Author Archives: Ida

by | April 2, 2012 · 7:48 am

Hospitality Industry Crime Risks: "End Child Prostitution And Trafficking (ECPAT)" Seeks Hotels' Assistance In Fighting Internet Prostitution

End Child Prostitution and Trafficking (ECPAT) has been trying to enlist the help of hotels in fighting prostitution by agreeing to:

CODE OF CONDUCT FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN FROM SEXUAL EXPLOITATION IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM

THE SIX CRITERIA

Suppliers of tourism services adopting the code commit themselves to implement the following six criteria:
1. To establish an ethical policy regarding commercial sexual exploitation of children.
2. To train the personnel in the country of origin and travel destinations.
3. To introduce a clause in contracts with suppliers, stating a common repudiation of commercial sexual exploitation of children.
4. To provide information to travellers by means of catalogues, brochures, in-flight films, ticket-slips, home pages, etc.
5. To provide information to local “key persons” at the destinations.
6. To report annually.

http://www.ecpat.net/ei/Programmes_CST.asp

Human trafficking is the second-largest organized crime in the world. The U.N. estimates more than one million children, the majority of them girls, are sexually exploited each year in the multibillion dollar sex industry.

The ease with which traffickers can use the Internet to sell sex has changed the way the sex trade operates. Instead of working the streets, women and girls are increasingly being sold in hotels.

But ECPAT executive director Carol Smolinsky says many hotels have balked at some of the policies the organization asks them to follow.  “When a company signs the code of conduct it has to have a policy against sexual exploitation of children,” Smolinsky says. “Over these years it’s been frankly shocking to me that even the step of having a policy against sexual exploitation has been troubling shall we say for them.”
One of the requirements of the code is that hotels inform their customers of that policy.  “One problem we’re having in our industry is some of the things they’re asking the hotels to do,” says Joe Mcinerney, president and CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association. “Putting notices in the rooms… they feel that might be an intrusion into customers thinking that maybe there is a problem at that hotel.”

For more:  http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/Nun-Helps-Lead-Fight-Against-Hotel-Prostitution-145761575.html

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by | April 1, 2012 · 10:45 am

Hospitality Industry Food Safety Risks: Ohio Restaurants Report Decrease In "Critical Health Violations"; Refrigeration Temperatures, Employee Hand Washing And Mixing Of Raw And Cooked Foods Are Major Concerns

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that each year roughly 48 million people, or 1 in 6 Americans, get sick from a foodborne disease. Of those 48 million, 128,000 people are hospitalized and 3,000 people die due to food that was improperly stored or prepared. The CDC said there are 31 known pathogens that can grow in food that is not stored correctly that will infect unaware eaters.

A critical violation refers to anything “that could directly impact food safety,” according to Brian Williamson, chief of environmental services for Butler County. Examples include proper storage temperatures not being met, an employee not washing his or her hands before preparing food or mixing of raw and cooked foods.

The health departments keep track of restaurant conditions as part of the fight against foodborne diseases.

Nationally, consumers are expected to spend $632 billion at restaurants, according to the National Restaurant Association. This number is an increase of 3.5 percent over 2011. In Butler County alone, there are more than 2,000 places that provide food for sale in some capacity.

“If it’s a critical violation, we try to get it corrected while we’re there,” said Carla Ealy, director of environmental health for the city of Middletown. “If it’s something like a broken refrigerator, where it may take awhile to fix, we come back in 24 or 48 hours to make sure it has been repaired.”

Even if the violations are corrected while the inspector is still at the restaurant, the incident is recorded. Awareness and a realization of how incidents can put the public’s health at risk are keys to public safety, Williamson said.

