PlanetLaundry Article on Safety Procedures

There are so many things you can do to reduce the potential for a laundromat loss by taking certain steps to protect your property and assist in keeping laundromat insurance rates affordable. Here’s my list of easy things to do to protect your business:

  1. Made sure you have adequate fire extinguishers mounted appropriately for easy access of your workers and your customers. Check the tags to ensure they have been properly updated and charged. One changer for every 1500 square feet is recommended and often required by local code.
  2. Use fire resistant trash cans in your laundromat with self-closing lids. The rubber trash cans are cheap to buy, but are a source of rapid-fire source material in the event of a trash can fire.
  3. Check the parking areas that people use to access your laundromat. Ensure that there are no trip hazards in the parking lot, unmarked steps, and improper ADA access routes. You may not be lease responsible to maintain the parking lot, but you will likely be named in any lawsuit that involves the parking area around your laundromat. Send a certified letter to the landlord if you discover anything that requires attention.
  4. Make sure that all exterior areas of your laundromat that are open to use by your customers are properly lighted. Exterior lighting may be a service paid for by the landlord, but any injuries in parking areas that service your business will likely include naming your laundromat in a lawsuit.
  5. Pay attention to water leaks from your washing machines. Placing a towel to absorb the drips presents a presumption in a slip and fall incident that proper equipment maintenance was an ongoing problem in a laundromat and a contributing factor to an injury.
  6. Keep your dryer filters cleaned regularly. End of day cleaning is probably not enough. Your workers should regularly check the dryer filters throughout their shift. Dryer fires are a well-known happening in laundromats.
  7. Every six months check your roofs for excessive lint, damaged vents and the sealing material around all the roof penetrations. Water leaks into the interior of your laundromat can sometimes result in drop ceiling collapses.
  8. Have your staff keep all doors to backrooms and equipment access areas closed and locked. It’s easy to leave these doors open but children and others have been hurt by curious explorations in these areas by small children and others.
  9. Although many owners do their own repairs, take the time to learn how to do them properly. Never bypass door locking mechanisms or attempt repairs that are beyond owner skills. Some of the largest lawsuits have included repair mistakes made by unqualified laundromat owners attempting to save money by doing their own repairs. Factories often have service schools and YouTube has many repair videos available for viewing.
  10. Post the proper signs that inform customers that they are in a self-service facility and they are using the laundromat equipment at their own risk. No children in carts should be posted.
  11. Have available for customers and staff the yellow-colored warning cones that inform customers that water may be present on the floor. Slip and fall injuries are a well-known customer issue.
  12. Post your emergency phone number in a prominent place in your laundromat. Many cities require this notification and is worthwhile if you are partially attended. Failure to post contact information might be perceived to be an improperly operated public facility in a lawsuit.
  13. The price of surveillance cameras is now low enough that installation in all laundromats is advisable. A record of actual injury or an evolving dangerous situation can often lead to correction before loss.
  14. Never use the white plastic chairs available at such reasonable prices in discount stores. They are subject to collapse and are not suitable for use a commercial establishment. Keep in mind that American waistlines are on the increase and seating that can safely handle a minimum of 400 pounds is a good standard.
  15. Be considerate of your workers and don’t ask them to do services that are beyond their abilities. Injuries resulting from emptying heavy metal trash cans, trash bins that are in unlit areas, climbing ladders to clean ceiling fans and replacing light fixtures are some of the areas in which injuries to employees can result in laundromat owners in lawsuits.