CLICK ON MICROPHONE TO HEAR NPR'S: "Conquering Your Fear Of Bedbugs"
With daily reports of bedbugs in movie theaters and clothing stores — let alone apartment buildings — bedbug hysteria seems to be reaching new heights. Psychologist Kevin Ochsner studies how people regulate emotion and shares tips for how to get your bedbug fear under control.
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Filed under Health, Liability, Risk Management, Training
These are anxious times in the hotel industry. The pests — which hide in mattresses and bite people while they sleep — are
State inspectors have the authority to shut down an establishment that poses an "imminent health hazard" involving fire, flood, sewage backup, rodent infestation, bed bug infestation or "any other condition that could endanger the health and safety of guests, employees and the general public."
constantly in the news, and no place feels safe anymore.
Hotel and inn operators are feeling particularly vulnerable. Bedbugs have a habit of hitchhiking from place to place in suitcases. And disgruntled guests have a habit of broadcasting their bad experiences. A single negative posting on the likes of tripadvisor.com making a charming inn sound like a bedbug-and-breakfast can bring an establishment to its knees.
“I think the only people who were paying attention before were those who were dealing with it personally,’’ said Jeffrey White, an entomologist with BedBug Central, an online bedbug resource and host of “BedBug Central TV,’’ a weekly webcast. “With bedbugs popping up on buses and trains and theaters — places which everybody tends to use — it’s driving the media.’’
“Everyone has a right to voice their opinion, but it’s disheartening,’’ said Paul Sacco, president and chief executive officer of the Massachusetts Lodging Association. “It’s just awful that people can make claims that it takes forever to substantiate and forever to get them off when they’re false.’’
Another scourge in the industry is The Bedbug Registry, a public database of sightings in hotels and apartments in the United States and Canada. It was started four years ago by Maciej Ceglowski, a California computer programmer seeking revenge on bedbugs after being bitten by one in a San Francisco hotel. The sightings aren’t verified and are usually submitted anonymously. There have been 51 reports of bedbugs in Massachusetts hotels, Ceglowski said.
For more:Â http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2010/09/02/
bedbug_fears_putting_the_bite_on_hotel_industry/
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Filed under Health, Insurance, Liability, Risk Management, Training
 “…there have been reported issues with 3-D causing seizures and headaches in certain segments of the population—which could be a liability issue for hotels…”
.. if 3-D becomes commonplace in the home, expect hoteliers to feel the pressure to bring it into the guestroom sooner or later.
“There needs to be content and a way for hotels to collect more for investing in these TVs,†said Anthony Fonzo, senior product marketing manager, Philips Hospitality. “The 3-D television sets are a significant additional investment for the hotelier. There are also a number of questions—will guests pay to watch 3-D, be comfortable wearing glasses and will the glasses stay in the rooms or become another item that is frequently stolen?â€
“We don’t believe 3-D will be relevant for the high majority of hotel rooms,†said Rick Albert, VP sales, hospitality, Panasonic. “TVs would have to be completely replaced and we just don’t see 3-D as enough of an incentive for a property to spend the dollars to do another compete renovation. Plus, until the cost of glasses comes down, it is far too cost-prohibitive to keep glasses in rooms and to replace them often.â€
For more:Â Â http://www.hotelworldnetwork.com/0710design
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Filed under Injuries, Insurance, Liability, Risk Management, Theft
“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:
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
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak05xp72wX8&feature=player_embedded]
The National Pest Management Association (NPMA) issues a warning to millions of Americans who plan to travel this summer — beware of the bed bug. The NPMA has seen a 71 percent increase in bed bug infestations since 2001, mainly due to international travel. These “hitchhiking†pests can easily travel home with people in their suitcases. While bed bugs do not transmit diseases, their bites can become red, itchy welts.
“Travelers can unknowingly bring bed bugs into their homes, giving the pests a new place to live and feed,†said Missy Henriksen, vice president of public affairs for NPMA. “Bed bugs multiply quickly and can be difficult to eliminate.  We advise travelers to keep a few bed bug prevention tips in mind to avoid this most unwanted trip souvenir.â€
A bed bug infestation is not a sign of unclean or unsanitary conditions. Bed bugs don’t discriminate and have been found in world class hotels and budget properties alike and wealthy neighborhoods as well as less affluent communities.
