We all know, in many cases, carwashing volume is way off as a result of several factors. However, there are still busy days. As in many businesses today, carwash owners are often trying to do more with less. These are the times where accidents most likely occur.
Example: At a lube facility the normal procedure for rotating tires required two employees. One of the main purposes of this process was to insure that no steps were missed. During a busy day one employee was removed from this process - result - woman lost tire while driving. The investigation revealed that the lug nuts were never tightened. This could have resulted in serious injury; luckily it was not the case.
How could this apply to carwashing; there have been numerous claims where untrained drivers were used during a busy day resulting in personal injury and property damage incidents.
Moral of the story, procedures are designed to protect customers and employees. It is imperative that everyone at the wash understand that cutting corners, especially at a busy time, will result in increased risk! I recommend highlighting this exposure to your employees with either a poster or an alert included in their paychecks.
OSHA Tip: Bottles used for eyewash stations are not acceptable. To meet OSHA standards the eyewash station must have a minimum of 15 minutes continuous water flow.
