WARNING!!! Possible $5,000 ADA Fine for carpet cleaners.

[vegijohn]

I got hit with a $623 fine that goes up an additional $250 with each additional violation in a given year. The fine was because of my hoses running across the sidewalk and hanging from a building.

The ticketing office stated that the fine could have been as high as $5000 if the some one from the ADA (Americans with Disability Act) had cited me.

The ramps available from our distributors are NOT ADA compliant. According to Sgt. Tobin with SFPD the ramps need to have hand rails. The ramps must have 12inch length for every 1 inch rise. So a ramp that is 4inch high must be 8 feet long!!

Ped traffic must also be funneled onto ramp so that people can not walk around ramp and possible trip on ramp. the funneling can be done with yellow police type tape.

If you decide to hang the hoses overhead then you should to set up overhead protection with scaffolding. The hose must be 7 feet above the ground and a 5 foot wide walkway path through the scaffolding is needed.
traffic must also be funneled to this as well.

There will be a free class in San Francisco on Feb 6 at 8am to 12noon. The address is 455 Golden Gate Ave in the Auditorium room.

Check with your local ordinances before its too late. According to Sgt. Tobin these rules also apply for San Mateo and East bay counties.

Here is some info that might be helpful. Although it is based on San Francisco ordinances it can help you be compliant with Federal rules.
http://www.sfmta.com/bluebook

I'm thinking of charging a fee up to $50 called a ADA compliance fee to help pay for all the extra hassle. Or maybe I'll trade in my vortex for a rug doctor-- yeah right.

 

[vegijohn]

I have a lawyer working on the 25K.

But this fine and what it requires me and my crews to do at each job could mean a loss of 1 job per truck per day. this can really add up to some big money.

Again-- I'm doing my part to help my fellow carpet cleaners. Carpet cleaning is hard enough without $5000 fines or 25k stupid mistakes.

Because of these BB's we were able to worn others about ACE. which may be out of business.

 

[Ricky Thurman]

another reason I thank God that I don't live in California


I know ADA is a Federal Law, but the likehood of a carpet cleaner being bothered by it in Stephenville, Texas is small. Probably not impossible, but small.

 

[rhyde]

Gezzz and i though Portland was unfriendly to business an 8x 5 Ft + ramps don't sound possible

How hard is it to get a permit to close the side walk ?

 

[The Preacher]

why not leave that lib town and take yore tax $$$ with you???

to stay in a place like that is just STOOPIT!!!

 

[Greg Loe]

 

[Craig Lindquist]

They institutionalize the disabled here.

 

[Mikey P]

They institutionalize the disabled here.

So Craig, is the food really as bad as they say?

 

[R W]

Couple of 3-4 orange cones, keep the hoses tight, and tell the HC they can go around the other way 'round here. Or have some bling-bling wearing gangsta's hanging 'round the hoses to scare away litlle old crippled people.

 

[Craig Lindquist]

I didn't say the institutionalize the mentally disabled.

 

[vegijohn]

Craig I Love your PETA remark:
Proud Member of PETA
(People Eating Tasty Animals) I want to get a t-shirt with this saying. LOL

btw I'm vegijohn because my truck runs on vegi oil.

 

[rhyde]

Craig I Love your PETA remark:
Proud Member of PETA
(People Eating Tasty Animals) I want to get a t-shirt with this saying. LOL

btw I'm vegijohn because my truck runs on vegi oil.

I have that shirt

 

[Michael Rossi]

You californians are crazy. Tell the queers in frisco to cut out the thoughts of what they'd like to do with the hoses

 

[Numero Uno]

Odin nailed it...

 

[Scottie]

Problem is, what starts in California usually infects the rest of the free thinking country eventually. Thanks Arnold.

 

[Jimmy L]

get yourself a cimex and some SHAMPOO, I hear that it cleans everything!

 

[FB7777]

I'm still laughing at Brevik's remark

 

[XTREME1]

I bet parking on the sidewalk would draw a lesser fine

 

[danpauselius]

Once again, the government doing it's best to stick it right up our asses. I'll bet the schmuck who wrote that bill campaigns on being "small business friendly".