To prevent bed bug infestations, travelers should remember the following tips and check out this how-to video from NPMA:
·        Pull back the hotel bed sheets and inspect the mattress seams, particularly the corners, for telltale brownish or reddish spots.Â
·        Thoroughly inspect the entire room before unpacking. Do not put your luggage on the bed.Â
·        If you change rooms, but choose to stay in the same establishment, be sure your new room is not adjacent to the possibly infested room.Â
·        Use a large plastic bag to store your luggage.
·        When you return home, inspect and vacuum your suitcases thoroughly before bringing them into the house.Â
·        Wash all your clothes — whether worn or not — in hot water.
·        If you suspect a bed bug infestation, contact a licensed pest professional.
For more information on bed bugs or to find a pest professional, please visit: www.pestworld.org.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Control and Prevention found that, aside from childcare 
facilities, that 16,569 hotels, resorts and motels had the highest rate of closure due to serious code violations, mainly low disinfectant in the water to battle bacteria, about 15% or 1 in 6 hotel inspections.
Shigella and novovirus cause stomach and intestinal infections like gastroenteritis. Another microorganism found in pools is pseudomonas, which causes harmless but unsightly pustules on the skin.
To prevent closures or violations, hotel managers and staff should be using routine maintenance and sanitation, with frequent pool checks during high use when chlorine will get a work-out. Anyone, including a member of the hotel staff can check the pH level of the pool by using free test strips available from the Water Quality & Health Council (water levels should be within 7.2 to 7.8.)
For more:Â Â http://industry.bnet.com/travel/10006301/cut-the-crap-the-dark-side-of-hotel-pools-and-how-to-manage-it/
Fecal particles are a common factor, especially in kiddie pools 
and fountains where children frolic. But urine is also a problem: It contains nitrogen that eats up chlorine in pool water, depleting the supply. Sweat and suntan lotion have the same effect.
And about one in five adults admit they have peed in the pool, according to a survey of 1,000 Americans done last year for a chemical industry advisory group, the Water Quality and Health Council.
A new government report shows one in eight public swimming pools were shut down two years ago because of dirty water or other problems, like missing safety equipment.
Kiddie pools were most likely to be the germiest, from fecal matter and improper chlorination.
The report is based on more than 120,000 inspections of public swimming pools in 2008, including those in parks and hotels. It’s the largest study of the topic ever done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which released the report Thursday.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSTNXPJ0Htw]
 Healthy swimming expert Michael Beach warns about the superbug Crypto that causes the most common recreational water illness and suggests anyone with diarrhea should stay out of the water. The video explains that though we use chlorine to kill germs and protect our health, Crypto can survive for days in chlorinated water.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CawLQetCfKA&feature=related]
The second of three videos produced by the Idaho Department of Health & Welfare to raise awareness of Recreational Water Illness and how to prevent them.
“…While most of today’s spas promise to restore, refresh, and renew — and some offer even more 
explicit health claims — they generally don’t warn you of the potential risks involved. But they do exist. Certain spa treatments can worsen chronic and acute health conditions. All spas can pose risks to the general public, particularly when operated in a state of uncleanliness…”
(From a CBSNews.com article)
 http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/12/15/health/webmd/main1128859.shtml
“There’s a risk of disease transmission, there’s a risk of injury, there’s a real risk of death.”
The resort’s pool licence was revoked after inspectors found the water filtration system wasn’t working properly.
The issue lies with the pool’s 23 skimmers, which circulate the water through a central filter.
Engineers say that because of the high amount of minerals in the water, 19 of them are no longer working.
(From a WinnipegFreePress.com article)Â Â There’s a storm a-brewin’ at a luxury resort north of Regina where health inspectors ordered a mineral spa closed this weekend over health and safety concerns.
Dwight Hayter, CEO of the Manitou Springs Hotel and Mineral Spa, said Saturday he’s got “24 layoffs and a hotel full of unhappy guests” on his hands.
“We don’t think this was necessary,” he said, acknowledging there are problems with the spa but insisting he wasn’t given enough time to fix them.
“To have another month, month-and-a-half extension on such an important issue as this, we didn’t think was a stretch.”
But deputy medical health officer John Opondo said the spa has been on probation for more than two years.
“We have been working with them progressively, we’ve had provincial partners involved in a peer review process to really try and bring them into compliance,” said Opondo.
