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When a utility pole fell on a garbage truck in Castle Shannon and killed the refuse worker inside last month, police called it a freak accident. Department of Labor.
In 2004, those who collect refuse and recyclable materials were 10 times more likely to be fatally injured than the average American worker, accounting for 34 of the 5,703 fatal work injuries in the United States, according to the census data.
Mr. Goldsmith had been standing on a rear platform of his vehicle when the truck nagged a guide wire and pulled the utility pole onto him. fatality rates
His death was the second death of a garbage collector in the area cheap north face jackets in the past five months.
In November, Eugene Sunseri III, of Carrick, was run over by a garbage truck driven by a coworker. Mr. Sunseri, who died Nov. 7, his 44th birthday, apparently had been sitting on the back of the truck, against policy, when the vehicle backed up and pinned his leg.
In 2003, Gregory Leonard, 46, of Chartiers City, was killed when he attempted to stop his runaway garbage truck by jumping into the cab. He slipped and was crushed under the vehicle.
Kenneth Tester, 35, of the North Side, died in 1998, when his vehicle coolant level dropped low enough to trigger its cheap north face jackets clearance engine to shut off. Because his truck was parked on a hill, it took off and Mr. Tester was trapped inside when the truck crashed into a house.
The potential danger of his work doesn faze Lou Kotlinski, 52, a refuse driver for the city of Pittsburgh Bureau of Environmental Services for 11 years.
"You know the job is dangerous. It a physical job. You know you can get hurt at any moment," the Polish Hill man said.
Mr. He drives through a different part of Pittsburgh every day Manchester, Brighton Heights, North Side or Banksville, loading trash again and again and again.
It the repetition of loading the trash that makes the job hard on the body. Mr. Kotlinski has hurt his back, shoulders, knees and hips. Fellow workers in the city Bureau of Environmental Services a department of about 160 employees who drive and work from 61 refuse and 13 recycling trucks suffered 63 injuries in 2005.
A few weeks ago, Mr. Kotlinski had the worst experience of his career when his truck, one he was using temporarily while his regular one was in the shop, lost its brakes near Green Tree Hill.
The vehicle accelerated to 80 mph before Mr. Kotlinski started an uphill climb and edged the truck onto the shoulder of the road.
"I could have taken out 12 [to] 15 people, plus myself," he said.
William Klimovich, assistant director of the city Bureau of Environmental Services, applauded Mr. Kotlinski for skillfully maneuvering the truck and avoiding tragedy.
"The object of the job is to go home the way you came, that what we preach every day," Mr. Klimovich said. "Anytime you run a fleet of 60some vehicles every day, you are going to have some mechanical problems."
Mr. Klimovich said the Bureau of Environmental Services implemented a more aggressive safety program in 2002, and results are showing. In 2002, 103 workers were injured and the number increased to 118 in 2003. By 2005, the number of injured workers had fallen to 63.
Joe Rossi, vice president of Teamsters Local 249, was a garbage collector for the city for 22 years. Like many who have worked as collectors, he been injured, suffering a broken foot when he was hit by a car. He faults the age of the equipment for the injuries and fatalities of the Pittsburgh garbage collectors.
Trucks that were supposed to be in use for six or seven years are used a decade longer, Mr. Rossi said. Mr. Klimovich said that was because of the financial restraints placed on the city.
"When there is money available, we try to update the fleet with new vehicles," Mr. Klimovich said, adding that three refuse trucks had been purchased this year.
While the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has no direct regulations for refuse collection, Pennsylvania requires drivers with a commercial license to check fluids, brakes and lights before putting a vehicle into service or turning it in for the night.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health studied worker injuries from moving refuse collection vehicles in 1997 and made safety recommendations which included workers wearing slipresistant footwear and installing alarms on trucks that sound when the vehicle is shifted into reverse.