Category Archives: Risk Management

by | June 23, 2010 · 7:03 am

Hotel Security Risk Prevention: San Diego Police Initiate Pilot Program Linking Hotel Security And Surveillance Cameras To Police Squad Cars

“…If hotel staff call the police, an officer in a squad car can click the hotel location on a Google map, and immediately see live video from the hotel’s security cameras. Police say this will allow them to see crimes in progress, to see suspects and see which way they’re going when they flee…”

San Diego police have begun a pilot program that gives officers access to security camera video inside their squad cars. Officers see it as the way of the future.

The program is a partnership between San Diego Police Department and the Hotel Indigo, located downtown. If hotel staff call the police, an officer in a squad car can click the hotel location on a Google map, and immediately see live video from the hotel’s security cameras. Police say this will allow them to see crimes in progress, to see suspects and see which way they’re going when they flee. The privacy of hotel patrons was a concern. But Mayor Jerry Sanders said cameras are already a fact of life.

For more:   http://www.kpbs.org/news/2010/jun/02/police-create-web-link-security-cameras/

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by | June 21, 2010 · 6:57 am

Hotel Security And Surveillance Systems: New Jersey Hotel Employee Receives $2.5 Million Settlement From Security System Company After Panic Button Fails To Work During Attack

 “…Vanwell Electronics, the alarm company that installed and maintained the hotel’s security system, agreed to pay Grajales $2.5 million to settle her lawsuit…”

“Vanwell knew for 16 weeks the (security) line wasn’t properly connected and did nothing about it,” said her lawyer, David Mazie, who filed the claim in Essex County because Vanwell also conducts business there.”

Kimberly Grajales was working the overnight shift as a clerk at the Hampton Inn in Carlstadt when a mentally disturbed man climbed over the front desk and attacked her. Grajales managed to push the panic button on the wall, and thought police would soon arrive. No one came.

The silent alarm at the Bergen County hotel had been broken for months, and Grajales ended up struggling with her attacker for 30 minutes before escaping to another guest’s room, where she dialed 911. A hotel surveillance camera captured the 4 a.m. incident, which happened on July 4, 2008. The attacker nearly bit off Grajales’ finger, and the panic button was stained with her blood, local police said.

For more:  http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/06/alarm_company_settles_lawsuit.html

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by | June 17, 2010 · 7:05 am

Hospitality Industry Employee Injury Prevention: “Hands-On” Training Of Latino Employees On “Injury Prevention”, In Both English And Spanish, Will Lower Injury Rates And Save Companies Money In Long Run

“… the company provides monthly, hands-on training to workers in both English and Spanish. The company, which owns franchises of Carl’s Jr., Green Burrito, Papa John’s and Denny’s, has mostly Latino workers.”

“…Gonzalez said providing hands-on training lowered the company’s injury rate by 20 percent this past year.”

Recent data show that Latino workers are more prone to workplace-related fatalities and injuries.

Safety consultant Art Pedroza offered companies an alternative to medical payouts and legal fees: train the workers how to not hurt themselves.

“Latino workers are exposed to more risks and mortalities in the workplace than other workers. That’s more reason to emphasize how to keep them safe,” said Pedroza, outgoing president of the Orange County chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers. He spoke at a chapter meeting held Wednesday at the Anaheim Park Hotel in Fullerton.

For more:  http://www.ocregister.com/news/workers-253791-pedroza-latino.html?cb=1276780048

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by | June 16, 2010 · 11:07 am

Hotel Pool And Spa Health And Safety: Operator Of An Iowa Hotel Failed To Have “Certified Pool Operator” And Guest Claims To Have Contracted Legionella Disease During Stay

“… the Iowa Department of Public Health found Legionella disease in a hospitalized patient who claimed to have contracted the bacterial disease, which can cause pneumonia, during Memorial Day weekend at the Ottumwa Days Inn spa. The Ottumwa Health Department was made aware of the complaint on June 10. “

 Ottumwa inspectors immediately tested the facilities and found that both the pool and spa had not been disinfected.

 

Gates said that the pool met code when it was last inspected in March by the city. One of the requirements for the pool facilities is that they have a certified pool operator. That person is in charge of testing the chemicals and making sure the facilities meet the requirements of the city and state codes. The Days Inn did not have a certified pool operator, Gates said. However, Gates noted, Legionella disease has not been confirmed to be present in the Ottumwa pools. They are awaiting test results that should be returned later this week.

“These rules are important because people can get sick if they are not complied,” Gates said, adding that she’s never had a complaint like this in her experience in the health department.

