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Diligence, Training Crucial for Laundry/Linen Worker Safety (Part 1)

CHICAGO — As 2015 begins, many laundry/linen managers are focused on the common goals of improving operational efficiency, decreasing costs and producing quality products. Of course, ensuring that employees stay safe and healthy is also a permanent fixture on the priority list. For this story, American Laundry News sought the advice of professionals with knowledge of fire safety, chemical safety and ergonomics in laundry environments, and also spoke to some operators who serve the safety cause through their roles on the safety committee of the Textile Rental Services Association (TRSA).

ERGONOMICS

A work injury is always an unpleasant occurrence, but sometimes aches and pains take a more insidious approach, sneaking up on workers after a prolonged period of time. That’s where ergonomics comes into play.

W. Gary Allread, Ph.D., CPE, program director of the Institute for Ergonomics at The Ohio State University, defines it as “designing work [around] the capabilities and limitations of people.” Common tasks like sorting laundry can require repetitive use of several parts of the body, Allread explains, putting stress on the body’s soft tissues and causing fatigue. Awkward body positions, handling large amounts of wet or bulky laundry, and reaching or pulling are some actions that can lead to eventual injury.

“From an ergonomics perspective, the focus is typically on preventing cumulative trauma from tasks performed frequently over a significant period of time,” Allread explains. Aches and pains that don’t go away after a few days could be symptoms of some kind of tendonitis; a “pins and needles” sensation at night is another sign that something is wrong. But in the case of lower-back damage, he says, symptoms often do not present themselves until a damaged disc pinches a nerve running along the spinal column. 

To avoid such malaise, he recommends several actions:

  • Sort laundry on tables, not from the floor
  • Handle smaller loads of laundry at one time (handling heavy weight is a bigger stressor than taking repetitive actions)
  • Find a way to bring items closer to the body before lifting
  • Push carts with two hands; avoid pulling them with one hand

Considering the positioning of machinery and the laundry’s overall setup can help reduce the likelihood of worker injury, Allread says.

“Is the equipment adjustable in some way, so that workers do not have to bend and reach as much? That is, is it easy to use for people of various sizes?” he asks rhetorically.

Remember, too, that keeping carts in good condition, and sticking to a preventive maintenance program can help ensure that the tools workers use to do their jobs are in proper working order and do not present any unnecessary challenges.

Tony Long, director of risk management at Angelica Corp., names ergonomics as one of the top safety issues facing laundries today. Automation and designing or modifying workstations around workers’ capabilities has helped reduce work-related injuries over the years, he says, as well as holding management at all levels accountable for safety performance.

CHEMICAL SAFETY

According to Karl Schultz, training and safety manager in Ecolab’s Textile Care Division, there are two primary categories of chemical hazards that workers should be aware of: health and physical. Descriptions related to both can be found on product labels as well as the Safety Data Sheets (SDS) specified for the particular product. Each SDS (formerly called Material Safety Data Sheets, or MSDS) should be studied and any recommendations that are given should be followed.

Wash chemicals can cause damage to eyes and skin, and lung irritation and breathing difficulties can occur during the mixing of chemicals, according to Keith McLeod, corporate sales manager at U.N.X. Inc. Personal protective equipment (PPE) goes a long way to protect workers from such hazards, Schultz and McLeod say.

Eye protection, gloves and an apron should be worn when handling washroom chemicals, and in the case of powders, a mask is an important protective accessory. An eye-wash station and shower should be available to any worker who might have been exposed to chemicals, McLeod says.

A few other tips: Call your chemical representative right away if you notice a leak in the chemical pump system, and always set a new drum full of chemicals in place before opening it to prevent spills or splashes. Refer to the SDS for information on proper cleanup if spills do occur, and be sure the sheets are updated anytime a new product is introduced in the washroom, McLeod says.

Pay close attention to product labels, Schultz advises, and “heed all signal words, hazard statements, precautionary statements and pictograms” therein. 

Check back Thursday for the conclusion! 

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(Photo: ©iStockphoto/Moncherie) 

Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].