Content about San Diego

HOTEL/MOTEL/RESORT LAUNDRY: JR NORRIS, DELTA UNIFORM AND LINEN, ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.

My advice is to not get far from your basic business focus.

We focus on hospitality linen and explore all options for the discerning customer. High-end restaurants, fine hotels, bed and breakfasts, country clubs and finer properties are businesses we target. We did try healthcare to increase volume, and this was a disaster.

Healthcare is priced so low per pound that our production team has to focus on speed. Regarding hospitality, our production team is always focused on quality and attention to detail. To have the plant shift gears for healthcare and then back to hospitality was difficult; both lines suffered. So we decided to increase our per-pound price, stay in hospitality alone, and market our service as being the best.

We watch carefully when investing in any products that are out of our normal linen rental line. If a new account requests an item we don’t carry, we offer some options to rent for a higher amount for a while until we recoup some of our investment, or they sign a contract that says they will rent it for X times a year or purchase it and we process it.

Also with a new account, we require cash on delivery for a period of time. This has saved us on some new accounts that went out of business early on.

Some new-account factors to consider are:

• Is there additional cost?
• Is sorting labor-intensive?
• What is the material composition?
• What is the level of colorfastness?
• Are hems strong?
• What are the needed washing/drying times?
• Must the goods be dried separately?
• Are the goods finished by tunnel drying or hand ironing?
• Is the packaging plastic wrapping or string?
• What is the cost if damaged?

Bottom line is don’t let any new business affect your current customers or your plant in a negative way.

COMMERCIAL LAUNDRY: TOM GILDRED, EMERALD TEXTILES, SAN DIEGO, CALIF.

While there may be no “magic formula” to determine whether or not to serve an account, there are certain criteria that can be used to make the decision simpler. One of the greatest challenges can be balancing aggressive sales efforts with profitability and operations.

Some of the factors that impact the viability of serving accounts, and should be considered, include:

• The proximity of a potential customer to the plant as well as to existing customers you serve.
• Pricing — including incremental pricing.
• Volume of the potential customer’s business.
• Item mix and number of items.
• Seasonality — Are you in a market that has a lot of seasonal fluctuation? If so, this will impact hiring as well as linen purchases.
• Weather Conditions — Certain climates affect the life span of the linen as well as how often you have trucks on the road. These factors can impact linen purchases (including how often you have to purchase to accommodate life spans) and delivery costs.
• Is the customer COG or rental, and which type of linens comprise the majority of what you are currently processing?
• Competition — Sometimes it might be wise to seize the opportunity, even if the profitability isn’t quite there, in order to maintain or grow market share.
• Financial Need — The health of your business is, of course, a primary consideration, and sometimes you might consider a lower price per pound in order to make the entire operation more profitable.
• Labor Force — Do you have the existing labor pool to facilitate the new business and service it well in accordance with your commitment to quality?
• Capacity — The plant’s ability to process the new business is a key criterion, and it’s important to allow time for equipment maintenance, so bringing on business that creates a 24/7 processing situation can compromise the plant’s quality and ability to meet demand.
• Quality — Will adding this business in any way compromise providing quality service and products to your current customer base?

Ultimately, after taking this list of criterion into consideration and weighing the value of the account, it should be easier to determine the right course of action based on the overall health and wellness of your business and not only the revenue to be gained (or price per pound).

TEXTILES: TOM LANGDON, ENCOMPASS GROUP, MCDONOUGH, GA.

There is an old saying in our industry: “Any order is a good order.” On the surface, that makes sense, as nothing happens until a “sale” is made or a contract written. But in reality, no business can be successful trying to be all things to all customers or trying to service all markets.

Let’s compare and contrast the healthcare and hospitality markets, as these are the two dominant markets in which readers may choose to take on new business.

In healthcare, the linen is just a necessity in delivery of the primary product. In stark contrast, linen can be one of the “key” areas to promote and brand hospitality product offerings to the consumer.

