New York: SANITATION SAFETY: Bill inspired by worker death signed
Gov. Andrew Cuomo has signed a bill that includes sanitation vehicles under the state's Move Over Law, nearly a year after the roadside death of a Taylor Garbage Service employee in Apalachin.
Officials say 27-year-old Sean Tilghman, of Endicott, was struck and killed outside 3550 Pennsylvania Ave. in November while emptying a trash can on the side of the road. A law signed Wednesday by Cuomo requires all vehciles to move over or slow down when approaching sanitation trucks on a public highway.
Under the legislation, which goes into effect Nov. 1, sanitation or garbage trucks would be classified as "hazard vehicles" while engaged in collecting refuse on a public roadway. This would include them in the state's already-existing "Move Over Law," which in part requires vehicles to change lanes or slow down when encountering police or fire vehicles parked on the roadsides.
On Thursday, Assemblywoman Donna Lupardo, D-Endwell, described the bill's signing as a significant step in ensuring the safety of all sanitation workers who perform "a very difficult and dangerous job every day."
"This will save lives as people pay closer attention to these trucks and their workers," Lupardo said Thursday.
In the wake of the crash that killed Tilghman, Taylor Garbage representatives called a meeting of state and local legislators last November to discuss supporting a bill to include sanitation trucks in the Move Over Law.
Lupardo co-sponsored the bill in the Assembly, along with Assemblymen Cliff Crouch and Chris Friend. Sen. Fred Akshar co-sponsored the bill in the Senate. The bill passed the Senate and Assembly unanimously.
In a statement Thursday, Jared Taylor, general manager of Taylor Garbage Service Inc., said local representatives were receptive to his company's concerns about sanitation worker safety in the development of this legislation.“This new law will give our employees and their families peace of mind knowing that they’ll be safe when they are out on the roadways for work,” Taylor said
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