(MILWAUKEE, Wisc.) – On the morning of May 14, 2019, Teamsters Local 200 Waste Management member Chad Schreiner had an on-the-job experience that changed his life forever, and saved the life of another.

Schreiner, who works at Waste Management in Menomonee Falls, was on his route when he got out of the truck to move a safety cone in front of a customer’s home. After he collected the garbage, Schreiner returned the safety cone to its original position. That’s when Schreiner hear a faint voice asking for help.

Schreiner immediately knew something was wrong and began to look for from the source of the voice he had heard. He quickly realized that the noise was coming from inside the hopper of his front load waste truck. Falling back on his training, Schreiner followed his lock-out-tag-out procedure to prevent injury to the person in the hopper.

Schreiner then notified the company and the fire department and tried to keep the person calm until help arrived. If he had not been aware of his surroundings, the man trapped inside the hopper could have easily lost his life. The victim, who turned out to be a homeless man, was removed from the hopper by the firefighters without any injuries.

Schreiner was relieved that he was able to use his training to act quickly and decisively to address the dangerous situation before anyone was hurt. In a final gesture of kindness, Schreiner offered the homeless man his lunch. 

He accepted.

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