Another contrast is at the end-user level. The healthcare end-user is not using the linen by choice but rather is in the facility as a matter of need. On the other hand, the hospitality end-user participates by choice and expects an experience that is satisfying and memorable, and will often reward the provider in the form of repeat business. As such, the motivating factors required for the linen are vastly different.

As you drill down into each market channel, each has differences that separate them. They may be subtle or obvious, such as the difference between a 10/1 open end yarn, five pounds per dozen bath towel used in healthcare, and a 12/1 ring spun, 17 pounds per dozen bath towel used in the hospitality market. Each meets the customer’s requirements but are quite different in appearance, cost and processing.

Some laundries may find it easy to incorporate the needs of different market channels, while others struggle. Some guidelines that will help you determine which category you fall into involve attention to detail.

It all starts with the product specifications (you can’t get too detailed here). If you want to control the output, you must manage the customer expectations and select the right inputs.

So, if you are considering taking on new business outside your core competency, you may want to first do your homework. For example, in healthcare, there tends to be a lot of product standardization, which works well for commercial laundries. The opposite tends to be true in hospitality, where hotels use linen as a way to differentiate themselves from the competition.

The pros of expanding your reach are obviously new business. The cons can be a disruption to your incumbent business by reducing operating efficiencies and increasing operating costs.

Develop a checklist approach that includes each critical aspect of the new customer or business. Analyze its key drivers and ensure you are properly aligned to meet these needs.

Finally, I have revised the old industry saying to “Any profitable order is a good order.” Remember to keep your current customers satisfied while trying to grow business in these challenging economic times.

MEMBER AT LARGE: DOUGLAS STORY, SWISHER HYGIENE

Taking new business seems to be the first impulse of every sales person and, in many cases, even top management. But is it that simple?

In the 1980s, I read a book written by Akio Morita titled Made in Japan. The book was about his efforts to start his business, Sony. One takeaway has had a lasting impact on my thought processes about new business.

Sony launched the transistor radio into the American market after an American company decided that American consumers wanted “big radios.” In his efforts to sell the radio, he met with a buyer that wanted 100,000 units, an order worth almost as much as his company at the time.

How would you respond to a new customer that placed the kind of order that would double or triple your total sales revenue? Would you jump at this opportunity?

The company wanted Morita to price the radios in units of 5,000, 10,000, 50,000 and 100,000. His plant was capable of producing a little less than 10,000 units per month. Promising 100,000 units would mean expanding, hiring more people, and taking on long-term risk.

For 5,000 units, Morita charged regular price. For 10,000, he gave the largest discount. For items above 10,000, the price he quoted started to climb. Why would he do this? Charging more for higher volumes seems to be counterintuitive. But Morita was assessing the impact on his business for the short term and the long term. Sales would be great, but the risk to manufacturing and the money needed to comply with this account’s needs would endanger his business’ long-term health.

Taking this holistic approach, he developed a system that would satisfy the needs of the customer and the long-term needs of his company. He sold the customer using this method, and the long-term success of Sony has been well documented.

Morita’s example taught me to look at more than just grabbing the sale without considering its impact on your organization and its bottom line. I also believe that you should fully analyze your current customers in the same way, because all of us have a customer or customers that should be eliminated, or at least reassessed, so that your organization benefits.

Putting on new business is one of the most expensive actions an organization can take. It’s important that your business recover that expense and turn a profit (or cover expenses, for you non-profits) for the benefit of the company, its employees, its customers and the shareholders that depend on the health of the operation.

Check back tomorrow for Part 2!

SAN DIEGO — ARCO/Murray National Construction Co. completed a mechanical room relocation and canopy building addition here for Alsco earlier this year.

Last November, a boiler malfunction caused the textile rental company to shut down its mechanical room and rent a temporary boiler. Alsco hired ARCO/Murray to relocate the mechanical room and install new mechanical-room equipment. The firm was able to complete the project by early April, limiting the amount of money spent to utilize a temporary boiler.

The mechanical-room relocation included demolition of a two-story storage and office area to make room for the new system, which included a 400-horsepower boiler, a water softener package, and a brand-new water system with a stack economizer. ADA-compliant bathrooms were also constructed.

