Four in ten SSA workers get COVID jab

About  250 employees of the Sanitation Service Authority (SSA) have been vaccinated against COVID-19, approximately four in ten of the agency’s workers, spokesman Carl Padmore said Tuesday, declaring more employees have also shown interest in taking the jab.

He disclosed the development as he also revealed an incident in which a sanitation worker was exposed to harm caused by the poor disposal habits of householders.

He told Barbados TODAY: “We have been proactive – our manager Janice Jones was able to get well over 250 of our employees vaccinated. This was to me a step in the right direction, because at the end of the day, our drivers, loaders, supervisors [and] sweepers are all on the frontline. If there was one Government agency that [continued] to work around the clock, it was the SSA.

“We are happy that a large percentage of our staff received the vaccine.”

But while thanking the public for cooperating with the workers during the pandemic, he said an incident on Tuesday brought the issue of incorrect disposal of waste to the fore,

Padmore said: “Just after nine this morning while we were removing household refuge from the Atlantic Shores area, as we were compressing household waste from a set of apartments, a liquid came out and drenched one of our workers from head to toe.

“We had to rush him to get medical attention at the Elcourt Clinic there in Maxwell, and while that was happening we spoke to the guilty party who identified that the garbage was theirs. We discovered it was waste matter from a grease trap that they had removed and placed in bags.”

The SSA official complained that incidents such as Tuesday’s occurred far too often, and implored residents to avoid exposing sanitation workers to unnecessary hazards.

He told Barbados TODAY: “I want to say to the members of the public, that waste matter from grease traps and any form of liquid or grease should not be placed into the mainstream waste. It’s hazardous, and it is not safe for our workers.

“We have humans working behind these vehicles, and even though the worker had on the mask and safety gloves, he had no control on where this liquid was sprayed, and was covered head to toe.

“We are seeing an increase in animal waste and even in some cases human faeces co-mingling with the household waste. This is not acceptable; if you are unsure as to how to dispose of your household waste, you can call our hotline, 262-5326 or 262-5337. When it comes to medical waste, you can go to your nearest polyclinic and the Environmental Health Officer will advise you.” (SB)