Is a Safer Industrial Laundry Possible? (Conclusion)

CHICAGO — There’s no question that industrial laundries can be dangerous.

Major machinery, chemicals, electricity, heat and steam … there are many hazards that employees must be aware of and navigate to stay safe during the workday.

Industrial laundry operators have a responsibility to their employees, and to their businesses, to create a safety-conscious work environment — and to constantly elevate safety awareness and knowledge among their employees.

American Laundry News asked four insiders for their insights and advice about evaluating and improving industrial laundry safety.

Donald Bock is principal of Seabright Safety Solutions Inc. in Santa Maria, Calif. Caleb Paige is director of safety for ImageFIRST Healthcare Laundry Specialists headquartered in King of Prussia, Pa.

Representing CORE Linen Services, a provider of hospitality and healthcare services with corporate offices in Huntersville, N.C., are Sandi McCulloch, director of safety and risk, and Pamela Barnett, manager of people and projects.

Speak to how an operator can grow a laundry’s safety culture. How can they better train/influence employees to work more safely?

BARNETT: Research has shown a correlation between high employee engagement and a significant reduction in workplace safety incidents. When a company fosters a positive culture where employees feel valued and respected, they are more likely to be engaged in their work and the overall well-being of the organization.

Engaged employees are more attuned to their surroundings, more likely to identify and report potential hazards, and more prone to actively participate in safety initiatives. This increased awareness and participation can lead to a proactive approach to safety, where issues are addressed before they result in accidents or injuries.

Leadership plays a crucial role in fostering a positive safety culture. When leaders prioritize employee appreciation, communicate the importance of safe practices, and actively participate in initiatives, they inspire employees to do the same. Consistently modeling safe behavior, providing regular safety training, and addressing issues with expediency will enable employees to trust that their leaders are providing them with a safe workplace environment.

PAIGE: Operators can strengthen safety culture by creating opportunities for associate involvement in every step of the safety process. Front-line associates understand the risks in their roles better than anyone, so their input is essential for developing practical and effective safety solutions. Additionally, making training hands-on and interactive, rather than purely instructional or e-learning-based, significantly increases its impact and adoption.

BOCK: The most effective way to grow a safety culture is to ensure that your safety programs and processes focus on what’s important to employees. To do that, you need to communicate the “why” to working safely to the employees. Simply telling someone to work safely is ineffective and will not get the intended results.

Explaining why a safety element is in place and how it affects the employee’s life is much more effective. People appreciate knowing why a program or process is in place and are more likely to comply with expectations. Further, if you can tie safety compliance to employees’ home lives, you are establishing a culture that is focused on employee well-being.

What are your top pieces of advice for laundry operators to help them improve overall safety?

BOCK: I recommend that operators engage and enlist their employees in the safety process rather than trying to manage safety from their offices. Employees who understand expectations for their role in promoting safe behaviors and hazard recognition develop a sense of pride in these expectations and will deliver results that demonstrate improvement. I’ve used employee cross-functional teams to identify and reduce risk in an operation and found that safety champions emerge from the process.

I also recommend that employers consider partnering with the applicable OSHA agency for their operations. Most states have a consultation branch as well as an enforcement branch. The partnership is arranged through consultation and is considered a three-way agreement. Management, labor and OSHA are the three partners. A partnership allows the operation to learn regulations without being penalized.

BARNETT: Creating a positive company culture creates a domino effect that influences workplace safety. It leads to engaged employees who are more aware of hazards, proactive in reporting and addressing them, less stressed and healthier overall, and more likely to follow safety protocols. Happy employees are less likely to file unnecessary workers’ comp or legal claims, thereby saving a company money.

As an example, from 2018-2020, I oversaw the safety program at our Gilroy, Calif., plant. During those years, we were recognized as the facility that had the best safety record in our company with almost 700 days of being accident-free.

By actively engaging our employees with a monthly safety suggestion contest, team safety leaders, and monthly safety topic assemblies, employees felt pride in what they were accomplishing. This was celebrated every 90 days with break-room balloons and treats, every six months with a barbecue lunch, and annually with a carnival-type event.

At the 500-day point, employees were provided T-shirts stating we were “500 DAYS SAFE!” to wear in lieu of their uniform shirt. Congratulatory banners were hung at the plant to instill pride and let others know that we were a safe workplace.

PAIGE: Leaders should focus on enabling associates to take ownership of safety program development and execution. Engagement activities that make safety relevant both at work and at home can be powerful tools for long-term improvement. A culture where associates feel responsible for one another’s safety leads to lasting behavioral change and safer workplaces overall.

Do you have any other thoughts about laundry operation safety to share?

BOCK: I think it would be advisable for operations that have been trying to manage safety and human resources with one person to identify at least one individual in the operation who has an interest in working safely to serve as a “safety champion.”

A safety director’s role is to advise the operation about emerging standards or issues, not to serve as “safety cop.” Having an employee who is responsible for implementing the advice in the workplace ensures that all workers understand the concepts. Employees are more likely to comply with instructions provided by a co-worker than the same instructions read by a manager.

PAIGE: Safety in laundry operations requires more than compliance; it requires engagement, empowerment and continuous improvement. By leveraging technology, encouraging associate involvement, and focusing on practical training approaches, operators can create safer workplaces while improving overall operational performance.

Click HERE to read part 1, defining laundry safety and the importance of safety as an operational focus. For part 2 about measuring laundry safety through outside standards and internal processes, click HERE. Part 3, about the strengths and weaknesses of safety in laundry operations today, can be found HERE.