For more:  http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/critical-health-violations-fall-at-area-eateries-1353156.html

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by | · 10:45 am

Hospitality Industry Food Safety Risks: Ohio Restaurants Report Decrease In "Critical Health Violations"; Refrigeration Temperatures, Employee Hand Washing And Mixing Of Raw And Cooked Foods Are Major Concerns

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that each year roughly 48 million people, or 1 in 6 Americans, get sick from a foodborne disease. Of those 48 million, 128,000 people are hospitalized and 3,000 people die due to food that was improperly stored or prepared. The CDC said there are 31 known pathogens that can grow in food that is not stored correctly that will infect unaware eaters.

A critical violation refers to anything “that could directly impact food safety,” according to Brian Williamson, chief of environmental services for Butler County. Examples include proper storage temperatures not being met, an employee not washing his or her hands before preparing food or mixing of raw and cooked foods.

The health departments keep track of restaurant conditions as part of the fight against foodborne diseases.

Nationally, consumers are expected to spend $632 billion at restaurants, according to the National Restaurant Association. This number is an increase of 3.5 percent over 2011. In Butler County alone, there are more than 2,000 places that provide food for sale in some capacity.

“If it’s a critical violation, we try to get it corrected while we’re there,” said Carla Ealy, director of environmental health for the city of Middletown. “If it’s something like a broken refrigerator, where it may take awhile to fix, we come back in 24 or 48 hours to make sure it has been repaired.”

Even if the violations are corrected while the inspector is still at the restaurant, the incident is recorded. Awareness and a realization of how incidents can put the public’s health at risk are keys to public safety, Williamson said.

For more:  http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/critical-health-violations-fall-at-area-eateries-1353156.html

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by | March 31, 2012 · 9:12 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Wisconsin Restaurant Sued By EEOC For "Racial Discrimination" And "Wrongful Termination"

“..(the restaurant management) made a bad situation worse by firing the man who had the guts to stand up to it…the EEOC will stand up for people (like this employee)…”

“…the EEOC is seeking back pay, job reinstatement, compensatory and punitive damages…”

A restaurant in Menomonie, Wis., is being sued by the federal government because its managers posted images of a noose, a Klan hood and other racist depictions that prompted a black employee to complain and then be fired. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) lawsuit, filed Tuesday against the owners of Sparx Restaurant & Bar, alleges that Dion Miller was fired in retaliation for complaining about the racist atmosphere that the images conveyed.

According to the suit:

Miller arrived for a regular shift and found taped to the cooler a picture of black actor Gary Coleman and a dollar bill that was defaced with a noose around the neck of a black-faced George Washington. Also on the dollar bill were swastikas and the image of a man in a Ku Klux Klan hood.

Sparx’s managers told Miller that they had posted the images the evening before and insisted that it was just “a joke.”

Miller was fired within weeks of complaining for allegedly having “a bad attitude.”

The suit was filed after an attempt at a settlement with the restaurant’s owner, Northern Star Hospitality Inc., failed.

“Sparx bills itself as a ‘family restaurant’ even as its managers posted imagery which evokes shameful memories of racially motivated physical attacks and lynchings,” John Hendrickson, regional attorney for the Chicago district of the EEOC, said in a statement Wednesday announcing the lawsuit.

For more:  http://www.startribune.com/local/144690225.html

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by | · 9:12 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: Wisconsin Restaurant Sued By EEOC For "Racial Discrimination" And "Wrongful Termination"

“..(the restaurant management) made a bad situation worse by firing the man who had the guts to stand up to it…the EEOC will stand up for people (like this employee)…”

“…the EEOC is seeking back pay, job reinstatement, compensatory and punitive damages…”

A restaurant in Menomonie, Wis., is being sued by the federal government because its managers posted images of a noose, a Klan hood and other racist depictions that prompted a black employee to complain and then be fired. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) lawsuit, filed Tuesday against the owners of Sparx Restaurant & Bar, alleges that Dion Miller was fired in retaliation for complaining about the racist atmosphere that the images conveyed.

