Category Archives: Health

Hospitality Industry Risk Update: “‘Mother Whose Son, 11, Died in Killer Hotel Room Starts Foundation to Raise Carbon Monoxide Awareness”

“…The mother and son, in town to pick up Jeffrey’s sister from a science camp, did not know that only two months earlier an elderly couple died in the same room after being overcome by carbon monoxide gasImage…Mrs Williams also hopes that in sharing her tragic story, she would raise awareness of the silent, odorless and colorless killer that has robbed her of her son…”

The North Carolina mother whose 11-year-old son was killed by carbon monoxide poisoning has started a foundation to raise awareness of the lethal, odorless, colorless gas.

Jeannie Williams nearly died from a carbon monoxide leak in a hotel that claimed the life of her son Jeffrey Williams, and now she’s made it her life’s mission to make people aware of the killer.

For more: http://dailym.ai/1pxZMf3

 

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Risk Update: “‘Mother Whose Son, 11, Died in Killer Hotel Room Starts Foundation to Raise Carbon Monoxide Awareness”

Filed under Claims, Guest Issues, Health, Management And Ownership, Pool And Spa, Risk Management

Hospitality Industry Risk Update: “Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Your Hotel”

“…When working with contractors, make sure to check references and ensure that the company has the proper permits before starting construction on a project, says Stephen Barth, the founder of HospitalityLawyer.com and professor of hotel law at the University of Houston…ImageNew requirements from the International Code Council (ICC) for the International Building Code and the International Fire Code state that carbon monoxide alarms should be installed in any location that includes a device that could potentially produce carbon monoxide…”

Last spring, three people died from carbon monoxide poisoning after staying at the Blue Ridge Plaza Best Western Hotel in Boone, N.C. The victims—elderly couple Daryl and Shirley Jenkins and 11-year-old Jeffrey Williams—visited the property seven weeks apart and all stayed in room 225.

Though the initial investigation following the Jenkins’ deaths was inconclusive, toxicology reports eventually revealed that the deadly gas was to blame for the tragedies. The pool heater’s exhaust pipe, which ran directly under room 225, was the source of the lethal leak.

For more: http://bit.ly/1khYBQb

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Risk Update: “Prevent Carbon Monoxide Poisoning in Your Hotel”

Filed under Claims, Guest Issues, Health, Hotel Industry, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Pool And Spa, Risk Management

Hospitality Industry Health Risk: “Environmental Heat Solutions Warns That Bed Bug Cases Could Rise Due to Increase in Travel and Lack of Awareness”

“…One of the most important places to check for bed bugs, according to experts, is in hotel rooms. This is because of the amount of movement through them. Bed bugs can ‘hitchhike’ on clothing and take up residence in mattresses. Image From there, they can attach to new hosts and ‘hitchhike’ out...Individuals who are dealing with bug infestations should consider methods like bed bug heat treatment and canine bed bug detection to remedy the problem...”

Environmental Heat Solutions is spreading awareness about the rise of bed bug infestations and the reasons behind them.

There’s a silent epidemic that is sweeping the United States, and that epidemic is bed bugs. Due to a number of circumstances and a lack of proper education, more and more businesses and families are struggling with getting rid of bed bugs.

For more: http://bit.ly/1gbWqIR

4 Comments

Filed under Guest Issues, Health, Hotel Industry, Maintenance, Management And Ownership

Hospitality Industry Liability Update: ” Hotel Horrors, Avoiding the Silent Killer”

“…The organization issued a statement about the deadly gas saying  in part: proper installation andImage maintenance of fuel-fired equipment including adhering to the manufacturers  product warnings are the best measures to ensure no adverse carbon monoxide exposure occurs…”

South Carolina hotels will become a home away from home for many across the nation this summer. But a nice relaxing vacation and time by the pool could turn deadly.

“It depends how much you breath in,” says Columbia Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins. Columbia Fire Chief Aubrey Jenkins is talking about Carbon Monoxide. It’s often called the “silent killer.” That’s because you can’t smell the gas or see it.

For more: http://www.wach.com/news/story.aspx?id=1036737#.U1_CNK1dXnw

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Liability Update: ” Hotel Horrors, Avoiding the Silent Killer”

Filed under Claims, Guest Issues, Health, Hotel Industry, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Pool And Spa, Risk Management

Hospitality Industry Legal Update: “Recent Hotel Incidents Serve as Cautionary Tales of Carbon Monoxide Health and Legal Risks”

“…Should a hotel have to contend with the unthinkable, a catastrophic incident, such as carbon monoxide poisoning, it is advisable to immediately conduct a detailed and thorough investigation. Preferably, counsel should be retained at the outset to shepherd the investigation, retain appropriate experts Image and serve as a liaison between the hotel and the investigating authorities. The benefit of counsel conducting the investigation is that everything learned during the course of the investigation falls under attorney client privilege in the likely event that a lawsuit is initiated…”

Recently media exposure regarding the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning in hotels, motels, and resorts has seemed to increase. The issue has garnered attention among such major media outlets as ABC News’ 20/20, USA Today, and CNN. With good reason – a 2013 USA Today Investigation showed that, “eight people have died and at least 170 others have been treated for carbon monoxide poisoning in the past three years in hotels.” A concerning statistic given that according to the United States Consumer Product Safety Comission, approximately 170 people die each year from carbon monoxide produced by non-automotive consumer products overall.

Carbon monoxide, also known as CO, is a colorless, odorless, gas with toxic consequences for people and animals. Carbon monoxide poisoning is a risk that hotel, motel, and resort operators must take seriously, most importantly to ensure the safety and well-being of guests. But also because of the potential legal exposure carbon monoxide poisoning poses, both to business entities and individual owners, should the unthinkable happen in their hotel.