For more:   http://www.tradingmarkets.com/news/stock-alert/dinn_swimming-pool-and-spa-at-the-days-inn-closed-down-987378.html

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by | June 14, 2010 · 3:19 am

Hotel Industry Health And Safety Risks: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning At A New Hampshire Hotel Is Cited By OSHA As A “Correctable Situation”

“The employer did not implement feasible administrative or engineering controls to reduce or eliminate this exposure,” the citation says.

The state Fire Marshal’s Office and the Consumer Product Safety Commission are looking into a carbon monoxide leak at the Hilton Garden Inn in February that sickened 11 people.

The review includes city officials from the building and fire departments and is in addition to an inquiry the Occupational Safety and Health Administration did.

Hilton spokesman Scott Tranchemontagne described the fire marshal’s review as “educational” and said officials are trying to figure out if factors other than a malfunctioning vent pipe contributed to the February leak.

“The Hilton Garden Inn did not know this would become a problem, but as soon as it did, we took every step to remedy the situation,” he said. “We’re cooperating fully and we’ll continue to cooperate fully until every question is answered.”

OSHA hit the local Hilton’s owner, Parade Hotel LLC, with several citations late last month, including one for $2,500 related to employees getting sick during the February CO leak.

OSHA classified the CO citation as “serious,” meaning “the workplace hazard could cause injury or illness that would most likely result in death or serious physical harm, unless the employer did not know or could not have known of the violation.”

For more:   http://www.fireengineering.com/index/articles/Wire_News_Display/1202514041.html

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by | June 12, 2010 · 8:51 am

Hotel Industry Employee Injury Issues: OSHA Reviewing “Ergonomic Enforcement” As Housekeepers Suffer Repetitive Stress Injuries

Celia Alvarez, who was in Houston for the recent OSHA conference, described overwhelming pain in her hands, shoulders, back and knees as she pulled and tugged to change sheets, pillowcases and bedcovers during her 19-year career as a hotel housekeeper in Long Beach, Calif. She’s already had knee and shoulder surgery and has operations scheduled on her lower back and hands.

OSHA has had several discussions with hotel housekeepers about their injuries and is looking closely at ergonomics enforcement. The agency also has been studying companies trying to prevent ergonomic hazards, he said.

The hospitality industry is also paying attention.

Since the study came out last year, hotel companies have been working on new ways to reduce injuries, said Joe McInerney, president and CEO of the American Hotel & Lodging Association in Washington. Some have added extra employees so housekeepers don’t have to do heavy lifting.

Celia Alvarez, who was in Houston for the recent OSHA conference, described overwhelming pain in her hands, shoulders, back and knees as she pulled and tugged to change sheets, pillowcases and bedcovers during her 19-year career as a hotel housekeeper in Long Beach, Calif. She’s already had knee and shoulder surgery and has operations scheduled on her lower back and hands.

Alvarez, who cleaned 25 to 30 rooms a day before becoming permanently disabled, said that for years she was not given a mop to clean bathroom floors, so she’d throw down towels and move her leg around, using it as if it were a mop handle.

Alvarez said she received little training in how to avoid repetitive stress injuries. If someone was injured, the housekeepers would be led in group warm-up exercises before a shift began, but that would usually last just for a few days, she said.

For more:   http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/sixel/7002756.html

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by | June 11, 2010 · 7:58 am

Hotel Guest Safety And Risk Management: Emergency Telecommuncation Software Assists Hotel Staff In Directing First Responders To Hotel Rooms Quickly

“Within the hospitality industry, enhanced 911 software is critical to keeping guests safe and reducing liability and risk. Above all, it’s simply the right thing to do.”

“We’ve had emergency situations such as heart attacks where we’ve speeded response by having E911 and the caller’s precise location. Not only do our guests benefit from having this capability, but our staff also feels more secure knowing the right people are being notified properly of an event.”

The Chicago hotel uses the Amcom solution in tandem with its NEC UNIVERGE SV8500 IP communications server to provide a 911 caller’s location, including the floor and room number, to the local 911 call center. First responders can find and assist callers from any of the 1,000 phones at theWit without trying to guess the caller’s whereabouts. Location information is critical as the hotel spans 298 rooms and 29 floors, including three restaurants, two bars, and meeting space.

Even before the property’s opening in May 2009, theWit’s management team knew they needed to offer guests and staff members peace of mind through attention to safety.

