Category Archives: Training

by | April 2, 2012 · 7:48 am

Hospitality Industry Crime Risks: "End Child Prostitution And Trafficking (ECPAT)" Seeks Hotels' Assistance In Fighting Internet Prostitution

End Child Prostitution and Trafficking (ECPAT) has been trying to enlist the help of hotels in fighting prostitution by agreeing to:

CODE OF CONDUCT FOR THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN FROM SEXUAL EXPLOITATION IN TRAVEL AND TOURISM

THE SIX CRITERIA

Suppliers of tourism services adopting the code commit themselves to implement the following six criteria:
1. To establish an ethical policy regarding commercial sexual exploitation of children.
2. To train the personnel in the country of origin and travel destinations.
3. To introduce a clause in contracts with suppliers, stating a common repudiation of commercial sexual exploitation of children.
4. To provide information to travellers by means of catalogues, brochures, in-flight films, ticket-slips, home pages, etc.
5. To provide information to local “key persons” at the destinations.
6. To report annually.

http://www.ecpat.net/ei/Programmes_CST.asp

Human trafficking is the second-largest organized crime in the world. The U.N. estimates more than one million children, the majority of them girls, are sexually exploited each year in the multibillion dollar sex industry.

The ease with which traffickers can use the Internet to sell sex has changed the way the sex trade operates. Instead of working the streets, women and girls are increasingly being sold in hotels.

But ECPAT executive director Carol Smolinsky says many hotels have balked at some of the policies the organization asks them to follow.  “When a company signs the code of conduct it has to have a policy against sexual exploitation of children,” Smolinsky says. “Over these years it’s been frankly shocking to me that even the step of having a policy against sexual exploitation has been troubling shall we say for them.”
One of the requirements of the code is that hotels inform their customers of that policy.  “One problem we’re having in our industry is some of the things they’re asking the hotels to do,” says Joe Mcinerney, president and CEO of the American Hotel and Lodging Association. “Putting notices in the rooms… they feel that might be an intrusion into customers thinking that maybe there is a problem at that hotel.”

For more:  http://www.voanews.com/english/news/usa/Nun-Helps-Lead-Fight-Against-Hotel-Prostitution-145761575.html

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by | April 1, 2012 · 10:45 am

Hospitality Industry Food Safety Risks: Ohio Restaurants Report Decrease In "Critical Health Violations"; Refrigeration Temperatures, Employee Hand Washing And Mixing Of Raw And Cooked Foods Are Major Concerns

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that each year roughly 48 million people, or 1 in 6 Americans, get sick from a foodborne disease. Of those 48 million, 128,000 people are hospitalized and 3,000 people die due to food that was improperly stored or prepared. The CDC said there are 31 known pathogens that can grow in food that is not stored correctly that will infect unaware eaters.

A critical violation refers to anything “that could directly impact food safety,” according to Brian Williamson, chief of environmental services for Butler County. Examples include proper storage temperatures not being met, an employee not washing his or her hands before preparing food or mixing of raw and cooked foods.

The health departments keep track of restaurant conditions as part of the fight against foodborne diseases.

Nationally, consumers are expected to spend $632 billion at restaurants, according to the National Restaurant Association. This number is an increase of 3.5 percent over 2011. In Butler County alone, there are more than 2,000 places that provide food for sale in some capacity.

“If it’s a critical violation, we try to get it corrected while we’re there,” said Carla Ealy, director of environmental health for the city of Middletown. “If it’s something like a broken refrigerator, where it may take awhile to fix, we come back in 24 or 48 hours to make sure it has been repaired.”

Even if the violations are corrected while the inspector is still at the restaurant, the incident is recorded. Awareness and a realization of how incidents can put the public’s health at risk are keys to public safety, Williamson said.

