Category Archives: Injuries

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 19, 2010 · 8:04 am

Hotel Industry Injury Prevention: Hotels That Train And Retain Employees Experience Fewer Workplace Injuries

“…as turnover decreases, so does the number of injuries, because employees with more training tend to get injured less than newly hired ones. This may also explain why there was an increase in injuries during the industry’s initial boom, when the number of new employees increased.”

Scott Stuckey, general manager of the Omni Jacksonville Hotel, said his industry as a whole has been pushing for increased worker safety, with many setting up safety committees. Omni Jacksonville’s safety committee meets monthly to review accidents see how they could be prevented and inspect the hotel for potential hazards.

The number of employee injuries at the Omni has declined over the last few years, along with the workers’ compensation settlements attached to them. In 2007, the hotel had seven claims with a payout of about $7,000, compared with 2006, when it had 13 claims and a payout of a little under $12,000. The 2007 figure doesn’t take into account accidents in December, because they have yet to be calculated.

Stuckey said as turnover decreases, so does the number of injuries, because employees with more training tend to get injured less than newly hired ones. This may also explain why there was an increase in injuries during the industry’s initial boom, when the number of new employees increased.

Read more: In most cases, injuries drop as industries target safety – Jacksonville Business Journal

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by | June 18, 2010 · 6:20 am

Hotel Industry Pool Safety: Commercial Pool And Spa Safety Basics From The “Independent Pool And Spa Service Association” (IPSSA Video)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUKTCVpcaI0]

 This Independent Pool and Spa Service Association (IPSSA) video outlines safety issues at commercial pools and spas.

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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 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 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 7, 2010 · 7:14 am

Hospitality Industry Bodily Injury Liability: New Florida Law Will Help Limit “Slip And Fall” Cases And Forced Settlements

“…Maria Coppola says she slipped on pebbles and sand on the Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club step..”

“…lawsuits, filed in the past six months in Collier Circuit Court, likely will result in settlements. That’s because defendants want to avoid costs of expensive litigation…”

In April, Gov. Charlie Crist signed House Bill 689, which requires that an injured person must prove a business, municipality or other defendant actually knew about a dangerous condition and should have done something to fix it _ or that the condition occurred often enough that the business should have expected it. These are legal standards known as actual notice, or constructive notice.

“This represents a significant shift and a major victory for business owners and their insurers in slip-and-fall cases,” said Kirkland Miller, an Ave Maria School of Law professor who specializes in premises liability. “More importantly, it could mean a reduction in the number of slip-and-fall cases being filed in Florida …”

For more:   http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2010/jun/06/south-florida-called-no-1-hellhole-slip-fall-lawsu/

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by | June 2, 2010 · 7:19 am

Hotel Industry Risk Management: Hotel Owners Must Establish Effective Internal Or Outsourced Risk Reduction Programs To Keep Corporate Insurance Premiums Down And Avoid Legal Violations And Penalties

Little attention is given to the security department as a member of an overall cost-reducing risk-management program. Risk reduction saves money now and in the immediate future and is easily quantifiable

A poorly organized or implemented hotel security program has a direct negative impact on corporate profits. Many organizations are suffering chronically low revenue per available room, resulting in companywide cost-cutting initiatives.

Risk-management considerations are fairly universal and reasonably simple in the hotel industry. Some variations exist, often based on your region and the type of facility you are managing. Some factors to consider that help create an effective program include:

  • defining segments of your operation that cause frequent insurance claims resulting in higher corporate insurance premiums;
  • determining the elements that will tarnish your brand; and
  • assessing what policies and procedural failures or system deficiencies are violations of law, which can lead to crushing civil and criminal penalties.

For more:   http://www.hotelnewsnow.com/Articles.aspx?ArticleId=3377&ArticleType=35&PageType=News

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