ARCO/Murray was responsible for the demolition and reconstruction as well as all power and process piping tie-ins to the equipment within the mechanical room and out to the existing wash floor and wastewater systems.

While the expedited mechanical-room project was under construction, ARCO/Murray was also hired to design and permit a 5,000-square-foot loading dock addition. Through careful coordination with the City of San Diego and Alsco, ARCO/Murray was able to complete the project with limited interruption of Alsco’s operations and minor disruption of the city’s traffic flow, the company reports.

Along with the canopy, ARCO/Murray was responsible for demolishing and replacing approximately 300 linear feet of sidewalk. The new dock canopy is able to hold six step vans and one box truck, increasing loading capacity and allowing Alsco to load completely within its property lines.

Project executive Elliot Mata and project manager Patrick Hidder represented ARCO/Murray. Bob Stephens served as Alsco’s corporate engineer, and Shane Harrison, the San Diego plant’s general manager, served a vital role in coordinating between Alsco and ARCO/Murray during construction.

COMMERCIAL LAUNDRY: TOM GILDRED, EMERALD TEXTILES, SAN DIEGO, CALIF.

A contingency plan for power outages should be comprehensive and encompass multiple areas within the operation. As a healthcare laundry, it is critical to deliver consistently and on time to customers. We employ a contingency plan outlined as follows:

• Provide ample supply of par at customers’ facilities
• Work in advance
• Maintain an inventory of processed linen
• Maintain an inventory of new linen
• Prepare for emergency through redundancy and backup plans
• Operate with reserve capacity

First, managing within The Joint Commission’s requirements to maintain a certain par, or number of days’ worth of laundry at customers’ facilities, and ensuring ample supply for the appropriate number of days is important. Second, working ahead in the plant, and having processed linen ready for delivery in advance aids readiness and consistent supply. Holding in reserve new linen at your own plant facilitates the availability of excess inventory in the case of emergency or power outage.

Securing additional power generation in case of emergency is important for successful contingency planning. Either owning your own backup power generator and maintaining it, or identifying suppliers and securing an agreement to lease a generator when needed is a proactive approach to ensure your laundry is in the front of the queue within hours of the request, at a time when demand may be high. Having agreements with backup processors in a geographically desirable radius of your service areas should be the final step in your contingency plan.

Finally, processing below actual capacity allows the operation to ramp up throughput and provide additional volume after an interruption. By operating below total capacity, a facility not only reduces wear and tear on equipment, it ensures its ability to respond quickly and “catch up” as needed in outage situations. Plant redundancy is a crucial aspect of capacity, and having a facility with extra machinery, boiler power and air compression allows for tremendous increase in throughput when needed.

We at Emerald Textiles tested our contingency plan on Sept. 8, 2011, when all of San Diego County and some neighboring cities were completely without power. Having a solid plan in place allowed us to maintain operations and deliveries seamlessly.

HEALTHCARE LAUNDRY: SCOTT BEATON, KAISER PERMANENTE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

The definition of a good contingency plan is as follows:

The plan shall provide for the uninterrupted operations and services in the event of any occurrence potentially leading to the disruption of the provider’s operations. Such disruptions include, but are not limited to, loss of utilities, medical emergencies, natural and/or man-made disasters, fire, inclement weather, work stoppage, and/or major accidents.

A contingency plan should include the following components:

• Plant and transportation contingency protocol
• Key member re-call chain
• Contact list of backup laundry facilities
• Backup source of textiles on call

The provider should furnish a mechanism to inform. A step-by-step procedure should be in place in the event of an emergency and shall be available to supervisors, each of whom may be responsible for execution of the protocol.

All employees should be familiar with the major elements of the plants contingency protocol in the event of emergencies.

The pyramid re-call chain should be written, complete, current, and available to all supervisory personnel, so that timely and accurate contact can be made in case of an emergency.

A designated person should maintain the call chain and be responsible for updating it at least annually or when personnel changes occur, and distributing the list to personnel.

The facility should have written agreements with one or more alternate laundry providers that could cover the facility’s volume, detailing when and how these providers will process textiles in an emergency.

