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We get it. Safety isn’t sexy.

While safety technology saves hundreds of lives every year, it doesn’t parade around in a spandex suit and cape. Safety is more subtle in its approach to saving lives. Its approach is preventative: Keep people safe by alerting workers of dangerous situations. Superheroes are a bit more reckless about saving lives. They allow people to walk right into a dangerous situation just to heighten the dramatic effect of the last-minute save. Safety technology may not wear a cape but it is far more effective at saving lives than any superhero.

When the average citizen sees a waste collection crew rumbling down the street, they probably don’t realize that they’re witnessing people engaged in the fifth-deadliest occupation in America. Refuse and recycling materials collection is preceded only by roofing, aircraft piloting, fishing, and logging in the ranks of most dangerous occupations.

According to OSHA, 25% of waste management-related accidents are the result of slips and falls when drivers and helpers enter or exit vehicles. Another 25% of accidents occur when trucks and equipment are backing up.

Creating a culture of safety doesn't happen overnight. But for one Health and Safety supervisor, it was a challenge worthy of tackling.

George Van Hemert oversees safety in what could otherwise be a very unsafe place. As Health & Safety Supervisor for the City of Oxnard, California’s Environmental Resources Division, Van Hemert is responsible for worker safety at Del Norte Regional Recycling & Transfer Station. This Materials Recovery facility (MRF) serves as the central hub of the City’s overall solid waste management system and as a regional resource for other adjacent cities as well.

Blind spots behind all moving vehicles and equipment can cause serious physical harm and financial damage. The problem will soon be addressed for passenger vehicles. In May 2018, a decade after the enabling legislation was passed, a law will go into effect requiring that all automotive vehicles be equipped with backup cameras and monitors. The Department of Transportation (DOT) law will apply to new vehicles under 10,000 pounds. It is not hard to imagine that these same requirements will soon be extended to medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.

Camera/monitor systems are an extremely useful technology, but it is important to recognize their limitations as a stand-alone solution for object detection.

Back-up cameras serve to reduce blind zones in reversing cars by 90 percent, according to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Considering that 94% of new cars on the market today have back-up cameras, that’s a lot of backwards visibility gained.