The Executive Housekeeper Volume 21 No 2

The Executive

HOUSEKEEPER

Vol 21

No 2

PP322210/00016

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Publishers LETTER

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elcome to the Executive Housekeeper.

The seasons are about to change – from winter to spring, football to cricket, and off-season to peak season in our hotels. The impending influx of travellers for another year presents an opportunity for hotels to shine.

We hope that with the information and stories in these pages, there will be enough handy hints to impress even the most discerning guest.

First off, we have our eyes to the ground. Carpet is made from a wide range of materials and fibres each with their pros and cons. When next buying carpet, to help you make an informed decision, Col Nation provides you with some excellent information on how the different fibres react to ongoing maintenance and cleaning.

We bring you the story behind Weatherdon – an industry trailblazer heavily integrated into countless hotels today.

What began as a small family business became one of the leading appliance distributors in the country. But did you know a Norwegian student is behind a new electronic trolley for housekeepers? His idea reduces the strain on team members, and can also save time. The invention impressed the highest executives of Weatherdon, and is

sure to impress you when you hear about it. Read the full story later in this issue.

We then sit down with Trish Stewart – the Regional Operations Manager at Crown Perth. She is involved with the newly opened Crown Towers, a luxury offering hoping to capture the high-end business and tourism market.

We delve into what it takes to maximise housekeeping in an establishment looking to impress, and the diversity her role offers.

This issues technology article comes again courtesy of Brendan Granger. This is the first in a series looking at artificial intelligence and how it works in hotels.

Kristiana Greenwood is a woman at the top of her field. She asks "Is gender diversity on boards really such a big deal?".

As always, I’d like to thank our regular writers, as well as Ralph Peterson and Janet Marletto from overseas.

We also have some exciting changes on the way for the magazine soon, so keep an eye out!

Until next time, Neil Muir

View The Executive Housekeeper online now!

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Contents 7

PEHN news

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SEQPHA news

10 The elephant in the room 14 Confidence power and influence 16 Thinking management 19 The sharper end of cleaner safety 22 Driving management theory 25 Trish Stewart profile 26 Welcome to Crown Towers Perth 28 Weatherdon’s innovation profile 30 Go deluxe with Livi’s soft touch Impressa® bathroom & tissue range 33 Strategic partnerships 36 Is gender diversity on boards really such a big deal?

38 How hotel Chatbots will change guest experience 40 Housekeeping 101 43 What floats your boat 46 Discrete cleaning enhances the luxury appeal and guest experience 49 When 21 minutes Is 1 minute too long 53 Hotel housekeeping safety 57 Product news

The Executive

HOUSEKEEPER

Cover images shows Crown Towers Perth

Vol 21

No 2

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TA I LO R YO U R G U E S T ’ S E X P E R I E N C E W I T H

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PEHN NEWS A

s the new financial year is upon us, it is time to renew your PEHN membership for the 2017/2018 year. Emails have been sent out already with the membership form attached, if you have not received it and would like to receive one, please email us at Pehn.aus@gmail.com, and we will get one sent out to you as soon as possible.

Membership is very important to us at Pehn, and we appreciate all of our members and associate members who have supported us through out the years and continue to do so. Our aim is for our members to experience the friendship, expertise and support of our organisation.

UPCOMING EVENTS • Soap aid factory tour • Housekeeping week celebrations (September 10th-16th) • Educational forum • Christmas Party Further correspondence will be emailed out confirming dates and times. We would love to see you at all or some of the events listed. 

As we head into our 21st year, it is fantastic to reflect on how far we have come, to have housekeeping recognised as a career path, that involves many facets of management in the one department. For this we are need to say thank you for our past PEHN committees who have carved the path for this recognition.

I attended the 2017 TAA Accommodation Awards for Excellence in June, and was so proud to see the category of Housekeeper Employee of the year, represented by 5 of our current PEHN members. A huge congratulations to all of you for being finalist in the awards: Sarah Singh – AHS Hospitality Deb Bullock – Crown Metropol Jai Singh – Crown Towers Megan Johnston – Park Hyatt Margaret Fernandes – Radisson on Flagstaff Gardens We also had a member who was a finalist in the rising star category this year. Congratulations also to Mayerly Martinez Pena – Crown Towers.

We recently sent out a survey to our members to see what they would like to see from Pehn. Thank you to everyone that has completed the survey, your feedback will be taken on board and we will try and arrange activities around your suggestions and timings.

Should you have any questions regarding membership, or feedback on what types of things you would like to see through Pehn, please do not hesitate to contact me (Donna Musarella) on email pehn.aus@gmail.com

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SEQPHA NEWS W

inter is almost over but lucky for Queensland, we have had good temperatures and sunny days, not like I have seen on the weather report each day for the southern states, so to get up early to go to one of our breakfast meetings is delightful. We had our last breakfast at a totally different venue at the Northcliffe surf club. I arrived early and watched the sun rise over the ocean with surfers paradise in the background so beautiful, our table was set up overlooking the ocean which delighted all our members as they arrived.

We had a guest speaker from the YOUNG DIGGERS who is an ex Vietnam veteran and he bought along TUCKER who is a Assistance Dog, what these dogs do is amazing.

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The Young Diggers Dog Squad is training rescued dogs to become Assistance Dogs to support the rehabilitation of our serving and ex serving Australian Defence Force members who are dealing with PostTraumatic stress disorders.

The dog squad helps Defence families to better cope and saves the lives of abandoned dogs. It costs $2,500 to sponsor a dog through this program, it really is wonderful that these dogs can prevent suicide and depression.

TUCKER was so good at the breakfast he just sat bedside Peter our guest speaker and posed for so many photographs, what wonderful work the YOUNG DIGGERS do. If anyone would like to support this group they can visit Youngdiggers.com.au Our favourite day Race Day is upon us and I thank all the Hotels and suppliers that have contributed to the prizes and auctions we will be having to which this year all the proceeds will be going to YOUNG DIGGERS and Peter and Tucker the dog will be our special guests, YES these dogs are allowed in all venues.

It has been a shame to hear of the recent ruling of reducing Sunday penalty rates in the Hospitality Industry, having worked in the Industry for 35 years I cannot see that decreasing penalty rates will deliver more jobs. Staff will not want to work Sundays if this happens as most of their families are at home.

I think that to cut penalty rates would have a detrimental effect on those businesses that are calling for it particularly Hospitality.

