ABSTRACT
The advances and the use of new technologies for adequate management of solid wastes in large urban centers in the last few years has been remarkable. Such practices are motivated by the need for minimize and avoid possible negative impacts on public health and environment caused by waste management. This paper presents a research work on the hazards and control measures during the steps of collection, transport, storage and sorting of waste in two utilities in the north of Portugal. The purpose of this research is gathering information on impacts caused by the current operational system management. The methodology applied was based on face-to-face interviews with the top managers of waste companies and in analyzing the records of previously occurred hazardous events. Data collection was followed by the construction and analysis of two tables containing essential information for a future elaboration of a solid wastes safety plan.
