Safety Is As Safety Does

In today's litigating society, people are being sued at the drop of a hat. No real reason is needed, just a desire to make a buck. Every business owner is a target, especially owners of those laundries that are unattended. Anyone can sue and make a claim especially if there is no one there to say, one way or the other, whether the claim is true, or not. There are scam artists who abuse the legal system by arranging fake accidents and making false claims. These scams work well against owners of laundries, especially those that are not attended. Many major cities have one or more attorney offices specializing in lawsuits for real or imagined violations against handicap laws. Often the threat of their suit will scare laundry owners into paying off rather than going to court. In addition to those who fake accidents, there are a few customers who actually do get hurt while at the laundry. Either they are hurt by being careless themselves or else the laundry operator has been reckless with some element of repair or a janitorial error has occurred. The surest way to be certain that if a claim is made that it is true is the use of television security cameras. There are literally hundreds of cases recorded where claims were made against a laundry and thrown out of court because of the laundry owner being able to show the actual event on tape. Utilize video cameras and VCRs to protect your laundry from the abusers. The higher the quality system, the better. In one fairly recent case, a woman sued a laundry operator for a slip and fall accident. She fell after slipping on some liquid detergent on the floor. The security cameras showed her pouring the detergent on the floor and then going down and yelling to gain some help. She had no obvious injuries, but claimed she had hurt her back. Later she sued, and the case was thrown out of court. Camera evidence is effective in protecting a laundry. In addition to saving a laundry operator from phony slip and fall accidents, the cameras really cut back on attacks from burglars and bandits. No one with any sense wants to be caught on camera breaking and entering a business to steal and vandalize. Pictures recorded on a time stamped video tape are real evidence and make a prosecutors job very easy, and crooks know it. Let's face it friends, not all that goes wrong in a coin laundry is created through false claims and theft. Lots of errors come as a result of plain carelessness on the part of owners. A major fault is a failure to secure seating units and folding tables so that when someone sits on an unsecured table or seating unit, there is a bad accident and a lawsuit follows. Too many in our industry seem to prefer that tables and seating units remain moveable to permit easier cleaning and floor care. Larger customers can tip a seat or knock over a table with ease, and they may get hurt. Sure it might take a little more time to clean the floor around laundry items that are bolted down, but that brief period of work will seem trivial compared to the time and effort and cash it takes to defend a lawsuit you will likely lose anyway. Lawsuits generally mean an increase in insurance premiums too. Another problem is the type of slip and fall accident that is caused by wet floors and careless customers. Some open machines to remove clothes early, and spill. Others drop a soft drink or spill liquid detergent on the floor. It happens. The only problem is that other customers have expectation of non slip and dry floors in any place of business, including a laundry. These aren't an owners fault. There isn't much that he or she can do to prevent slips and falls, under those circumstances, except stay on the alert and carry a mop. One of the areas of concern that are the fault of an owner are those slips and falls that result from machine caused leaks due to broken hoses and constant drips from those same washer inlet hoses. Inspect the washer water hoses for leaks and tighten and replace them as required. When it comes to the need to replace, don't go on the cheap. Don't be so concerned with saving money on washer inlet hoses. Spend a little more and get quality. Think of the peace of mind you will have and the legal problems you won't have. All hoses are under a lot of pressure 24 hours a day. The vibrations of the wash cycle will work to crinkle vinyl or rubber material where it meets the metal connections. Over time, pin hole leaks and drips will develop. Even worse, cheap hoses can burst, flooding the floor and creating a minor crises in the laundry. When you mop floors, especially when customers are present, put up signs that indicate 'WET FLOOR'. Some customers won't see the floors are wet and dangerous. Wax only with a good industrial, non slip wax. Floors need a wax and polish few enough times a year to allow you to buy the best grade wax without breaking the bank. It's not smart to invite slip and fall lawsuits just to save a few bucks on wax. Part of a good program of coin laundry safety and security is regular and disciplined machine inspection and maintenance. A large part of the discipline is staying at it on a regular basis. The purpose of inspections is to keep washers and dryers functioning efficiently and to prevent any harm done either to your customers or your business. Efficiency saves money, extends machine life, and builds and expands customer confidence. But in doing inspections, in the case of coin laundry dryers, efficiency also means fire safety. Perhaps the greatest problems in the coin laundry business are dryer fires caused through a build up of lint. You'd think that a fire in the metal box, that is a dryer, would be pretty much confined to that box. And the fire itself often is, but the damage goes a long way in the laundry. The heat can be incredible and has been known to melt plastic and wiring harnesses in washers twenty feet away. Laundries have been closed for six months due to damage done in a single dryer fire. That is why successful laundry operators conduct regular and careful inspections of their equipment. They remove the lint from the dryer lint drawers and from the area of the burners and thermostats to be certain that dryer fires won't adversely affect their coin laundry business. Speaking of fires, don't forget to check that your fire extinguishers are properly charged and tagged. Proper fire safety includes having the right equipment on hand to fight one with in order to save your laundry business. While you're out there doing inspections, take a look at the sidewalk and parking areas in front of your laundry. You probably don't have the responsibility for those areas, but that won't keep you from being named in a lawsuit that arises from injuries that occur coming or going to your laundry. If there are any cracks or pot holes, call them to your landlords attention, and stay on him until he gets the problem solved. Practice safety around your laundry and the surrounding areas, and maybe you won't be sued. Let things slide, and the odds of your being involved in a court case multiply.