Such agreements shall be updated annually, signed and dated.

The provider should have adequate transportation capabilities with contingency planning.

The facility should have written agreements in place with one or more alternate textile suppliers, detailing the services and delivery times provided.

CHEMICALS SUPPLY: MARLENE WILLIAMS, ANDERSON CHEMICAL CO., LITCHFIELD, MINN.

Power outages tend to be regional—it is unlikely an entire city will be without power. As a contingency plan, have another laundry ready to take your work in case of a short-term power outage. This can be another institution in the same business you are, or a commercial laundry.

Have the agreements worked out in advance so that the switchover is as smooth as possible. There will have to be many accommodations made in your facility to get this done, and you need a contingency plan that everyone understands and agrees to.

The second thing you can do is to acquire a dedicated gas-powered generator that automatically comes on in the event of an emergency. Laundries can be “sinkholes” for power, however, so the best idea here if you have a large laundry is to maintain a dedicated generator with the ability to “dump” large quantities of power on demand. (A large washer going into extract can pull down an incredible amount of power in the first 30 seconds of start-up, so your generator system needs to be able to accommodate this huge spike in demand.)

These two actions, along with keeping adequate linen on hand (having a two-par inventory in locked storage would help if you are located in an area where power outages might be expected) are your options for addressing power outages.

It is far less likely that you will suffer a gas outage, but it is still a good idea to have a propane backup for the possible loss of natural gas (I’m thinking here of ground disturbances such as earthquakes). The changeover from natural gas to propane is relatively easy, and your maintenance team should be ready for this conversion at any time with the parts and know-how to get the job done quickly and with a minimum of disruption.

If you are in a zone where these ground disturbances are probable, get a large propane tank and prep your team for this contingency.

(Editor’s note: Williams received assistance from consultant John White in writing this month’s response.)

Check back tomorrow for Part 2!

SAN DIEGO — Ernst & Young LLP recently presented the Entrepreneur of the Year® 2012 Award to Tom Gildred, CEO of Emerald Textiles, a provider of commercial healthcare linen services.

The award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who demonstrate excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation and personal commitment to their businesses and communities. An independent panel of judges selected Gildred, who was honored during a special gala last week.

“It is an honor to be selected as Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young,” says Gildred, a member of this year’s American Laundry News Panel of Experts. “I’m very pleased to be part of this group of highly regarded CEOs who are focused on the success of their businesses and giving back to our community.”

Operational for less than two years, Emerald Textiles serves more than 70% of the hospital beds in San Diego while processing almost 35 million pounds a year. The company has received the SDG&E Showcase Award and the Savings by Design Award (created by the California Public Utilities Commission and San Diego Gas & Electric) in recognition of its advanced design and extreme energy efficiency.

EQUIPMENT/SUPPLIES DISTRIBUTION: STEVE CLARK, LAUNDRY EQUIPMENT SERVICES INC., BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.VA.

As with any mechanical industry in the world today, technology is ever evolving and continues to push equipment to its max in terms of production and efficiency. This is no different in the laundry industry—as long as you use it properly.

Forget all the bells and whistles of additional means for energy conservation and get down to the nitty-gritty of what it takes to improve your laundry’s energy efficiency and water consumption with the equipment you already have. Something that laundry managers often forget is the amount of water in an individual cycle’s bath and the amount of that water retained in the linen at the end of the cycle.

First, do you know how many gallons are in a particular bath? If so, then do you truly need that much? Does your machine capacity and chemical makeup require such an amount of water? With advancements in technology and computer programming, every leading manufacturer of equipment is capable of customizing water consumption on a per-bath/per-cycle basis. Obviously, this cycle variation will depend on the material being laundered. Regardless, it would be wise to break down the water level and percentage of drum capacity with your chemical representative to determine if this percentage can be tweaked.

Imagine saving 1 gallon per bath/per cycle and multiply that by the number of cycles you run throughout a given day. For example, one machine removes 1 gallon of water from five baths in one cycle. At 5 gallons per load and two loads an hour, that equals 10 gallons saved per hour, or 80 gallons saved per eight-hour shift.

