TRSA Member Laundries Surpass Manufacturing Sector in Preventing Workplace Injury, Illness

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National survey finds textile service industry continuing to make strides in safety improvement rates

ALEXANDRIA, Va., – TRSA, the leading global textile services trade association, has released results of its annual national safety survey, which demonstrated the commercial laundry industry continuing to make dramatic progress toward achieving its ultimate goal of eliminating occupational injuries and illnesses in its facilities.

Survey findings included significant reductions in the Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) and the Days Away, Restricted and/or Transfer Rate (DART) for the laundry industry by 26.4 percent and 21.2 percent respectively from 2011 to 2015. By comparison, the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics found the private manufacturing industry – which has safety and compliance mandates similar to those of commercial laundry facilities – reduced its TRIR by 9.1 percent and its DART rates by 8.3 percent respectively over a five year period.

“This latest TRSA safety report demonstrates the continued commitment by our members to significantly improve worker health and safety in commercial laundry facilities,” said Joseph Ricci, president and CEO of TRSA. “As with our commitments to advancing hygienically clean processes and responsible environmental stewardship, our members are committed to protecting the health and safety of their workers. The proof of that commitment is evident in their TRIR and DART rates, which have continued to drop significantly for years.”

TRSA’s Textile Services Industry Safety Report covered a period from 2011 to 2015 and based its questions on U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) standards. It included occupational injury and illness data gathered from 671 TRSA member textile processing facilities and depots by the Mackay Research Group—an independent, third-party organization that specializes in providing comprehensive information on employee, operating and financial performance for trade associations.

For the past decade, SafeTRSA has provided industry-specific tools and resources to help textile service providers improve their safety performance by documenting best practices and compliance. The TRSA Safety Committee continually updates and revises the material to identify and mitigate risks in their laundry facilities and on routes. The Safety Report is available at www.SafeTRSA.org