How safe are you washing your buses? While most would like to wash at their own facilities, there are many barriers, primarily the cost and availability of space at their location. Many companies, cities and schools did not build for a wash bay in mind, or don’t feel they can afford an automated washing system. You would be surprised at how affordable today’s automated systems are and how versatile they can be.
Generally, the cost to wash is buried in the maintenance budget, with the majority choosing external companies to rely on their washing, primarily with a tanker truck full of water and some sort of chemicals showing up in the yard and spraying down the buses late at night or over the weekend. Do you know if you are responsible for those employees, if any accidents happen on your property? There have been some cases last year where the company was fined for the deaths of third-party workers washing their vehicles. It would be prudent to know where you stand.
For those that have a facility and a need to wash their buses regularly, have the toughest decisions. With a pressure washer, long handle brush and a ladder, staff scrubs away on a bus by hand. Safety of the individuals becomes an issue when you have high-pressure hoses and ladders with water and chemicals abound in confined spaces. Injury and fatigue can become common with little resolve for the workers due to the lack of proper equipment.
Working with any supplier of washing equipment systems will help enhance the experience of the workers with ergonomically placed drop guns, ensure proper equipment set up as well as offer the most efficient system to allow washing your trailers.
Today’s technology to wash vehicles is advancing quickly, almost as fast as government regulations on gray water and waste disposal. There are many options to deal with these issues; however, it always comes down to cost and time to invest in the proper methods.
Chemical companies are getting focused on the proper alignment of products and equipment companies are developing more affordable machinery to help alleviate worker compensation issues. However, if companies do not focus on this safety issue, money is literally going down the drain in labor costs, chemical understanding and of course water costs, as they rise to a premium.
By using metered soap systems and a mechanical automated washing system that reduces the exposure to accidents, this will have a much better ROI than the other alternatives. Today’s automatic systems can fit almost anywhere in a building without requiring dedicated space.
Jack Jackson is president of Awash Systems Corp., a provider of large vehicle washing systems, waste water treatment and wash bay design. He can be contacted at jjackson@awashsystems.com or 800/265-7405.
