DSNY — Required Employee Skills & Competencies

The New York City Department of Sanitation is the largest in the world. Every day, sanitation workers collect over 10,000 tons of trash for disposal or recycling. The department also offers some of the best salary and benefits packages for civil service workers in the country.

DSNY jobs are highly coveted; every year, thousands of applicants apply for positions within the department. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the annual growth for sanitation workers is 13%, which is quite high compared to the average growth of 7% that’s projected for most occupations in the country.

DSNY — Qualifications and Skills

While a position in the Department of Sanitation is highly paid, it also has several strict requirements for applicants. These include:

• A high school diploma or equivalent education.
• Ideal physical shape, with the candidate being capable of lifting heavy objects up to 100 pounds
• Good physical dexterity and reflexes
• Ability to endure tough working conditions, including working in confined spaces and standing on their feet for long hours
• Teamwork and the ability to get well with other workers
• Being open to additional training and learning new skills

The department doesn’t require any prior experience but prefers candidates who do have a similar experience.

Sanitation Worker Duties & Responsibilities:

Working for the DSNY is highly rewarding, but at the same time, can be physically taxing. Typical duties of a sanitation worker include:

• Working in all weather conditions and lifting heavy objects daily
• Driving large vehicles such as garbage trucks
• Operating the garbage truck’s mechanisms and being familiar with the process of lifting, dumping and setting garbage cans down
• Performing manual labor such as brushing piles of trash or lifting heavy objects such as furniture that the trucks can’t lift

The main responsibility of a sanitation worker is ensuring that the garbage is sent to the appropriate disposal facilities at the end of every day. These include state-authorized landfills or dumps.

Workers are also expected to maintain the garbage truck, which gets quite dirty every day. Sanitation workers must clean the truck, inspect the engine, check tire pressure, and top off essential fluids on a routine basis.

Prepare for Your NYC Sanitation Worker Exam with Expert Instructors!

Civil Service Success offers comprehensive preparation classes for NYC sanitation worker exams. Our experienced instructors and updates curriculum can help you with the necessary preparations for acing your civil service exams.

Our advanced courses and workshops are available all over New York City including Westchester County, Long Island, Suffolk County, and Nassau County.

Get in touch with us today to register for our affordable preparation classes and take the first step in becoming a New York State sanitation worker!