At the end of the day you have put a lot of training into these people to give good service and skills along with the right attitude and these are the employees who are making money for your business. They do not deserve this The Gold Coast Hospital children’s ward were excited with all the Easter eggs out members donated at our Easter breakfast.

Our charity organisers Sandy and Ian had their car full of clothes and toiletries at our surf club breakfast when they sent our word they needed items for the homeless everyone turned up with items and again it shows what big hearts our Association has.

Libby Sharp – President SEQPHA. libbysharpsmail@yahoo.com.au 

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The elephant

IN THE ROOM

BY COL NATION

I’m sure we have all seen the real estate adds for houses that say “Renovators Delight” only to find that it is a termite and mould infested shack that needs bulldozing not renovating, or “Close to Transport” meaning there is a rail line running past the back fence even though it is ten kilometres to the nearest train station and there is a trucking company based in the factory next door. It’s close to transport alright, heavy freight transport! We call this creative marketing and this can apply across many industries and the carpet industry is certainly not excluded from the idea.

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arpet has been around for a long time and the sales industry has had plenty of time to develop their marketing spin. The Pazyryk rug, discovered in 1949, was found in an Iron Age tomb in Siberia and shows some intricate weaving styles and patterns indicating that rug making was a well advanced art form as early as 500 B.C. The busy pattern on many rugs is there to hide some problems that can develop over time. It is basically an early form of marketing to hide the problems and make rugs more appealing to the potential buyer.

Until the middle of last century nearly all carpets were made with wool pile and they lasted well and looked great for many years. With the invention of synthetic polymers, the world of carpet, and rugs for that matter have gradually shifted towards the synthetic pile carpets as they are a lower cost alternative to wool. Cost can be a powerful marketing strategy. The marketing of carpet is designed to promote one manufacturer’s product over another so there is often a bit of licence there to make one look better than another. So in this article I will try and cut through some of the marketing jargon that is common with carpet to help you make better decisions when buying new carpet.

Carpets can be made from a wide range of materials.

There are different types of construction, backing materials and of course the face fibre as well.

They will all have advantages and disadvantages.

A ‘woven’ construction carpet such as an Axminster or Wilton carpet are slow to produce and can be quite expensive to buy, but they will wear exceptionally well and are ideally suited to high traffic conditions. But there are tufted constructions as well, and while these may be a bit cheaper to make they may have other issues that are not experienced with woven carpet, such as

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delamination that can shorten the life of a carpet. But the main difference in the choice of carpet will usually be based on the style, colour and pattern. The choice of fibre will usually be down to other issues such as, cleanability, durability and production issues, but hey, who wants to know about all that, its the colour that is most important isn’t it?

Any fibre can be made in any colour, so that sorts that one out. So after you have chosen your colour then you need to start to think about what it’s going to look like in 1 ,2, 5 or 10 years time and how are we going to keep it looking and performing well over that time and how much is it likely going to cost to maintain it over that time. So for this we need to look at the face fibre content.

Fibres can be roughly divided into 3 main groups, animal, vegetable and mineral.

Wool is the most common animal fibre, but there are variations on this. You can get goat hair, alpaca wool, llama wool and even silk fibre used in some carpet and area rugs. Now the finer the fibre, the less resilience the carpet will have so fine fibres don’t generally wear all that well. The thicker cold climate wools such as those from New Zealand and Scotland are what is most commonly used in making good quality robust carpets that will perform well for many years. A goat hair carpet can wear exceptionally well due to the robust nature of the fibre, but sheep wool is by far the most popular. Wool looks good and cleans well year after year.

Mineral fibres, There are four main groups of synthetic fibre, Polyamide (Nylon), Polypropylene (Olefin), Polyacrylonitrile (Acrylic) and Polyester. These are made from fossil fuels like coal, oil or natural gas. Nylon comes in a variety of formats. We have a ‘6’ nylon and a ‘6.6’ nylon. The 6.6 nylon is used in a lot of commercial

carpets and has a tighter molecular structure making it a little more stain resistant. Stain ‘Resistant’, not stain proof! Then there flood dyed nylons where the white nylon carpet is flooded with dye to produce the range of colours. Solution Dyed Nylons (SDN) are coloured by integrating a coloured pigment to make a coloured plastic and this coloured plastic is melted and a fibre is drawn and stretched to make the finished fibre. All Synthetic fibres can be coloured with solution dyeing.

This makes the fibre more fade resistant than a flood dyed nylon or even wool, so an SDN is often marketed heavily as ‘fade resistant’, but by itself is not very stain resistant.

If a Nylon fibre is coated with special protective treatments and or a dye blocker treatment, the fibre becomes more stain resistant. So one manufacturer claims their product is a Stain Resistant SDN. The next manufacturer says, “We can make a SDN too, but ours is cheaper” but it might be missing the protective coating and or the dye blocker as this costs money to apply. But the sales and marketing people may not get this aspect and sell the product as “its SDN, therefore it must be stain resistant”. This means that you really have to ask the questions and find out if it has these dye blockers or protective treatments in order for the fibre to be fade and stain resistant.

Polypropylene on the other hand can only be dyed with Solution Dyeing. This means that the red cordial or red wine spills will simply wash out of a polypropylene fibre with nothing more than water. The dye in red cordial is the same type of dye that can dye a wool or nylon fibre.

Carpet dye only has the sugar and flavour missing or it would be simply called, ‘cordial’. So it would seem that polypropylene has some real advantages when it comes to this type of stain. It is cheaper than any other fibres so can make a low cost carpet that resists stains and this sounds great. Well it would if it didn’t flatten and soil so quickly. Polypropylene is highly absorbent to oils. This means that it usually soils faster than other fibres, so in a high oil environment such as a restaurant, or busy city area where there is lots of pollution the polypropylene readily takes in these oils. The polypropylene may cost a bit more to maintain as you have to clean it more frequently to keep it looking good.

Acrylic and Polyester have some similar cleaning characteristics. Both are resistant to the cordial dye spills and both will clean well. Not many manufacturers are making acrylic fibre these days but polyester is certainly making a bit of headway into the carpet market, especially since the invention of some of the polyester variations. Polyester is basically the same plastic as used in the plastic recyclable drink bottles. But now

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water is clear to start with. So these plant based fibres are not always practical where spills are likely to occur.

there are variations on this theme where some of the component of the plastic is derived from a vegetable source, namely corn sugars. About 30% of the fibre is derived from corn products but the other 70% is from good old fossil fuels. So I suppose it is a bit more eco friendly than the original Polyester. It can actually be recycled back into drink bottles when the carpet is old and worn out, but I don’t think the council would like you to fill your recycle bin with old carpet. These new fibres do perform quite well, but again the marketing departments seem to have a field day and tend to stretch the truth a bit.