For more: http://hlconverge.com/index.php/component/k2/item/815-recent-hotel-incidents-serve-as-cautionary-tales-of-carbon-monoxide-health-and-legal-risks

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Legal Update: “Recent Hotel Incidents Serve as Cautionary Tales of Carbon Monoxide Health and Legal Risks”

Filed under Claims, Guest Issues, Health, Hotel Industry, Liability, Management And Ownership, Pool And Spa, Risk Management

Hospitality Industry Safety Update: “Rancho Mirage Hotel Evacuated Due to Gas Line Rupture”

“…Someone in the area reported the smell of natural gas and the building’s 24 units were evacuated and police, fire and the Gas Co. were all called, she said. Image The damage was done to an approximately 1-inch line, she said. The gas was shut off and once the area was deemed safe, the nearly 65 people evacuated to another area of the 360-acre resort were allowed back into their units…”

A natural gas line has been repaired and an evacuation order lifted at Westin Hills Golf Resort and Spa hotel at 71-333 Dinah Shore Drive.

Something hit the meter at time share building number 45 which broke the line, said Deborah McGarry, spokeswoman for Southern California Gas Co.

For more: http://www.desertsun.com/story/news/local/2014/04/06/westin-hills-golf-resort-spa-rancho-mirage-gas-line-rupture/7389275/

 

 

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Safety Update: “Rancho Mirage Hotel Evacuated Due to Gas Line Rupture”

Filed under Claims, Guest Issues, Health, Hotel Industry, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

Hospitality Industry Risk Management Update: “NWC Student Dies in Fall at Denver Hotel”

“…Thamba’s death remains under investigation, according to Sonny Jackson, a spokesman for the Denver Police Department, but foul play is not suspectedImage….Thamba fell from a balcony at the Holiday Inn Denver East at 3333 Quebec St. between 3-4 a.m. Tuesday, Jackson said. How far he fell, and what caused the fall, have not been determined, Jackson said…”

An international student attending Northwest College died early Tuesday morning when he fell off a balcony at a Denver hotel.

Levy Thamba, of the Republic of Congo, Africa, began attending Northwest in late January. He apparently traveled to Denver during the college’s spring break.

For more: http://www.powelltribune.com/news/item/12164-nwc-student-dies-in-fall-at-denver-hotel

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Risk Management Update: “NWC Student Dies in Fall at Denver Hotel”

Filed under Claims, Guest Issues, Health, Hotel Industry, Injuries, Insurance, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management

Hospitality Industry Liability Risk: “Carbon Monoxide Leak At Westin Sends 9 To Hospital”

“…A total of 20 guests and employees were evaluated by paramedics, resulting in the transport of nine people to the hospital.  Four employees who worked in the area of the hotel’s laundry roomImage were transported by paramedic unit to the Hyperbaric Chamber at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center.  Five additional patients, four employees and one guest, were transported to local hospitals…”

For the second time in as many months, Anne Arundel County paramedics were alerted to the presence of dangerous levels of carbon monoxide on the scene of a call by carbon monoxide detectors carried on their medical equipment.  On Sunday February 16th just after 1:30 p.m., paramedics responded to the Westin Hotel, located at 1110 Old Elkridge Landing Road in North Linthicum to assist an employee who felt faint.  While assessing and treating the patient, the paramedics were alerted to the possible presence of carbon monoxide by their CO alarm.  They immediately requested additional assistance to the scene and began to evacuate the patient and others in the area.

Additional responding units checked other areas of the hotel and found excessive levels of carbon monoxide in various locations in the hotel.  Some levels were in excess of 700 parts per million- levels capable of causing serious injury with just two hours of exposure.  The seven story hotel was evacuated by firefighters going room to room on each floor to ensure all employees and guests had been evacuated.

For more: http://www.eyeonannapolis.net/2014/02/17/carbon-monoxide-leak-at-westin-sends-9-to-hospital/

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Liability Risk: “Carbon Monoxide Leak At Westin Sends 9 To Hospital”

Filed under Guest Issues, Health, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Technology

Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “Miami Hotels Use Technology to Help Sick Guests”

“…Creator Dr. Ramsey Saffouri is launching the program in South Florida ahead of a worldwide release. Saffouri demonstrated the broad, Image multilingual medical technology, which he said also has wide diagnostic capabilities, at a press conference at the iconic Delano Hotel on Wednesday…”

Some Miami hotels are teaming up with a program to offer out-of-town guests who are feeling under the weather a convenient way to hook up with a doctor.

If travelers are suffering from anything from an earache to the flu, they can contact the hotel concierge or front desk to co-ordinate a new medical technology platform.

SKYdoc enables a doctor to receive vitals, such as blood pressure, pulse, and EKG reads for non-life threatening illnesses. The technology allows a doctor to communicate in a way that’s similar to Skype one-on-one with their patients 24-hours a day.

For more: http://www.theprovince.com/travel/Miami+hotels+offer+sick+guests+convenient+doctor+with+technology/9508105/story.html

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Technology Update: “Miami Hotels Use Technology to Help Sick Guests”

Filed under Employee Practices, Guest Issues, Health, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Technology, Training

Hospitality Industry Guest Health Risk: “The Bed Bugs Rise Again”

Image

For the full size image: http://visual.ly/bed-bugs-rise-again

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Guest Health Risk: “The Bed Bugs Rise Again”

Filed under Guest Issues, Health, Maintenance, Management And Ownership