Burns and Ergonomics at Irons and Steam Presses

Ironing and press safety: the section's risk map

In a garment workshop, the cutting and sewing sections usually attract attention, while the ironing and pressing section is seen as the "final check". Yet ironing and press safety covers the area of the workshop with the most complaints about burns and heat. Steam irons, vacuum ironing tables, collar and cuff presses, fusing presses and the steam boiler feeding them all operate in the same area, often in a cramped layout.

Manufacture of outerwear (NACE 14.21.01) is in the less hazardous class in the hazard class list renewed in 2025. This class does not mean the risk assessment can be done superficially: Art. 4 of Law No. 6331 requires every employer to assess risks and take measures. For the overall picture of the workshop, see our article on OHS in garment workshops; this article focuses only on the ironing and pressing section.

Source	Typical event	Affected	Priority measure
Steam iron and hose	Steam jet, contact with the hot soleplate	Hand, forearm	Hose check, iron rest or hanger
Steam boiler or generator	Leaks, splashing during filling and blowdown	Presser, maintenance staff	Periodic inspection, written filling instruction
Collar, cuff and fusing press	Hand trapped between plates, hot plate burn	Finger, hand	Two-hand control, guard, hot surface sign
Ironing table and work layout	Constant standing, reaching, repetitive wrist movement	Back, shoulder, wrist, legs	Adjustable table, rotation, mat
Steam and hot surfaces	Rising section temperature, fluid loss	Whole team	Extraction, insulation, water and break routine

Steam iron burns: where and how do they happen?

Steam iron burns mostly happen at three moments: when the soleplate is touched, when the steam nozzle is accidentally turned towards the hand, and when the hose or a connection point leaks steam. When steam contacts the skin and condenses, it releases the heat it carries all at once. That is why even brief contact with steam can cause a much deeper burn than air at the same temperature.

The shortcomings we see most often on site are:

No iron rest or hanger. The iron is laid on the edge of the table; the employee touches the soleplate with their forearm while picking up the next piece.
Worn hose. Iron hoses are constantly bent and rub against the table. Cracks, blistering or scale at the connection are warning signs of a steam leak.
Steam nozzle facing the hand. When steaming a garment on a hanger, the other hand holds the fabric and the steam comes onto the hand.
Intervening while the boiler is hot. Hot water and steam splash during topping up, blowdown or filter cleaning.

The measures are simple but should be in writing. Every ironing station has a heat-resistant rest or spring hanger. Hoses are visually checked weekly; an iron with a visible leak is not used and is reported to maintenance. For work where fabric is held by hand while steaming, gloves that are heat-resistant and do not restrict finger movement are chosen; the selection criteria are in our article on choosing work gloves. Explain what to do when a burn happens to the team using our article on first aid for burns at work.

Hands trapped in presses: collar, cuff and fusing presses

Garment presses look small compared with metal presses, but the working principle is the same: two plates close and squeeze everything in between. On top of that, the plates are hot. Hands trapped in presses mostly happen when the hand is put out towards the plate at the last moment to straighten an edge while positioning the piece. The infeed belt of a fusing press and transfer printing presses carry a similar risk.

Check these five points for every press:

Two-hand control or equivalent protection. The control that closes the plates should work only when both hands press at the same time. Pedal-operated presses should have a fixed guard or light curtain that prevents the hand entering between the plates.
No bridging. Taping down one of the buttons, holding it down with a piece of wood or leaving the pedal permanently pressed are the most dangerous practices. The first person to see this stops the press and reports it to their supervisor.
Movement stops when a button is released. If one of the buttons is released during closing, the plate movement should stop. This function is tested at the start of the shift.
Hot surface warning. There is a hot surface sign around the plate and a gauge showing the plate temperature.
Protection at the belt infeed. The nip point between the infeed roller of the fusing press and the belt is enclosed.

For the logic behind types of guard, see our article on machine guarding. No cleaning or adjustment is done without cutting off the press's electrical, compressed air and heat energy; the steps are in our article on the LOTO procedure.

