The City of Pittsburgh is taking all due precautions to protect refuse workers from the Bureau of Environmental Services who were sent home today due to fears over COVID-19 exposure, and has been taking these precautions with all essential City personnel since the start of the pandemic.
The City has been following Centers for Disease Control guidance聽including having Environmental Services buildings and trucks cleaned regularly; providing workers with protective glasses and gloves;聽and doing聽daily聽health screenings.聽Workers are given gloves each day that they are not allowed to take home, and have been offered plastic gloves to wear under them if they wish.
The City has provided Environmental Services workers wipes to regularly clean off their equipment, and the City has encouraged workers to wash their uniforms daily.
Every morning workers are given a health care check-list to聽identify if they have any symptoms of the virus.聽This check-list has been mischaracterized as a 鈥渞elease form,鈥� which it is not.
鈥淓nvironmental Services workers are on the front lines of the City鈥檚 pandemic response and are performing a great public service to their fellow residents. We all need to come together in this time of need, and聽to聽continue supporting the personnel 鈥� including police, medics, firefighters and others聽鈥� who are protecting us at this time,鈥� Mayor William Peduto said.
The wife of a聽refuse聽worker had a presumptive positive test result reported yesterday, and the聽Environmental Services headquarters was cleaned and sanitized last night聽after the report was registered.聽The City contacted medical professionals immediately and made sure it was following all CDC protocols.
Neither the worker聽nor his wife is showing symptoms but as a precaution the worker has been placed in self-quarantine, with pay.
Additionally, shifts for the refuse workers have been staggered to聽lower interaction聽among workers in the main Environmental Services building: they are now beginning work in shifts starting at 5, 6, 7 and 8 a.m.
City officials including聽Public Safety Director Wendell聽Hissrich, Public Works Director Mike Gable, Assistant EMS Chief Mark聽Pinchalk聽and聽City Medical Director Dr. Ronald Roth聽spoke聽with representatives for the workers today to go over COVID-19 protocols.
Workers were reminded by medical officials that wearing masks was not necessary, and could even聽help spread the disease聽if workers were touching their faces while adjusting masks.
Officials from the Peduto administration and Teamsters Local 249 are working together to clear up any misunderstandings, and normal service should continue as normal tomorrow.
Residents who put their refuse at curbsides聽today聽should leave it there, and it will be collected聽after Thursday’s regular pickup routes are completed.聽When the City declared a state of emergency聽it was noted that residents may experience delays in聽refuse pickup, due to expected staffing issues connected to the pandemic.
Beginning Monday, the City will suspend pickups of bulk and yard waste to help with staffing.
City residents聽are reminded of these tips, first issued聽March 16,聽to make refuse collection easier and safer for Environmental Services workers:
- Help limit exposure to germs by setting trash out for collection in substantial, leak-proof聽bags聽tied up and without tears.
- Please stay back 50 feet from refuse and recycling vehicles
- Slow down and look for workers before you attempt to go around any truck
- Follow the proper set-out guidelines to prevent work-related injury
- Do not include any prohibited materials in your curbside trash