Clean Harbors Health & Safety Commitment

Health & Safety is Clean Harbors' #1 priority - companywide - throughout the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico. Employees at all levels of the company share this philosophy and are committed to ensuring our safety goals are met. Our commitment to health and safety benefits everyone - our employees, our customers, the community, and the environment.

In order to protect our employees, continue to lower our incident rates, and satisfy our customers’ demands to retain the best service providers with the lowest TRIR, DART and EMR rates, Clean Harbors must continuously improve on our health and safety excellence. To meet all of these requirements we launched SafetyFirst!, a comprehensive program companywide.

SafetyFirst! is not a top-down management program; rather, it’s a program that starts with our employees. All employees recognize the importance of protecting themselves, their fellow employees, our customers, and all those around them from harm. We demonstrate through our words and actions that we will reinforce acceptable safety practices and stop unsafe acts before they become a statistic. SafetyFirst! is not just a slogan— it’s our commitment to keep the protection of our fellow workers in the forefront of everything we do.

Clean Harbors Continues with Low Incident Rates

All recordable injuries, whether they occur in the U.S., Canada or Puerto Rico, are included in Clean Harbors' injury and illness rate calculations. TRIR and DART are two of the primary health and safety statistical measures defined by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and we track our performance in these two areas continuously. As a safety conscious company, the trend in achieving excellent health and safety results throughout the company sets us apart from other environmental services companies. The numerous safety related programs that Clean Harbors has in place also contribute to our overall Health & Safety performance.  learn more »

Clean Harbors Facilities were the First Hazardous Management Facilities Awarded Voluntary Protection Program Star Certification by OSHA

The Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Star Program is a comprehensive health and safety process that requires employee involvement, management support, and cooperation with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Certification into VPP Star Program is OSHA's recognition of the excellent efforts of employers and employees who have achieved exemplary occupational safety and health. In the VPP, management, labor, and OSHA establish cooperative relationships at workplaces that have implemented a comprehensive safety and health management system.

Several Clean Harbors Treatment, Storage and Disposal Facilities (TSDFs) were the first TSDFs in the U.S. to receive this prestigious recognition from OSHA. Our Lone Mountain, Oklahoma; Reidsville, North Carolina; Cincinnati, Ohio; Baltimore, Maryland; Kimball, Nebraska; and Buttonwillow, California facilities have been awarded Star status.  learn more »

Clean Harbors is Committed to Maintaining the Safest, Most Compliant Network of Environmental Operations

Because of Clean Harbors' commitment to health and safety, and quality conscious philosophy, customers perceive us as the leader in the environmental services industry.

Gulf Oil Spill

Clean Harbors deployed a large number of personnel to a variety of locations throughout the Gulf.  As part of its engagement, it also recruited and training residents of the affected Gulf areas to safely conduct oil spill clean-up along the coastline.

Clean Harbors was contracted by government agencies and private organizations to provide a wide range of support and logistical services.  As part of its efforts, the company supplied equipment, including boats, containment boom, skimmers, and vacuum trucks, as well as recovery and treatment systems from its extensive equipment inventory. Clean Harbors was involved in many aspects of the spill response including containment, removal, and disposal and recycling of the recovered oil.  learn more »

Avian Flu - Emergency Preparedness

Clean Harbors is the lead 3D (Depopulation, Disposal, Decontamination) environmental service provider for the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) across the nation.  In addition to being a contractor for the USDA, Clean Harbors is part of the National Depopulation Task Force, whose mission is to plan and prepare response techniques for all levels and types of animal disease outbreaks.  

Hurricane Rita, Louisiana

When Hurricane Rita came ashore in southwestern Louisiana on September 24, 2005, Clean Harbors was called by federal agencies to assist with the cleanup and recovery. Because of Clean Harbors' superior work on the Rita recovery project, we were asked by a federal agency to perform additional cleanup of hazardous materials strewn throughout the Cameron Prairie and Sabine National Wildlife Refuges.  learn more »

In recognition of our pivotal role in the Southwest Louisiana wildlife recovery effort, following hurricanes Rita and Katrina, Clean Harbors received a Conservation Award by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.  learn more »

Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, Louisiana

On August 31, 2005, when Hurricane Katrina hit the areas of southeastern Louisiana and southern Mississippi Clean Harbors was immediately called upon by federal agencies to assist in the natural disaster.  learn more »

World Trade Center Terrorist Attacks

When two commercial airline flights were hijacked and crashed into the World Trade Center Towers, Clean Harbors was immediately called onsite and played a key role supporting government agencies, utility companies, and local businesses.  learn more »

Anthrax Threats

Following the September 11 terrorist attacks, Clean Harbors was called to decontaminate two U.S. national television studios and the largest U.S. postal facility located in New York City.