While most people wouldn’t think that hotels are subject to the same regulations as manufacturing plants and the like, as commercial establishments in the United States they fall under “General Industry” safety standards and thus are subject to regulation safety inspections and programs via the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
Being subject to regular OSHA inspections means that hotels and similar businesses need to stay on top of official health and safety guidelines. If they don’t, those businesses will face serious consequences. For example, the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. faced a proposed $76,700 fine after a negative OSHA inspection. Some of the resultant citations were for standard workplace hazards like inadequate personal protective equipment for employees working with chemical products, excessively pressurized compressed air used for cleaning and fall hazards as high as four feet, while others were for regulatory failures in the hotel’s hazard communication program and employee illness reports.
“Each of these hazards leaves employees at the hotel exposed to unnecessary safety and health risks,” said Nadira Janack, director of OSHA’s Baltimore Washington Area Office. “Employers have a legal responsibility to protect workers on the job. Anything less is unacceptable.”
If hotels used safety softwares more regularly, they would be able to maintain a safer workspace and protect guests and employees both.
Using these softwares can allow hotels and other commercial establishments to continually review official OSHA health and safety regulations and make changes to their business as necessary, rather than waiting for a huge fine and pile of citations after routine inspections.
Hazard communications programs should also be continually reviewed, and safety software can help classify chemicals as soon as they are introduced into the workspace. Safety software isn’t just for manufacturers – a lesson that hotel owners and managers should learn before they face serious consequences.
