Category Archives: Health

by | September 16, 2011 · 6:32 pm

Hospitality Industry Lawsuit Risks: "Hotel Negligence" Lawsuits Are Proliferating To Include Hotel Physicians Who Provide Guests' Medical Care

“…Hotel negligence is so prevalent in a vacation destination like Florida, with so many people harmed, that an increasing amount of our practice focuses on so-called resort litigation…and the types of negligence are expanding…to cases involving hotel physicians — doctors with whom the hotels have arrangements, that are called in to care for hotel guests…”

 The problem, says Reboso, is that the hotels typically do not check the credentials of the doctors and house call services they provide to guests. “You don’t know if you’re getting the best doctor in Florida or the worst,” says the injury lawyer. “And neither does the hotel. It’s a recipe for disaster. The clients we’re representing in these kind of resort litigation lawsuits have been harmed by negligent medical care.”

Nor do the hotels give guests the real picture on prices, adds Reboso: “In one case we are handling, the hotel said the service would cost $600, while the credit card charge — which comes well after you’ve left the hotel — was $6,300. We have found plenty of other cases in Florida when a $500 charge suddenly turns into a $4,000 or $5,000 bill. Obviously, the hotel industry and the medical profession need to educate themselves about what is going on and do something about it.”

 

For more:  http://www.prweb.com/releases/2011/9/prweb8793265.htm

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by | September 8, 2011 · 6:24 pm

Hospitality Industry Pool Safety: Hotel Pools Repeatedly Test "Unsafe" For "Psuedomonas" As The Bacteria Is "Chlorine Resilient"

“…about 10 percent of the pools tested in the region come back as bad, earning the “unsafe” rating. Most of those ratings come from the pseudomonas presence…Pseudomonas is ubiquitous; we all have it on our skin, that’s why you should take a shower first before swimming. 99 out of 100 people do not…Sometimes a pool or spa will have a problem especially the pseudomonas because it’s resilient to chlorine.”

Each day, four times a day, John Huggins tests and retests the water quality at the 130,000-gallon outdoor pool at Hart Ranch in Rapid City.

Despite the pool supervisor’s best efforts, his pool, along with more than a dozen of the city’s hotels’, continually fail to meet bacteria standards set by the state health department.

The Journal obtained hundreds of pages of records through a public information request. Of the 36 establishments in Rapid City with pools, about half had tests come back as “bacteriologically unsafe for swimming” this summer.

The 18 failing Rapid City hotels and motels house 36 individual pools, hot tubs or water parks. Of those, about half had tests come back positive for pseudomonas, a nasty bacteria that causes swimmer’s itch and other skin or ear infections.

Read more: http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/many-hotel-pools-sink-below-state-standards/article_4bcb4a2c-d84e-11e0-a833-001cc4c002e0.html#ixzz1XSfQSNSp

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by | August 19, 2011 · 6:11 am

Hospitality Industry Continues To Face "Threat Of Bed Bug Infestations" As 80% Of Pest Professionals Have Treated Bedbugs In Hotels During 2011

CLICK ON “BED BUG” TO VIEW ONLINE REGISTRY

* 99% of pest professionals have seen bedbug infestations in the past year (up from 95% in 2010)

*80% of pest professionals have treated bedbugs in hotels/motels, compared with 67% in 2010

*73% of pest professionals believe bedbugs are the most difficult pest to treat
*54% have treated bedbugs in college dorms, up from 35% in 2010
*46% have treated bedbugs in nursing homes, vs. 25% in 2010
*38% have treated bedbugs in office buildings, compared with 18% in 2010
* 36% have treated bedbugs in schools and day care centers, vs. 10% in 2010. That’s an amazing increase, as is the 31% who say they’ve found bedbugs in hospitals, vs. 12% in 2010
*18% have treated bedbugs in trains, buses or taxis, compared with 9% in 2010
*17% have dealt with bedbugs in movie theaters; 5% in 2010

For more:  http://pestworld.org/Bed-Bug-Survey-2011

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by | August 18, 2011 · 5:35 am

Hospitality Industry Employee Risks: Hotel And Lodging Groups Remain Opposed To Pending California Legislation "Mandating The Use Of Fitted Sheets"

