Here’s How to Keep Your Employees and Customers Safe – And Your Business Compliant with Today’s OSHA Regulations
[This is the first of a two-part feature on keeping your laundry business OSHA-compliant.]
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” – Benjamin Franklin
As a laundromat owner, you’ve no doubt spent a few sleepless nights thinking about safety issues at your store.
After all, a single accident can have a huge impact on your business. With the medical bills, the lost productivity and workers’ compensation paperwork if an employee is injured, or the hit to your business’ reputation if it’s a customer, the costs are high.
And here’s one more reason to be laser-focused on the overall safety of your facility…
If you employ more than 10 staff members – even at different addresses – you are directly subject to all federal and state rules administered by 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1910, or the “OSHA playbook.”
In fact, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration or the Department of Labor has the legal right to visit any one of your laundry locations and speak to your employees in private. In addition, your employees have the right to call OSHA to file complaints, upon which the agency is required to follow up. Moreover, whether you employ 10, 100 or even just one team member, all employees can call OSHA directly and prompt them to open an investigation.
So, what is a business owner to do?
First and foremost, always treat your employees well and in the spirit of “care” for their safety and well-being.
Secondly, know the rules. There are several standards within 29 CFR and the state equivalents that apply directly to laundromat owners. What’s more, your insurance carriers for property, liability and workers’ compensation also are interested in these safety standards, and you may receive a break on your premiums if they know these guidelines are in order.
Here are the guidelines in layman’s terms:
Recordkeeping – If you have 10 or more employees, you must keep an injury and illness log. This must be kept annually, with any work-related injuries or illnesses being recorded on OSHA 301, 300 and 300A forms. These forms are located at https://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping/forms.
At the end of the year, this log is to be signed by the owner or store manager. Also, this information must be available upon request (within four hours of being requested) and up to date within seven days of an injury. Injuries that should be documented include “recordable” injuries, lost time injuries and, of course, fatalities.
Recordable injuries are accidents that require more medical treatment than a “first aid accident.” This includes all work-related injuries resulting in “restricted duty” or “job transfer.” It also includes injuries that receive a prescription or prescription-strength medication (including an injection for treatment), stitches, medical glue, physical therapy, broken bones, or minor surgery.
Lost time injuries refer to when an employee cannot return to work for his or her next scheduled shift following a workplace injury, per a doctor’s orders.
You must document the number of calendar days an employee is unable to work due to injury or illness, regardless of whether or not that employee was scheduled to work on those days. Weekend days, holidays, vacation days or other days off are included in the total number of days recorded, if the employee would not have been able to work on those days because of a work-related injury or illness.
Workers’ rights posters – You must display a workers’ rights poster in a conspicuous place for employees to read. These can be obtained free of charge at the OSHA website: https://www.osha.gov/publications/poster. Some states require state-specific posters, and those are available from the state websites.
Hazard communications/chemical awareness and safety – This is a big one, and it’s also the most-cited violation. Any hazardous chemical – meaning any chemical you have on site that customers, employees or contractors work with – must have a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) readily available to explain the hazards associated with it, as well as any personal protective equipment recommended for its use. Furthermore, they list flammability, combustibility and corrosivity of each chemical, in which your insurance carrier also has a keen interest. These are available through your supplier, on the manufacturer’s website or through a free clearinghouse at: https://chemicalsafety.com/sds-search/.
This SDS information can be contained in a hard copy format within a binder or available electronically. Either way, it needs to be readily available should a chemical splash and douse someone, or be ingested. (Yes, ingested – it happens.)
If your facility has a chemical or soap room where you store and transfer soaps/cleaners from large containers to smaller ones, or if you have washers featuring chemical injection, it’s also a good idea to have a hard-plumbed eyewash station. In addition, if you handle large amounts of chemicals in one area, a safety shower is required.
This has been the most common citation issued for that last 10 consecutive years. It’s also why you should minimize the number of chemicals you keep on site, and store them on a controlled shelf or in a cabinet.
Lockout/tag out/control of hazardous energy – Typically, this is not so common in laundromats or wash-dry-fold operations, but it’s certainly applicable to commercial laundries. To sum up, this rule simply means that – if an employee or contractor is working on, cleaning or “in a machine” – the power source must be isolated and controlled so that no one other than the person working on it can reactivate it.
Therefore, breaker boxes must be locked while the switch is off, if someone is working on it and out of the visible line of sight. For a large machinery power source, the switch or breaker should have a lock on it with the key in control of the person working on that piece of equipment.
Electrical safety – While slips, trips and falls top the list for injuries in laundromats, electrical shock typically comes in a close second. Loose, exposed or pinched wires can cause people to get shocked.
That’s probably fairly obvious. Much of this compliance isn’t difficult – it just requires some diligence and regular inspections of your outlets, wires coming off of your equipment and your backroom electrical boxes. If you’re electrically competent, it’s easy to check with a volt meter to see if you have any stray electrons from uncovered grounds or spliced wires. Otherwise, it just takes a quick visit from your electrical contractor.
Make certain outlet covers are on plugs, breaker box doors are closed, wire nuts are on connections inside junction boxes, and that you have GFCI protection on outlets within six feet of open water sources in mop rooms and sinks. Of course, there are volumes written on electrical code and extensive measures when you get into high voltage and amperage, but these are the basics for laundromats and smaller commercial laundry operations.
Ladder safety/working from heights – This is easy to comply with, but rarely done. A simple inspection sheet is required to make sure someone is conducting a monthly inspection of ladder integrity – which means no cracked, bent or missing rungs; no rubber feet missing; and all safety stickers are legible, including recommended load maximums.
Walking/working surfaces – These violations are both citable and compensable, and they can create hazards that will pop up in a New York minute. Inspectors will look for things such as water on the floor without warning signs, divots or cracks in the flooring tile, ice on the sidewalk in front of your store, or literally a dryer sheet in a walkway. (Yes, they can get picky.)
Fire prevention – Your fire extinguishers must be placed strategically, as well as inspected and documented monthly. Fire exits must remain clear and passable. Avoid the improper storage or buildup of combustible materials, such as lint, near any ignition source. And emergency phone numbers must be clearly posted.
Emergency response procedures, primarily for fire/smoke – You should have an emergency evacuation map posted and laminated in clear view, with evacuation routes indicated. Lighted or self-illuminated exit signs should be installed above all doors leading outside – and any doors that don’t lead to an exit must be labeled “Not an Exit.” In addition, any natural disaster shelter areas for tornados or earthquakes should be clearly marked.
Control of blood-borne pathogens/first aid – All laundromats should have a basic first aid kit or, at the very least, some supplies on premises. And your employees should know where to find it.
In addition, you should have a biohazard or “Red Bag” kit (available through Amazon, Grainger, etc.) for the proper cleanup of bodily fluids like vomit, blood and excrement. These pathogens should be cleaned up with bleach or alcohol, using latex or nitrile gloves and safety glasses, and should be disposed of in a red plastic bag with the biohazard pictogram clearly printed on it.
You also may want to consider sharps disposal containers for your restrooms to prevent needle sticks, etc. and help safeguard employees who clean out your restroom trash baskets. Moreover, perhaps consider an online blood-borne pathogens course for your employees, as well as offering to pay for the Hepatitis C vaccine for your staff members.
In Part 2 of this feature, we will cover additional safety measures that don’t necessarily fall under a specific, written standard or regulation, yet still could be recordable and compensable if someone gets injured.
