Caretakers spend a good amount of their day removing trash from compactors. Staff clean the nose of the compactor daily because it gets dirty quickly. To safely clean the machine, all compactors are equipped with a safety shut-off gate. The caretaker closes the gate to stop garbage from coming down the chute into the nose area while cleaning.

Many NYCHA compactors are old.  Gook starts to build up and the metal can get bent, causing the safety shut-off gates to not close properly and endangering the person servicing the machine.  The union is working with NYCHA’s EHS unit and development management to fix the problem.

“One of our caretakers brought this issue to a meeting and the union followed up.  Staff members know when something is not safe, and they know to speak up if they feel they are doing some job tasks that are dangerous”, noted Andrea Silvia, Safety Associate at Marcy Houses in Brooklyn.

Most of the 70 compactors did not have working safety shutoff gates.  The union alerted management, as well as to NYCHA’s Environmental Health and Safety Department.  An assessment of all the compactors was completed and a vendor was called in to clean the machines and to ensure the gates could open and close. Manuel Quezada, Health and Safety Oversight Specialist, worked closely with management to complete the project. Quezada said, “The combined efforts of property management, Teamsters Local 237 and EHS made this possible, hastily & swiftly. Safety is paramount.”

Tyrone Grant, Marcy Superintendent, worked with vendors to get all the gates working. “Sometimes big jobs like this come up, but we knew we had to address the problem since it’s a pretty big safety concern,” explained Grant.  He worked with staff and with Karen Moye, the Neighborhood Administrator, who helped to secure a vendor quickly. Moye said, “Putting staff’s safety at risk is not an option; when there’s an issue that has a solution, I work with staff to make sure the problem is resolved.”

Regular visits by the union were conducted to ensure progress. “My experience has taught me that to get issues addressed, it often takes many return trips and calls to get more complicated issues resolved”, noted Vincent Lattimore, Local 237 Business Agent.

Lyasia Saunders (a former safety associate) and Eric Burton, Supervisors of Caretakers, were instrumental in re-training staff on the need to shut the gates, as well as the importance of keeping the machines and the area as clean as possible to avoid future problems.   “As a long-time safety person, I know that we need to remind staff that their safety is important and working safely is something to always bring to their attention”, stated Saunders.  If something is dangerous, we all work together as a team to fix the problem, and that usually brings the best results”, said Mr. Burton.

The union is addressing another important compactor safety issue.  Because the chute handles are often too high, caretakers are forced to reach them by standing on the compactor rollers to close the gate. This is very unsafe and not acceptable. The union is working with the agency to tackle this concern.

Marcy’s efforts to make this task safer is a success story that can be replicated by other NYCHA developments where this problem exists.  

“Making work safer for our members is an ongoing process, and often takes time and the energy of many to ensure those safe working conditions,” notes Carl Giles, Local 237’s Housing Division Director, “The union’s commitment to safety remains strong, and with willing and able partners from NYCHA management, we make progress, and we will continue to focus on our members’ safety to make sure they go home safe and healthy at the end of their workday. “

More Health and Safety Information