“.. Senate Bill 432.. would create “new occupational safety and health standards for all hotels, motels and other similar transient lodging establishments in California…”

“.. It would mandate the “use of fitted sheets … on the bottom sheet on all beds” at such lodging. And it would mandate the “use of long-handled tools,” such as mops, to reduce stooping “to clean bathroom floors, walls, tubs, toilets and other bathroom surfaces…”

 “A 2009 report in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine found that housekeepers have higher (7.87 per 100) injury rates than other hotel workers…”

The California Hotel & Lodging Association pointed out that the medical study didn’t even mention fitted sheets as culprit in the injuries. And it charged it would cost up to $50 million to replace the regular sheets with fitted sheets. Mr. Hayes said the high number is “a bunch of nonsense” and that Sen. De Leon and other legislators are working on the bill to “find a way to implement it without added costs,” within the hotels’ economic structure.

He said the major hotels are in favor of working for a compromise bill. But the association remains adamant against any bill. And he said that, as only about 10 percent of housekeepers are unionized, including the sheet rules in future contracts wouldn’t help much.

For more:  http://articles.ocregister.com/2011-08-16/news/29897915_1_sheets-housekeepers-hotel-workers

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by | August 4, 2011 · 2:19 am

Hospitality Industry Employee Risks: Congressional Committee Investigates "Multiple, Redundant Inspections" By OSHA Related To "Labor Intensive" UNITE HERE Campaign On "Safe Work Environments" Against Hotel Management

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by | August 2, 2011 · 6:38 am

Hospitality Industry Employee Injury Risks: California Legislation Requiring "Fitted Sheets" On Hotel Beds To Reduce Heavy-Lifting By Housekeepers Is Up For Vote This Month By State Assembly

“…(California) SB 432.. would require hotels to use fitted sheets instead of flat sheets to reduce the amount of mattress lifting housekeepers must do. The legislation also would require hotels to provide long-handled mops so housekeepers won’t have to clean bathrooms on their hands and knees as they do now…”

The state Senate has passed a bill proposed by Sen. Kevin de LeÏŒn (D-Los Angeles) that would help prevent or reduce housekeeper injuries. It comes up for a vote in the Assembly this month. But the bill is facing stiff opposition from the hotel and tourism industry, which says it will increase costs and stifle growth.

A representative of the hotel industry, led by the California Hotel and Lodging Assn., told a Senate Committee that if SB 432 passes, California hotels will have to spend an additional $15 million or more to buy fitted sheets to replace the sheets for 550,000 beds at $25 per sheet. But hotels generally replace their sheets annually..

For more:  http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-cohen-maids-20110802,0,7847167.story

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by | July 28, 2011 · 11:04 am

Hospitality Industry Liability Risks: Florida Hotel Sued By Victim Of ATV Crash For "Serving Alcoholic Drinks" To Defendent

“…The lawsuit, filed in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court, contends that the Clevelander Hotel regularly allowed on-duty police officers to drink alcohol and hang out at its nightclubs…”
 
A lawsuit filed Thursday claims that a popular South Beach hotel regularly served alcoholic drinks to an on-duty police officer who later crashed his speeding all-terrain vehicle into two people strolling the beach before dawn, seriously injuring both.

The lawsuit filed on behalf of Kitzie Nicanor, 29, seeks unspecified damages from the Clevelander Hotel and Derick Kuilan, who was fired from the Miami Beach Police Department shortly after the July 3 crash. Kuilan, 30, also faces criminal charges in the case.

Nicanor suffered a traumatic brain injury that will likely require years of rehabilitation, said her attorney Frank Toral. Nicanor, a Seattle resident who has a 1-year-old son, remains hospitalized in stable condition. Her parents are caring for her son.

