Sanitation Worker ( SU-5)

Government of the Virgin Islands; Christiansted (United States Virgin Islands); On-site; USD 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

The Government of the Virgin Islands is seeking a Grounds & Maintenance assistant to perform routine sanitation tasks, remove waste and animal carcasses, and assist with disposal at designated sites. The role involves outdoor work, handling heavy waste, and following safety guidelines to protect public health.

Responsibilities include collecting trash, operating within routes and schedules, and maintaining sanitary conditions while complying with health standards.

Qualifications

• Knowledge of disposing waste per sanitation procedures.
• Understanding of insecticide precautions and safety.
• Ability to perform physically demanding sanitation tasks.
• Ability to follow oral and written instructions.
• Ability to lift, push, pull and move heavy waste items safely.

Responsibilities

• Remove waste and animal carcasses from areas.
• Collect bagged trash and empty bins.
• Disinfect assigned areas and dispose of waste.
• Spray or remove waste with owner permission when needed.
• Load waste onto disposal trucks for designated sites.
• Work under supervision and comply with health and safety standards.

Skills

Waste handling

Safety awareness

Manual labor

Physical stamina

Follow instructions

Job description

Under the immediate supervision of a Supervisor, Grounds & Maintenance, this is routine, unskilled manual labor involving the removal of all types of waste, including dead animals, from public and private areas. Work also includes mixing and spraying insecticides on animal carcasses and other waste matters.

An employee in this class performs unpleasant, hazardous manual labor associated with disposing of potentially contaminated waste. Work is performed in compliance with schedules and health standards.

Empties and handles trash bins or receptacles of varying sizes and weights.

Collects bagged trash, including those placed outside trash bins, when it can be safely handled.

Lifts, pushes, pulls, and moves heavy bins or waste safely and obtains assistance when items are too heavy for one person to handle.

Uses litter pickers or similar tools to remove loose trash or debris from the area surrounding trash bins.

Removes waste, including dead animals, and loads it onto trucks for disposal at designated dump sites.

Obtains permission from property owners to spray or remove waste from premises.

Dumps waste and animal carcasses in designated areas at dump sites.

Cleans and disinfects assigned areas.

Performs other related duties as assigned.

Six (6) months of experience performing manual labor, preferably involving sanitation, grounds maintenance, waste removal, or related work.

FACTOR 1- KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED BY THE POSITION

• Knowledge of proper methods for removing, handling, transporting, and disposing of waste, debris, and animal carcasses in accordance with established sanitation procedures.
• Knowledge of the potential effects of insecticides on humans and animals, including the precautions required to reduce exposure, prevent contamination, and support safe field operations.
• Skill in performing physically demanding sanitation duties safely.
• Ability to understand and follow oral and written instructions.
• Ability to safely lift, push, pull, and move heavy bins or waste, and to obtain assistance when an item is too heavy for one person to handle safely.

FACTOR 2- SUPERVISORY CONTROLS

• Work is supervised by a higher-level officer that assigns daily routes, work areas, priorities, and special tasks, and provides specific instructions for recurring assignments.
• The employee performs routine sanitation duties independently once assignments are understood.
• Unusual conditions, unsafe materials, inaccessible areas, complaints, equipment issues, or matters requiring enforcement or technical judgment are referred to the supervisor.
• Work is reviewed through observation, completed assignments, service reports, schedule adherence, and compliance with health, safety, and sanitation standards.

FACTOR 3- GUIDELINES

• Guidelines include the Virgin Islands Code; Government policies and procedures; departmental rules, standard operating procedures, and route instructions; public health, sanitation, waste disposal, pesticide, disinfectant, equipment, and PPE safety requirements.

FACTOR 4- COMPLEXITY

• Work involves routine, repetitive, and physically demanding manual tasks to remove, handle, load, transport, and dispose of waste, debris, and animal carcasses.
• Assignments vary by route conditions, weather, waste type and condition, accessibility, public contact, and hazards such as insects, odors, fluids, or sharp objects.
• The employee follows established procedures to prevent injury, contamination, property damage, and unsanitary conditions.
• Although work is recurring, the employee must stay alert and report unusual or hazardous situations requiring supervisory attention.

FACTOR 5- SCOPE AND EFFECT

• The purpose of the work is to support public health, environmental sanitation, and community cleanliness by removing and properly disposing of waste, debris, and animal carcasses.
• It directly affects the appearance, safety, cleanliness, and sanitary condition of assigned communities, roadsides, public spaces, and disposal areas.
• Proper performance helps reduce odors, pests, contamination risks, disease exposure, illegal dumping impacts, and public complaints.

FACTOR 6- PERSONAL CONTACTS

• Contacts are supervisors, sanitation crew members, environmental or sanitation inspectors, equipment operators, other public works or agency personnel, property owners, residents, business operators, and members of the general public.

FACTOR 7- PURPOSE OF CONTACTS

• Contacts are made to receive assignments, coordinate route or crew activities, obtain required access, exchange basic waste removal or disposal information, report unsafe or unusual conditions, and respond courteously to public inquiries.
• These contacts support safe, timely sanitation work, proper disposal, departmental compliance, and clean public spaces.

FACTOR 8- PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Work requires considerable physical effort, including frequent standing, walking, bending, stooping, reaching, pulling, pushing, lifting, carrying, and loading waste containers, debris, animal carcasses, tools, hoses, and related materials.
• It involves moving heavy, awkward, wet, or contaminated items; climbing on and off trucks; walking on uneven terrain; and working along roadsides, disposal areas, or confined, slippery, muddy, or difficult locations.

FACTOR 9- WORK ENVIRONMENT

• Work is performed mainly outdoors in public and private areas, along roadsides, at disposal sites, and other locations where waste, debris, or animal carcasses are removed.
• The employee is exposed to heat, rain, humidity, dust, odors, insects, fumes, noise, traffic, sharp objects, unsanitary materials, animal remains, bodily fluids, pesticides, disinfectants, and potentially contaminated waste.
• Personal protective equipment and strict safety procedures are required to prevent injury, contamination, and exposure to health or environmental hazards.