For more:  http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/critical-health-violations-fall-at-area-eateries-1353156.html

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by | · 10:45 am

Hospitality Industry Food Safety Risks: Ohio Restaurants Report Decrease In "Critical Health Violations"; Refrigeration Temperatures, Employee Hand Washing And Mixing Of Raw And Cooked Foods Are Major Concerns

The Centers for Disease Control estimates that each year roughly 48 million people, or 1 in 6 Americans, get sick from a foodborne disease. Of those 48 million, 128,000 people are hospitalized and 3,000 people die due to food that was improperly stored or prepared. The CDC said there are 31 known pathogens that can grow in food that is not stored correctly that will infect unaware eaters.

A critical violation refers to anything “that could directly impact food safety,” according to Brian Williamson, chief of environmental services for Butler County. Examples include proper storage temperatures not being met, an employee not washing his or her hands before preparing food or mixing of raw and cooked foods.

The health departments keep track of restaurant conditions as part of the fight against foodborne diseases.

Nationally, consumers are expected to spend $632 billion at restaurants, according to the National Restaurant Association. This number is an increase of 3.5 percent over 2011. In Butler County alone, there are more than 2,000 places that provide food for sale in some capacity.

“If it’s a critical violation, we try to get it corrected while we’re there,” said Carla Ealy, director of environmental health for the city of Middletown. “If it’s something like a broken refrigerator, where it may take awhile to fix, we come back in 24 or 48 hours to make sure it has been repaired.”

Even if the violations are corrected while the inspector is still at the restaurant, the incident is recorded. Awareness and a realization of how incidents can put the public’s health at risk are keys to public safety, Williamson said.

For more:  http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/critical-health-violations-fall-at-area-eateries-1353156.html

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by | March 29, 2012 · 8:38 am

Hospitality Industry Property Risks: New York Elevator Mechanic Dies When Electrocuted During Maintenance Work Near Control Panel

“…(He) was performing maintenance in the engine room on the ninth floor of  the Axa Equitable building …when he was electrocuted just  after 9:30 p.m…”  

Con Edison was called to the scene for safety reasons, an  agency spokesman said, but it was unclear how the man came into contact with  live wires in the room that houses a control panel and a riser that works to  operate the building’s 34 elevators.

A 39-year-old elevator mechanic died when he was electrocuted at work in a  44-story midtown office building Wednesday night, fire and police officials  said.  Emergency responders found  the repairman unconscious and in cardiac arrest, a fire official said.  But  he died less than 30 minutes later, according to a police source.
“He’s  dead,” a fire source at the scene said. “He was lying on live  wires.”
Building workers said the man had been employed for the past five  years by the Schindler Group – a company that develops, installs and services  elevators and escalators, according to its website – which contracts with the  building to supply in-house mechanics to keep up with repairs.
“He has  three kids, it’s horrible,” said one coworker said. “He was a very nice guy. He  was hardworking and smart,” he said of his fallen friend. “But no one knows what  happened.”
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/mechanic-electrocuted-elevator-manhattan-office-building-article-1.1052532#ixzz1qWQmFsvr

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by | March 27, 2012 · 2:14 am

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: California Hotel Evacuated Due To "Abandoned Suitcase" Bomb Threat

The suitcase was ruled harmless by bomb squad personnel after an X-ray determined that clothes and other personal items were inside. They would later destroy it with a high-powered water canon.

An abandoned suitcase that forced the evacuation of the Georgian Hotel and nearby buildings for nearly four hours on Monday was determined to be harmless, Santa Monica police said.  The suitcase was left in the Ocean Avenue hotel at approximately 9:30 a.m. by a man who said he was leaving it for a person staying at the establishment.

Hotel employees said that no name matching that person was on the hotel’s registry, prompting the man to flee. Alarmed by the incident, staff members called the police who ultimately called in the L.A. County Sheriff’s bomb squad to investigate the situation, SMPD spokesman Sgt. Richard Lewis said.

The evacuations came just as the Senior Center was preparing to serve free lunch, forcing nearly 55 seniors and five staff members to flee the building, employees said.

For more:  http://www.smdp.com/Articles-local-news-c-2012-03-26-73724.113116-Police-Suspicious-suitcase-had-no-explosives.html

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by | · 2:14 am

Hospitality Industry Security Risks: California Hotel Evacuated Due To "Abandoned Suitcase" Bomb Threat

The suitcase was ruled harmless by bomb squad personnel after an X-ray determined that clothes and other personal items were inside. They would later destroy it with a high-powered water canon.