Beyond the amount of water going into an individual wash cycle, what about the water coming out? The water retention amount per load can destroy your laundry’s efficiency in the drying or finishing stages of the process. For every percentage point of moisture in a given material, expect additional minutes to be spent in a dryer or finisher, thus requiring more labor, gas, electricity, etc., per load.

Water retention is affected by the amount of water introduced, the extraction rate of RPMs applying the respective G-force, and the length of extraction time. Due to previously mentioned advances in technology and programming capabilities, most equipment is capable of adjusting the RPMs and the length of extraction time to limit moisture retention to a desired amount for premium linen quality and energy efficiency.

Limit your expenses and help the environment; maximize your efficiency.

COMMERCIAL LAUNDRY: TOM GILDRED, EMERALD TEXTILES, SAN DIEGO, CALIF.

Greater energy efficiency and water conservation can be achieved through planning and design using the new technology available in equipment such as continuous batch washers, presses, and dryers.

In some areas, utilities companies and commissions have special incentive programs designed to encourage businesses to be as energy efficient as possible. In working with your utility company, it is possible to precisely plan for proper equipment and energy use in order to achieve maximum savings.

Employing “reduce and reuse” principles ensures that the highest possible level of resource preservation is achieved throughout an operation. By incorporating the latest technology, equipment, processes and infrastructure, it is possible to save millions of gallons of water annually and tremendous amounts of natural gas and electricity. Some of the ways to achieve tremendous savings include:

• Utilizing energy-efficient lighting, and motion-sensor lighting where appropriate, throughout the plant and offices to reduce energy use.
• Going green with invoices, by using e-mail instead of paper to conserve ink, energy and eliminate paper waste.
• Using environmentally sustainable, lighter fabrics that not only make sense for the environment but also require less drying time.
• Utilizing gravity-enabled designs in the plant, such as an overhead rail system, that moves laundry through the facility using minimal energy to produce less risk and strain to employees.
• Installing the latest industrial washers that utilize high-tech water systems with the ability to decrease water usage by more than 75%.
• Incorporating high-pressure presses to remove the maximum amount of water from clean goods and greatly reduce drying time, resulting in lower natural gas consumption.
• Employing heat reclamation equipment, which employs energy-transfer principles to raise the incoming water temperature so that a lot less energy is needed for heating.

Through technology and streamlined processes, it is possible to achieve tremendous energy savings, which results in cost savings and reduced environmental impact. That’s good for the industry and good for the environment.

TEXTILES: TOM LANGDON, ENCOMPASS GROUP, MCDONOUGH, GA.

There are a number of relatively new textile products on the market that can help improve a laundry’s energy and water consumption. Technology developments in yarn spinning and finishing chemistry now allow synthetic fibers to have more natural fiber characteristics.

Fasciated yarn is defined by Webster’s as a form of fiber assembly consisting of a core of parallel discontinuous fibers bound into a compact bundle by surface wrapping minor proportion of the discontinuous fibers around the core to form the yarn. The most common type is MJS, or Murata Jet Spinning, named after the Japanese manufacturer that perfected this technique.

By using this process to spin all polyester or CVS (Chief Value Synthetic) fibers into yarn, products have a more “cotton-like” look and feel. Recent developments in finishing chemistry now can impart wicking and moisture management properties on fabrics once considered nonabsorbent. This market trend started several years ago with sheets and pillowcases, but now has spread into most product groups, including incontinent pads and even thermal blankets.

There are a few challenges that any laundry may have to address when considering incorporating these new products into their system. No. 1 is the difference in cost. Depending on the item, replacing an existing CVC (Chief Value Cotton) item with one that is all-poly or poly rich could be a 20-40% premium in upfront investment over the standard linen price. The second challenge is processing. Because manmade fiber products dry faster and absorb less water, they need to be processed separately to achieve their full benefits. In some cases, this may be more trouble than it is worth.