Presser ergonomics and ironing table height

The presser stands throughout the shift, lifting, pushing and putting down the iron. The wrist and shoulder repeat the same movement hundreds of times. We described the general effects of prolonged standing in our article on the risks of standing work. Points specific to the section in terms of presser ergonomics are:

Table height should be adjusted to the person. Ironing is standing work that puts a load on the arm. The general ergonomic principle is that in this kind of work the working surface should be slightly below elbow height. A table fixed at one height forces a tall employee to bend forward and a short employee to raise their shoulder.
Heavy irons should be carried by a hanger. On industrial irons, a balancer hanger reduces the load of lifting the iron.
Reach distances should be shortened. Carts for pieces to be ironed and pieces already ironed should stand right next to the employee, at waist height.
The floor should be cushioned. Anti-fatigue mats are used on concrete floors; their edges are fixed so as not to create a trip hazard.
Rotation should be arranged. Rotating between ironing and folding, inspection or packing prevents the same muscle group being loaded all day.

Observation	Possible cause	Correction
Trunk bent forward, neck flexed	Table low for the employee	Raise the table or fit raising legs
Shoulder raised, elbow out to the side	Table high for the employee	Lower the table or give the employee a platform
Wrist bent, pain in the forearm	Iron heavy, handle angle unsuitable	Hanger or a lighter iron
Constant twisting and reaching	Piece carts far away	Bring the carts to your side and to waist height

Catching musculoskeletal complaints early is the workplace physician's duty. In periodic examinations, employees in the ironing section should be asked specifically about back, shoulder and wrist complaints.

Hot environment: a section heated by steam

Because of steam and hot surfaces, the ironing section can be hotter than the rest of the workshop; in the summer months this difference becomes marked. Annex I of the Regulation on Health and Safety Measures in Workplace Buildings and Annexes requires the temperature of the working environment to be appropriate to the working method and the physical effort of employees. Where work in a very hot environment is unavoidable, measures are taken to protect employees from the heat.

In practice, look at the following:

The external discharge of the vacuum ironing tables and steam extraction is checked; steam is not discharged into the section.
Steam lines and the area around the boiler are insulated. An uninsulated line is a source of both burns and heat load.
Drinking water is available inside the section, within easy reach; break frequency is increased on hot days.
Symptoms such as dizziness, muscle cramps, excessive sweating and nausea are explained to the team. For first response, see our article on heat stroke.

If temperature, humidity and air velocity measurements are needed in the section, we plan them with authorised laboratories and record the results in the risk assessment. The measurement parameters are in our article on thermal comfort measurement.

Checklist for the ironing section

You can use the list below on the monthly site walk:

There is a rest or hanger at every ironing station.
There are no cracks, blistering or leaks on iron hoses and connections.
The current periodic inspection report for the steam boiler is on file.
The boiler filling and blowdown instruction is posted next to the boiler.
Two-hand controls or guards on presses work; there is no bridging.
There is a hot surface sign around the plates.
Ironing tables are adjusted to the height of employees.
Iron cables are not crushed, sockets are fixed and there is residual current protection.
Steam extraction works, and drinking water is in the section.
Ironing section employees have covered burns, trapping and ergonomics in their job-specific risks training.

For the electrical installation side, see our article on earthing and residual current devices. For other sections of textile businesses, see our textiles page.

In garment workshops in Bursa and the surrounding provinces, Bursa Sistemer addresses the ironing and pressing section as a separate activity in the risk assessment as part of the OHS specialist service, and monitors press checks, boiler records and table layout on site walks. You can plan your periodic inspection and training dates with the OHS calendar tool.

Frequently Asked Questions

Garment manufacturing is less hazardous; should the ironing section be assessed separately?

Yes. The hazard class determines obligations such as training duration and service time; it does not narrow the scope of the risk assessment. Burn, trapping and hot environment risks in the ironing and pressing section should appear as a separate activity in the report.

Who inspects the steam boiler in the ironing section?

Under Annex III, steam boilers are subject to periodic inspection at least once a year. From 1 January 2027, this inspection is carried out by authorised persons working at equipment inspection bodies. The person who maintains the boiler cannot carry out the periodic inspection of the same boiler.

How many centimetres high should an ironing table be?

There is no single measurement that suits everyone. The criterion is the employee's elbow height: the surface should be slightly below the elbow. That is why an adjustable table is the best solution; if there is none, a platform or riser is used.

What personal protective equipment do pressers need?

It depends on the risk assessment. For work where fabric is held while steaming, heat-resistant gloves and closed, non-slip footwear are the basic equipment. PPE does not replace technical measures such as fixing a steam leak or guarding a press.