Health and Safety Regulations in Hotels

As the facilities Manager of our hotel that I am very concerned about the lack of awareness of safe working practices amongst our employees. Therefore, this presentation will help them to understand and practice health and safety regulations at workplace. This presentation helps to ensure that our hotel operation run well and meet our customers’ expectations as well. But I should keep our hotel functioning at its best and want to assure that you work safe and healthy at the hotel.

It can be seen that all legislation regarding to health and safety regulations have been developed since 1970s to ensure that management responsible for providing and maintenance of adequate policies and standards. Under the common law assure that employers have a duty of care about their employees who work at workplace. It is very important of having health and safety regulations at workplace. Because, employer fails to take care of an employee means that employee may have a number of claims. It would include the ability to resign and claim constructive unfair dismissal and claiming personal injury as well.

The necessity of Health and Safety regulations

This chapter draws the attention of the necessity of health and safety regulations. Health and Safety regulation may help various ways to business. It can be highlighted that the one of the main reasons of the necessity of health and safety regulations is to ensure that the work premises is running safely thus reducing accidents at workplace. One of the biggest risks for hotel workers is ergonomic injury from strains, sprains, and repetitive work. It helps to protect workers back and limbs by practicing safety regulations when performing your job functions. On the other hand every person’s objective should be to maintain the maximum level of health and safety in the hotel. There are regulations and rules that manage this issue. Each employee of the hotel should be made aware of these rules and regulations. It is to say that once the hotel workers read through the health and safety regulations they realize that most of those are common sense. The knowledge about these regulations would help them to know how to react if there is a crisis. As the hotel management, that would not enough to give our employees to read down the health and safety regulations. We should encourage them to practice it. The best way is to practice this by example. If this practice starts right from the top level of the hotel it spreads down to the entire employee. It should be mentioned that this is vital for the well being of the hotel workers. Once hotel employees make understand that these health and safety regulations are for their wellbeing and benefit them will be more willing to act in accordance with hotel management. All these health and safety regulations are a must in the workplace which is required by law.

Importance of health and safety within the hotel environment

It should be mentioned that health and safety is one of the most important part within the hotel premises. Keeping poor level of health and safety leads to accidents and illness and significant costs for our hotel. Successful health and safety regulations practice means that improve our hotel reputation with hotel customers, regulators and our own hotel staff. We have both legal and moral obligation to ensure that our employees work in healthy and safely at the hotel. Hotel management cannot force workers to work in an environment where their wellbeing is risk. On the other hand those hotel workers are both healthy and safe during their working hours. Injured or sick hotel workers lead to drop in service and a subsequent loss of profits.

Good health and safety practices successfully pay for themselves as service keep remain from minimising insurance costs, disruption, the hotel workforce remains contended and customers also are happy with hotel service. The hotel workers need training in specific areas. For example, workers may need to learn how to handle and dispose of cleaning liquids. On the other hand all supervisors also may need to deliver health and safety policies towards our hotel employees.

Key health and safety issues in the hotel

Safety Audit

Safety audit is able to identify the possible problems before they have an impact on hotel safety. Its object is to reveal the strengths and weakness, to determine areas of non tolerable risk and devise rectification measures. Safety audit is able to ensure compliance with all current regulations related to safety and health at workplace.

The main object of safety audit is to collect information, using a predetermined protocol or a checklist, whether how workplace safety services are currently going on. The safety audit can cover the particular aspects or whole system. It is important to hold this safety audits that helps to highlight all positive and negative aspects of safety in the workplace.

Safety audit may include the current system in workplace to control hazards, the record of incidents at the workplace and a physical inspection of the premises. Finally, that would help to report findings, as well as suggestions to improve the current safety policy and system.

Benefits of safety audit at the Hotel

Safety audit mainly evaluate hotel’s safety services. On the other hand it can cause to great cost savings by injuries at work. According to Roger regular safety audits are very important to minimizing risks and safety hazards in the workplace.

Process of the safety auditing

Method

• Review of documentation
• Interviews with staff
• Observations by the audit team.

Outcome & Benefits

• Observations and recommendation
• Conclusions substantiated with references
• Minimising risk and hazards
• Cost savings

HASAWA and its importance for our hotel service

HASAWA

Health and safety at work act considers both physical and mental well being of employees, and freedom from risk of injury. Main object of the act can be outlined as health, safety and welfare of persons at work.It is clear that this act mainly focuses on employees at workplace. Not only workers, it protects persons other that persons at work, against risks to health or safety arising out of or in connection with the activities of persons at work. The act refers to control the keeping and using of explosive or highly flammable or otherwise dangerous substances, and generally preventing the unlawful acquisition, possession and use of such substances. On the other hand HASAWA control the emission into the atmosphere of noxious or offensive substances.

I would disclose the duties of employers at workplace. The act provides that employer has duty of care about their employees. It can be clearly understood according to the chart below.

Duties of Employer

On the other hand it should be cited that employees also have to follow the duties and responsibilities which is under Health and Safety at Work Act. It is clearly cited below table.

Responsibility of employee

Hazard Spotting

Hazard spotting is one of the most important things in the hotel. It will be of benefit to our hotel, staff and our guests as well. Therefore, I would like present and suggest action to be taken to resolve hazard spotting in our workplace. This would cover as many hazards as possible. To get reduce hazards in our hotel you will need to walk through our hotel, speak to employees. It is important that paperwork alone will not prevent injuries. It is very important to take action once a hazard has been identified. Therefore, I suggest taking action to prevent any hazards in many areas in the hotel premises.

