Comparison of the employment terms for clinical waste drivers in UK and US raises several interesting points.Looking at a recent advertisement for a driver to service hospitals, clinics and family physician offices etc in Corpus Christi, Texas, suggests a basic salary of around £24,500 for a 45 hour week.
The job details raise an eybrow too:
| Job Title: | Medical Waste Collection Driver | ||
| Job Description: | Our Medical Waste Collection drivers are responsible for the hauling of regulated medical waste typically from doctor’s offices, hospitals, dentist offices, medical clinics, mortuaries, and humane societies. The driver is responsible for performing assigned duties during the collection and transport of the medical waste. This physically strenuous position involves mounting and dismounting a route collection box truck and loading and unloading product tubs numerous times each day using a hand truck and an automated lift gate. Required work hours may be up to the legal limits allowed and may require weekend and/or holiday work. Work hours will vary by route. Drivers must be able to read and understand a map, complete daily driver logs as well as pre and post trip truck inspections. In addition to following appropriate Company SOP’s, this position involves lifting (up to 50 – 75 pounds), pushing, pulling, and bending. All Drivers are required to exhibit and maintain safe driving records, and comply with all local, state, and federal transportation regulations. Drivers will have direct customer interaction and must therefore present themselves in a professional manner, as well as communicate concerns or issues verbally and in writing with customer service and / or dispatch. EOE M/F/D/V | ||
| Qualifications: | • 21 years of age or older • Legally eligible to work in the United States • Valid Class A or B Commercial Drivers License with airbrake endorsement • At least 1 year of previous experience operating a waste related vehicle requiring a CDL within the past 7 years • Clean driving record • Successfully pass pre-employment (post offer) drug screen, background and motor vehicle records check. | ||
That is quite a lot of detail about the physical demands of the job. And note the drug screen requirement that is spreading slowly to the UK, mainly via the building trades.
Sadly, for an outline job description that is so detailed about the physical demands of the job, there is nothing about hygiene and bio-safety and the importance of adhering precisely to all safety rules.