Safety worry for refuse crews

SAFETY REMAINS the top concern for the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) as its workers clean the streets following major events.Deputy manager of operations, Michael Nicholls, said the SSA had been asking for the Kadooment route to remain closed to traffic for at least two hours after the last band had passed to better accommodate its crew, but this had not been done.He was speaking to the DAILY NATION on Monday as clean-up crews were working along Green Hill, St Michael, minutes after the last band had passed.Nicholls said their work started around 10 a.m. with a small crew in the Super Centre car park where the bands started, followed by a larger contingent which arrived between 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.The passage of the 20 plus bands along Green Hill left plastic cups, plastic plates, paper, beads, flags, cans and costume pieces in their wake as well as overflowing garbage cans.However, two hours later there was almost no evidence of this as the SSA collected nearly all of the refuse. Nicholls said this was largely thanks to the SSA’s five-year-old “sweeper” vehicle.“We got this in 2006 at a cost of more than $1/2 million. It is the only one we have in operation, but I would like to see us get another,” he said.The “sweeper” has a brush and hose on the side. It sprays the road with water as the brush sweeps and collects refuse into a container underneath. He said the authority would be returning to Green Hill later in the week to “re-run” the route and collect any refuse that was missed yesterday. (CA)