One add I have seen is where a carpet is laid in a zoo and the elephants do what elephants can do, in a big way, all over the carpet.

The carpet cleaners are called in the next day and with just water, they clean up the carpet so it looks good as new. Now when you think about this, the elephants eat plants so there is not a lot of fats and oils in what they leave behind. Water based soils will simply clean out of this fibre with nothing but water and this is the feature they tell you about, but they forget about the normal oily soils which are a different matter altogether. The other thing is that this carpet gets cleaned the very next day. This simply doesn’t happen in real life. We just don’t

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clean a carpet daily, except maybe for daily vacuuming. Oily soils building up over a 12 month period and these are going to need some serious cleaning and some pretty strong chemistry in order to get the carpet clean again. So while cleaning up after elephants might seem impressive at first it just doesn’t relate to reality. As long as you understand this then you can get an understanding of the maintenance issues and this may help your choices of carpet.

Then there are vegetable fibres too.

While these are generally found more often in fabrics and in carpet backing materials, there are some that are making it into the face fibre. These can include cotton, jute, and sisal and I have even seen linen fibre used in floor coverings but I just shake my head and roll my eyes with this one.

Sisal is a tough fibre extracted from the Agave plant. The juice is turned into Tequila and the fibrous plant matter that is left behind is then dried and can be woven into a floor covering, but while it is fairly tough it can have a few issues. It is difficult to clean and is easily stained by oils or water based spills. This applies to pretty much any plant based fibre.

When wet they can release tannins and this causes a brown stain. Any water based spill, even cleaning, can also cause a brown stain even if the

But we now hear of Bamboo being used in carpet. It has been used in bedding for a while to provide a soft and comfortable mattress outer covering. Typically this is not bamboo fibres extracted straight from the plant, it is usually bamboo which has been mulched down in something like Caustic soda and then some chemicals extracted and cooked up into a viscose liquid that is then extruded through a very strong acid solution that solidifies it into a fibre. It can be produced from wood pulp, cotton waste or any supply of cellulose plant matter, including bamboo. This ‘regenerated cellulose’ fibre is sometimes called viscose rayon. But can also be called bamboo silk, Faux silk or Art Silk with the ‘Art’ bit meaning ‘Artificial’ and not as some artistic piece. This has been used in rugs for many years and has been tried in the past in fitted carpet with disastrous results, but is now being promoted fairly heavily in a blend with wool.

It is used as a low cost substitute for silk.

Silk is a very prized and expensive fibre and it has a beautiful softness, fineness and lustre that make it really attractive. It does wear reasonably well, but cleaning can be very expensive and full of risks. Viscose Rayon also has that softness, fineness and lustre that makes it look like silk but it can be very difficult to clean as it doesn’t have the resilience of silk and certainly doesn’t have the resilience and cleanability of wool and this can lead to disappointment when it comes to cleaning a wool and viscose blended carpet.

So be careful when choosing a carpet. Ask the questions about cleaning and maintenance and then check this out with your carpet cleaner and don’t get caught up with the marketing hype or you could find the elephant in the room. 

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Confidence

POWER AND INFLUENCE

BY KRISTA ELLIOTT, MANAGING DIRECTOR AT BRAVE TRAINING

A picture speaks a thousand words. What picture are you giving of your organisation?

Are you exuding an air of Confidence, Power and Influence? Or do you feel vulnerable, powerless and as a though no one is hearing what you are saying let alone acting on it?

CONFIDENCE We all know the psychological power of a medical, military or police uniform.

Some people experience “White Coat” Syndrome” where their blood pressure can go up just by sitting in front of a doctor. Your heart rate can speed up by just looking at the colour red. So it makes sense to choose clothes that “mean business”. To bravely go where no one has gone before takes courage.

If you have noticed that the quality and style of attire in your field has slipped into sloppiness, and that disturbs you, then perhaps consider being a trend setter instead of being swept along a river of peer pressure that sabotages your personal power, your confidence and ultimately your career prospects?

The work you do is precious. It is a gift of your life, for which people will pay.

The more special they feel, the more they will come back to you. Package up that gift in the most effective way that you can. Taking good care of yourself, communicates that you also care about the quality of your work. This means you care about them. People long to know that they matter. Happy staff, happy customer, happy employer, happy you.

Be daring enough to dress well in colours and a style that suits you.

If you have a uniform, wear it well.

Make sure the detailing is spot on.

Pressed, no tears, wears, hanging threads or stains. Check the toes and heels of your shoes, Have a flattering, current, yet professional, hair cut that enhances your face. Presenting yourself with a spirit of excellence will cause customers and those in

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authority over you to notice you and believe that the quality of your work is also excellent.

Do you want people to believe that you have the confidence in yourself that you can lead them well, that you know what it takes to create great customer experiences – so they return

to buy from your company time and again?

A more confident look can indeed be achieved by how you dress. Clothing, hairstyle and accessories can elevate your mood and that of those observing you. People are watching you and they trust your actions over your words.

POWER Personal power, an air of confidence and the look of leadership can be assisted by your body language and how you carry your self. Posture matters. Your inner attitude of courage and emotional strength can be supported by how you guard your heart, manage your soul and build your physical strength. Eating organic food, drinking negatively charged vortexed water, getting quality sleep in a dark and quiet room, exercising for muscularity and cardiovascular capacity – these are not optional. They are essential. We know what to do. We need to find within our own pysche the reason why we choose not to do it. It should be a “no-brainer’: [A] Choose Life [B] Choose Decay – Answer [A].

Choose the actions that build you up not tear you down, that give you energy not make you sluggish. You may only need about 3 hours of exercise a week.

Just walking outdoors can be enough.

Senior executives tend to hit the gym at 6.00am, daily, otherwise they may not have time later. Between 4.00pm and 6pm is also a good time as your muscles and ligaments are warm and flexible and blood flow is not viscous like in the morning. Gentle warm up movements to start and stretches at the end is a good habit to have to help reduce the chance of injury.

INFLUENCE Most people, even if they are paid to do work for you, still have a measure of WIIFM (what’s in it for me) in the mix of any sense of duty or altruism.