It is easily identify hazards that you may have not been previously identified once you work through the hotel. Hazard spotting involves looking for possible issues such as changes in working processes, temporary trip hazards, make sure only approved chemicals are used, etc. Any new hazards that you are found can then be dealt with either immediately or, if this is not possible, brought to the attention of the hotel administration.

It is to be mentioned that there should be specify Hazard spotting exercises to conduct throughout the hotel regularly. Therefore,

• Nominate few persons who should be responsible for conducting the Hazard Spotting exercise
• Each one should be familiar with the area which the carry out the Hazard Spotting exercises
• Each Hazard Spotting need to be noted down with any new hazards as well
• Keeping a hazard spotting records which can be accessed by online.
• Use a checklist and make hazards’ list that you can see

Accident reporting

It is legal requirement that keeps a record of injuries in the hotel using an accident book. Employer must report certain serious workplace incidents to the hotel authorities. Accident reporting records must keep for at three years. As we employer that we have to provide an accident book for our staff and that should easily be understood. As you are the employer of work premises you are required to report some types of work-related diseases, accidents, and dangerous occurrences.

Reporting ill health and accidents at workplace is a legal requirement under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences. Gathering information helps to Health and Executive and the Local Authority to recognize how and where risks arise and to prevent reoccurrence and prevent further suffering and pain to employees.

Legal requirements ask to report a death, a major injury, an over three day injury, a work related disease, a dangerous occurrence and where a member of the public is taken directly to the hospital.

Reporting accidents are required in time limit and it is vary depending on the severity. A major injury or where the accident has resulted in someone’s death need to be reported immediately. Over three day injuries need to be informed within ten days. It is noted that a work related diseases must report after the doctor diagnosis it.

I have provided a sample of accident report form that would be getting clear picture about reporting accident. 

ACCIDENT REPORT FORM

Details of person injured:

Surname                       Forenames                                    Age                   DOB

Department                                                            Position Held

Date of Accident        Time         Was Accident Reported in Accident Record Book?

How did Accident Occur?

Nature of Injuries

Was First Aid given?                        By Whom?

Was Injured Person sent to Doctor, Medical Centre or Hospital?

(Give Details)

If so, accompanied by whom?

Name(s) of Witness(es) of the Accident

Any Previous Accident which may have been due to same cause

Was Accident caused or contributed to by any defect

in working conditions or premises or the conditions 

of the furniture, equipment or tools used?

Signature of person reporting the accident

                                                 Date

The Health & Safety Policy

I would like explain about safety policy. It is to mention that we must have a written policy of safety. We are a hotel who has employees more than four. It is to say that health and safety policy should be available for our staff. On the other hand safety policy must be reviewed regularly. (eg: annually) meaning of policy in place in order to establish who is responsible for what aspects of safety in our hotel.

It is an important duty of this hotel to ensure that our employees work under a safe and healthy environment. An effective health and safety policy requires the full co-operation and collaboration of all employees. I suggest all the hotel staff read this policy and accept their own personal responsibilities for safety at work. I would like to write down some responsibilities both hotel management and its employees.

Responsibilities of management of the hotel;

to maintain the principles of relevant legislation to ensure the safest systems of work and a safe, healthy working environment

by consultation and joint involvement of management and employees, to enlist the active interest, participation and support of employees in promoting good standards.

Responsibilities of the hotel employees;

to take all reasonable care for the health and safety of him/herself and of fellow employees and to report any hazard which cannot be controlled personally

to co-operate with the organisation by observing safety rules and complying with any measures designed to ensure a safe and healthy working environment.

The role of ‘safety co-ordinator’ is of vital importance for maintaining a continuous and critical scrutiny of working conditions throughout the workplace, reviewing safety performance and promoting safer working.

The managing director accepts ultimate responsibility for health and safety within the organisation as a whole. All managers and employees generally are expected to support and implement this policy wholeheartedly.

HACCP

HACCP refers to prevent any kind of hazards that would be caused for food-borne illness by applying science based controls. It enables you to show your commitment to food and customer satisfaction. HACCP is an international principle defining the requirements for effective control of food safety.

HACCP is built on seven key principles: hazard analysis, critical control points identification, establishing critical limits, monitoring procedures, corrective actions, verification procedures and record-keeping and documentation.

Hazard analysis – analysis of chemical, physical and biological food hazards

Critical control points – identify the critical points at the raw materials, processing, storage, distribution and consumption steps

Establishing critical limits – establishment of critical preventive measures and control limits, eg: minimum cooking time and temperature

Monitoring procedures – observing of these control points

Corrective actions – establishment of corrective actions

Verification procedures – Record keeping record; and

Record-keeping and documentation – Systematic and regular auditing of the systems in place by independent third party certification bodies.

All those measurement can be maintain HACCP in workplace easily.

Summary

It can be seen that health and safety is good for hotel employees and the hotel as well. If employees are getting sick or injured that could result in time and money being wasted. We have planned to place the health and safety regulations in a variety of areas where the hotel employees can read them easily. Once you realize that these regulations are for your well being and benefit you will be more willing to comply with the hotel. It means we have been successful in cultivating a culture of health and safety at the hotel. It is to be advised to practice safe ergonomic principles when performing your job functions. Furthermore, keep your body and back straight and neutral while you work. Read the safety data sheets and labels to know the hazards and safe work practices for the chemicals products you use. It is important that you get training and inspect your cleaning and maintenance tools before use.

The above recommendation and evaluations are general guidance only and should not be relied upon for legal compliance purposes. Therefore, you have an obligation to practice them for benefit of the hotel, customers and yourself.