Category Archives: Training

by | August 27, 2010 · 6:58 am

Hotel And Spa Industry Safety Risk Management: New Pool And Spa Codes To Be Released In 2012 By International Code Council (ICC) And Assoc. Of Pool And Spa Professionals (APSP)

“This new pool and spa code in particular will impact safety as soon as it is put into use because it will become part of codes that are already adopted in 50 states.”

The International Code Council (ICC) and the Association of Pool & Spa Professionals (APSP) announced that they will collaborate on a comprehensive pool and spa code for release in 2012. The new code will comprise the most-current thinking on pool and spa safety, energy efficiency and best practices. It will be the only code that addresses all types of pools, spas and hot tubs — both public and residential — as well as aquatic recreation facilities.

“The ICC develops codes that focus on keeping people safe where they live, work and play,” said Jay Peters, Code Council Plumbing, Mechanical and Fuel Gas Group (PMG) Executive Director. “This new pool and spa code in particular will impact safety as soon as it is put into use because it will become part of codes that are already adopted in 50 states.”

This landmark code will draw on APSP’s ANSI-approved American National Standards for pools, spas, hot tubs and other recreational water along with ICC’s expertise in building-safety codes, fire-prevention codes and energy-efficiency codes for residential and commercial construction. The provisions of the code will increase consistency in pool and spa construction, maintenance and operation across the country and internationally.

“Finally, builders, manufacturers and code officials will have a uniform reference wherever the ICC codes are in use,” said Carvin DiGiovanni, Senior Director of Technical and Standards for APSP. “We are looking forward to getting started on the development of what promises to be the most comprehensive pool and spa code possible.”

For more:  http://www.prweb.com/releases/APSP_ICC/safety-code/prweb4402584.htm

Comments Off on Hotel And Spa Industry Safety Risk Management: New Pool And Spa Codes To Be Released In 2012 By International Code Council (ICC) And Assoc. Of Pool And Spa Professionals (APSP)

Filed under Health, Injuries, Liability, Pool And Spa, Risk Management, Training

Tagged as , ,

by | August 26, 2010 · 2:16 pm

Hotel Industry Liability Risks: Hotel Guests’ 4-Year Old Child Finds “Condom” In Room And Family Has Retained Attorneys To File Suit Against Hotel Owners

Jones has since filed a report with the Atlanta Police Department and the family engaged lawyers to negotiate a settlement with the hotel. If no settlement is reached, the lawyer plans to file suit.

Wyndham Hotels said it was “disturbed to learn of the allegations,” but that the hotel in question was individually owned and operated. It has been sold since the incident occurred, the hotel chain said.

A 4-year-old boy was being tested for sexually transmitted diseases after he found a used condom in an Atlanta hotel room and tried to blow it up, thinking it was a balloon, his family said.

The boy found the condom in the sheets of a bed in the hotel where his family was staying, according to his grandmother Carmen Jones.

According to the statement, she then called hotel management and asked for alcohol and mouthwash for her grandson. The hotel manager came to the room, put on latex gloves and took the condom from her, citing “company policy.”

“He had his tongue in it,” Jones said in a statement released by her lawyers. “I immediately took it out of his mouth.”

The boy sickened and developed sores on his tongue not long after, Jones said. She took him to Scottish Rite Hospital in Atlanta to have him tested for sexually transmitted diseases, including herpes and HIV, a local CBS affiliate reported.

He had “little white blisters all on the top of his mouth, on his tongue, inside the mouth, inside the lip, the bottom lip. It was all over,” Jones told the CBS affiliate.

For more:  http://www.aolnews.com/nation/article/boy-tested-for-stds-after-finding-condom-in-atlanta-hotel-room/19609907

Comments Off on Hotel Industry Liability Risks: Hotel Guests’ 4-Year Old Child Finds “Condom” In Room And Family Has Retained Attorneys To File Suit Against Hotel Owners

Filed under Health, Injuries, Liability, Training

Tagged as , ,

by | August 25, 2010 · 5:26 am

Hospitality Industry Risk Management: Management Must Train Staff To HALT If They Are “Hungry, Angry, Lonely And Tired” To Prevent Accidents, Mistakes And Bad Public Relations With Guests

 

"...Whenever (hotel employees) are hungry, angry, lonely or tired...(they) need to stop, HALT! In this state of being hungry, angry, lonely and tired (employees) are much more vulnerable to getting... buttons pushed...AND BAD THINGS ARE MORE LIKELY TO HAPPEN... "

Many hotel guests have all of these conditions going on upon arrival at the front desk. They have traveled a great distance, they are tired, and they may have not eaten in hours and as a result are angry or grumpy.  Any delays or unpleasant encounters will send this guest into a full fledge melt down going off on employees who may also be vulnerable. 