An abandoned suitcase that forced the evacuation of the Georgian Hotel and nearby buildings for nearly four hours on Monday was determined to be harmless, Santa Monica police said.  The suitcase was left in the Ocean Avenue hotel at approximately 9:30 a.m. by a man who said he was leaving it for a person staying at the establishment.

Hotel employees said that no name matching that person was on the hotel’s registry, prompting the man to flee. Alarmed by the incident, staff members called the police who ultimately called in the L.A. County Sheriff’s bomb squad to investigate the situation, SMPD spokesman Sgt. Richard Lewis said.

The evacuations came just as the Senior Center was preparing to serve free lunch, forcing nearly 55 seniors and five staff members to flee the building, employees said.

For more:  http://www.smdp.com/Articles-local-news-c-2012-03-26-73724.113116-Police-Suspicious-suitcase-had-no-explosives.html

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by | March 26, 2012 · 6:10 pm

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: ADA "Pool Lift" Product And Installation Demonstration Video

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d42mLPaPZBk]

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by | · 6:10 pm

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: ADA "Pool Lift" Product And Installation Demonstration Video

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d42mLPaPZBk]

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by | March 18, 2012 · 7:56 am

Hospitality Industry Employment Risks: Hotel Management Must Use Consistent Hiring And Firing Procedures To Prevent "Age Discriminiation Lawsuits"

  • Initial screening: Make sure those responsible for selecting interview candidates don’t have access to information about applicants’ race, age, sex or other protected characteristics. That alone will prevent many failure-to-hire claims. HR should take the lead and prepare applicant summaries for hiring managers to screen that contain no tell-tale information about protected characteristics. That may mean even excising names, using a candidate number instead.
  • Who hires and fires: The same individual responsible for the final decision to hire an applicant should also make the decision to fire that individual if necessary. This helps dispel the notion that a protected characteristic like race or age had anything to do with the decision. After all, why would someone hire an applicant who belongs to a protected class then turn around and fire the same person because of her race, sex, age, etc.?
  • Training: Track training to make sure each employee has the opportunity to improve job performance. Note any training offers and the employee’s response.
  • Informal audit: Review your labor pool regularly. Look for patterns that may indicate hiring bias. For example, are all employees in a particular job under age 40? If so, find out why.

For more:  http://www.businessmanagementdaily.com/29524/use-consistent-hiring-firing-processes-to-knock-down-age-discrimination-claims

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by | March 15, 2012 · 8:23 am

Hospitality Industry Legal Risks: California Hotel Owners Compliance With Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) "Pool Lift Regulations" Is Effective March 15; Vulnerable To "Unruh Civil Rights Act" Violation Lawsuits

“…California-based businesses should be particularly worried.  The Unruh Civil Rights Act, itself a wellspring for abusive litigation, incorporates the ADA by reference, making any violation of the ADA also a violation of Unruh…Unruh has more teeth than the ADA—$4,000 per violation, regardless of intent, plus attorney’s fees…”

 The Department of Justice granted the industry’s call for a clarification: But it was not the answer they wanted. All 300,000 public pools in the United States must install a permanent fixed lift. The deadline for compliance is tomorrow, March 15. Call it “Poolmageddon.”

There is no way all 300,000 pools can install permanent lifts by Thursday. There simply are not enough lifts in existence or enough people who know how to install them, according to industry spokesmen. Plus, each lift costs between $3,000 and $10,000 and installation can add $5,000 to $10,000 to the total.

The Administration has assured the industry that it does not plan to enforce the new guidelines right away.  But the ADA contains a private enforcement mechanism, empowering private attorneys to bring suit immediately, collecting attorney’s fees from violators.  As the article mentions, trial lawyers contributed over $45 million to Obama’s campaign.

For more:  http://ordinary-gentlemen.com/timkowal/2012/03/15/new-ada-guidelines-expose-pool-operators-to-private-lawsuits/

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