Tips to help keep your laundry athletes safe, part 2

Those working in on-premises laundry rooms can be at an increased risk for falling and back, neck, and shoulder injuries, especially when dealing with wet floors, transporting large loads of linens and equipment, and navigating around laundry carts and baskets. No housekeeping or maintenance manager wants to see their employees hurt or deal with a costly and time-consuming lawsuit. Below is the conclusion of our list of tips to keep employees safe. 

9. Reverse tumble dryers. This will help prevent large items, such as sheets and bedding, from getting tangled. It is easy to wrench your back when you get resistance trying to pull tangled up linens from the machines. 

10. Require proper footwear. Anti-slip shoes with good support can help keep your employees safe when moving around the laundry facility. It also just gives a strong, comfortable foundation as employees are lifting loads of laundry, pushing cars, and other strenuous activities throughout the day. 

11. Use non-skid rugs or mats. These special non-slip mats are helpful around doors, utility sinks, and drying racks where water, wet feet, and other debris that can make flooring slippery. 

12. Have designated areas for laundry carts, bins, and boxes. As employees are loaded down with linens and oftentimes distracted, anything in their path can be a tripping hazard. You’ll want to be sure there’s a designated area for carts, bins, and other boxes to keep them out of the way when not in use. 

13. Check floor conditions regularly. Broken or cracked tile, worn down carpeting, or rugs that are flipped up are all potential tripping hazards. Even rags, towels, and other linens that accidentally fell on the floor can prove to be a hazard. It should be part of your regular routine to check floors for potentially dangerous areas and keep an eye out for spills, leaks, and other hazards. 

14. Plan for the weather. Slips and falls often happen when snow, rain, and mud are tracked in from outside and make the flooring extra slippery. On-premises laundry room managers and employees should keep track of severe weather and plan ahead. That may mean pulling out extra rugs, fans, and wet floor signs ahead of time or having staff change into dry shoes once inside. 

15. Document actions in a safety log. Every time you do something to improve safety and reduce hazards in your on-premises laundry room — whether it’s cleaning the floors or putting up wet floor signs — take the time to document it in a safety log. Filling out this report will get employees used to keeping safety top of mind and can come in handy if an incident occurs and insurance companies get involved. If someone does get injured, be sure that’s documented as well. 

16. Don’t overfill your washers. Always follow the machine instructions and capacity to avoid overfilling your washing machines, which can lead to leaks and slippery, wet floors. Employees can also easily injure their back when trying to unload or load too many linens at once. 

17. Use UniMac and UniLinc technology. UniLinc is a complete OPL control system that allows you to gather machine performance and maintenance data in your on-premises laundry room. This includes automatic water leak detection and slow drain detection, which can help you catch potential issues on your industrial laundry equipment before they become bigger problems — such as a leak.