If you want to change the hearts and minds of those you govern and those you serve, words are a powerful tool in your image arsenal. You want your staff to believe that the tasks you want them to fulfil, in the time frames you require, are going to be good for them, for you, your wage paying employers, and your customers – without whom no one can earn a living. You want to build such a rapport and level of trust that no one would consider going anywhere else to have their needs met. Your visual personal brand, inner calm, outer strength and your verbal prowess can support your ability to influence people to your way of

thinking and to how you want them to respond and behave.

What kind of words do you choose to use? Do you rehearse out loud answers to possible scenarios? Often comprehension by the listener can be enhanced by pausing between sentences, changing the tone or volume of your voice. How one speaks to a tiny grandchild sounds different to the demands of a ‘bootcamp’ fitness trainer. Do you want to sound harsh or gentle, understanding or commanding?

Your voice is an instrument. Be in control of how it sounds. To exercise it, practice saying trigger words in different ways. Make the consonants snap audibly. Elongate or shorten the vowels. Try making the sound higher, lower, deeper, lighter, shorter, sharper, flowing or lilting. Breath in first then push out more air as you say the words. What does it sound like if you whisper it or shout it? Do you sound assertive or aggressive? If you are addressing a group, as you speak, cast your eye slowly from the centre, across to the left, to the centre again, to the right and back again. Look individuals in the eye, without staring. Sometimes smiling can be very expensive because people think you are the type of softy of whom they can take advantage, or, they disregard what you ask of them because you don’t look serious. Then at other times a warm smile from your heart is exactly what is required.

Finally, it seems that the wearing of a jacket imparts courage and ‘says’ that what you have to say is important. 

Regularly audit your personal image to move along with the times

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Krista Elliott is the Managing Director of Brave Training® which provides individual tuition and team training in public speaking, presentation skills, personal branding and interview techniques.

Discover more at www.bravetraining.com.au.

[Brave Training is owned and operated by Krista.com.au P/lL]

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Thinking management

BY DEAN MINETT

"Maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had, and what you've learned from them, and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated."

Unknown

I

was looking through some old hotel memorabilia recently and came across an old property compendium, with a photo of an attractive, clean-shaven young General Manager welcoming guests to his hotel and looking like the world was his oyster. There was a great smile on his face, and the language used in the welcome was textbook hoteliering.

As I pored over this book I wondered what had happened to that young GM; was he still as enthusiastic? Had his enthusiasm been tempered somewhat?

Was he still naïve enough to believe that enthusiasm and effort was enough to succeed? Or had he been turned off the industry altogether as so many have been and left for greener pastures? Hmmm. OR, had he learned some hard lessons, applied them, and become a better manager and leader as a result. The answer later…

Over the years I have often wondered whether or not there is a type of person that will succeed in business no matter what happens to them; and if in fact they are the only people that can succeed. In other words, is there a genetic code that determines leadership capability or governs our ability to cope with adversity, or is it merely the environment in which we are placed? The debate regarding nature (genetics) vs. nurture (our environment) as the biggest influence on our development has been going

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on for decades, however I tend to think that it is neither by themselves but rather a much more complicated combination of the two, depending on time, place, and people involved.

So is there an evolutionary stream for managers? I have seen some employees in the hospitality industry who clearly do not fit in one environment, yet flourish in another. Some are written off as troublemakers and misfits, yet when given more responsibility become brilliant leaders. How can we tell who will and wont work?

Some years ago an academic associate undertook extensive research on the subject of predictive leadership traits, and after 1000 interviews he has found that whilst there IS such a thing as a natural leader, others can definitely learn to be one as well - it is just that those with natural abilities have the edge over those that do not. My colleague found that there are certainly traits that predict greater success in organisations, especially as they relate to promotion and rewards, and these can be used by large organisations to ensure that they look for these traits when interviewing or assessing frontline staff. Naturally however, it also depends on the organisational culture.

Natural leaders may be our first choice in some roles, but we also need those that have learned the hard way,

especially when it comes to front-line leadership. Maturity often wins against pure intellect or ability, because the mature leader has actually experienced life firsthand. More importantly, the mature leader also knows when to grant greater freedom rather than exercise greater control. Mature leaders are also able to best assess when to fight and when to shut up, often a downfall of the young and idealistic, though this trait comes from experience, not from natural ability or a textbook! (A dogbreeding friend of ours once told me that the easiest dogs to teach ARE old dogs because they know what happens if they don’t follow.)

Now in answer to that question above, it is pretty damn obvious I was talking about myself and I think that I have matured through experience and will continue to do so!

I sat through a career-guidance seminar once where a high-profile General Manager told the students that being a young General Manager was not advisable as they clearly could not succeed without the right experience (that he had) through working across umpteen continents in the past 10 years. I disagree.

Thirty-three years after my first GM’s job, I am now even more aware that sometimes the right people have not had the prescribed years, but they may have the prescribed experience or attitude to succeed.

I have discovered that good managers learn to work with what they have and do not feel unreasonably bound to act in a particular way just because that’s the way they were taught. They are able to adapt and survive.

Successful leader/managers therefore could be 25 or they could be 65, what matters is not the age. To use an old Irish proverb: “When the apple is ripe, it will fall!”

Don’t discount anyone therefore because of their age – look to their maturity.  Dean Minett has over 36 years of experience in the Australian hospitality industry and through his company Minett Consulting offers a full range of services to executives in the hotel and hospitality industry, providing expert advice on development and operations as well as mentoring, training and outplacement coaching.

Email: minettco@bigpond.com

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The sharper end

OF CLEANER SAFETY

BY DR DENIS BOULAIS,

NATIONAL RISK MANAGER (BROADLEX SERVICES PTY LTD)

INTRODUCTION

M

y first awareness with needle stick injury occurred well over 20 years ago when I was completing a medical science degree with majors in microbiology and pathology. My pathology specialisation was immunology and in order to graduate I needed to complete a subject entitled blood bank. At the end of each laboratory session we were all required to place our testing equipment in a large plastic tub. Much of the equipment was made of glass such as test tubes and beakers and they were of course full of blood supplied by the nearby hospital from numerous patients.

By the end of the class the tubs were full of blood and the main rule was that no broken glass instruments were to be placed into the tub. The laboratory technician’s role was to clean up after class and standard latex medical grade gloves were used. Unfortunately one evening a broken test tube had been placed in the blood bath and the technician received a cut whilst her hands were in the tub immersed in the mixture of blood.

