Survey Reflects Steady Safety Gains

Register for the Safety Summit

TRSA members continue to reduce occupational injuries and illnesses and remain safer than nonmember textile service operators. Newly compiled 2012 TRSA survey data shows five-year declines of one-third in members’ key incident rates, with their performance at least 20% to 30% below nonmembers in most such metrics.

From 2008-’12, TRSA survey respondents’ combined total reported incident rate (TRIR) fell 35.7% and their days away from work, restricted and transfer (DART) rate dropped 33.3%. Comparing 2012 TRSA data with the most recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS, a Labor Department agency) compilations for the industry as a whole, TRSA respondents were better:

• 20% in DART at 3.2 incidents per 100 full-time workers vs. 4.0 for the nation’s entire linen and uniform supply (LUS) industry
• 30% in DART in industrial laundry (IL) at 2.6 vs. 3.7 for all U.S. IL facilities
• 21% in TRIR for all TRSA respondents at 4.5 vs. 5.7 for the LUS industry
• 20% in industrial TRIR at 4.0 vs. 5.0 for all ILs
   

Of the roughly 1,200 industry classifications that BLS produces these statistics for, the LUS figures for TRIR are among the highest, sharing the 80th percentile with 15 other types of businesses, including manufacturers of food, die-cut paper/paperboard office supplies, clay products and footwear. TRSA’s respondents are in just the 62nd percentile. In DART, LUS is at the 91st percentile; TRSA, 79th.

Survey results are on the agenda for discussion at TRSA’s May 21-22 Safety Summit in Indianapolis, where attendees will collaborate on new solutions to persistent risks such as driver safety, ergonomics, bloodborne pathogens and hazard communication. Industry leaderswill facilitate these interactive discussions to develop best practices and policies: tangible, immediately applicable tactics participants will use to enhance their companies’ safety cultures.

TRSA introduced the Summit last year in light of the success of such collaboration through other information-sharing techniques under the SafeTRSA™ banner, such as the survey and online safety training resources.

The data for the 2012 TRSA survey came from 713 “plants” and “depots,” reporting separate results for both. Plants are primarily laundry processing and finishing facilities. Their survey data includes their on-site operations and administrative and route distribution functions. Depots perform mostly route distribution work but may sort soiled laundry and stage clean goods for delivery. The TRSA research shows linen supply depots nearing the zero-incident goal, having registered discernible TRIRs and DARTs in just two of the past five annual surveys. Industrial laundry depots (which handle mostly uniforms) have reduced TRIR by 69.5% and DART by 82.7% in the past five years.

Complete results of the TRSA survey are provided at no cost to members who report their data; they receive a customized report showing how their results compare with the sample as a whole. TRSA’s Safety Committee plans to release the full report later this year.