 

[Rex Tyus]

Once again, the government doing it's best to stick it right up our asses. I'll bet the schmuck who wrote that bill campaigns on being "small business friendly".

No you can pretty much blame the DEMS and the media for that one. It has been a while but I seem to remember some pretty intimidating coverage form the press about detractors from the bill being anti disabled,hard hearted, detached from the people......

Another problem with democracy is every idiot gets to vote. Our founding fathers DAMN SURE did NOT intend this to be the case.

 

[cu]

YEP THAT SUCKS THAT YOU MIGHT LOSE A JOB A DAY .but then again you can always WALK back to your 90k rig or your 40k sprinter and roll up your hoses then ramble over to the store and get a soda, and not worry that your wheels will slip or a truck wont see you or that the store has two steps to get in the door and if there is another rug sucker with his hose,s out on the street none of you have to worry about stepping over them ...your white stick wont snag on them will they ......

yep sure sucks to clean carpet in a city where some people dont have use of everything you take for granted...................sometimes you guy think to little about others
from the father of a deaf ,blind child

 

[Rex Tyus]

CU,
there is a big difference between reasonable accommodations and counter productive over regulation. That is all anyone is saying. It is impossible to protect everyone from everything.

It is true many of us take things for granted that we shouldn't. The ramps from distributors should be more than acceptable for a temporary situation.

If someone with a compromised immune system gets sick from being in that store and dies because it was dirty who would be blamed? There is always a "what if".

 

[alazo1]

I wonder if that's enforced mainly in SF. SF is very crowded and busy. Must be tough cc there. How the heck do you get that big truck to park anywhere in that city?

Albert

 

[nickreal]

If I were you, I would comply using the ramps or the scaffolding, charge the extra fee, pass out copies of your fine with your invoice explaining the reason for the extra charge, and turn in every possible offense you see. Remember to calculate your profit after your overhead, that way the higher your overhead the more your profit.

I'm a little vindictive so I would probably google the person who fined you and see if you can find any dirt on them as well. Good luck.

 

[alazo1]

Damn, you're a rough dude Nick. I'll make sure not to get in your bad side.

Albert

 

[cu]

Rex, i agree with you but why would you not make a ra and use a porty and a roto scrub to do the job

sf is a crap city to work in and there are those abuse the ada because they are bitter. but the fact remains life aint easy for everybody.

 

[Rex Tyus]

Rex, i agree with you but why would you not make a ra and use a porty and a roto scrub to do the job

I would if I wanted to do the job.

sf is a crap city to work in and there are those abuse the ada because they are bitter. but the fact remains life aint easy for everybody.

That is generally what happens with well intended but excessive regulation. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. I always cringe at working across a sidewalk even in the extremely small towns I service. It is always after hours.

There should be some common sense to the legislation as well as good intentions. I remember when the laws went into effect. I worked for a large corporation we spent major $'s to be in compliance. Not a big deal for a profitable large company. The smaller to midsized companies were frequently strained. Believe it or not some couldn't afford the upgrades and were fined so heavy they had to close. I generally try to see both sides often I am more narrow minded than I should be. Thanks for reminding me of that.


Rex

 

[Scottie]

I'm waiting for technology to catch up and we TM users can go hoseless and just do virtual cleaning. :roll:

 

[alazo1]

If I worked in sf I'd have 2 methods. Vlm and portable. The portable would be like the one I saw some months ago in a trade magazine. I think it weighed 40 lbs (very small). Connect to customers hose and drain to their sink. The water there is very good so you'd get by without any kind of softener but I do belive it has some sort of chem injector.A reguular portable would be too much of a pita. Almost everyone lives at least a flight of stairs up. And usually it's not your normal steps.

With that said I'm sure John does quite well with the challenges the city has. I wonder how long us Californians would last in a state with snow. Me, 3 jobs max

Albert