This was my first encounter with work related injury and little did I know then that I would eventually pursue a career in safety – in fact back then “safety” wasn’t the buzz field that it eventually become over the next decade. It was however a very significant experience because the late eighties seen extensive media campaigns about the AIDS virus and the importance of safe sex and not sharing needles. Some may remember the “grim reaper”

was the main character used in such television and print based campaigns – it was all very direct high impact and controversial advertising.

Apparently that laboratory technician did not contract any virus from the exposure. However as many would be aware it does take time for the human body to raise certain detectable antibodies to a virus. I would imagine the time period between exposure and confirmation of a negative outcome would have been extremely psychologically taxing on the laboratory technician.

There is always the possibility a cleaner will be exposed to such risk from rubbish handling and cleaning.

It is important that procedures and training are in place with an aim to best control the hazard and its risk. It is also important appropriate equipment is available to aid in controlling the risk and that systems are in place post injury to manage the injury physiologically and psychologically.

GENERAL DISCUSSION Karen Daley was a registered nurse with over 20 years’ experience. She had just accessed the vein of a patient in an emergency room of a major US teaching hospital. Whilst applying pressure to the injection site with her left hand, she reached back with her right hand to dispose of the needle stick in a box mounted high on a wall when she felt a prick in her finger. The prick was from a needle stick that had been caught in the containers drop down lid and was extruding from the

container because it was full.

A course of prophylaxis was strongly recommended by the hospital after needle stick injury in order to reduce HIV A needle stick maliciously placed in a hand towel infection risk dispenser. by around 80%. Daley however had seen fellow nurses get extremely sick as a result of taking the medications. Daley also thought the risks were low as the needle tip was out of the box and exposed to air which typically reduces infection risk. She weighed up the risk and decided to forgo the drugs – a decision she will always regret.

About 9 months after the incident Daley become very ill, it was then she recalled the needle stick incident and upon testing she learned that she had been infected not only with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) but also Hepatitis C (Foley at al, 2003).

This negatively affected her nursing career in addition to its adverse physiological, psychological, social and economical impacts.

The lessons we can take away from this is that no matter how qualified and experienced one becomes, extreme care must be taken when handling needle sticks. If Karen had of been more careful in discarding her needle stick then maybe she would have seen

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the infected needle stick extruding from the sharps container.

Furthermore if Karen had followed procedure and sought prophylaxis A needle stick maliciously placed then her upright at floor level behind a infection toilet. risk may have been considerably reduced. In addition to this it is obvious that the hospital itself could have engaged sharps containers of a better design, functionality and positioning.

Hepatitis and HIV are two of the most serious blood borne pathogens cleaners may be exposed to from a needle stick injury. The two most common causes of needle stick injury are two handed capping and unsafe disposal of sharps waste. The risks of transmission of infection from an infected needle stick to a cleaner are approximately: Hepatitis B: 3-10% Hepatitis C: 3% HIV: 0.3% In my experience in the field the most significant concern cleaners have is understandably HIV infection.

Factors that increase the risks of HIV transmission include a deep wound with visible blood on the device and the use of that device to access an artery or vein in addition to the respective viral load of the infected person (Winburn, 2004).

Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can damage the body’s immune system so that it is unable to fight off infection. This is the cause of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) generally progressing as such: • Initially upon infection the person may experience symptoms similar to glandular fever whilst the body is forming antibodies to the virus (around 3-12 weeks post infection).

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A needle stick irresponsibly dropped in a sink.

• There may then be a long period where the infected person shows no symptoms, however HIV antibodies will be detected in the blood. This period may last 3-8 years.

• The virus then begins to destroy the immune system and usually progresses to full AIDS which develops on severe immune system damage. The person may then become terminally ill with cancers, infections or neurological disorders.

Unsafe acts account for up to 75% of incidents (Anderson 2015, Hannan, 2014). I find it interesting that we spend so much time and effort controlling hazards when a behavioural approach may be more a beneficial priority. It is important a sound system is in place for management of this hazard. Most importantly in a behavioural sense it is crucial cleaners are trained to take their time and dispose of the needle stick correctly and strictly as per procedure.

The consequences of a needle stick injury can be very significant and this must be emphasised for impact during training.

I recall an incident where a cleaner had removed a plastic garbage bag from a bin and whilst carrying it to her trolley she felt a scratch on her forearm. Upon closer examination a needle stick had been placed in the bin and its needle tip had passed through the bag. The cleaner was sent for immediate medical attention and was offered psychological counselling.

Post exposure prophylactic medication has been demonstrated to reduce the risk of HIV transmission

following a needle stick injury by 80%. It is however very important that anyone whom sustains A needle stick irresponsibly a needle discarded in a plastic bag lined garbage bin. stick injury should seek medical attention immediately along with counselling, confidential testing and follow up as required.

The above mentioned example highlights the invisible risks cleaners may face during their days work. For example the cleaner earlier mentioned would have handled a garbage bag many times and not have expected some irresponsible person to place a needle stick within it. In a behavioural sense a trained and experienced cleaner may have become complacent as their brain went into “autopilot”.

An important safety lesson is that complacency may kill you.

How many times have you driven home from work and forgotten the journey. When one does a job over and over the mind (your biggest safety tool) goes into autopilot. All you need is for someone to make an error on the road whilst you’re in autopilot and there is more likelihood you may have an incident. The same applies to the simple process of walking down the street. How many people look on an approach to a corner and proceed to cross the road only to be stopped by a driver whom has decided at the last minute to indicate to turn.

How many incidents would be prevented if people just looked before they moved? Take a good look at your incident statistics and you may find a number of incidents are caused by not looking before moving – particularly if you operate or store your cleaning equipment and chemicals within a factory or warehouse environment.

If you take only one thing away from this article let it be the behavioural importance of “looking before you

move” as getting into a good habit of doing this is integral in improving safety awareness and is truly a life skill. Could Karen’s A needle stick irresponsibly incident wedged into a train seat at shin have been height. prevented if she looked at the sharps container before moving her needle stick toward it?

One of the golden rules of needle stick safety management in the cleaning industry is to never place the hands where you cannot see them. This must be heavily emphasised during training.

For example, complacency when working within toilet areas such as toilet paper and hand towel dispensers

and S bends may result in needle stick incidents. Essential work, health and safety measures should include: • Training of cleaners.

• Provision of equipment and personal protective equipment (PPE) to safely discard of needle sticks.

