Late this Summer, OSHA has a renewed two-year alliance with the Recycled Materials Association (ReMA) to develop and share resources that improve worker safety in the recycling industry. The alliance focuses on key hazards associated with the recycling industry, with specific emphasis on reaching small and medium-sized employers. Both organizations will work together to provide training materials, conduct outreach, and participate in industry events to educate workers and employers on their rights and responsibilities.
Key objectives and focus areas
- Hazard identification and prevention: The alliance will develop resources, such as fact sheets, articles, and toolkits, to help identify and prevent common and emerging hazards in the recycling sector.
- Key topics include:
- Transportation safety (e.g., backovers, distracted driving)
- Slips, trips, and falls
- Musculoskeletal injuries
- Needlestick injuries
- Lithium battery-related incidents
- Hazardous energy (lockout/tagout)
- Heat and cold stress
- Outreach to small and medium-sized employers: A primary goal is to ensure that smaller businesses have access to essential safety information and resources.
- Information sharing: The partners will share information on OSHA’s National Initiatives, safety and health laws, and compliance assistance resources.
- Industry events: OSHA and ReMA will collaborate on presentations and exhibits at industry conferences and forums to promote worker safety.
- Worker and employer rights: The alliance aims to inform workers about their rights and employers about their responsibilities under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
OSHA’s Alliance Program helps the agency develop working relationships with trade and professional associations, labor unions, educational institutions, community and faith-based groups, and other government agencies committed to workplace safety and health.
Alliance participants work with OSHA to provide workers and employers with information, guidance, and resources to promote safety and health in workplaces. Alliances also ensure that workers know their rights and employers understand their responsibilities under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
Per the Recycled Materials Association’s website, “ReMA represents more than 1,700 companies in the U.S. and 40 countries around the globe. Based in Washington, D.C., ReMA provides advocacy, education, safety and compliance training, and promotes public awareness of the vital role recycled materials play in the U.S. economy, global trade, the environment and sustainable development.”