As the School Year Ends, WM Urges Residents to Play it Safe Near Garbage Trucks, Service Vehicles
As the School Year Ends, Play It Safe Near Garbage Trucks, Service Vehicles
WM offers safety tips around service vehicles this summer
Gulf Area — WM encourages residents to review safety tips with their children regarding waste collection trucks, especially now that local schools are on summer break. Safety precautions are important now more than ever when children are spending the most time outside.
“Safety is our top priority, and WM cares about the residents and neighbors in the areas we serve,” said Mark Noel, WM Director – Environmental, Health and Safety. “Now that children are out of school and out and about in the neighborhood, we want to make sure their curiosity or interest in garbage trucks does not lead to harm. WM highly recommends that parents or adult guardians accompany small children who want to get a closer look at garbage trucks they see on the street.”
SUMMER SAFETY TIPS
• Keep at least 15 feet from the truck. Never climb on the truck. Do not play or stand in or around waste and recycling bins or cans, since you may not know when the truck is coming to empty them.
• Learn the schedule of when service vehicles are in the area. Waste and recycling trucks, postal vehicles and other package delivery services keep regular schedules within each neighborhood.
• Always keep a safe distance from a truck. It takes service vehicles about twice as long to stop as a passenger car, so never cut in front of or stop suddenly in front of one.
• Do not allow children to help with loading any materials into the truck, and do not stand behind the truck while it is being loaded. Be cautious of debris that may be dislodged during compacting.
• Vehicles like WM trucks make frequent stops and wide turns, so do not follow the truck closely or try to go around a moving truck while walking, running, biking, skating or driving.
• Be aware of blind spots. There are several areas where visibility can be restricted for the driver. If you cannot see the driver’s eyes, they may not see you.
• Every WM truck is equipped with a back-up alarm. Stay alert and listen for the “beep-beep-beep” sound, an indication that the truck is backing up. Whether you’re walking or driving near one of our trucks, if you hear this sound or see its white back-up lights, be sure to move out of the way.
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ABOUT WM
As North America’s largest environmental solutions provider, WM (WM.com) is “Always Working for a Sustainable Tomorrow.” Previously known as Waste Management and based in Houston, Texas, WM is driven by commitments to put people first and achieve success with integrity. The company provides collection, recycling and disposal services to millions of residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers throughout the U.S. and Canada. With innovative infrastructure and capabilities in recycling, organics and renewable energy, WM provides environmental solutions to and collaborates with its customers in helping them achieve their sustainability goals. WM has the largest disposal network and collection fleet in North America, is the largest recycler of post-consumer materials and is the leader in beneficial reuse of landfill gas, with a growing network of landfill gas to renewable natural gas plants and the most landfill gas-to-electricity plants in North America. WM’s fleet includes nearly 11,000 natural gas trucks – the largest heavy-duty natural gas truck fleet of its kind in North America – where more than half are allocated renewable natural gas as transportation fuel. To learn more about WM and the company’s sustainability progress and solutions, visit Sustainability.WM.com.
As the School Year Ends, Play It Safe Near Garbage Trucks, Service Vehicles
WM offers safety tips around service vehicles this summer
Gulf Area — WM encourages residents to review safety tips with their children regarding waste collection trucks, especially now that local schools are on summer break. Safety precautions are important now more than ever when children are spending the most time outside.
“Safety is our top priority, and WM cares about the residents and neighbors in the areas we serve,” said Mark Noel, WM Director – Environmental, Health and Safety. “Now that children are out of school and out and about in the neighborhood, we want to make sure their curiosity or interest in garbage trucks does not lead to harm. WM highly recommends that parents or adult guardians accompany small children who want to get a closer look at garbage trucks they see on the street.”
SUMMER SAFETY TIPS
• Keep at least 15 feet from the truck. Never climb on the truck. Do not play or stand in or around waste and recycling bins or cans, since you may not know when the truck is coming to empty them.
• Learn the schedule of when service vehicles are in the area. Waste and recycling trucks, postal vehicles and other package delivery services keep regular schedules within each neighborhood.
• Always keep a safe distance from a truck. It takes service vehicles about twice as long to stop as a passenger car, so never cut in front of or stop suddenly in front of one.
• Do not allow children to help with loading any materials into the truck, and do not stand behind the truck while it is being loaded. Be cautious of debris that may be dislodged during compacting.
• Vehicles like WM trucks make frequent stops and wide turns, so do not follow the truck closely or try to go around a moving truck while walking, running, biking, skating or driving.
• Be aware of blind spots. There are several areas where visibility can be restricted for the driver. If you cannot see the driver’s eyes, they may not see you.
• Every WM truck is equipped with a back-up alarm. Stay alert and listen for the “beep-beep-beep” sound, an indication that the truck is backing up. Whether you’re walking or driving near one of our trucks, if you hear this sound or see its white back-up lights, be sure to move out of the way.
###
ABOUT WM
As North America’s largest environmental solutions provider, WM (WM.com) is “Always Working for a Sustainable Tomorrow.” Previously known as Waste Management and based in Houston, Texas, WM is driven by commitments to put people first and achieve success with integrity. The company provides collection, recycling and disposal services to millions of residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers throughout the U.S. and Canada. With innovative infrastructure and capabilities in recycling, organics and renewable energy, WM provides environmental solutions to and collaborates with its customers in helping them achieve their sustainability goals. WM has the largest disposal network and collection fleet in North America, is the largest recycler of post-consumer materials and is the leader in beneficial reuse of landfill gas, with a growing network of landfill gas to renewable natural gas plants and the most landfill gas-to-electricity plants in North America. WM’s fleet includes nearly 11,000 natural gas trucks – the largest heavy-duty natural gas truck fleet of its kind in North America – where more than half are allocated renewable natural gas as transportation fuel. To learn more about WM and the company’s sustainability progress and solutions, visit Sustainability.WM.com.