• A program which includes post exposure medical treatment, medical surveillance and immunisation (where the cleaning environment is deemed high risk).

On a final note, during the competency based training of cleaners, always try to take into account that adult learners remember: • 10% of what they hear.

REFERENCES 1. Anderson. M, 2015. Behavioural Safety and Major Accident Hazards: Magic Bullet or Shot in the Dark. Proceedings of Safety 2015, Dallas.

2. Foley. M, Leyden. A. M, 2003. American Nurses Association Independent Study Module.

Needle stick safety and prevention. (www. nursingworld.org/rnce).

3. Hannan. D, 2014. The Psychology of Safety. Presentation to the Associated General Contractors of Minnesota.

4. Pease. A, 2007. Easy Peasey. Pease International Pty Ltd, p72.

5. Winburn. S. Q, Eijkemans. G, 2004.

Preventing Needle stick Injuries Among Healthcare Workers. International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health 2004:10:451-456.

• 51% of what they see and hear.

• 92% of what they see, hear and become involved in.

(Pease, 2007). 

倀爀攀昀攀爀爀攀搀 䴀愀琀琀爀攀猀猀 匀甀瀀瀀氀椀攀爀 琀漀

倀爀攀昀攀爀爀攀搀 猀甀瀀瀀氀椀攀爀 琀漀 氀攀愀搀椀渀最 爀攀猀漀爀琀猀 䴀甀氀琀椀 愀眀愀爀搀 眀椀渀渀椀渀最 洀愀琀琀爀攀猀猀攀猀 䌀甀猀琀漀洀椀猀愀戀氀攀 洀愀琀琀爀攀猀猀 搀攀猀椀最渀猀 䔀砀瀀漀爀琀攀搀 琀漀 欀攀礀 䄀猀椀愀渀 洀愀爀欀攀琀猀 ㌀㔀 礀攀愀爀猀 漀昀 焀甀愀氀椀琀礀 攀砀瀀攀爀椀攀渀挀攀 倀爀漀甀搀氀礀 䄀甀猀琀爀愀氀椀愀渀 䴀愀搀攀 一愀琀椀漀渀眀椀搀攀 匀攀爀瘀椀挀攀

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21

Driving

MANAGEMENT THEORY

BY RALPH PETERSON

“

Some people should never be in charge,” Karl said. A bunch of us were on his back deck visiting when the conversation turned to management; like it always does. I raised my eyebrows, questioning, but nodded in agreement anyway. “You are either born with the ability to manage or you’re not,” he said taking it a bit further.

Instinctively I bunched my face up – as if a foul odour had just invaded my space.

I began shaking my head.

skill that nearly anyone can learn.” It was his turn to bunch up his face.

“No, no,” I said unable to contain the argument. “That’s not true. Managing is a difficult skill – and not everyone is good at it, I’ll give you that; but it is a

“Me too,” I said. “I almost killed my dad the first time I drove.” That got everyone’s attention and they looked at me expectantly; so, I told them. I remember the day like it was yesterday.

“You really think so?” I nodded.

“It’s no different than learning how to drive a car,” I said.

“Do you remember what it was like when you first learned to drive?” He nodded and smiled at the memory.

“I was pretty terrible,” he said laughing at the memory.

“Do you want to drive,” my dad said.

We had just spent the morning fishing from the banks of Bakers Pond for small mouth Bass. My dad had caught two keepers but I didn’t.

“Really,” I said. I had just turned 15 years old, but hadn’t even started studying for my learner’s permit, and up to this point, had never driven a car.

“Sure,” he said and dug into his pocket for the keys and handed them to me.

Three keys, one for the cars ignition, one for the trunk and a house key. A worn piece of round leather, about the size of a half dollar, hung from the metal ring. The words “Semper Fidelis” was stamped around the edges the

leather, though now barely visible. I ran my thumb over letters, just like my dad did. Though he seemed to do it without thinking about it.

“Can I drive all the way home,” I said thinking of the all ways we could go.

A left on Route 12, then a right on Swanson and then a left on Berlin Pond Road was the quickest. Of course, we could also stay on Route 12 and go through town, past the library and the town centre, where some of the kids from my school would probably be hanging out, (that would be cool).

Further down, just past the grocery store was the back way up and around to Berlin Pond. My dad nodded and smiled, telling me we would not be taking the scenic route.

After the first couple of miles on the road, I began to relax a little. If my dad was nervous, he didn’t show it. He sat with both hands on his lap, talking softly telling me to watch my speed, and to keep both hands on the wheel and when another car came by, to just relax.

“Just stay in your lane Ralphie. You’re doing great.”

At home, my dad always backed the car into the garage. As we pulled up he asked if I wanted to give it a try. I said no, but he pressed, saying I was doing good and he would direct me in. To this day, he agrees it was one of the biggest mistakes he’s ever made. I remember him showing me how to turn the wheel to the left and then put it in reverse.

We spent the next 15 minutes sitting in the car as my dad talked my ear off about seatbelts and mirror adjustments, and using your turn signals and speed limits and reading all the signs and the importance of staying in your own lane.

“Turn your head around to the right and watch me,” he said getting out of the car. I remember sitting up in the seat and turning to watch him and didn’t realize that I took my foot off the brake, and that the car started moving until it was too late.

I took it all in stride, adjusting the side mirrors, and then the review. Then I moved the seat up and had to readjust all the mirrors again. When we were finally ready to go, I reached for the radio knob and my dad batted my hand away.

By the time my dad and I realized the car was moving, he was already behind me. “Hey!” he yelled smacking the trunk of the car. I spun forward, reaching for the brake and hit the gas instead.

“No radio,” he said. “Just focus on the road.”

“You ran your dad over?” I nodded.

Everyone looked at me in horror.

“Is he okay?” I nodded again, and laughed nervously.

“He’s fine,” I say dismissively. “My point is, learning how to manage, like driving, is easy when you have an open road with very little traffic. The problem is sometimes you have to back up, or navigate through construction zones, and heavy traffic.” Karl looked at me sceptically.

“You ran over your father!”

“Only once,” I said and everyone laughed at the absurdity of it.

“I can’t even imagine,” someone said.

I nodded.

“It took a while; I’m not going to lie. But eventually, I got back behind the wheel and my dad got back in the passenger seat. And… I learned how to drive. It’s the same thing with management. None of us are born with a set of car keys in our hands, but most of us can learn.

It’s the same thing with management.”