 In your hotel consider what investment goes into getting a guest to call and book a stay at your location?  How much advertising was done?  How many staff hired? How much time and energy in training with staff, operators and front-line?

How much patience and time was given to gain that guest trust?  Your building preparations and maintenance of the property? What did it take to have them call and give you their credit card and put their money into your hotel or establishment? 

Considering this investment is significant when in a moment that guest can be turned away by a negative encounter with one of your employees or managers. 

What took months and perhaps thousands of dollars to build can be lost in a moment. Your hotel and its ultimate success is only as good as its weakest employee. That might be a scary thought!  But even the best employee can be worn thin and not recognize their vulnerable condition.

For more:   http://www.4hoteliers.com/4hots_fshw.php?mwi=5338

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Risk Management: Management Must Train Staff To HALT If They Are “Hungry, Angry, Lonely And Tired” To Prevent Accidents, Mistakes And Bad Public Relations With Guests

Filed under Health, Injuries, Labor Issues, Liability, Risk Management, Training

Tagged as , , , ,

by | August 24, 2010 · 6:46 am

“Hospitality 2015” From Deloitte: Hotel Ownership And Management Must Position Companies For Future Success, Profitability And Risk Reduction

CLICK ON PICTURE TO OPEN: "Hospitality 2015: Game Changers Or Spectators" From Deloitte

Comments Off on “Hospitality 2015” From Deloitte: Hotel Ownership And Management Must Position Companies For Future Success, Profitability And Risk Reduction

Filed under Green Lodging, Insurance, Management And Ownership, Risk Management, Training

Tagged as , , ,

by | August 23, 2010 · 4:30 am

Hospitality Industry Trends: Hotel Ownership Should Consider “Green Lodging” Certifications As Healthier And Safer Business Practices

“… it creates a healthier environment for those working at a hotel, motel or bed and breakfast as more of the cleaning supplies use fewer chemically infused ingredients, fewer linens are laundered, cans, bottles and other goods are recycled and lighting, entertainment, and heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems become more energy saving and efficient…”

“Growing numbers of consumers, including families and conference planners, want to know that the hotel where they plan to stay is ‘green,’ ” says Amey Marrella, commissioner of the state Department of Environmental Protection, who this past week announced that the state just certified its 15th “green lodging.”

Being green, says the commissioner, can include increased energy efficiencies, water-use reductions or reducing, reusing and recycling materials found in a hotel, motel or bed and breakfast.

In addition, Marrella says being a certified green lodging hotel can provide that hotel or motel with a competitive marketing tool, in addition to the savings provided by reduced energy use.

By “greening a hotel,” the institution can become more efficient, become friendlier to its surrounding environment and, say DEP officials, bolster its bottom line.

For more:   http://www.theday.com/article/20100822/BIZ02/308229886/-1/BIZ

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Trends: Hotel Ownership Should Consider “Green Lodging” Certifications As Healthier And Safer Business Practices

Filed under Green Lodging, Health, Injuries, Liability, Risk Management, Training

Tagged as , ,

by | August 22, 2010 · 8:17 am

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.”

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:  http://www.winonadailynews.com/news/local/article_34815248-ada3-11df-bd70-001cc4c002e0.html

Comments Off on Hotel Industry Fire Risks: Hotel Managment Must Have “Properly Maintained Fire Escapes, Exit Lights, Fire Extinguishers And Smoke Alarms”

Filed under Claims, Injuries, Liability, Maintenance, Risk Management, Training

Tagged as , ,

by | August 21, 2010 · 8:50 am

Hotel Industry Risks: Hotel Managers And Employees Must Spot Prostitution And Drug Risks When Local Guests Book Rooms For One-Week Or More

Police have started a program to educate hotel employees on how to spot prostitutes and drugs. One warning sign” When a guest with local address books a hotel room for seven or eight days, the Inquirer says.

Hotel prostitution became a high-profile last year when a woman who had advertised erotic services in a Craigslist ad was beaten and fatally shot at close range at the Boston Marriott Copley Place. Police ultimately arrested Philip Markoff, a medical student who was dubbed the Craigslist Killer, for her killing and other robberies of women in hotels. Markoff committed suicide in jail earlier this week.

Crime has been climbing at airport hotels over the last six to eight months, and Capt. Dan MacDonald III says that it can be linked to prostitution.

“This violence has resulted in numerous robberies, assaults and one homicide all directly related to prostitution going on at Philadelphia airport hotels,” the Daily News quotes him as saying.