According to the suit:

Miller arrived for a regular shift and found taped to the cooler a picture of black actor Gary Coleman and a dollar bill that was defaced with a noose around the neck of a black-faced George Washington. Also on the dollar bill were swastikas and the image of a man in a Ku Klux Klan hood.

Sparx’s managers told Miller that they had posted the images the evening before and insisted that it was just “a joke.”

Miller was fired within weeks of complaining for allegedly having “a bad attitude.”

The suit was filed after an attempt at a settlement with the restaurant’s owner, Northern Star Hospitality Inc., failed.

“Sparx bills itself as a ‘family restaurant’ even as its managers posted imagery which evokes shameful memories of racially motivated physical attacks and lynchings,” John Hendrickson, regional attorney for the Chicago district of the EEOC, said in a statement Wednesday announcing the lawsuit.

For more:  http://www.startribune.com/local/144690225.html

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by | March 30, 2012 · 1:10 am

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Alabama Restaurant Guests Are Exposed To "Hepatitis A" Through An "Infected Employee"

Hepatitis A is a communicable disease that spreads from person-to-person. It is spread almost exclusively through fecal-oral contact, generally from person-to-person, or via contaminated food or water. Symptoms may not occur for several weeks after exposure and may include abdominal discomfort, fever, malaise, muscle aches, and a yellowing of the skin called jaundice. In rare cases, hepatitis A causes liver failure.

In the wake of a report linking a potential mass exposure of hepatitis A to a Northport McDonald’s restaurant, food safety expert and attorney William Marler is calling on McDonald’s to vaccinate its employees against the virus.

On March 28, the Alabama Department of Public Health released a statement indicating that people who ate at a Northport McDonald’s, located at 2000 McFarland Boulevard, from February 28 through March 14 may have been exposed to hepatitis A through an infected employee. Customers who ate breakfast at the McDonald’s on March 16 may also have been exposed.

Hepatitis A is the only foodborne illness for which a vaccine exists; however infection can only be prevented if the vaccine is given within 14 days of exposure. Therefore those individuals who were potentially exposed on March 14 and March 16 should contact a medical provider immediately to receive treatment. Those who may have been exposed prior to March 14 should have developed symptoms by now if they have contracted the virus.

“From both a public health perspective and business perspective, it makes sense for restaurants to vaccinate their employees against hepatitis A,” said Marler. “It is much simpler to take the initial proactive precaution rather than gamble on a mass scare that equates to potential illness, loss of business, and public uncertainty.”

For more:  http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/3/prweb9347722.htm

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by | · 1:10 am

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: Alabama Restaurant Guests Are Exposed To "Hepatitis A" Through An "Infected Employee"

Hepatitis A is a communicable disease that spreads from person-to-person. It is spread almost exclusively through fecal-oral contact, generally from person-to-person, or via contaminated food or water. Symptoms may not occur for several weeks after exposure and may include abdominal discomfort, fever, malaise, muscle aches, and a yellowing of the skin called jaundice. In rare cases, hepatitis A causes liver failure.

In the wake of a report linking a potential mass exposure of hepatitis A to a Northport McDonald’s restaurant, food safety expert and attorney William Marler is calling on McDonald’s to vaccinate its employees against the virus.

On March 28, the Alabama Department of Public Health released a statement indicating that people who ate at a Northport McDonald’s, located at 2000 McFarland Boulevard, from February 28 through March 14 may have been exposed to hepatitis A through an infected employee. Customers who ate breakfast at the McDonald’s on March 16 may also have been exposed.

Hepatitis A is the only foodborne illness for which a vaccine exists; however infection can only be prevented if the vaccine is given within 14 days of exposure. Therefore those individuals who were potentially exposed on March 14 and March 16 should contact a medical provider immediately to receive treatment. Those who may have been exposed prior to March 14 should have developed symptoms by now if they have contracted the virus.

