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Masks Becoming More Common for Collection Workers Despite Lack of National Guidance
Chuck Stiles, director of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters’ Solid Waste and Recycling Division, said he is also noticing the trend. At the same time, face protection is not at the level his organization would like to see for waste workers. The union included masks among PPE considered part of best practices for all waste workers in a recent document and Stiles believes the options provided should be more robust.
“I think N95 masks should be standard. That should be in some sort of legislation,” he told Waste Dive last Friday, adding that workers doing rear-load collection or cleaning out hopper blades, among other positions, could benefit from a face shield. “I would love to see face shields, especially for workers in the recycling facilities and the landfills should they need them.”