Dive Brief:

• Sanitation employees in Florida are reporting that drivers are not following the “Move Over Act,” a law put in place in July to protect waste workers from roadside accidents while on the job. 
• The law requires drivers to reduce their vehicle speed and move aside for sanitation trucks and other emergency and utility workers. 
• A hauler at Waste Pro said he notices an average of four incidents daily in which drivers come close to hitting the truck or a worker. It appears that many issues are caused by distracted driving. 

Dive Insight:

A Public Service Announcement will be launched in order to spread the word about the law; the message will focus on the ways a driver’s can drive safely around sanitation trucks and how to prevent getting ticketed. 

Keith Banasiak, the regional vice president at Waste Pro, said that workers have not noticed a significant difference in driver’s attention as they pass the waste trucks. The company provides weekly safety meetings with employees to “check-in” with workers. The waste company acknowledges sanitation workers have a dangerous job.

Waste firms value the safety of their workers and found ways to bring attention to the law. Waste Management partnered with the Walton County Sheriff’s Office in Florida to spread awareness of the safety measure.