Children should not play or stand in or around trash bins, since you may not know when the truck is coming to empty them. On your collection day, be sure to move toys or cars out of the path of the truck and away from your collection containers.

· It takes a garbage truck about twice as long to stop as a passenger car, so you should never cut in front of or stop suddenly in front of a Waste Management truck. In a residential neighborhood, extend the same courtesies as you would to other drivers and keep a proper cushion of space between you and the truck.

· Waste Management trucks make frequent stops, so let your children know not to follow the truck on a bike, skates or skateboard.

· Do not attempt or allow children to "help" by loading any garbage in the truck. In addition to moving truck parts, debris can come out of the truck's hopper when it is compressed.

· All Waste Management trucks are equipped with a radio or some kind of communication device that connects our drivers to our dispatch centers. If you are experiencing some type of emergency and need help, stand at a safe distance away and wave your arms to motion for help. Do not approach the truck unless the driver tells you it is safe to do so.

about waste management

Waste Management, Inc., based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. It is also one of the largest residential recycler and a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. The company's customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. To learn more information about Waste Management visit www.wm.com.