Philly isn’t alone in fighting prostitution activity in airport hotels

For more:   http://travel.usatoday.com/hotels/post/2010/08/philly-police-bust-airport-hotel-prostitution-ring/108959/1

Comments Off on Hotel Industry Risks: Hotel Managers And Employees Must Spot Prostitution And Drug Risks When Local Guests Book Rooms For One-Week Or More

Filed under Crime, Liability, Risk Management, Training

Tagged as , , ,

by | August 20, 2010 · 5:40 am

Hospitality Industry Cybercrime Risk Management: “Cloud Computing” Providers Will Carry “Cyber Insurance To Mitigate The Risk Of Data Breaches Or Unexpected Downtime”

The manager of a fine hotel would never allow an electrician or plumber to work without being insured; it’s standard fare on service contracts in the physical world. Not so in cloud computing, where provider coverage in the form of cyber insurance is far from a given. This undoubtedly will change as businesses push providers to share the risks of a data breach or unexpected downtime, experts said.

Such large cloud computing providers as Salesforce.com Inc. do carry cyber insurance to mitigate the risk of data breaches or unexpected downtime, but “smaller providers are not carrying insurance and have no plan to [do so] until the larger customers push back and say, ‘You’re in our risk profile now,'” said Drew Bartkiewicz, vice president of technology and new media markets at The Hartford Financial Services Group, a cyber insurance company based in New York.

For the cloud computing model to work, cloud customers, as well as cloud providers, need to share the risk, according to Drue Reeves, director of research for the Burton Group in Midvale, Utah. If a provider were wholly responsible for the data of hundreds or thousands of tenants, it simply wouldn’t be able to buy enough insurance to cover the liability. To protect themselves in this risky situation, cyber insurers generally cap their policies at $10 million or $15 million, forcing providers and large customers to keep shopping, experts said.

For more:  http://searchcio.techtarget.com/news/2240021040/Cyber-insurance-mitigates-the-risk-of-data-breaches-in-cloud-computing

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Cybercrime Risk Management: “Cloud Computing” Providers Will Carry “Cyber Insurance To Mitigate The Risk Of Data Breaches Or Unexpected Downtime”

Filed under Crime, Insurance, Liability, Theft, Training

Tagged as , ,

by | August 13, 2010 · 10:07 am

Hotel Industry Health Risks: Hotel In Minnesota Has Laundry Chemical Sicken 6 Employees

A mix of laundry chemicals at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Eagan sent six employees the hospital…

Paramedics were called to the hotel at 2700 Pilot Knob Road around 10:30 a.m. after a hotel worker collapsed near the pool. Two laundry chemicals were found nearby – Destainer (Sodium Hypochlorite solution) and Sour 21 (Hydrofluorosilicic acid), which when combined form a corrosive chemical that can be fatal if ingested.

The six employees were taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul. Five were treated and released, with one staying overnight for observation.

The hotel was evacuated. 59 guests were registered for a stay at the hotel at the time of the incident, but not all were there at the time.

For more:  http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/minnesota/laundry-chemicals-eagan-crowne-plaza-collapse-aug-6-2010

Comments Off on Hotel Industry Health Risks: Hotel In Minnesota Has Laundry Chemical Sicken 6 Employees

Filed under Health, Injuries, Liability, Risk Management, Training

Tagged as , ,

by | August 11, 2010 · 7:24 pm

Hospitality Industry Safety Risks: OSHA Inspectors Can Cite “Willful Violations” If Management Ignores Employee Complaints

A “willful” violation can occur if the employer knew that he was violating a standard or if he was reckless. A good way to convince an OSHA inspector of recklessness (and thus willfulness) is to ignore employee complaints of danger, or worse, accident reports.

A lawyer knowledgeable on OSHA issues will serve as a buffer between the agency and the company’s management. He can make sure that responses to document requests are neither too broad nor too narrow.

A careful employer will review employee complaints, accident reports and minutes of safety meetings, and make sure that every item properly is evaluated and if found to be a problem, either fixed or scheduled for fixing with alternative protective measures implemented in the interim. Employers should not allow unaddressed items in such documents to smolder in their files, ready to be fanned into willfulness by an OSHA inspector.

For more:   http://ehstoday.com/standards/target-new-osha-sheriff-1339/index1.html

Comments Off on Hospitality Industry Safety Risks: OSHA Inspectors Can Cite “Willful Violations” If Management Ignores Employee Complaints

Filed under Health, Injuries, Insurance, Liability, Risk Management, Training

Tagged as , ,