Dive Brief:
- The Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined recycling firm Kuusakoski LLC $114,800 and cited it for 26 violations after a March inspection of its Plainfield, IL facility found workers were exposed to 1.2 to 1.6 times the amount of airborne concentrations allowed for lead and cadmium. OSHA said in a press release that the overexposure could put the workers at risk for long-term damage to their central nervous, urinary, blood, and reproductive systems.
- Violations included failing to give employees protective clothing; failing to train workers on lead, cadmium and chemical hazards; not implementing a respiratory protection program; not having a hearing conservation program; not providing separate shower or lunch facilities to prevent lead contamination and ingestion; and failing to provide housekeeping procedures to remove lead to prevent exposure. The company would not comment to the Tribune.
- Kuusakoski, a Finnish company that recycles metals and electronics, has 15 days to comply, request an informal meeting with OSHA's area director or to contest the findings.
Dive Insight:
This is not the first time that electronics recycling has been posed as a health risk for workers. In July, a report published by the Centers for Disease Control found that the disposal and recycling of electronics is an "emerging health concern" due to lead exposure.
"Pediatricians should ask about parents' occupations and hobbies," said Dr. Nick Newman in the report. "Not only is this a conversation starter with the family, but it also is an opportunity to perform primary prevention activities to avoid take-home exposures of lead, other metals, and toxicants that may be present at work."
And the global electronic waste market size is growing, projected to reach $5.04 billion by 2020 at an estimated compound annual growth rate of 20.6%, from $1.66 million in 2014.
Overall, waste and recycling is a dangerous business. "This is one of the most dangerous industries in the United States," SWANA CEO David Biderman said at WASTECON in August. According to the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report, refuse and recyclable materials collector is listed as the fifth most dangerous job in the country, with transportation incidents accounting for 69% of fatalities.