Although there is an upfront investment, adding these items to a line will more than provide payback over time. By its nature, polyester is stronger than cotton and will last longer. There is less weight loss, which helps protect revenues for those charging by the pound. Studies have shown that these poly-rich items are more resistant to staining, so there is savings to be had by reducing rewash cycles or pre-treating.

This past year was the best time ever to add more poly-rich items to your line or convert completely. The unprecedented rise in cotton prices in 2011 closed the gap, so in some cases switching was a wash (no pun intended), or the premium was slight. If you look at these items from a cost-per-use perspective, they still are a good value.

I’ll offer a few statistics. One company that I work with did some in-house testing on the processing of these new, synthetic-rich items and achieved the following results on several product categories (of course, results may vary from laundry to laundry):

Knit Sheets — Drying time was reduced 25-40% as compared to a cotton-rich item, and water retention was cut in half.

Pads — Drying time was reduced by 50% as compared to a cotton-rich item, and water retention was reduced by 20%.

Clothing Protectors — Drying time was reduced by 60% as compared to a cotton-rich item, and water retention reduced by 40%.

If laundries embrace this new technology, they will experience faster drying times and use less water. They will also have products that last longer. Saving money and time while conserving resources, now that’s a win-win.

HOTEL/MOTEL/RESORT LAUNDRY: JR NORRIS, DELTA UNIFORM AND LINEN, ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.

As energy prices begin to soar, and with today’s current economic uncertainty, now is an excellent time to implement energy benchmarking and waste reduction in your operation.

Conducting energy audits on a regular basis can help determine the actual condition of your equipment as well as its overall performance. These audits can show where and how energy is being wasted, and can help you identify and prioritize future energy-improvement measures.

Unfortunately, it took some time to get our entire team to recognize the benefits and contribute to reducing wasted resources. In addition to insulating hot water and steam lines and repairing leaky valves, we conducted frequent walk-and-talk meetings with maintenance and laundry managers to identify a starting point.

Since our machines are older, we decided we should determine their energy consumption first. To start the process, we had our local electricity provider complete an audit. It conducted a weeklong audit of our usage and compared peak vs. non-peak times. Through these findings, we learned which equipment was pulling the highest amperage and then made proactive decisions to determine what we could do to conserve.

After the audit was complete, we reviewed all of our older equipment that was wasting the most energy. The most energy-consuming piece of equipment turned out to be a 50-hp air compressor, and, unfortunately, we have two of them in place. In an effort to reduce this waste, we purchased a new 25-hp motor, changed the pulleys and reduced the overall amps being used.

Some may ask why we didn’t purchase a new, energy-efficient compressor. We believe in saving first and purchasing newer equipment after all other options have been exhausted.

For example, we had a 900-pound Ellis washer that had such a hard start-up and used so many amps that it continuously caused problems. We implemented today’s technology and installed a soft-start invert drive. This dramatically reduced our daily amps and allowed room on our circuit breaker to install more equipment on our two different power sources. This method of resolution has proven successful in our operation.

In addition to modifying equipment to conserve energy, we also found that by utilizing our skylights as a natural light source, we were able to reduce the number of hours a day that our overhead lights are on. With the generous amount of sunlight that we have in New Mexico, we tapped into this natural resource. The additional natural light encourages more positive production out of our employees than working under bright fluorescent lighting. To take this a step further, we are installing photocells on our fixtures to automatically reduce lighting usage.

The next energy-saving effort we will focus on is a system for reclaiming water. We have grown significantly over the last few years, and have learned that this system will be a vital contributor for cost savings and water preservation. We are in the process of researching this method to determine our future implementation efforts.

Conserving energy can be as easy as wrapping and insulating lines or identifying and repairing all leaking water and air valves. Enlisting your local energy service provider to provide audits of your current consumption can give you a better understanding of your usage and allow you to easily identify waste. Empowering your team to conserve and promote awareness of energy waste can improve the success of your efforts. Education and implementation is the best way to reduce our industry’s carbon footprint and benefit the environment, but it also can assist in reducing our collective bottom lines.

Check back tomorrow for Part 2!

“I know that my laundry operation is due to be inspected sometime soon, but I’m not sure how to get ready for it. Where should my focus be? In what areas are we most likely to get nailed if our operation is deemed substandard?”

