As seen in Waste Advantage – November 2023 What is one thing material recovery facilities (MRFs), plastic recovery facilities (PRFs), and polymer sites have in common? Each needs a safe and reliable workforce to keep their facilities running. Staffing these sites is a pivotal challenge in the waste and recycling industry. The hurdle extends beyond…
As seen in Recycling Today, March 2023 Issue Upward pressure on wages continues to be a primary concern for the recycling industry in 2023 as it faces ongoing staffing challenges. Over the past two years, Leadpoint has been actively working with clients to provide competitive compensation to its workforce and is beginning to see the…
Recycling facilities are altering lines and adding equipment to keep up with market needs. But how do you ensure MRF workers keep pace with the changes? As seen in Resource Recycling, April 2020 2020 Trend: Your MRF Will ChangeIndustry leaders, experts and pundits believe 2020 will be another year of consolidation and M&A activity within…
By Terrence Patterson. Safety: Risk & Teamwork Poor decisions about safety put you, your team and their families at risk. That’s the first lesson I took away from a safety symposium in Green Bay, Wisconsin, sponsored in conjunction with the American Society of Safety Professionals. The event featured motivational safety speaker Eric Giguere who shared…
Why We Exist What’s most important for any business? Some would say profits, long-term viability, and business growth. Others would say making a positive difference in the world and serving the interests of society at large. And many business owners and leaders would cite the well-being of their employees and customers as the thing that…
By Brian Haney, Vice President, Safety & Compliance, Leadpoint Business Services There’s no question that an effective safety culture in any MRF depends on quickly, easily and consistently engaging the workforce in safe behavior. This is a challenge for nearly every MRF I’ve worked with over the last 15 years. With so many competing priorities,…
When it comes to safety in the recycling industry, we have rightly put high emphasis on lock-out/tag-out (LOTO) procedures to prevent catastrophic injuries to our employees. In addition, we have seen a marked improvement in the attention MRFs are paying to fall protection hazards and compliance. These are all positive developments and we must continue…
Safety is the most personal practice at any MRF. That’s because every employee – from the top down and the bottom up – is subject to the hazards of the job site, can experience pain and injury, and can make individual choices about behaving safely. A MRF’s safety culture is built on standard behaviors that…
The daily safety huddle is a standard occurrence for MRF managers and their employees, but the routine of it can cause some employees to tune-out. Motivating employees to participate and keeping them engaged in your safety meetings, day after day, is critical. Engagement can help pinpoint areas of confusion, test employees’ knowledge of safety programs…
Keeping your facility and workforce safety conscious – a concept which we covered in a post last year – requires three key steps: drafting a concrete safety plan, providing workers with adequate training and education, and maintaining detailed records. Drafting a concrete safety plan is the starting point for keeping all personnel safe from hazards.…
As an employer, your workers’ safety is one of your top concerns. To keep your employees safe, you will have to be proactive and share your knowledge and build a culture that embraces safety as good business AND the right thing to do. To be effective with MRF safety, begin by creating an environment that…