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Safe, efficient waste and recycling operations depend on coordination at every level of an organization. Company leadership sets expectations, site leaders put them into practice, and employees carry them out in daily operations. Ongoing communication and support are crucial to maintaining company-wide consistency. Operations Support Team helps bridge that gap across its 70+ sites. Members of Leadpoint’s Operations Support Team travel nationwide to work with individual sites.
James Hamner, Director of Operations Support and Compliance, joined Leadpoint in 2022 as an Onsite Manager (OSM) at a materials recovery facility (MRF). He moved into an Operations Support Manager role in 2023 and stepped into his current position in 2026. Brian Watson and Alicia Dietrich are Operations Support Managers who also began their careers in site-level roles. Together, the team brings more than 10 years of experience training, coaching, and supporting teams in meeting safety standards and operational goals.
We asked Hamner, Watson, and Dietrich how they work with teams and partners to reinforce safe practices, foster high-performing teams, address operational challenges, and build safe, efficient operations.
Q: Can you tell us a little about what the Operations Support Team does?
Watson: We鈥檙e a team that travels across the country to support 尝别补诲辫辞颈苍迟鈥檚 waste and recycling operations. We support site startups by hiring workers and managers, providing training, and getting operations up and running. We train on safety rules, regulations, company processes, and policies. In addition, we support sites that may be facing challenges. We step in for on-site leadership when they are on PTO or serve as interim leadership.
Hamner: Our work also involves leadership and employee development. We come in and help build a positive culture and knowledge base. We want to be the example and leave the site with the tools and knowledge to sustain high performance.
Q: How does the Operations Support Team help sites improve their operations?
Dietrich: We offer an additional set of eyes to identify areas that the team can improve or areas that require a different approach.听 We also offer an additional 鈥榩air of hands鈥� to get the systems operating efficiently.
Q: How do you work with partners and their site leadership teams to address challenges and meet operational goals?
Hamner: Working closely with our partners is very important. Leadpoint is a separate company, but we collaborate with our partners to meet the needs of their unique operations. What works for one site may not work for another. One of our greatest strengths is our ability to customize our approach to meet each partner’s needs. That being said, safety drives everything we do and is all the forefront of all our decisions and policies.
When challenges present themselves, the Operations Support Team is there to problem-solve, bring solutions, be honest, and help move things forward. If we’re not working hand in hand with the customer, we’re doing a disservice. We need to work together. We want to make sure we鈥檙e making progress and helping the site move in the right direction.
The Operations Support Team is appreciated because we can take some of the pressure off the general manager. We鈥檙e there to help and to work alongside the site team to make sure we鈥檙e doing things the right way.
Building a Strong Safety Culture
A strong safety culture takes more than written policies and procedures. It depends on leadership, consistent expectations, and a shared commitment to keeping employees safe. What does it take to build that kind of culture? We turned to the team for their thoughts.
Q: What do the safest operations you work with tend to have in common?
Watson: A good safety program has leadership and associates who put a safety program into practice every day. This includes wearing proper PPE for every position, such as safety glasses on the line. Our forklift and loader programs are thorough, allowing us to train people properly while using the equipment.
I鈥檝e also noticed that strong, trusting relationships between site leadership and our partners are important to a successful safety program. We each bring experience and safety practices to the operation, and working together allows us to build on those strengths and support a safer workplace.
Q: What does a strong safety culture look like on the floor, beyond policies and procedures?
Hamner: It comes down to how comfortable employees are with speaking up. I want a safety culture where, if someone forgets their earplugs, they can reach out to the manager and ask for help. People should be comfortable correcting each other. They shouldn’t take it personally.
One of Leadpoint’s main and we reinforce it because it’s so important. Employees won鈥檛 speak up if they don鈥檛 feel supported. It’s also an opportunity to learn. Someone might point out something I hadn鈥檛 seen before, or maybe maintenance came in and did something we didn鈥檛 realize. I can’t be everywhere at once, and employees may know the facility better than I do. I want them to know I’m here for them.
Q: Are there safety practices you see working particularly well?
Dietrich: The safety practices that work best are those that engage and involve associates.
Q: What separates operations with strong safety cultures from those that struggle to maintain consistency?
Dietrich: Management can make the difference. Managers foster a strong safety culture through their own example. They demonstrate it. Furthermore, managers who engage with their associates often have minimal turnover.
Safety in the Field
Safety is a team sport. Leaders need to stay engaged, and teams must work together to identify risks and reinforce safe practices. The Operations Support Team sees how these practices affect safety across different operations.
Q: What safety challenges are you seeing most often across waste and recycling operations?
Watson: A couple that come to mind are hearing protection and people trying to over-lift, such as a trash can that is too heavy. These may seem like small things, but they are important and can have a big impact. I make sure to walk the floor, hand out ear protection. I also try to remind workers that our work is a team sport. Heavy lifting requires more than one person. Don鈥檛 try to do it all by yourself.
Q: What are some of the early signs that an operation may have a safety issue?
Hamner: An uptick in reported injuries, especially first aids, suggests people are starting to act outside policy. You have to pay attention to everything. An uptick in minor cuts may be normal, but even then, ask yourself, 鈥淲hy am I seeing an uptick? What is happening with the machine? Are they sorting with both gloves on?鈥� This is my first sign that something is not right. Usually, it is something minor before a big issue.