Equipment Manufacturing: Chuck Anderson, Ellis Corp., San Diego, Calif.

They say procrastination is a universal human behavior and I have to agree, since I procrastinated in writing this article. But one area we must not procrastinate in is having our laundry ready for inspection at any time. Here is an abbreviated pre-inspection checklist:

OSHA — Occupational Safety & Health Administration

Bloodborne Pathogens — Make sure a documented exposure control plan is in place and reviewed at least yearly with employees. Ensure that personal protective equipment (PPE) is in good condition, clean, and being worn in areas of occupational exposure. Check that engineering controls (e.g., sharps containers, shields, etc.) are in place and sterile.

Hazard Communications — Transmittal of information is to be accomplished by means of comprehensive hazard-communication programs, which are to include container labeling and other forms of warning, Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and employee training.

Confined Spaces — Tunnel washers, chemical tanks, boilers and wastewater pits are all examples of confined spaces. The employer shall inform exposed employees by posting danger signs or by any other equally effective means.

Lock Out/Tag Out — Establish a program consisting of energy control procedures, employee training and periodic inspections. Ensure that before any employee performs any servicing or maintenance on a machine or equipment where the unexpected energizing, startup or release of stored energy could occur and cause injury, the machine or equipment shall be isolated from the energy source and rendered inoperative. Electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, chemical and thermal are all examples of energy sources.

Machinery Guarding — Ensure guards are in place and function correctly. Guarding shall be provided to protect the operator and other employees in the machine area from hazards such as those created by point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, etc. Barrier guards, two-hand tripping devices, electronic safety devices, etc., are examples of guarding methods.

HLAC — Healthcare Laundry Accreditation Council

Soil Sort Area — Items to check include employee training for BBP, functional separation between soil and clean processing areas, cleanliness that is maintained and documented, proper hazard communication in affected work areas, the provision and wearing of PPE, and cart-washer utilization schedule and functionality.

Wash Aisle — Check to see that wash temperatures and times are maintained, and machines are being loaded properly and documented. Prevent cross-contamination of clean and soil in this area. Wipe down machinery frequently with a good quat disinfectant cleaner.

Finishing Area — Proper blow-down schedule and cleanliness, workflow patterns to prevent cross-contamination, preventive-maintenance documentation, linen-inventory management and proper lighting are the keys here.

Staging and Storage Areas — Make sure these areas are uncluttered, cleaned frequently, and protected from lint blow-down.

Fire Department

General — Are address numbers for the building clearly visible from the street? Is exterior fire department access unobstructed? Is combustible vegetation removed so as to not create a fire hazard? Is a minimum 3-foot clearance maintained around fire hydrants?

Egress — Are the exits and doors easily recognizable, unobstructed and functional? Are the exits and exit enclosures free from combustible materials? Are doors with self-closing hinges maintained in the closed position (not blocked open)?

Electrical — Are all electrical outlets, switches and junction boxes properly covered with cover plates, and is the electrical system safe from any apparent shock and/or other electrical hazards?

Are circuit breakers/fuses labeled? Is the area maintained clear at least 30 inches in front of the electrical panel(s)?

Fire Alarm System — If the building is equipped with an alarm system, has a qualified fire alarm company performed the required annual service?

Fire Extinguishers — Is there access to fire extinguisher(s) rated minimum 2A-10BC? Is the travel distance from all portions of the building less than 75 feet to an extinguisher? Are all extinguishers visible and accessible (not blocked)? Have the extinguisher(s) been serviced and tagged by a fire extinguisher company within the last 12 months?

Fire Suppression Systems — Is the top of storage maintained a minimum 18 inches below head deflectors in fire-sprinkler areas?

Storage of Flammable, Combustible Liquids, and Compressed Gas — Are quantities in excess of 10 gallons of flammable and combustible liquids used for maintenance purposes and the operation of equipment stored in liquid-storage cabinets? Are cylinders of compressed gas, such as helium, argon, oxygen and acetylene, chained securely to prevent them from tipping over?

