US Department of Labor Renews OSHA Alliance to Boost Safety in Waste and Recycling Industry
A three-year partnership with the National Waste & Recycling Association and the Solid Waste Association of North America will address transportation hazards, battery risks, and other workplace safety challenges.
- By Stasia DeMarco
- Aug 27, 2025
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has renewed a three-year alliance with the National Waste & Recycling Association and the Solid Waste Association of North America to improve worker safety and health across the waste and recycling industry.
The renewed partnership will address leading hazards in the sector, including transportation risks such as backovers and distracted driving, slips, trips, and falls, and injuries related to needlesticks and musculoskeletal strain. The alliance will also focus on emerging concerns tied to lithium battery hazards in collection and processing operations.
Under the agreement, OSHA, NWRA, and SWANA will collaborate on developing educational articles, fact sheets, and toolkits to help prevent and mitigate risks. The organization's plan to share resources through conferences, forums, and meetings, with a priority on reaching small- and medium-sized employers who may have limited access to safety information.
The alliance is part of OSHA’s broader Alliance Program, which fosters partnerships with trade associations, labor unions, educational institutions, community groups, and government agencies. The program aims to ensure workers are informed about their rights and that employers understand their responsibilities under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
About the Author
Stasia DeMarco brings a strong and varied journalism background to her role at Occupational Health & Safety, having previously served as a multimedia editor, broadcast journalist, professor and reviewer across major news organizations. As Content Editor, she writes news and feature articles, hosts sponsor and editorial webinars, co-hosts the SafetyPod worker health and safety podcast, and manages the brand’s digital and social media presence. She is committed to informing and engaging the safety community through compelling reporting and conversations that support safer, healthier workplaces.