HOTEL LAUNDRY MANUAL

What kind of work do people do in the hotel laundry?

Work in this case study of a hotel laundry is divided into two operations done by two separate groups of workers. Sorting, washing and drying towels is completed by one group of two workers. Drying (except for towels) and folding is completed by another group of six workers.

What are the tasks involved in "Sorting and Washing"?

In this hotel, housekeepers use a laundry chute to get the dirty linen from the upstairs down to the laundry area. The sorting and washing operation involves the following:

sorting laundry

loading bins which weigh 60 pounds of dry laundry, and 120 pounds when wet

transporting (pushing/pulling) bins to washer

loading washer

unloading washer

transporting (pushing/pulling) bins to dryer (towels only)

loading dryer with towels

unloading towels from the dryer

In one eight-hour shift, 20 bins of laundry are processed by two workers (Figure 1.). The dry laundry is handled four times (60 lbs x 4 handlings x 20 bins = 4,800 lbs); the wet laundry is handled twice (120 lbs x 2 handlings x 20 bins = 4,800 lbs). The workload is distributed evenly, so each worker handles approximately 4,800 lbs or 2,200 kg of laundry every day.    

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