1. Laundry Safety

2. © Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 1006 Session Objectives Identify laundry hazards Prevent exposure to infectious materials Avoid MSDs Prevent heat stress Take precautions against slips, trips, and falls Avoid harmful exposures to other safety and health hazards

3. © Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 1006 Prequiz: True or False? You only have to worry about a few hazards working in the laundry. There’s not much you can do to protect yourself from heat stress. When you lift a heavy object, you should use your leg muscles to power the lift. You don’t need any special protection when bagging or sorting laundry.

4. © Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 1006 Laundry Hazards Bloodborne pathogens Back injuries Heat stress Slips, trips, and falls Skin irritation Burns Noise Machine hazards

5. © Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 1006 Bloodborne Pathogens Universal precautions—Treat all laundry contaminated with blood, urine, or other potentially infectious materials as if it is infectious.

6. © Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 1006 Always use universal precautions Wear gloves Report contact with blood Bloodborne Pathogens (cont.) Always use universal precautions Wear gloves Report contact with blood

7. © Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 1006 Bagging Contaminated Laundry Wear gloves Bag where used Use leakproof bags Use biohazard bags or labels Don’t hold bags close to body Always assume sharps are present

8. © Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 1006 Wear gloves Don’t sort or rinse where used Keep separate from other laundry Handle as little as possible Sorting and Washing Contaminated Laundry Photo courtesy of Globalindustrial.com

9. © Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 1006 Sorting and Washing Contaminated Laundry (cont.) Watch out for sharps Keep out of clean areas Use appropriate cycles Wash hands thoroughly

10. © Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 1006 Preventing MSDs Avoid awkward reaching Keep work waist high Squat—don’t bend Support your back Turn—don’t twist Keep back straight Take short stretch breaks

11. © Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 1006 Safe Lifting © Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 1006 Squat down Keep back straight Lift with legs

12. © Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 1006 Which of the following is a laundry hazard? Slips and falls Bloodborne pathogens Heat MSDs Laundry products Machines

13. © Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 1006 Do you understand: Laundry hazards? Universal precautions? Safe procedures for handling contaminated laundry? MSD risks and prevention? Safe lifting technique? Review Do you understand: Laundry hazards? Universal precautions? Safe procedures for handling contaminated laundry? MSD risks and prevention? Safe lifting technique?

14. © Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 1006 Heat Stress Heat fatigue Heat rash Fainting © Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 1006

15. Heat Stress (cont.) Heat exhaustion Heatstroke © Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 1006

16. 6 Ways to Prevent Heat Stress Acclimate Dress light Drink lots Use ventilation Pace yourself Take breaks in a cool place Don’t take salt tablets

17. © Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 1006 Slips, Trips, and Falls Keep floors dry Wear the right shoes Stand on mats Be careful on wet surfaces Clean up spills

18. © Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 1006 Slips, Trips, and Falls (cont.) Pick up fallen objects Watch where you’re going Don’t block walkways Make sure you can see over loads Use a ladder or stepstool

19. © Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 1006 Skin Protection Irritation Burns MSDS

20. © Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 1006 Sound Loud sound can cause hearing damage Symptoms: Ringing in ears Trouble hearing people, TV Trouble hearing certain sounds © Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 1006

21. Machines Loading and unloading Machine guards

22. © Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 1006 Water Match hazards to precautions below. Wet floors Sound Machine Injury Skin irritation Heat Stress Nonslip shoes Earplugs Gloves Machine guards

23. © Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 1006 Do you understand: Heat stress and how to prevent it? Slip, trip, and fall hazards and prevention? Skin protection? Sound hazards and hearing protection? Machine safety? Do you understand: Heat stress and how to prevent it? Slip, trip, and fall hazards and prevention? Skin protection? Sound hazards and hearing protection? Machine safety? Review

24. © Business & Legal Reports, Inc. 1006 Key Points to Remember Working in the laundry exposes you to a variety of hazards. Risks include both safety and health hazards. Be aware of potential hazards and keep alert to protect your safety and health. Taking simple precautions can prevent injuries and illness.