Category Archives: Maintenance
Hotel Industry Pool Safety Risk: FEMA To Enforce “No Glass Zone” Rule That Prohibits “Glass-Enclosed Pools” In Florida
FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, doesn’t allow oceanfront hotels to close off their
Filed under Claims, Maintenance, Pool And Spa, Training
Hospitality Industry Information Technology: Small- To Medium-Sized Hotel Owners Should Support A “Shared-Services” Model For Data And Call Center Services
CLICK ON PICTURE TO READ ENTIRE "SHARED TECHNOLOGY REPORT"
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Filed under Guest Issues, Liability, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Training
Hospitality Industry Risk Management: “Premises Liability” Holds Owners And Managers Legally Responsible For Accidents And Injuries And Can Only Mitigated By “Daily Documented Property Inspections” Of Potential Hazards
“Premises liability†holds owners and property managers legally responsible for accidents and 
injuries that occur on property. Liability will vary depending on the legal rules and principles in place in the state where the premises liability injury occurred.
There are, essentially, three classifications of people on your property:
- Uninvited trespassers
- Licensees—those entering with permission for their own purposes
- Invitees—those entering for the benefit of the owners and occupiers
Your obligations to each will vary, and your duty gradually increases as you move from trespasser to invitee.
Trespassers can be undiscovered or discovered. For an undiscovered trespasser, the obligation is not to willfully cause injury. A discovered trespasser should receive a warning of hazards that are not obvious. This is the same duty you owe a licensee.
The invitee garners the greatest obligation. Here the owner or occupier must act to keep the property in reasonably safe condition and warn the invitee of any latent defects.
For best results, employ and document daily property inspections. Have a plan in place that requires employees to keep an eye out for hazards and a system in place to document compliance with the process.
Nonetheless, injuries on your property can occur. However, liability is not automatic. If you have maintained a diligent inspection process and can document compliance, the claimant will have a difficult time proving that you knew or should have known about the condition causing the injury. This provides an avenue to escape liability.
Other traditional defenses center upon the comparative negligence of the injured person and can take many forms. For example, it includes the provision of warnings that go unheeded. It also includes hazards that are so obvious as not to require warnings, but nonetheless go unnoticed.
For more:Â http://www.hotelworldnetwork.com/injuries/premises-liability-take-steps-now-protect-your-hotel
Hotel Industry Risk Management: “Optional Linen Service” And Other “Green Programs” Can Help Reduce “Repetitive-Use Injuries” And Chemicals Usage At Hotels
Categories include promoting environmental awareness through new employee training and workshops, ….waste reduction, energy and water efficiency and air quality as well as green 
cleaning and housekeeping practices which include optional linen service – who really needs their sheets changed every day? Similar programs in Virginia Beach, Va., and Ocean City, Md., have been embraced by merchants and tourists alike.
The local tourism and hospitality industries have a vested interest in conservation of natural resources. Aside from the money hotels, restaurants and attractions can save reducing, reusing and recycling, preserving the environmental quality of our area preserves tourism itself. The South Carolina Green Alliance, a partnership between the South Carolina Hospitality Association and the state DHEC, is devoted to helping state lodgings, attractions and eateries go green. The program made its debut last year, and although only a handful of local business are listed on the Web site (greenalliance.com), Tom Sponseller, president of the state hospitality association, says that more are coming. “We have another 30 or so restaurants and hotels that will be added. We’ve only been doing this a short time, and the whole process from implementing changes to filling out the application to it being approved through DHEC can be a bit lengthy.”
Part of the process is working with local businesses to implement changes to reduce the large scale impacts the hospitality industry has on the environment. Businesses in the hospitality industry, as well as their suppliers, can go to schospitality.org for an application listing nine categories in which points can be earned. Depending on how many points earned, a Palmetto tree is awarded, with one Palmetto indicating a business has adopted and is beginning to implement a green plan, to three Palmettos, which indicates a high level of eco-initiatives have been adopted and utilized.
While only a small number of local businesses have made it through Green Alliance certification, that doesn’t mean our local hospitality industry isn’t taking the steps necessary to become more eco-friendly. The Myrtle Beach Area Hospitality Association (MBAHA) is working with the state program, and encourages its members to take those important first steps in going green. “Our industry wants to get more involved, and it’s a question of figuring out how to do that,” says Stephen Greene, president of the MBHA. “As a group, we’ve been moving forward, but it takes a lot of time and training,” In cooperation with efforts of the state and local hospitality associations, the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce has encouraged its members to go green. As part of its Going Green program, the Chamber works to provide education, resources and support to its members in implementing energy conservation and waste reduction practices.
