As a car wash owner, you have a number of responsibilities. One of your greatest responsibilities is to your customers, to ensure that they are satisfied and leave with clean vehicles. Another equally important duty is to keep your employees safe.
Government regulations are in place to protect employees from workplace injury. These regulations mandate inspections. An inspection can take place at any time, so car wash safety measures must always be in place.
What are Inspectors Looking For?
When an inspector arrives at your car wash, he or she pays careful attention to whether or not your business is abiding by state, provincial or federal safety regulations.
One regulation is about personal protective equipment (PPE). PPE includes goggles and clothing, which protect the body from hazards such as corrosive chemicals. Does your car wash have PPE for its employees? If the answer to that question is “no,” then you need to remedy the situation quickly.
You don’t want an inspector showing up and giving you a citation because your employees aren’t wearing PPE. What if your employees don’t want to wear PPE? Tell him or her that you aren’t willing to pay a fine because he or she doesn’t want to obey the rules.
Wearing PPE can prevent another car wash safety risk – blood-borne pathogens. Let’s say one of your employees cuts him or herself while washing a car and wasn’t wearing PPE at the time. He or she could contract a blood-borne pathogen. Inspectors want to know that you’re taking action to prevent blood-borne pathogens from spreading.
Inspectors also pay attention to how old your employees are. Do you employ many teenagers? Their inexperience and unawareness of consequences mean they could be injured or even killed on the job. If you do have teens on your staff, make sure that they understand safety regulations and always wear PPE.
What Leads to Safety Inspections?
Businesses can’t avoid safety inspections completely, but there are things they can do to reduce their frequency and improve their pass rate.
In the US, hospitals or first responders will contact OSHA if someone is seriously injured or dies at a company. Car wash safety is a priority to reduce injuries and completely prevent fatalities.
Another trigger for safety inspections is employee complaints. If an employee complains to a regulatory body such as OSHA that a work environment is unsafe, OSHA will send an inspector to investigate the claims. There’s one solution to employee complaints: make the work environment safe so that no one gets injured.
MacNeil: Your Trusted Source for High Quality and Affordable Car Wash Equipment
Are you a car wash owner looking for top-of-the-line car wash equipment which is also cost-effective? Contact MacNeil today at 1-800-361-7797.
MacNeil has been providing car wash owners with cutting-edge products for over 30 years. We offer express wash tunnels, in-bay express wash conversion and ExpressLane Drive Through Systems (with and without dryers). Find out why MacNeil customers are satisfied and successful – call us today.