If I see that a site is not getting trained correctly, that is a huge red flag. Safety culture must start with the manager. If the manager is being nonchalant, the employees will be, too.
Q: What is your approach to identifying and resolving issues on site?
Hamner: If there is an issue at a site, the Operations Support Team comes in as a neutral party. Our goal is to understand what is happening and identify what we can improve within our team and processes. We don’t come in thinking one person is right over the other. We work with our team and ask questions. We talk to everyone: our managers, sorters, and leads. We also listen to our partner to understand their perspective. We observe what’s happening and look at the facts. Then determine what we can try to fix the problem. We present problems with solutions, stabilize the facility, and get things back on track.
Q: What do the safest operations tend to have in common?
Dietrich: They have a management team that spends time out in the field, at the MRF, and on the routes talking to their associates and engaging with them.
Q: How can site teams identify potential issues before they become incidents?
Dietrich: Completing daily rounds, talking with their associates, and knowing their facility.
The Role of Workforce Management in Safety
Fully staffed operations with properly trained employees help keep operations safe. When employees understand their roles and know how to do their jobs safely, they are better prepared to recognize risks and follow safe work practices. Consistent training and supervision help reinforce those expectations.
Q: How do workforce challenges affect safety?
Watson: When you are short-handed, associates may overexert themselves. For example, if you are short-handed at an MRF, workers may attempt to reach across the line. This can cause injuries and result in a recordable incident. It鈥檚 important for employees to know not to overextend themselves in their roles in ways that may create safety incidents.
Of course, training is important for new employees. But sometimes an operation鈥檚 more tenured employees also need to be monitored because they think they know the rules but may do something incorrectly. They can be set in their ways. When I come into a site due to an uptick in safety incidents or because something is wrong, I often see this. Frequently review policies and procedures with all employees. Give refresher courses often.
Q: What role does site leadership play in maintaining safety standards?
Hamner: Leadership plays a big role. Two things really come to mind. First, it is vital that leaders lead by example, both in their actions and in what they say. If you jump on the line to sort and encourage people, you earn respect. It is necessary to earn respect instead of demand it. Workers pay attention to what leaders do. If they see their manager not taking safety seriously, they won’t either.
Leads also play an important role. If leads are not going above and beyond, I am going to speak with them. I need people to understand the standards. It is not a double standard. Safety rules likely exist because someone got hurt once. We try to learn and build rules so that it never happens again. We are not just doing it to be a pain.
Second is proper and comprehensive training. Leadership has to properly train people and not become complacent. Complacency breeds lots of things. Leadership may become tired if they are at a site with high turnover and they feel like they are constantly training. They may start to skim over things. Leaders need to take onboarding and training seriously for every person and treat it as a fresh start.
Both of these things involve spending time with your people. It shows you care. It will also likely reduce your turnover rate because employees will feel needed, wanted, and less overwhelmed, and this is a huge benefit.
Continuing the Safety Conversation
Safety practices continue to evolve as operations, technology, and workforce needs change. Improving safety isn’t about focusing on just one of these factors. It requires ongoing attention and a commitment to improvement across all areas of an operation. We wrapped up by discussing technology, overlooked safety concerns, and advice for the industry.
Q: How are changing equipment and technology affecting safety?
Hamner: Equipment, such as front loaders and forklifts, are bringing gadgets that you can attach to reduce accidents with pedestrians. On forklifts, blue lights show direction 10 feet ahead and also censors that if someone gets withing a certain distance start beeping or stop machines. Backup cameras and additional technology also helps workers see pedestrians in blind spots. These are all valuable tools for improving safety, but they work best when everyone on site stays alert and follows safe work practices.
A lot of things are becoming automated. Optical systems and robots are always evolving, and new hazards come with those. It is important to train employees on how to work safely around the equipment.
Technology brings good and bad. Overall, it鈥檚 a net positive as long as you train right. The training needs to be specific to the partners you work with, as different companies and operations use unique equipment and technology differently. It鈥檚 not one-size-fits-all.
Q: What safety issues do you think deserve more attention?
Watson: All safety issues deserve more attention, even if they seem small, because they all matter and are important.
Q: If you could give one piece of advice to someone responsible for safety at a waste or recycling operation, what would it be?
Dietrich: Talk with your associates, listen to their concerns, and take their suggestions when possible. If their suggestions are not possible, explain why they may not be feasible.听I have found that when we listen to our teams and respond to their concerns, they are more likely to practice our policy of 鈥淪ee Something, Say Something.鈥�
Leadpoint’s Operations Support Team provides a broader view of the safety challenges, practices, and behaviors that affect daily work. By applying lessons learned in the field to other locations, the team reinforces consistency and implements proven practices. Their experience shows why it is important to stay vigilant and avoid complacency. Everyone has a role to play in protecting themselves and those around them.
About Leadpoint: has provided safe, productive, and stable teams to the waste and recycling industry for over 25 years. We focus on recruiting and hiring skilled employees whom we train and onboard to support your operation. Our on-site supervisors and focus on safety help operations nationwide improve efficiency and productivity.
To learn more about 尝别补诲辫辞颈苍迟鈥檚 workforce solutions, call 602-431-0410 or email [email protected].
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