Safety and Security

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CHAPTER 7

• Safety and Security
• Objectives examining how to ensure safety and
  security in the hotel through efficient
• housekeeping operations

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Safety and Security

• Safety refers to the actual conditions in the
  work environment.
• Security refers to the prevention of theft,
  fire, and other emergencies.
• Housekeeping Maintenance departments have the
  highest risk for accidents and injuries because
• both employ more people than other dept.
• working in these dept. require physical activity
  and equipment use

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To reduce safety risks

• The exec. housekeeper must,
• be aware of potential safety hazards
• develop procedures to prevent accidents
• develop ongoing safety training programs
• be aware of the laws that regulate the work
  environment

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Unsafe Work Environments cause

• insurance and liability concerns
• - expensive medical costs
• - legal problems e.g. fines or lawsuits
• - decreased productivity
• employee moral and management concerns
• - negative employee morale
• - low performance

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Potentially Hazardous Conditions

• Managers must train employees to recognize
  potentially hazardous conditions and take
  corrective actions before they cause injuries
  like sprains, strains, falls
• - wet floors and slippery walkways
• - messy floors
• - equipment left out in the way
• - improper lifting techniques

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Three Rules for safe, accident-free work
environment

• 1. Take adequate time
• 2. Correct unsafe conditions immediately
• 3. Do it safely the first time
• Ex. 1, pg. 173 Sample Safety Rules for a Lodging
  Operation

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Safety Tipsfor potentially hazardous conditions
in the HK

• Lifting incorrect lifting may cause, strained or
  pulled muscles and back injury, and cuts and
  scratches. Ex. 2, pg. 174 safe lifting.

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• Ladders when selecting a ladder, inspect its
  condition, height and footing.
• do not use broken or defective ladder
• do not use aluminum or metal ladder when working
  near or on electrical equipment
• use rubber footing on tile floors and in kitchen
• floor must be dry and clean
• should be high enough
• never stand on the top step
• never place a ladder against a window or uneven
  surfaces
• should be well-balanced

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• when climbing, face the ladder and have clean and
  dry hands and feet
• mark the area underneath the ladder with caution
  signs
• Machines
• employees should be authorized and trained to use
  them before operating
• follow the instructions and train and supervise
  the staff
• safety guards of the machines should not be
  removed, protective eye goggles should be worn

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• never leave them unattended, turn off and store
• never use a machine that is not operating
  correctly, have it repaired
• Electrical Equipment
• never operate electrical equipment with wet hands
  or cloths
• do not operate near flammable liquids, chemicals
  or vapors
• turn off them when sparks, smokes or flames are
  seen
• check the wires and connections periodically
• never unplug them by pulling the cord

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• keep the cords out off traffic areas
• when cleaning guestrooms, room attendants should
  check for frayed wires, loose connections, loose
  plugs, broken switches
• Chemicals when used improperly, they can cause
  nausea, vomiting, skin rashes, cancer, blindness
  and even death. Potentially hazardous chemicals
  are used to kill insects and rodents or unstop
  clogs in toilets.
• continual training in chemical safety is necessary

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Job Safety Analysis

• is a detailed report that lists every job
  function performed by all employees in a
  housekeeping department with safety tips and
  potential hazards being cited. The analysis
  should be produced in booklet form and used in
  training. Housekeeping managers should
  demonstrate and explain each task when training.

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Safety Training

• 1. begins the first day of the job with an
  orientation about safety rules and regulations.
• 2. should include the presentation of the
  hotels safety philosophy during orientation.
  Ex. 3, pg. 179
• 3. does not end at orientation. Every employee
  should participate in an ongoing safety education
  program at least once a month.

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Security

• is the task of protecting both people and assets
  by
• guestroom security
• key control
• perimeter control
• emergency procedures
• lighting
• security records
• whether the property requires a large security
  staff or one or several on-premises supervisory
  personnel, the security role must be clearly
  defined and implemented.

