Commercial Laundries
Laundries serve hospitals, hotels and restaurants, processing tons of linen a day. Workers face hot, wet, noisy conditions, big machines with moving parts, strong chemicals and contaminated linen.
- Laundry Workers
- Healthcare Linen
- Hospitality
Hazards
- Caught-in and crushing: washer-extractors, tunnel washers, ironers, presses and folders can trap hands and arms. See Machine Guarding.
- Heat and steam: burns from presses, pipes and hot linen, and heat stress. See Steam Systems and Heat Illness.
- Chemicals: bleach, detergents, acids and alkalis. Never mix them. See Corrosives.
- Contaminated linen: blood, body fluids and sharps like needles left in sheets. See Biological Hazards and Sharps.
- Heavy lifting and repetitive work. See Musculoskeletal Disorders.
- Lint fires in dryers and ducts. See Fire Prevention.
- Noise and wet floors.
Controls
- Lock out and tag out machines before clearing jams or servicing. Never reach into a running machine. See Clearing Jams.
- Keep guards, light curtains and two-hand controls working and never bypass them.
- Handle soiled linen as potentially infectious: wear gloves and use universal precautions, sort away from the face and never squeeze bundles by hand.
- Use carts, lifts and tilt tables to reduce lifting; teams for heavy loads.
- Provide cooling, water, breaks and fans in hot areas. Insulate hot surfaces.
- Clean lint filters and ducts on schedule. Inspect dryers for overheating.
- Use anti-slip mats and drains to keep floors dry.
- Wear hearing protection where noise is high, along with waterproof shoes, gloves and eye protection.
Daily checklist
- I know the lockout procedure for my machine
- I check guards and emergency stops
- I wear gloves for soiled linen and report needle sticks right away
- I read chemical labels and use the dispensing system
- I take water and rest breaks in the heat
Standards & references
Last updated: