Site Safety Protocol

This protocol establishes the minimum safety, health, and documentation standards for all Denver Junk Service (DJS) personnel performing field work, including junk and bulk-item removal, general debris clean-up, and higher-hazard site work such as unhoused encampment abatement, property clean-outs, and other jobs where biological, chemical, or sharps hazards may be present.

This protocol applies to every job site DJS crews work, regardless of the client or the nature of the job. It is written to cover the full range of conditions DJS crews may encounter, from a routine residential junk pickup to a site involving hazardous materials, weapons, or protected personal property. A given job's scope of work or contract may add further site-specific instructions, but nothing in a scope of work or contract lowers the standards set out here.

Before any crew member enters a site, the Onsite Supervisor completes a documented hazard assessment covering:

• Visible biological hazards (human or animal waste, food waste, carcasses)
• Sharps, needles, or drug paraphernalia
• Signs of chemical hazards, including materials associated with drug production (anhydrous ammonia, ether/starter fluid, muriatic or sulfuric acid, solvents, methanol, pool chlorine, denatured alcohol)
• Structural hazards: unstable temporary structures, steep embankments, proximity to train tracks or traffic, heavy foliage
• Weather and environmental conditions
• Confined-space conditions requiring OSHA 29 CFR 1910.146 procedures

The assessment determines required PPE, crew size, and whether specialized equipment or additional certification (e.g., confined-space entry) is required before work begins. Work does not proceed until the assessment is complete and PPE is confirmed. The assessment is logged in the DJS operations platform against the work order.

Minimum PPE for debris and clean-up work, scaled up per the hazard assessment for higher-risk sites:

• Nitrile or latex gloves (inner layer) with heavy-duty outer gloves for debris handling
• Puncture-resistant boots and boot covers where biological contamination is present
• Tyvek suits or equivalent protective clothing when handling biohazardous material
• Eye protection and respiratory protection (minimum N95, upgraded per hazard assessment) when dust, mold, or airborne biological material is present
• Hearing protection when operating or working near power equipment
• High-visibility apparel when working near traffic or in low-light conditions

PPE is issued per crew member and inspected before each shift. Damaged or contaminated PPE is replaced immediately and never reused.

All field personnel complete training to OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogen Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030) before assignment to any job where exposure is reasonably foreseeable, supplemented with awareness training for West Nile Virus, Hantavirus, and Histoplasmosis.

• Treat all bodily fluids, human waste, and unidentified biological material as potentially infectious.
• Use gloves and, where contact risk is elevated, additional barrier protection (Tyvek, face shield) for any direct handling.
• Never touch the face, eat, drink, or use tobacco products while wearing contaminated PPE or before decontamination.
• Double-bag biological waste in 6-mil plastic liners and label for appropriate disposal.
• Any skin or mucous-membrane exposure to bodily fluids is reported to the Supervisor immediately and logged as an incident (Section 13); the exposed employee is directed to seek medical evaluation per DJS's exposure control plan.
• Wash hands and exposed skin thoroughly with soap and water as soon as PPE is removed; use hand sanitizer only as an interim measure in the field.

• Sharps and needles are handled only with puncture-resistant gloves and mechanical tools (tongs, dustpan, or grabber) — never by hand.
• Place sharps directly into an approved sharps container; never into a standard trash bag.
• Do not recap, bend, or manipulate needles.
• If a puncture injury occurs, stop work immediately, wash the area, notify the Supervisor, and follow the bloodborne pathogen exposure procedure above.
• Drug paraphernalia that is not a sharps hazard is bagged separately from general debris and disposed of per local requirements.

Sites may contain chemical hazards including flammable or explosive liquids and gases, caustics, acids, and materials associated with clandestine drug production. Crews are trained to recognize these hazards and are directed not to disturb, mix, or attempt to neutralize unknown chemicals in the field.

• If a suspected clandestine drug-production hazard, unlabeled chemical container, or strong chemical odor is identified, the Supervisor halts work in that area immediately.
• The Supervisor notifies DJS management and, where appropriate, a qualified hazmat contractor or emergency services; DJS field crews do not attempt remediation of active chemical hazards outside their trained scope.
• All confirmed hazardous and chemical waste is handled, transported, and disposed of in accordance with applicable state and federal requirements (including Colorado hazardous-waste regulations, DOT, and RCRA), using approved disposal facilities.
• Waste streams are segregated by type (general debris, bio waste, sharps, chemical, batteries, tires, etc.) at the point of collection, never commingled.

Encampment, clean-out, and abandoned-property sites often contain personal belongings that must be protected, not discarded, even during a clean-up.

• Any item reasonably valued over $25, and any legal, medical, or identification document, is separated from general debris for proper storage rather than disposal.
• Separated property is transported to and logged at a designated DJS storage location (or a location specified by the property owner or client), with a description, photo, and collection date/time.
• Crew members do not keep, sell, or otherwise dispose of separated personal property outside the documented chain of custody.

If any of the following are found on site, the crew stops work in the immediate area and the Supervisor notifies DJS management and, as warranted, local police immediately:

• Weapons of any kind
• Illegal contraband
• Essential personal property such as legal, military, or medical documents, or identification cards, when discovery circumstances warrant law-enforcement awareness

Crew members do not handle, move, or secure weapons themselves; the area is secured (do not touch, do not clear) until directed by the Supervisor or police.

Where a site requires confined-space entry, work proceeds only with personnel trained and equipped per OSHA 29 CFR 1910.146, including atmospheric monitoring, ventilation, and rescue-plan requirements. Personnel without confined-space certification do not enter; the Supervisor arranges appropriately certified crew or subcontracted support before work proceeds.

Work may occur in heavy foliage, on steep embankments, near train tracks or roadways, or in inclement weather. The Supervisor assesses conditions before and during work and has authority to pause or reschedule a job when conditions present an unreasonable risk of injury or illness. Any rescheduling needed to avoid injury, property damage, or environmental damage is reported to the Project Manager and, where relevant, the client.

For every job, the crew documents:

• Before-work photographs of site condition
• Completed hazard assessment
• After-work photographs confirming the site is clear
• An itemized clean-up report (materials removed, disposal method/facility, tonnage or volume where applicable)
• Any incident, exposure, or notable finding (Section 9 or Section 13)

All documentation is logged through the DJS operations platform at the time of work, not reconstructed afterward, so records are timestamped and available to DJS management — and to a client, on jobs where that is required — in real time.

Any injury, exposure, near-miss, property damage, or safety-relevant finding is reported to the Supervisor immediately and logged the same day. The report includes date, time, location, personnel involved, description of the incident, and any immediate action taken. The Project Manager reviews all incident reports and determines whether client notification, medical follow-up, or a change in procedure is required.

Personnel assigned to higher-hazard clean-up work (encampment abatement, biohazard exposure, or confined-space sites) hold, or are scheduled to obtain before assignment, the following as applicable to their role:

• HAZWOPER 40
• RCRA hazardous waste handling
• DOT transportation of hazardous/regulated materials
• OSHA general industry standards
• Bloodborne Pathogen Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030)
• Confined-space entry (29 CFR 1910.146), where applicable
• PPE selection, use, and limitations

Certifications are tracked with expiration dates in the DJS operations platform, with automatic renewal alerts so a lapse is caught internally before it becomes a site-safety or compliance gap.

This protocol is reviewed at least annually, and immediately following any reportable incident, regulatory change, or new contract that introduces hazards not already addressed here. Revisions are version-dated and communicated to all field personnel before taking effect.