Dive Brief:
- A man who was sleeping in a dumpster in Fremont, CA when a garbage truck emptied it, endured and survived two cycles of compaction, according to police. He then climbed out of the truck and was transported to the hospital, where he still was as of late Monday.
- The 44-year-old man whose name remains undisclosed, because of what KRON reported as mental health issues, has several outstanding warrants. There are no plans to press charges against him.
- He "is very lucky to have survived," said Fremont Police Spokesperson Geneva Bosques.
Dive Insight:
Trash collection is dangerous for trained haulers, as well as for pedestrians and drivers — and anyone sleeping in a bin.
"Preventing homeless (or drunk) people from going to sleep in a dumpster is difficult, and to hear them over the noise generated by the truck is equally challenging...Drivers and helpers should keep their eyes and ears open for a possible person in the dumpster when the container is lifted and dumped," NWRA Safety Director John Haudenshield said in a recent statement.
Haudenshield recommends that drivers look for evidence of someone in the container and shake the container to rouse a potential sleeping occupant. He also recommended that containers stay locked, when practical, to discourage people from climbing into them.
"Having someone pop out of a dumpster in the middle of the night can certainly scare your drivers, but it’s better than compacting someone in the truck," he said. "No one wants to be responsible for another human being’s death, or wants to find someone’s body in a load."
