Tag Archives: Accident Prevention

by | September 25, 2010 · 7:08 am

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:  http://www.hotelworldnetwork.com/injuries/premises-liability-take-steps-now-protect-your-hotel

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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

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by | August 5, 2010 · 3:23 am

Hospitality Industry Accident Risk Management: Falls From Slips And Trips Represent One Of The Most Common Hazards In Restaurants

 Falls from slips and trips are among the most common hazards in the restaurant industry.  According to the National Safety Council, over 275,000 injuries and nearly 800 deaths among U.S. general industries were caused by slips, trips, and falls in 2008. In fact, slips, trips and falls represent the most common causes of workplace injury after motor vehicle accidents.  

Slips trips and falls can result in head injuries, back injuries, broken bones, cuts and lacerations, or sprained muscles.  In the years 2007-2008, the average workers’ compensation cost for a slip/trip/fall was $21,500.  This exceeds the average cost of other injuries by 14%!

The following are some simple ways to reduce the probability of a slip and/or fall on wet or slippery floors:

  • Install slip-resistant floor surface or use anti-skid adhesive tape in high traffic areas.
  • Use absorbent matting in entrance ways during inclement weather or in areas where walkers may pass through puddles. (Note: unanchored mats may cause slip hazards themselves. Make sure that matting lays flat and that the backing material is slip resistant.).
  • Maintain good housekeeping throughout all work areas. Utilize trash receptacles for the disposing of trash, food debris and other items which might wind up on floors.
  • Immediately clean up spills and leaks. Place caution signs to warn employees and/or patrons of slippery surfaces or other slip/trip hazards.
  • Develop written procedures to handle spills and ensure they are reported and cleaned up immediately.  Regular, frequent inspections of working and walking areas should be conducted to identify hazards which could cause slips, trips and falls.
  • Wear proper footwear for better traction on slippery surfaces.
  • Use handrails or other stable objects that you can hold on to in paths of travel.  

For more:  http://www.employers.com/business/slips-trips-falls.aspx

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by | August 4, 2010 · 3:25 am

Hospitality Industry Alcohol Sales Liability: Hotel And Restaurant Bar Owners Can Face Huge Damages From Lawsuits Resulting From Drunk Patrons Car Accidents

Make sure you have liquor liability insurance and that there’s plenty of financial space between you and your business.

“These types of cases can put a bar, a grocery store, convenience store, hotel or restaurant out of business and if they’re not careful, the people that are behind the ownership could see their houses or bank accounts put at risk,”

A recent Supreme Court ruling is going to put more pressure on businesses that sell alcohol.

Bars, restaurants, and even convenience stores could face stiffer penalties for selling alcohol to someone who ends up injuring someone else in a car accident.

On Monday, the Supreme Court of South Carolina upheld a 2003 ruling that awarded $10 million to a man who sued a bar after one of its patrons ran into him on a Greenwood highway.

“These types of cases can put a bar, a grocery store, convenience store, hotel or restaurant out of business and if they’re not careful, the people that are behind the ownership could see their houses or bank accounts put at risk,” said Christian Stegmaier, a retail and hospitality specialist at Collins and Lacy in Columbia.

For more:  http://www.live5news.com/Global/story.asp?S=12900444

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by | May 1, 2010 · 5:41 am

Restaurant Accident Liability And Prevention: Preventative Maintenance And Workplace Safety Save Owners Money In Long Run

The average slip-and-fall accident costs a restaurant about $12,000, and since most locations will experience between three and five of these per year, anything that can bring those figures down is good for the bottom line.

“When the budget’s lean, owners often look at a growing problem and say, ‘We don’t have the personnel or money to fix this right now,’” Riggs says. “But preventative maintenance is always easier than trying to fix a catastrophic problem after something’s been neglected.”

(From a QSRMagazine.com article)   Before Peter Riggs became a vice president with the 173-unit franchise Pita Pit, he was a franchise owner. Starting out in the business, Riggs thought he knew what to look for when it came to preventative maintenance and workplace safety. He watched for spills on the floor. He made regular equipment service appointments. He did all the things an owner-operator should do to ensure his location is in top working order. But one day a chair broke, and he realized he still had a lot to learn.

“The chair got old and one of its parts just came loose and broke,” Riggs says. “There was no particular reason beyond wear and tear. You know stuff like that happens, but you really don’t think about it in relation to your own business unless someone tells you to watch out for it.”

Fortunately, no one was injured, but Riggs still likes to tell the anecdote because he says it illustrates an important point when talking about site maintenance: Attention to detail is everything. And as owners and operators look to save money during the troubled economy, it’s the small, preventative particulars that often get lost in the mix. And it isn’t just a matter of safety; it’s also a matter of profitability.

http://www.qsrmagazine.com/articles/what_matters_most/141/prevention-1.phtml

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by | March 29, 2010 · 7:17 am

Hospitality Industry Safety: OSHA Outreach Training Program May Be Mandated Nationally As It Stresses “Safety And Health Hazard Recognition And Prevention”

The OSHA Outreach Training Program is our primary way to train workers in the basics of occupational safety and health. Through the program, individuals who complete a one-week OSHA trainer course are authorized to teach 10-hour and 30-hour courses in construction or general industry safety and health hazard recognition and prevention. Authorized trainers can receive OSHA course completion cards for their students. Over the past three years, over 1.6 million students have received training through this program.

10-HOUR GENERAL INDUSTRY REQUIRED COURSE TOPICS
*OSHA subpart references are provided for informational purposes;

training should emphasize hazard awareness
Mandatory – 6 hours  
One Hour – Introduction to OSHA, including:

  • OSH Act, General Duty Clause, Employer and Employee Rights and Responsibilities, Whistleblower Rights, Recordkeeping basics
  • Inspections, Citations, and Penalties
  • Value of Safety and Health
  • OSHA Website and available resources
  • OSHA 800 number
One Hour 
Walking and Working Surfaces, Subpart D – including fall protection
One Hour 
Exit Routes, Emergency Action Plans, Fire Prevention Plans, and Fire Protection, Subpart E & L
One Hour 
Electrical, Subpart S
One Hour 
Personal Protective Equipment, Subpart I
One Hour 
Hazard Communication, Subpart Z
 

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by | February 23, 2010 · 3:54 am

Hospitality Workplace Health And Safety: Preventing Accidents Must Be A Priority (Video)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN2gpRcFKAQ]

WARNING: Graphic content. This ad is from the workplace health and safety marketing campaign from Ontario’s workers’ compensation board. Disturbingly effective.

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