“Maybe,” Karl said, not willing to give in, but I had him. The truth is, anyone can learn how to manage; it just takes study, exposure and practice – just like learning to drive. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ralph Peterson is the CEO of Ralph Peterson Consulting, [a management training and development firm that specialises in Housekeeping and Laundry Management], a syndicated columnist and author of the book, "Managing When No One Wants To Work," (Four-Nineteen Press, 2014). Contact him at Ralph@RalphPeterson.com

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Trish Stewart

PROFILE

Perth’s Finest: How housekeeping shapes the latest luxury offering.

A

fter starting out as a telephonist in the late nineties, Trish Stewart has seen nearly every facet of the hospitality industry. From working behind the front desk to managing revenue and housekeeping departments – each role has built up to her current position as Regional Operations Manager for AHS Hospitality, which services the newly opened Crown Towers in Perth.

“Being in hotels has given me such amazing opportunities to move all around the country, but I’m loving being in Perth!” Stewart says. “If anyone has the opportunity to visit this amazing city, for a holiday or even to advance your career, there are great opportunities on the West Coast and the lifestyle and weather can’t be beaten.”

With Perth Stadium being constructed and more direct flights coming in from Europe, the WA capital is certainly on the move. For Stewart, this means she has the opportunity to place Crown Towers at the forefront of the luxury market by offering world-class housekeeping through AHS Hospitality.

“One of the key drivers in building Crown was to redefine luxury accommodation in Perth. Thankfully, we have been rewarded with some great feedback from our guests.”

The positive feedback has been coupled with strong occupancy.

Interstate and international guests have driven higher-than-anticipated bookings since the hotel opened in December last year. Those guests

have been drawn to the $645 million hotel thanks, in part, to Stewart’s focus on service delivery.

“Although the hotel is vast in size, there is certainly a feeling of tailored design throughout. From the amazing interior rooms, through to Crown Spa and Epicurean restaurant – it is the attention to detail that really sets us apart. When you overlay the attention and training provided to staff on service expectations, again this elevates Crown Towers to another level.”

Stewart says attendants are trained to ‘read the room’ to provide a personalised service. This goes as far as referring to guests by name if they are present when the attendant is cleaning the rooms.

“We also take initiative if we see the guest is utilising a part of the hotel facilities, such as the pool, or any particular item in the room they are favouring. We will ensure they have enough for their stay.”

The facilities at the 500-room hotel are second to none. A 1500 seat ballroom, multiple retail outlets and spa centres dot the complex – all while overlooking the iconic Swan River. Crown Perth itself is made up of three separate hotel brands. Crown Towers is the pinnacle luxury offering, joined by Crown Metropol and Crown Promenade. Combined, these hotels offer 1200 rooms on site.

“It has been an exciting time for everyone involved in the opening to build a brand new team here, and there is most certainly a sense of pride

within the team to know that they are working at Crown Towers. In total, we have recruited over 150 employees at Crown Towers and have another 105 employees at Crown Metropol and 75 more at Crown Promenade.”

Stewart’s team is expected to only get busier. Crown Towers is actively pursuing the business market by promoting its conferencing and event facilities. Signs suggest it is cornering the right segment, with recent figures from Tourism Economics suggesting luxury travel will grow a third faster than other levels of travel in the next ten years.

“I really enjoy the diversity of the role – it is ever changing! I am very hands on so one minute I can be moving linen trolleys in and out of the hotel, followed by hosting morning briefings, to attending meetings with the Senior Executives of Crown to discuss initiatives around service standards.”

The role is a great reward for nearly two decades of work in the industry.

From her beginnings working the switchboard, to overseeing dozens of staff today – you can count on Stewart to continue growing and adapting to the industry at large. 

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WELCOME TO

CROWN TOWERS PERTH

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Weatherdon’s innovation

PROFILE

L: Robert Weatherdon – Managing Director R: Marius Lie Hospitality management student at ICMS

Keeping ahead of industry trends, catering to the changing needs of guests and fostering young talent is what has defined the Weatherdon Corporation since 1975.

A

s testimony to innovation and inspiration the Weatherdon Corporation launched the Weatherdon Project in association with the International College of Management Sydney (ICMS).

The Weatherdon Project scholarship, to promote innovation in the hospitality industry, is given each year to a hospitality student of The International College of Management.

This year’s winner is Marius Lie from Norway who came up with an innovative idea for an electronic trolley for housekeepers to automate and streamline tasks.

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Marius’s proposal for an innovative product or service in the hospitality industry saw him the scoop the scholarship which includes a Mac Pro computer, the opportunity to spend time at Weatherdon’s head office in Sydney for first hand industry insights, travel, accommodation and an invitation to hear from and meet with the doyens of the industry.

“During my work experience in various hotels and motels, I noticed the housekeeping staff were often struggling under the weight of the trolley – particularly those slight of build – it can get quite bulky and hard to manoeuvre, so that started me thinking and I came up with the idea of automating the trolley so it easily glides around the corridors,” added Marius.

“The scholarship is a way for the Weatherdon company to support the growth of the Australasian hospitality sector.

“Weatherdon’s association with the ICMS is to encourage a new generation of professionals to share ideas and have a real opportunity to put innovative perspectives into practice”, said Robert Weatherdon, Managing Director.

WHAT’S CHANGED FOR WEATHERDON? WHERE TO NEXT? GROWTH/CHANGES ETC “We keep carving our niche as the expert hospitality supplier, our point of difference is our standard of service and maintaining close relationships with suppliers and clients to stay ahead of demands.

“The Weatherdon product range has more than doubled over the last five years, mainly with a focus on electronic products, especially its own Nero range. We now stock fourteen different kettles, a choice of seven irons, six types of hairdryers, and a range of microwave ovens and bar fridges as

well as wooden and steel luggage racks and there are always more products in development.

“As for the hotels, they reflect the changes in society. The nature for Australian hotels it is to be aware where guests are coming from – back in the 80s there was a lot of Japanese – now it’s the rise of the Chinese guest and that might perhaps bring a need for an in-room noodle cooker as an example of constantly looking ahead.

“Local economy comes into play too, in cities where rents are high, there’s not a lot of revenue left over for accessories.

“We’re also moving towards incorporating the latest technology in our products too, whether they be LED lights or clocks with USB ports and blue tooth connectivity. It’s what many guests expect these days, wherever they stay.

“The increasing popularity of serviced apartments has also taken us into new territory. We’ve introduced prepacked mix-and-match kitchen packs of accessories to accommodate the self-caterer.

