An on-site accident is one of the worst things to experience as a carwash owner. The damage to the equipment is costly to repair, even if it was not your fault. In the worst-case scenario, you may have to cover an employee’s or customer’s medical expenses.

If this happens, you’ll be one having to pay legal fees too. A preventable accident may end up costing you your business. 

When protecting your business, you can never be too prepared. A car wash owner should invest the time and money to lower the risks of on-site accidents. Continue reading on how you can do this.

Learn to Embrace the Unexpected

By the intro of this post, you can tell that anything can happen at any time. So, you must learn how to embrace the unexpected when running a car wash business.

Often accidents happen when the owner least expects it. Then, they wonder how they could have prevented the accident when it happens. For example, a c can easily hit something when driving, or an employee might slip and fall, resulting in a concussion.

On top of this, some owners believe it’s best not to have insurance to cut costs. However, you need insurance when it comes to protecting your business. If an on-site accident does happen, you can afford the expense to fix damage and harm to others.

Be Wary of Accident-Prone Auto Technology

Since the invention of vehicles, there have been numerous technological advancements. It’s great to have cars that drive on their own, offer protection to the braking system, and can help prevent collisions.

However, some of these advanced auto technologies can cause problems. For example, there’s a chance of a tunnel pileup if staff cannot identify cars with advanced technologies.

Due to this, a car wash owner needs at least one employee who knows different car models. In addition, the employee could teach others, especially the loaders, what vehicles have collision avoidance or automatic emergency braking systems. 

For example, forward collision mitigation systems are problematic because sensors cannot distinguish a wall from a soft curtain inside a‌ ‌carwash. Also, electronic parking brakes and sensors of the auto-braking system can further slow down the car wash.

These advanced technologies cause mechanical stops over simple reasons, such as a water curtain or mitter cloths touching the vehicle. Lastly, employees must keep track of these vehicles and note any workarounds to ensure that the customers are moving through the wash in an intended manner.

Provide Safety Training to Your Employees

Safety training for your employees should start from day one of employment. You should also provide ongoing training to them to prevent on-site accidents. When employees are not properly trained in safety, a simple mistake can result in severe injury.

The safety training should include wearing personal protective equipment, understanding equipment hazards, learning about chemical hazards, reporting incidents, performing emergency stops, and locating‌ ‌safety‌ ‌data sheets‌.

As the owner, it’s your job to provide all team members with safety glasses, ear protection, and nitrile gloves so they can protect themselves. Also, remind them they need to turn off and lock out power on equipment before maintenance.

Providing a safety manual to your employees is not enough. It’s best to provide on-site education so they can learn the steps to handling the equipment.

Inspect Equipment Regularly to Ensure It Is in Good Working Condition

A well-maintained car wash is a safe car wash. This means the equipment is regularly inspected for safety hazards and repaired or replaced as needed. In addition, the area around the car wash should be kept clean and free of clutter to prevent trip and fall accidents.

Another way to prevent onsite accidents is to have a clear and concise safety policy. All employees should be trained on this policy, and it should be regularly reviewed. 

Any changes to the policy should be communicated to all employees as soon as possible. Again, this should be apart of your employees safety training, so remember to go over the policy with them.

Post Clear Warning Signs and Maintain Adequate Lighting in All Areas of the Car Wash

To prevent accidents, car wash owners should post clear warning signs and maintain adequate lighting in all car wash areas. Good lighting will help ensure that employees and customers can see potential hazards, and clear warning signs will remind everyone to take precautions. 

Consider posting warning signs at the car wash entrance, inside and exit areas. It’s also important for you to add lighting at the entrance, exit, and hidden spots so customers can see where they’re going at night. By taking these precautions, car wash owners can help prevent accidents on their premises.

Limit On-Site Accidents at Your Car Wash With These Bits of Advice

As we have seen, there are many things you can do to help prevent on-site accidents at your car wash business. From ensuring employees are properly trained to having the right insurance in place. You can rest assured that taking these precautions will help keep your customers safe and your business running smoothly. 

Don’t forget to let your customers know about your safety measures – a little transparency can go a long way to reassuring them about their safety.