Read more: http://www.thesunnews.com/2010/09/09/1681777/oily-residue.html#ixzz0zbrCTJX5
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Filed under Green Lodging, Health, Labor Issues, Maintenance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Training
Hotel Industry Fire Risks: Hotel Managment Must Have “Properly Maintained Fire Escapes, Exit Lights, Fire Extinguishers And Smoke Alarms”
“…inspection reports obtained by the newspaper showed the apartments did not have properly maintained fire escapes, exit lights, fire extinguishers or smoke alarms…”
The lawsuit filed by the families of Gerardo Reyes Perez and Humberto Hernandez Vanegas, who both died in the apartment building fire, was dismissed with prejudice, according to online court 
records. A dismissal with prejudice means the lawsuit cannot be refiled against building owner Corazon Peterson, also known as Corazon Moen, and her insurance companies.
A second wrongful death lawsuit has been dismissed against the owner of the Independence Hotel Tap that burned in February 2009, killing three men. The suit was dismissed after a “minor†settlement.
But the amount of the settlement is unknown. Judge John Damon approved an order to seal documents related to the case, including the settlement paperwork, and Moen as well as attorneys representing both sides of the suit did not respond to calls for comment.
The Hotel Tap building failed its last three fire inspections prior to the blaze that also killed Ronald Stuart Beck Sr. His family also filed a wrongful death suit, which was dismissed in June.
Moen denied the failed inspections when questioned by the Winona Daily News last year, saying smoke alarms and fire extinguishers were in the building at the time of the fire. But inspection reports obtained by the newspaper showed the apartments did not have properly maintained fire escapes, exit lights, fire extinguishers or smoke alarms.
The families of Perez and Vanegas contended in their lawsuit that none of the issues were addressed at the time of the February blaze, saying the building was in “general disrepair.â€
The suit specifically cites anguish experienced by Perez’s brother Jose Reyes Perez and sister Blanca Morales. The pair were “at the scene of the blaze at its pinnacle and could only watch as the building burnt uncontrollably, and knowing their brother was inside, unable to escape,†the suit states.
Moen in her answer filed in March acknowledged the failed inspections but said the problems were fixed before the fire.
For more:Â http://www.winonadailynews.com/news/local/article_34815248-ada3-11df-bd70-001cc4c002e0.html
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Filed under Claims, Injuries, Liability, Maintenance, Risk Management, Training
Hotel Pool And Spa Water Illness Risks: New Mexico Hotel Pool Is Shut Down After Two People Contract Legionnaire’s Disease (Video)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVDCCCqCTxg]
(Double Click Screen to go to YouTube to view)
The Best Western Inn in Socorro shut down its pool and spa after the state Health Department and the Environment Department said two people who stayed in the hotel contracted Legionnaire’s disease.
The state Health Department lab confirmed last month that water collected from the hotel contained Legionella , the bacteria that causes the Legionnaire’s Disease, spokeswoman Deborah Busemeyer told The Independent.
“We did have a couple of people from South Carolina diagnosed with Legionnaire’s Disease and the likely exposure was the hotel,†Busemeyer said.
Asked to confirm that a third guest, from California, had also fallen ill, Busemeyer said: “I believe so, but I don’t have details on that.â€
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Filed under Health, Insurance, Liability, Maintenance, Pool And Spa
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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Filed under Health, Injuries, Liability, Maintenance, Pool And Spa, Training
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:Â Â http://www.tradingmarkets.com/news/stock-alert/dinn_swimming-pool-and-spa-at-the-days-inn-closed-down-987378.html
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Filed under Health, Liability, Maintenance, Pool And Spa, Risk Management, Training
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:Â Â http://www.fireengineering.com/index/articles/Wire_News_Display/1202514041.html
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Filed under Health, Injuries, Insurance, Maintenance, Risk Management
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:Â Â http://www.chillicothegazette.com/article/20100610/NEWS01/6100316
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Filed under Health, Insurance, Liability, Maintenance, Risk Management, Training
