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Parking lots may not seem like a dangerous place to most people, but for nighttime sweeper drivers, a dark, deserted parking lot can pose safety concerns. And concerns can be even greater if the parking lot is located in a bad part of town. For contract sweepers, concern for a driver’s personal safety is important, and a proactive effort should be made to keep nighttime drivers safe.

Although physical attacks don’t appear to be frequent occurrences, there have been incidents where nighttime sweepers have been physically attacked, some even with weapons. Other situations drivers might find themselves encountering include break-ins and burglaries as well as vandalism.

Walsh Bentley, owner of Webco Sweeping in San Jose, CA, requires all of his drivers to go through a full training period which includes driving a route with an experienced sweeper before they can drive a sweeper alone. “This practice allows an employee to experience the unexpected while learning the correct way in which to respond to a myriad of situations,” Bentley says.

Royal Sweeping and Paving, Houston, takes a different approach by always sending nighttime sweepers out in pairs, says one of the company’s owners Kevin Kupfer. “We only have two person crews. They are always together so they feel safer, and that tends to help a lot,” Kupfer says.

“If it’s an area of town that is known for crime we encourage them not to leave each other’s eyesight and stay together,” Kupfer says. And if they feel in danger, he tells all his employees they should immediately leave the premises. “If they need to leave the premises we tell them not to worry about the job. The parking lot can be cleaned the next day,” he says.