Your Guide to Car Wash Employee Safety
You invest a significant amount of time, energy, and money into your car wash business. To protect your employees and customers alike, you need to develop the appropriate car wash employee safety and customer safety training programs.You will need to do different things depending on the type of car wash business you own. For example, a full-service car wash will need to focus on both employee and customer safety programs. In comparison, a self-service car wash owner will want to focus on customer safety programs.
Car Wash Employee Safety
Keeping this in mind, let’s look at the components car wash employee safety should include:#1: Emergency Escape Plan
It would help if you had an emergency escape plan in place in the event of a fire, electrical problems, or other such emergencies. Employee safety training should include showing your employees the different escape routes. Remember also to have signage placed in various locations throughout the car wash showing the escape routes.#2: Monthly Safety Inspections
You and your employees should perform monthly safety inspections on all car wash equipment, hoses, water storage tanks, etc. When conducting inspections, remember to follow the appropriate safety procedures like lock-out-tag-out.#3: Chemicals Stored Properly
Any car wash soaps, waxes, and other chemicals used at your car wash need to be stored in the proper storage containers. In addition, any chemicals that could interact with one another should be stored in different locations to avoid chemical reactions like releasing toxic gases or explosions.#4: Chemicals Labeled Properly
All chemicals need to be labeled properly so that your employees know what is in each container. Labeling also includes listing any potential hazards like flammability or toxicity, as well as any PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) required to handle the chemicals.#5: Chemical Handling Procedures
You will need to train your employees to ensure they know how to handle car wash chemicals correctly. Part of this workplace safety training should teach employees how to connect chemical storage containers to car wash mixing equipment and properly mix chemicals when needed, and how to properly dispose of empty chemical storage containers.#6: Equipment Training
You need to make sure your employees know how to properly operate the car wash equipment safely. Car wash employees should know how to stop the car wash immediately if there is an emergency like a car coming off the track or the car wash equipment malfunctioning.#7: Equipment Maintenance
Part of employee safety is ensuring that car wash equipment is well maintained and in good working order. Whether you do the maintenance yourself, have your employees do it, or have a third-party service provider do it, remember to follow the proper workplace safety procedures like shutting off electrical breakers.#8: Require Proper Workwear
Employee safety extends to what they wear to work. For example, most car washes require their employees to wear a uniform of some type like a polo shirt with a collar and heavy-duty work pants. Aside from the uniform, employees should be required to wear non-slip shoes.Work gloves and other PPE should be provided when necessary. When employees are required to wear PPE to enter specific areas of the car wash, signage should be in place that is easily seen and indicates what PPE is needed to enter the area.
#9 Non-Slip Mats for Wet Work Areas
In areas that get wet inside the car wash where your employees are working, you should have plenty of non-slip mats. For instance, if you hand dry vehicles as they exit the car wash, you would want non-slip mats in this location to prevent accidental slips and falls.These nine things are just some of the items you need to review to ensure your employees’ health and safety. There can definitely be more items you may need to include on your employee safety training list. A good resource if you are stuck is to ask your employees what safety concerns they have.
Customer Safety
Now let’s take a look at some of the customer safety items you need to be aware of to help keep your customers safe when they visit your car wash.#1: Well-Lit Areas
Wash bays, vacuum bays, and other areas of the car wash are well lit so it is easy to see. Lighting should not be limited to nighttime hours. You should use sensors so lights can turn on if it is overcast and cloudy.#2: Vacuums Need Double Insulated Cords
You need to make sure all of your vacuums have double insulated power cords, regardless of whether they are accessible by your customers or not. Cords should be inspected monthly if they are exposed and replaced if the insulation comes off.#3: Signage for Slippery Wet Areas
You need to hang up plenty of caution and warning signs in areas that become slippery when wet, as in the wash bays. Customers need to be warned of the potential for slipping, so they can take extra precautions while washing their cars.#4: Secure Non-Customer Areas
You will need to use locks and other security devices to keep customers out of non-customer areas like the location where your car wash chemicals are connected to your wash equipment. Vacuums with accessible doors should have locks on them too. Additionally, you should use the appropriate signage.#5: Alert Customers to Potential Wash Damage
You need signage that indicates potential wash damage from loose parts, aftermarket vehicle modifications, or items left in the bed of pickup trucks. These signs primarily apply to automated car wash systems, but they are equally important in car washes where customers hand-wash their vehicles.#6: Provide Operating Instructions
You need signage placed near the wash equipment controls and vacuum cleaners that provide step-by-step operation instructions. Remember to include any applicable warnings at the bottom of the signs where it stands out from the operating instructions.#7: Use Stop and Go Lights
For automated wash systems, the use of stop and go lights for traffic control is essential. Customers need to know when it is their turn to pull into the car wash and where they need to stop so the wash can begin.Car Wash Safety
As you can see, customer safety is just as important as employee safety. So, now, let’s look at some car wash safety items that apply to any car wash operation.#1: Keep Your Car Wash Property Clean
Your car wash property should be free of trash, debris, and other objects that could pose potential risks to your employees and customers. Car wash bays should be walked through, and any trash and debris picked up frequently.#2: Use Signage and Foot Paths for Pedestrian Traffic
You need to warn motorists of the areas where your employees and customers walk. These areas should be clearly marked with signage, cones, footpaths, or barriers when appropriate.#3: Control Speed of Vehicles
For example, if you are on a corner lot and people tend to cut through your car wash to avoid waiting at a red light, the last thing you want is cars speeding through your parking lot. You can use speed bumps to help control the speed of vehicles like in vacuum areas or heavy vehicle traffic areas.#4: Clearly Mark Trash Disposal Containers
If you have specific trash cans you use for specific waste materials like paper or plastic, make sure to use signage on your disposal containers. Trash cans should also be emptied regularly to keep trash from falling out and getting scattered around your car wash.#5: Do Unplanned Walk-Through Inspections
You need to determine if there are any potentially dangerous or hazardous situations your employees or customers could be exposed to. You cannot assume your employees or customers will know better and not attempt to do something that could result in personal injuries and damages to your car wash and leave you liable.In the end, ensuring your employees and customers have been forewarned will help reduce the risks of accidents and injuries at your car wash business. Evaluate your car wash for potential risks and implement the appropriate employee safety training and customer safety education now.
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