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.
How is laundry safety measured and regulated? What standards are used?
PAIGE: Laundry safety is regulated by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and measured through a combination of lagging and leading indicators. Lagging indicators include the Total Recordable Injury Rate (TRIR), which measures the rate of recordable injuries per 100 full-time associates, and Days Away, Restricted, or Transfer (DART), which captures injuries resulting in lost workdays, restricted duties, or job transfers. Fleet safety can be tracked through measures such as reportable crash rates per miles traveled and preventable incident rates.
Leading indicators provide proactive insights into safety performance. These include safety training completion rates, near-miss reporting, regular safety inspections and audits, and Job Safety Analyses (JSAs). Together, these metrics create a full picture of both compliance and culture in laundry safety.
BOCK: For the most part, laundry safety is measured by comparing individual laundry metrics with BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics) data. TRIIR (Total Recordable Injury and Illness Rates) and DART rates are the metrics used most often to determine safety performance. While these metrics have value, they are lagging indicators that provide rate of injury without speaking to the severity of the injuries.
Laundries fall under one of two categories: linen rental and industrial laundry. Hospital laundries are classified as linen rental for BLS purposes. BLS sends out random surveys each year prior to the start of the year, expecting the laundries to complete the survey once the year is finished. BLS then promulgates the rates of injury from the survey results.
A better way to measure safety is to measure leading indicators. Those would be the actions or activities that an operation puts into motion to reduce the number of injuries. Attendance/participation at scheduled safety meetings, training employees to understand hazards, providing suggestion opportunities, completing near-miss investigations and calculating the results of employee observations are all actions that can be measured to improve safety. Upstream activities are more valuable metrics than the BLS rates in determining commitment to safety.
Safety in a laundry is driven by a number of regulatory agency standards. Standards are generally produced by NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health). These are then interpreted by the various agencies that are responsible for ensuring the standards are being followed.
The most visible regulatory agency is the OSHA entity that has responsibility and oversight for the geographical region in which the laundry is located. Most states are covered by federal OSHA, which is a department of the Department of Labor. Several states have their own plan that manages safety in that state. The state plans must be at least as stringent or more stringent than the federal standards.
MCCULLOCH: Laundry safety is measured and regulated through a combination of federal, state, and local standards aimed at protecting workers, consumers, and the environment. In the U.S., OSHA sets key regulations for laundry operations, including requirements for equipment safety, handling of contaminated materials, and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Facilities must also comply with environmental guidelines from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that address chemical use, waste disposal and pollution control. Fire safety standards from the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) are also critical, especially regarding dryer maintenance and fire suppression systems.
Additionally, industry certifications and accreditations, such as TRSA Hygienically Clean and the Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council (HLAC), include safety as a core component of their standards, reinforcing best practices and continuous improvement. Compliance is maintained through regular inspections, employee training, and proper documentation, all of which help reduce risk and ensure a safe, efficient workplace.
What are some ways a laundry can evaluate the safety of its operation, from employee actions to the overall work environment?
BOCK: One of the most effective ways is by adopting a form of behavior-based safety (BBS) where activities and observations can be measured. BBS utilizes a methodology where the activities that retain the most risk can be identified, and solutions can be applied.
The basic concept is to use a JHA (job hazard analysis) to determine the proper way to perform the activity or task. Subsequent to determining the proper procedure, the organization develops a checklist for employees to observe individuals performing the task(s) and calculating the percentage of times the task is performed as expected and outlined in the JHA vs. being performed in an at-risk manner.
MCCULLOCH: A laundry operation can evaluate its safety by taking a comprehensive look at both employee actions and the overall work environment. This begins with regular safety audits and inspections to ensure compliance with OSHA, EPA, NFPA, and industry accreditation standards such as TRSA and HLAC.
Observing employee behavior is also key — monitoring the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), proper lifting techniques, and adherence to protocols for handling contaminated laundry helps identify areas for improvement. Tracking incidents, near misses and safety violations provides valuable data for analyzing trends and implementing corrective actions.
Safety training should be evaluated through quizzes, drills and feedback to ensure employees understand procedures and equipment use. Environmental and ergonomic assessments help identify risks related to lighting, noise, air quality and workstation design. Finally, gathering employee feedback through surveys, suggestion boxes or safety committees fosters a culture of safety and continuous improvement.
PAIGE: A comprehensive evaluation of safety can include hazard and risk assessments, either conducted internally or in partnership with insurance companies. Tools such as Job Hazard Analyses, behavior observation programs and ongoing site safety inspections provide valuable data to measure both associate actions and the overall work environment.
Read part 3 on Tuesday, which will explore the strengths and weaknesses of safety in laundry operations today.
Click HERE to read part 1, defining laundry safety and the importance of safety as an operational focus.
Have a question or comment? E-mail our editor Matt Poe at [email protected].