For more:   http://www.marketwatch.com/story/thewit-hotel-offers-guests-peace-of-mind-with-amcom-softwares-enhanced-911-and-nec-univerge-communications-2010-06-10?reflink=MW_news_stmp

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by | June 10, 2010 · 7:13 am

Hotel Pool Water Health Risk Management: Pool Water Clarity Is Best Sign Of Healthy Conditions, Produced By Regular And Recorded Testing Of Chlorine And pH Levels

“If you can’t see the bottom of the pool, …..don’t get in the water”

“Pool operators are required to keep logs of when they test the water”

Lana Charrington, director of Environmental Health for the Ross County Health District, said her department checks any public pools in county, including those in hotels, the YMCA, spas and the city pool. The inspection includes:

  • checking the water circulation
  • making sure the pool filters in a 24-hour cycle
  • chlorine levels
  • clarity of the pool
  • pH levels which measure alkalinity

The department checks safety equipment and makes sure signage is displayed properly. It also makes sure proper recordkeeping is being done.

For more:   http://www.chillicothegazette.com/article/20100610/NEWS01/6100316

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by | June 9, 2010 · 8:13 am

Hotel Maintenance And Liability Risks: New Engineering Supervisor Details Problems At An Older Hotel Property In Northern California

 I started a job as a Engineering Supervisor at a  hotel in the Greater Sacramento area…..

  • The first thing, I noticed wrong, was my maintenance department people– were being drowned by other department duties, like Shuttling, Banquets, Shampooing the rooms, which takes hours at a time and is a Houseman job!
  • The second big thing, I noticed was Black Mold — harvesting, under the toilets in the rooms only to be thrown on the walls and ceiling by the exhaust fan distributing it. The third thing, I noticed was the ventilators on the roof not working, not even having any power in the wires? What the ventilators due, in a not working mode, is keep the rooms humid and acting like a fertilizer for Mold to grow!
  • The problems kept coming and I would keep finding them. I tried to order supplies for the control of the mold and for special tablets for the A/C unit’s pans to kill fungus and bacteria mold that would mutate in the pans. After cleaning some of the A/C units I realized that these units have not been cleaned in over twenty years! This particular situation caused an out break in the seventies called the Legion Air Disease — killing hundreds of people at one timeGoggle it!
  • The pool — was scheduled for it’s new drains so they would meet code. I believe my position was sacrificed to pay for those drains. That’s ok! As long as it is a safety thing and gets done? The rest of the pool’s equipment needs to be ripped out, its all old and bad! The deck needs to be resurfaced.
  • I had the corporate fix holes in the Stairwells and a couple of the Boilers but all five boilers need to be replaced. I got their programming computer system– working and computers for the front desk to work for them, while I was their.

For more:   http://www.stargazette.com/article/20100605/VIEWPOINTS03/6050360/Hello–my-friends-we-meet-again–Isn’-t-funny-how-time-can-turns-around–

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by | June 8, 2010 · 6:16 am

Hotel Industry Health And Safety Risks: “Bed Bug Infestations” Are Found In World Class And Small Hotels, Don’t Signify Unsanitary Conditions, And Are Difficult To Eliminate (Video)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak05xp72wX8&feature=player_embedded]

The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) issues a warning to millions of Americans who plan to travel this summer — beware of the bed bug. The NPMA has seen a 71 percent increase in bed bug infestations since 2001, mainly due to international travel.  These “hitchhiking” pests can easily travel home with people in their suitcases.  While bed bugs do not transmit diseases, their bites can become red, itchy welts.

“Travelers can unknowingly bring bed bugs into their homes, giving the pests a new place to live and feed,” said Missy Henriksen, vice president of public affairs for NPMA. “Bed bugs multiply quickly and can be difficult to eliminate.  We advise travelers to keep a few bed bug prevention tips in mind to avoid this most unwanted trip souvenir.”

A bed bug infestation is not a sign of unclean or unsanitary conditions. Bed bugs don’t discriminate and have been found in world class hotels and budget properties alike and wealthy neighborhoods as well as less affluent communities.

To prevent bed bug infestations, travelers should remember the following tips and check out this how-to video from NPMA:

·         Pull back the hotel bed sheets and inspect the mattress seams, particularly the corners, for telltale brownish or reddish spots. 

·         Thoroughly inspect the entire room before unpacking.  Do not put your luggage on the bed. 

·         If you change rooms, but choose to stay in the same establishment, be sure your new room is not adjacent to the possibly infested room. 

·         Use a large plastic bag to store your luggage.

·         When you return home, inspect and vacuum your suitcases thoroughly before bringing them into the house. 

·         Wash all your clothes — whether worn or not — in hot water.

·         If you suspect a bed bug infestation, contact a licensed pest professional.

For more information on bed bugs or to find a pest professional, please visit: www.pestworld.org.

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