ReMA Calls for Industry-Wide Safety Stand-Down Day

October 15 to serve as a day of training and safety education

(Washington, DC) – In the wake of a series of recent fatalities and serious injuries across the industry, safety leaders from the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI) today declared October 15 to be Safety Stand-Down Day. They ask that all member facilities spend at least one hour each shift focused on safety education. 

The leaders wrote:

The past few weeks have been tragic ones for the recycling industry. The scrap recycling industry is a safe industry that is getting safer. However, since early August, we have suffered at least eleven fatalities and multiple critical injuries at facilities owned by, or associated with, ReMA members and at some non-ISRI member owned facilities. 

This is a disturbing trend that must be stopped. Each of these terrible tragedies happened at companies that are owned and managed by good people who run fine companies. If tragedy can strike there, it can strike anywhere.

In an effort to reaffirm safety as our number one core value and focus our members' attention on the safety of their workplaces and their employees, ReMA is declaring October 15, 2014 to be Safety Stand-Down Day. We urge each of our member companies to shut down operations for at least one hour on every shift that day to engage in safety awareness training. The training can take any form you wish, from employee training to a management walk-around, or any other effective safety training method you are comfortable with. 

The letter included information provided by the ReMA Safety Team that member facilities could use as part of their training, including: inspection checklists, training outlines, and safety videos. As part of its member benefits program, ReMA offers the following safety services free of charge: 1-day Safety Management Blueprint; ReMA Safety 10-hour Course; Transportation Assessments; Roadside Inspection Courses; 2-Day Material Handler Train-the-Trainer Course; and other specialized assistance.

The letter concluded, “These tragedies at our member facilities have not only changed the affected families, friends and coworkers forever, but also the company's owners lives and their families as well.  It is sad and this trend must stop. Please take this opportunity to observe Safety Stand-down Day to seek out and eliminate hazards within your operations.  Demonstrate to your workforce that safety is your number one core value and that you consider them to be the most important asset of your operation.  Remember, Safely or Not at All.”

The safety leaders who signed the letter were: Doug Kramer, chair, ReMA Board; Robin Wiener, president, ISRI; Michael Krentzman, chair, ReMA Safety and Operations Committee; Scott Miller, chair, ReMA Safety Working Group; Paul Brenner, chair, ReMA Safety and Environment Council; Joel Denbo, chair, ReMA Resources; and Rike Sandlin, chair, ReMA Services Board (RIOS^TM)

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