Earlier this week a septic truck rolled over in Cottage Grove, Oregon, spilling about 150 gallons of waste all over the street and shutting down the road for over six hours. According to the report on The Register-Guard of Eugene, the driver was taken to the hospital with injuries. Thankfully the injuries were reported as not life-threatening.

These accidents never make the industry look good. In this case, the spill was minor, and the company was able to helm its own clean-up effort and contain the mess.

Accidents happen. This one was caused by the driver being reckless and exceeding the posted speed limit. Many of these accidents can be prevented by teaching and enforcing safe driving habits. Safety training is so crucial in this industry. It’s hard enough to get the respect the industry deserves and convince people to get past the “ick factor” of the profession, and accidents that leave waste in the roadsides don’t help. It affects the company, not only financially because of having to pay for wrecked equipment, but in reputation as well.

For a refresher on safe driving habits, read our articles on How to Avoid Tank Truck Rollovers and Minimizing Distracted Driving.

To see a photo of the accident, check out the article here.