“From both a public health perspective and business perspective, it makes sense for restaurants to vaccinate their employees against hepatitis A,” said Marler. “It is much simpler to take the initial proactive precaution rather than gamble on a mass scare that equates to potential illness, loss of business, and public uncertainty.”

For more:  http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/3/prweb9347722.htm

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by | March 29, 2012 · 8:38 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: New York Elevator Mechanic Dies When Electrocuted During Maintenance Work Near Control Panel

“…(He) was performing maintenance in the engine room on the ninth floor of  the Axa Equitable building …when he was electrocuted just  after 9:30 p.m…”  

Con Edison was called to the scene for safety reasons, an  agency spokesman said, but it was unclear how the man came into contact with  live wires in the room that houses a control panel and a riser that works to  operate the building’s 34 elevators.

A 39-year-old elevator mechanic died when he was electrocuted at work in a  44-story midtown office building Wednesday night, fire and police officials  said.  Emergency responders found  the repairman unconscious and in cardiac arrest, a fire official said.  But  he died less than 30 minutes later, according to a police source.
“He’s  dead,” a fire source at the scene said. “He was lying on live  wires.”
Building workers said the man had been employed for the past five  years by the Schindler Group – a company that develops, installs and services  elevators and escalators, according to its website – which contracts with the  building to supply in-house mechanics to keep up with repairs.
“He has  three kids, it’s horrible,” said one coworker said. “He was a very nice guy. He  was hardworking and smart,” he said of his fallen friend. “But no one knows what  happened.”
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/mechanic-electrocuted-elevator-manhattan-office-building-article-1.1052532#ixzz1qWQmFsvr

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by | March 28, 2012 · 1:11 am

Hospitality Industry Employee Risks: Alabama Hotel Clerk, With Prior Arrest Record, Arrested For Stealing Guest Credit Card Informatiom

Rains says Niles got the guests information from the hotels computer database and used it for more than just their rooms.

A Mobile hotel clerk is behind bars. The Mobile Police Department says he was doing more than checking guests in, he was using their credit card information.

“While working as a front desk clerk at a local hotel he actually stole credit card information from one victim who had previously stayed at the hotel,” said Rains.

“He used this information to book hotels for him and his friends and we were actually able to catch him,” said Rains.

This wasn’t Niles first time. He has been arrested several times for charges like identity theft and possession of a forged instrument.

“He was on probation for the same crimes when he committed these,” said Rains.

Police say Niles charged a significant amount of money. Thankfully the victim was monitoring the transactions.

“As a safeguard just to make sure that your credit cards aren’t being used fraudulently the best thing you can do is check your accounts and alert your credit card provider if you’d see anything fraudulent,” said Rains.

For more:  http://www.fox10tv.com/dpp/news/local_news/mobile_county/mpd-hotel-clerk-using-guest-credit-card

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by | March 27, 2012 · 2:14 am

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: California Hotel Evacuated Due To "Abandoned Suitcase" Bomb Threat

The suitcase was ruled harmless by bomb squad personnel after an X-ray determined that clothes and other personal items were inside. They would later destroy it with a high-powered water canon.

An abandoned suitcase that forced the evacuation of the Georgian Hotel and nearby buildings for nearly four hours on Monday was determined to be harmless, Santa Monica police said.  The suitcase was left in the Ocean Avenue hotel at approximately 9:30 a.m. by a man who said he was leaving it for a person staying at the establishment.

Hotel employees said that no name matching that person was on the hotel’s registry, prompting the man to flee. Alarmed by the incident, staff members called the police who ultimately called in the L.A. County Sheriff’s bomb squad to investigate the situation, SMPD spokesman Sgt. Richard Lewis said.

The evacuations came just as the Senior Center was preparing to serve free lunch, forcing nearly 55 seniors and five staff members to flee the building, employees said.

For more:  http://www.smdp.com/Articles-local-news-c-2012-03-26-73724.113116-Police-Suspicious-suitcase-had-no-explosives.html

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