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Security Issues

• Suspicious Activities
• The individuals allowed in guestroom areas are
  guests, their visitors, and on-duty employees
• establish a policy on how to approach and handle
  unauthorized or undesirable people. Suspicious
  people are those checking doors, knocking on
  doors, or looking nervous.
• approach the person looking suspicious politely.
  If the person claims to be a guest, ask for the
  room key. If the person says that he is not a
  guest, then

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• explain the hotel policy and direct the guest to
  the front desk.
• employees who are not in their designated area
  should be asked if they need help. Depending on
  the persons response and manner, report to
  security.
• friends and relatives of employees should not be
  allowed in guestroom areas or employee locker
  rooms

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• Theft
• (a) Guest Theft can be reduced by
• using fewer items with logos reduces temptation
  to steal
• keeping storage rooms closed and locked
• fixing or bolting guestroom items and fixtures to
  appropriate surfaces
• when cleaning, notifying the front desk or
  security for any missing items
• securing all first floor windows and sliding
  glass doors

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• (b) Employee Theft can be reduced by
• acting as a good example as managers
• writing down the consequences of stealing in the
  employee handbook and implementing them for
  everyone without discriminating
• screening applicants (background check) before
  making a job offer
• having good inventory control procedures, taking
  physical inventory every month
• keeping records of stolen or missing items
• keeping all storeroom doors locked and changing
  the locks periodically

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• designating employee entrances and exits with
  security staff
• establishing claim-checking and parcel-pass
  systems
• restricting employee parking
• in large hotels, using identification badges to
  prevent strangers

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• Bomb Treats
• As housekeeping, helping in the search for any
  suspicious objects that could be bombs. Searches
  often include stairways, closets, ashtrays, trash
  containers, elevators, exit areas, window sills
• if a suspicious looking object is found, it
  should not be touched or moved, notify the person
  in charge of the search team
• avoid using radios, walkie-talkies, or beepers
• the safety and security manual should include
  evacuation plans
• the local police should be notified of all bomb
  threats

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• Fires are grouped into four - Class A, wood and
  paper products Class B, flammable liquid,
  grease, and gasoline Class C, electrical, Class
  D, combustible metals. In the lodging industry,
  electrical malfunction and arson are the two most
  common causes of fire.
• installing fire detection systems - smoke
  detectors, suppression systems (sprinklers) ,
  alarms (pull stations)
• fire safety training - in evacuating the
  building, reporting fire, emergency escape
  procedures and duties, escaping from a
  smoke-filled room, putting out a small fire (fire
  extinguishers, type ABC)
• using fire-resistant fabrics and materials

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• Key Control housekeeping is concerned with
  emergency (open all doors even those have double
  locked), master (three levels -the highest level
  is the grand master opens every hotel room and HK
  storage rooms, the next level is the section
  master opens rooms in one area, the lowest level
  is the floor key opens the rooms on the allocated
  floor and storeroom) , storeroom and guestroom
  keys.
• key control procedures (1) log book for keys ex.
  7, pg. 193, (2) key belts, wrist bands or neck
  chains for keeping keys, (3) should never be
  loaned or (4) left on the cart, or (5) used to
  open a room for a guest, (6) card key systems.

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• Lost and Found
• handled by housekeeping
• should be stored in a secure area
• items should be tagged (with numbers), logged (to
  record the date, time, place, person) ex. 8, pg.
  195, secured (keep at least 90 days, donate
  unclaimed items)
• Guestroom Cleaning room attendants should
• not open guest luggage or packages
• be careful when removing linens, dusting the top
  of closets and under lamps, since guests
  sometimes hide valuable belongings

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• immediately notify the HK, Security or FO if any
  of the following items are noticed
• guns/weapons
• drugs
• cooking/unsafe electrical appliances
• foul odors
• pets
• ill guests
• large amounts of cash or valuable jewelry
• keep the door open and the cart rolled in front
  of the entrance to block access from outside,
  when cleaning guestrooms

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• politely ask the guest name and see the room key,
  if a guest wants to enter the room while the
  attendant is cleaning
• never leave a room unattended with the door open
• after cleaning the room, check all windows and
  sliding doors whether they are locked, check the
  guestroom as well to see that it is locked