Earlier this week, Miami Beach Police Chief Carlos Noriega said his department was investigating whether on-duty drinking by officers, clearly banned under agency policy, was nevertheless more common than expected.

http://www.newsok.com/atv-crash-lawsuit-names-sobe-hotel-fired-cop/article/feed/280408?custom_click=pod_headline_usnational-news

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by | July 23, 2011 · 7:41 am

Hospitality Industry Health Risks: New Insurance Offerings Cover "Bed Bug Infestation, Loss Of Revenue And Guests' Risk Of Bringing Bed Bugs Home"

“…The new offering covers lost revenue resulting from treating rooms, as well as paying for the cost of eliminating the bugs…”

“…It can also cover business or leisure travellers against the risk of bringing bedbugs home from a conference or overnight stay…”

Lloyd’s underwriters have teamed up with insurance broker Aon and Global Excess Partners, an innovator in new insurance products, to develop a comprehensive bedbug insurance solution for travellers and the hospitality industry.

According to Lloyd’s, bedbug infestations are on the rise, causing hotel owners, landlords and businesses major problems.

High levels of infestation have been reported in the US and Europe, with New York topping the list of cities in a bedbug battle.

Bedbugs are regarded as the most difficult of pest to treat, more so than cockroaches, ants and termites, as they are elusive, can live for a year or more without eating and can withstand a range of temperatures from nearly freezing to 50 degrees Celsius.

For more:  http://www.insurancedaily.co.uk/2011/07/23/lloyds-and-aon-team-with-bedbug-offering/

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by | July 21, 2011 · 6:30 am

Hospitality Industry Pool Safety: Young Boy Saved From Near Drowning In Michigan Hotel's "Murky" Pool During Pool Party

“…Blackman Township Public Safety deputy director Jon Johnston says the boy was pulled from the pool, limp and unresponsive. He adds the the child was a guest at a birthday party among nearly 25 other kids when he ended up in the deep end…”

“There were several adults in the immediate pool area and the mother was in the gathering area surrounding the pool so it was situation where one the kids they lost track of,”

A four-year-old boy is recovering, in serious condition on Wednesday after nearly drowning in a hotel pool. It happened at the Avalon Hotel and Conference Center in Blackman Township late Tuesday night. A guest from Stevensville, Michigan is being credited with saving the child’s life.

“The water was a little murky but I knew I saw somebody at the bottom of the pool — little legs, little arms.”

Bettig and his family were at the Avalon Hotel, just off US-127 for a memorial service for his father. “We came home to sit around the pool and look at some pictures of Dad and about fifteen minutes into looking at the photos my son bought it to my attention that there was a boy floating in the water,” said Bettig. “If it wasn’t for his eyes noticing — a couple minutes could have gone by and the little boy might not have had a chance.”

He says the child was underwater for a couple minutes before Bettig dove in. The child was pulled from the pool with a strong pulse but not breathing on his own. He was taken to Allegiance Hospital and then flown to the University of Michigan hospital.

For more:  http://www.wilx.com/news/headlines/125881063.html

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by | July 18, 2011 · 9:23 am

Hotel Industry Building Safety Risks: The 30th Anniversary Of The Kansas City Hyatt Regency "Skywalks Disaster" Is Remebered For The 114 Killed, 200 Injured From "Failed Building Engineering Plans"

“…Plans had both walkways hanging from the same vertical support rods. But a revision had the lower skywalk hanging from the upper one on separate rods. That increased the load on the upper skywalk and added to the stress on the bolts, which were doomed to pull free of the welded box beams to which the rods were attached. The flaw was obvious in hindsight…”

“…There were no criminal charges, but the engineers lost their licenses. There were about $140 million in judgments and settlements…”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=715wyClHTVw]

 Thirty years ago today the music stopped when the skywalks in the elegant Hyatt Regency hotel lobby suddenly crashed down on a crowd of people enjoying big-band tunes and a night out. The 114 people killed in the disaster will never age. The injured, the victims’ loved ones and the rescuers, however, are three decades older.

A broken water pipe threatened to drown those trapped. Electrical wires were sparking. People were crushed beyond recognition.

The hours went by as Ortega and dozens of other emergency responders — firemen, emergency medical technicians, citizens — carried bodies either to a temporary morgue or a makeshift emergency room. A man’s leg was amputated by chainsaw in order to free him. Ortega saw a police officer try to pull a screaming man out and his arm came off.

Read more: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/07/16/3018298/the-hyatt-disaster-30-years-later.html#ixzz1STcYIVOk

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