Customer service is possibly the most critical factor determining whether guests leave your hotel satisfied or furious. However, your staff won’t be able to provide the service expected from them if you fail to enforce high safety standards that keep them safe on the job.
1. Check Credentials
Maintaining a credible hiring system means checking every job applicant’s credentials thoroughly. If a potential employee’s background is spotty, you might want to think twice about hiring that particular individual. You don’t want to endanger your current staff members and guests. Take an interest in your employees even after you hire them. By taking the time to introduce yourself, you’ll have an easier time noticing anyone that doesn’t belong there. Furthermore, you’ll also foster a culture of trust. If everyone is looking out for each other, the chances of missing a hazard are much lower. Checking visitor credentials is just as important. Make sure that all staff members understand the protocol of checking IDs, regardless of whether the person in question is a guest asking for a key replacement, a builder, or temporary catering staff.
2. Train Your Staff
It doesn’t matter if it’s an electrical appliance in the kitchen or something as simple as a vacuum cleaner; all employees should know how to use the equipment necessary for their job. Employees that receive appropriate training are less likely to suffer from injuries related to the improper handling of equipment. They’re also more likely to notice and report faulty equipment immediately. Furthermore, make sure that all staff members receive training in safe lifting techniques. Strained shoulders and pulled backs are common, but they don’t have to be. In addition to training your staff on how to operate equipment, you should also train them on how to
observe dysfunctional behavior. Customers can, at times, pose a threat to employee safety. Enacting appropriate safety measures protects not only your employees but also your guests. Staff members that have the necessary knowledge to detect abnormal behavior can recognize people that are acting out and report them to their manager straight away.
3. Use Safe Equipment
Hotel staff won’t perform well if they don’t feel safe on the job. To reduce the number of accidents, equip your employees with the safest and most reliable equipment available.
For example, traditional chafing dishes used by most hotels are incredibly dangerous. When knocked over, they threaten to not only burn guests and staff members but also cause fires. The solution is simple. Invest in safer, more reliable chafing dish systems such as EcoBurner. EcoBurner buffet burners remove the leading cause of chafing dish fuel fires, such as a burning gel falling and causing a fire. When overturned, EcoBurner buffet burners extinguish automatically and won’t relight until the safety feature is reset. In addition, because EcoBurner uses safe chafing fuel, neither your staff nor your guests will complain of the fumes emanating from burning chemicals ever again.
4. Maintain A Safe Working Environment
Installing safety cameras, sophisticated locks, and emergency alarm systems are simple yet effective measures that most hotels implement as soon as they start operating. But having safety equipment on hand is not enough. Don’t forget to carry out regular checks to ensure that everything works as it should. Regular risk assessments are a great way to spot any issues that could harm your staff. For example, if your hotel is on the bigger side, employees might need ladders to service the facility. If that’s the case, inspect ladders regularly and replace them as soon as they begin to show signs of wear and tear. Since slips and falls are responsible for the majority of workplace accidents, make sure to mop up spills immediately and to sweep away glass as soon as something breaks. Can’t fix the problem straight away? Then make use of appropriate signs to alert your staff of the issue at hand. Finally, use a lockout-tagout system to ensure that potentially hazardous equipment is handled solely by trained staff members.
5. Make Sure Employees Wear Appropriate Attire
Supplying employees with the necessary attire can reduce the risk of work-related injuries. For example, maintenance staff members carry out preventative maintenance on cooling towers, boilers, and chillers. They often find themselves in confined spaces with chemical and electrical hazards and should, therefore, be equipped with arc flash gloves and clothing. Restaurant employees and staff members hired to help out in the kitchen are exposed to hot appliances and should have easy access to aprons and oven mitts. Disposable gloves and hair nets should also be provided to ensure food safety. Cleaning staff handle sensitive chemicals when doing laundry and therefore need goggles, aprons, disposable gloves, and access to an eyewash station. Finally, all employees require comfortable, slip-resistant shoes suitable for their specific job role.
Staff members are directly responsible for the success, and the reputation of your hotel. Hence, keeping employees safe is one of the most important tasks on a manager’s plate. While accidents can occur even in the most prepared of facilities, implementing the above five safety procedures should reduce the number of mishaps that take place at your hotel.
