COVID Rates (Cont’d from Page 4)
of total cases on a per-state basis.The states with the highest number of cases in the solid waste industry were generally in line with states that had the highest cases for the general U.S. population. From a regional standpoint, nearly half of confirmed cases were in the Northeast. In Canada, Ontario and Quebec accounted for 81 percent of all cases, similar to that of the general population. The following are the percentage of COVID-19 cases by U.S. Region for solid waste collection/facility workforce: Northeast (CT, DE, ME, MD, MA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI,VT,VA, WV) — 47.6 % Midwest (IL, IN, IA, KS, MI, MN, MO, NE, OH,WI) — 20.7 % Southeast (AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC,TN) — 13.7 %
Buyer’s Guide BALERS (HORIZONTAL) * RECYCLING EQUIPMENT CORPORATION * 831 W. 5th St. • Lansdale, PA 19446 (267) 218-7200
Website: www.RecyclingEquipment.com E-mail: sales@recyclingequipment.com
South Central (AR, LA, NM, OK,TX) — 8.6 % Pacific (AK,AZ, CA, HI, ID, NV, OR,WA) — 4.8 %
SIERRA INTERNATIONAL MACHINERY 1620 E Brundage Ln • Bakersfield CA 93307 (800) 343-8503
Mountains/Plains (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT,WY) — 4.6% COVID infections for the solid waste collection/facility personnel were approximately 10 percent and 25 percent lower than average infections in the United States and Cana- da, respectively. The mortality rate for the solid waste indus- try in the United States was nearly 4 times lower than that of the general population. Based on rates from this survey and total workforce num- bers, the number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths esti- mated for the solid waste industry in the U.S. and Canada, as of late May 2020, were: Cases = 1,069 (U.S.), 125 (Canada) Hospitalizations = 40 (U.S.), 7 (Canada) Deaths = 17 (U.S.), cannot be estimated for Canada since none were identified from the survey There are likely multiple factors contributing to the sig- nificantly lower number of cases and deaths in the solid waste industry relative to the general population. However, a number of key considerations include: Industry Practices .The solid waste industry is highly reg- ulated and has had for decades a strong focus on worker safety.Thus, it is possible that safety training and adherence to regulated guidelines and best practices may correlate to lower infection rates. Additional practices, such as the use of automated collection, likely also play a factor in reduced exposure in areas where residential collection is primarily done this way. Despite this, pathways for exposure during off-work hours would still exist and be dictated by personal choices. Age .Age has been noted as a factor contributing to high- er chances of getting the virus. Given they are employed, most solid waste employees are between the ages of 18 and 65 years old. Thus, age-related complications in contracting and recovering from the virus are likely reduced. Health . Due to the physical demands of many of the in- dustry jobs, many personnel need to be reasonably healthy to perform the job. Thus, underlying health conditions that may result in negative outcomes from COVID could be less frequent for solid waste personnel. Regardless, additional research would be needed to con- firm whether these variables strongly correlate to the lower infection rates and more favorable outcomes for solid waste workers relative to the broader population.
Website: www.sierraintl.com E-mail: info@sierraintl.com
VAN DYK RECYCLING SOLUTIONS 78 Halloween Blvd. • Stamford, CT 06902 (203) 967-1100 • Fax: (203) 967-1199 Website: www.vdrs.com Email: info@vdrs.com
BALERS (VERTICAL)
B E EQUIPMENT, INC. 1775 Wentz Rd. • Quakertown, PA 18951 (215) 536-0700 • Fax: (215) 536-2999 Website: www.beequipment.com E-mail: sales@beequipment.com ELY ENTERPRISES 3809 Broadway • Lorain, OH 44052 (216) 252-8090 Fax: (216) 252-5607 Website: www.elyent.com E-mail: sales@elyent.com HARRIS 315 W. 12th Ave. • Cordele, GA 31015 (229) 273-2500
Website: www.harrisequip.com E-mail: info@harrisequip.com * RECYCLING EQUIPMENT CORPORATION * 831 W. 5th St. • Lansdale, PA 19446 (267) 218-7200
Website: www.RecyclingEquipment.com E-mail: sales@recyclingequipment.com
SIERRA INTERNATIONAL MACHINERY 1620 E Brundage Ln • Bakersfield CA 93307 (800) 343-8503
Website: www.sierraintl.com E-mail: info@sierraintl.com
Recycling Markets June 22, 2020 7
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