USA
The Textile Rental Services Association hosted the seventh annual Safety Summit, with more than 70 participants sharing best practices and receiving advice from safety professionals in other industries to further decrease workplace risks in large-scale laundries.
Members continue to progress toward reaching their zero-incident goal. Yearly TRSA research shows incidences declining at a faster rate than those of all U.S. businesses. From 2012 to 2016, members’ total recordable injuries and illnesses (TRIR rate) fell nearly 18%, compared with 15% for all private industry. Days away from work, job restrictions or job transfers (DART rate) were down nearly 16%, compared with 11%.
In addition to the Summit, TRSA supports members’ gains with employee training videos, including English and Spanish versions of instruction on lockout/tagout and soiled linen handling. More than 20 webinars produced since 2011, webcast live and now available on-demand, guide management in injury prevention, hazard analysis and communication, behavior-based safety and more. Supporting documents and references available through the TRSA website reinforce members’ proficiency in these disciplines and others, such as working safely in confined spaces.
“Even with lower and declining incident rates, safety in the workplace is an ongoing emphasis for our industry and for TRSA,” said TRSA president and CEO Joseph Ricci. “At the Safety Summit and our other professional development events, member collaboration to protect employees is at an all-time high.
“We continue to add to information-sharing resources through our website and other communications. These efforts have paid off in empowering employees to help reduce and prevent injuries.”