Local Agencies/Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

State and local agencies may visit to check for valid permits such as boiler operating licenses, business licenses, worker documentation, etc. The Environmental Protection Agency may visit to see that you comply with air cleanliness measures or wastewater discharge limits.

Maintain clear records about anything in the workplace that carries inherent risks, especially if there is a history of accidents with that particular object or situation.

If you have an employee manual, it should be up to date with the most recent laws and regulations regarding health and safety.

Keep the working area clean, free of dangerous surfaces or items that can cause injury, and make it easy to access in case of an emergency or accident. Make sure emergency exits are clearly marked and first-aid kits and fire extinguishers are readily available. While these may seem like minor details, they are, in fact, the areas where most companies fail to comply with OSHA regulations.

Long-Term-Care Laundry: Gary Clifford, Pines of Sarasota, Sarasota, Fla.

Due to be inspected “sometime soon” is really waiting until it is almost too late to do anything about getting ready.

The best time to get ready for your next inspection is immediately after your last inspection. However, if you have waited and are feeling unprepared for an impending inspection, get to work now on improving your chances of passing your inspection.

Take a good look around your facility and honestly evaluate what you are seeing.

A lot of times, we look through things we see every day without actually seeing them. Fight that tendency and you will often spot areas that need improvement.

You may find it helpful to get someone from the outside to evaluate your operation. If you know other laundry managers or feel comfortable with one or two laundry vendors, ask them to check things out.

Soiled and clean linen must be separated and not come in contact with each other at any time during processing. Remember to keep everything—soiled and clean—covered to eliminate contamination. And your staff needs to use standard precautions (PPE) when handling soiled linen.

Cleanliness is something that all inspectors will look for. Not only does it appear clean today, do you have a policy (doesn’t have to be in writing) for keeping things clean? This is especially true when it comes to lint removal. Every member of your laundry staff must be able to tell the inspector when and how they keep things clean.

Schedule a few extra staff meetings to make sure everyone is educated and on the same page. As often as you can, ask the questions you would ask if you were an inspector. And look up the results of any past inspections to make sure you do not repeat mistakes.

If you had a specific problem during a recent inspection, you can be sure the inspecting party will be looking to make sure you corrected that problem!

Don’t wait until “sometime soon” is here to get ready for the next inspection. The facilities that do the right things all the time and are best prepared have the most successful inspections. Make sure your facility is one of them.

Click here for Part 1.

SAN DIEGO — San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) recently named Emerald Textiles, a Southern California commercial healthcare laundry provider, an “Energy Champion” in the Industrial category for energy efficiency and conservation at the sixth annual SDG&E Energy Showcase.

Emerald Textiles and 10 other Energy Champions combined to save more than 55 million kilowatt-hours this year, which provides an energy and environmental impact equal to removing 3,187 cars from California roadways, SDG&E says.

SAN DIEGO — Sharp HealthCare has selected Emerald Textiles, a Southern California commercial laundry service, as exclusive provider of linens and linen services for all Sharp facilities, Emerald Textiles reports via press release.

Sharp HealthCare is a not-for-profit integrated regional healthcare delivery system based in San Diego. Emerald Textiles serves Sharp’s four acute-care hospitals and three specialty hospitals, as well as 19 Sharp Rees-Stealy medical centers.

CHICAGO — Each year, American Laundry News selects a Panel of Experts, a group of individuals representing different segments of the textile services industry. These professionals and tradesmen respond to various management and production questions throughout the year. Let’s meet some of our contributors for 2011:

Hotel/Motel/Resort Laundry: Phil Jones, Sheraton Vistana Resort, Orlando, Fla.

SAN DIEGO — Emerald Textiles, a commercial laundry service offering textile rentals and textile management solutions for Southern California healthcare providers and hotels, will be launching operations here this fall.

Housed in a 111,000-square-foot industrial laundry facility, Emerald Textiles’ new $20 million plant exceeds Title 22 compliance standards, which helps hospitals attain accreditation from The Joint Commission, according to Tom Gildred, founder and CEO of Emerald Textiles.