“I think that cost-consciousness is as strong today as it ever was and that is unlikely to change too much in the future. Customer service remains our number one priority and we’ve had positive feedback from our clients about our streamlined ordering process,” added Robert “With the combination of service and economy comes a high-level of expectation to interpret the demands of tomorrow’s guests that is echoed with a cry for simplicity.

“It’s critical to cater to the paradox of technology, simplicity and economy”, concluded Robert..

THE WEATHERDON STORY More than 40 years ago, when Robert Weatherdon senior bought a small biscuit business, little did he know his fledgling family company would one day grow into a leading supplier of customised goods to more than 1,500 hotels in Australian and New Zealand.

Weatherdon’s specialist range includes electrical appliances, utility bins, trolleys, luggage racks, bathroom, glass and tableware, cots and portable bedding.

The ability to readily source top designers and manufacturers throughout the world, attention to detail, commitment to quality, and superior customer service has earned the Weatherdon Corporation the reputation as the “the governors of guestroom fit outs.” 

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At Empire Hospitality we pride ourselves in providing Quality Housekeeping Solutions.

Our focus is on the delivery of cost effective housekeeping services and we continually strive for service excellence, through this method we have built an enviable reputation as a market leader in housekeeping services by providing site-specific delivery to each of our clients.

With proven experience in providing the best and efficient service, we are the housekeeping partners of the leading hotels and serviced apartments in Australia.

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Strategic partnerships

CAN BE A HIGHLY EFFECTIVE WAY TO BUILD BUSINESSES

BY EMPIRE HOSPITALITY AND HY.GIENE AUSTRALIA

The partnership was established in 2010, and it continues growing in leaps and bounds.

Empire Hospitality searched the chemical industry for a simple effective rationalised housekeeping system to suit their model. Which had to meet all the criteria required, especially considering that their customers are mainly comprised of the top end 4 & 5 Star Hotels in Australia.

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mpire Hospitality’s partnership with HY.GIENE Australia, brings together the complete and effective efficiency of cleaning with the user experience of Empire Hospitality’s unique outsourcing model and the HY.GIENE Australia rationalised ENVIRO Housekeeping System, to deliver a new level of value for businesses.

The alliance has & continues to draw on HY.GIENE Australia’s industry expertise and method of multitasking its products to help keep chemical usage to a minimum, whilst Empire Hospitality continues to grow our brand in the 4 & 5 Star Hotel market.

The partnership continues to leverage both companies. To quote Peter Harman Director of HY.GIENE Australia “the partnership with Empire Hospitality adds a high class of quality to provide professional personal and reliable products and services”.

The Empire Hospitality/HY.GIENE Australia partnership is a brilliant one...

HY.GIENE Australia provide the ultimate quality of cleaning chemicals whilst Empire Hospitality provide the ultimate standard and results to

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all aspects of housekeeping. The partnership drives business growth for both, where competitors compromise using traditional chemicals and cost cutting services to win business.

The cutting edge approach that both businesses take, gives both companies a reason for purchase that justifies a premium price. HY.GIENE Australia and Empire Hospitality’s models are increasingly being copied and undercut on price by its competitors, in a bid to win business.

The HY.GIENE Australia ENVIRO Housekeeping System ticks all boxes – its rationalised, meets all GHS compliance, OH&S and Worksafe requirements. This is all combined with staff induction training & the products are premium quality to provide the ‘Total Clean’.

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Is gender diversity on boards REALLY SUCH A BIG DEAL?

BY KRISTIANA GREENWOOD, DIRECTOR & FOUNDER FM INNOVATIONS (FMI), GAICD

As a female Chairman of a predominately male board in a male orientated industry, I am often asked how I managed to fight my way to the top in the face of adversity. How much of challenge it must have been to get there – how challenging it must be day after day dealing with a male dominated industry. What a great role model I am to have embraced my inner strength and gone for it.

T

he truth is, it hasn't been at all like that for me. My elevation to this position has been encouraged mainly by men, not because I'm a female, but because they believe in me and feel I am the best person for the job. All through my career, it has been my male peers who have mentored and nurtured me to achieve my goals and indeed, open my eyes to goals I didn't even know I could aspire to. The only challenges I have faced have been from within, as I challenge myself to step outside of my comfort zone and take heed of what my male colleagues are telling me.

Maybe it's just the industry that I'm in, and I'm just lucky. I am passionate about the FM and Property industry and I see many women rising through the ranks in other aligned industry groups who have equal passion and desire to raise the profile of their industry association. Every one of them that I speak to has the same story as mine - their male peers are 100% behind them and together they are driving change. There are a lot of males champions of change out

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there, and the AICD is relying on them to achieve a goal of 30% females on boards by 2018. However, women should not have an advantage just because they are female, but also because of the skills they bring to the board. Obviously, there is no denying that it's helpful if the right candidate is female on a male dominated board of an industry group or company that is experiencing growth in diversity and wants to lead by example.

So is gender diversity really such a big deal, or are we looking for gender equality on boards just to elevate the profile of women in business? I am privileged to have access to our membership and many other industry leaders through my position and it has opened my eyes to the bigger picture.

The truth is, gender diversity is very important for the following reasons: Diversity of Thought: Women on boards bring different perspectives to the difficult issues facing today’s business. It is widely believed that diversity of thought results in better decision making.

Stakeholder Representation: The makeup of a board of directors should be representative of the company or industry group in which it governs: shareholders, employees, members and customers.

Competitive Advantage: A diverse board is better positioned to thrive in today’s global economy where the pace of change is accelerating, because rapidly changing economic realities require nimble, strategic and well informed directors.

Availability of Essential Skills: Senior women executives offer the skills and experience that many boards need, including industry knowledge, operational experience, and functional expertise. Empathy is another skill set that women understand and can tap into allowing a different perspective to challenges involving people and emotions.

Most people today have no knowledge about the makeup of boards, even in the companies they work for let alone the industry group they may be

a member of. But they should care, because directors make decisions that impact them which is why it’s important that board members be representative of an organisations constituents. Boards of directors choose CEOs. They make decisions about executive compensation, whether to buy, sell, or merge with other companies or industry groups, where offices close and relocate, and how much priority a company gives to issues such as social responsibility.

Good corporate decision-making requires the ability to hear and

consider different points of view, which comes from people who have different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Companies that have women directors and executive officers lead by example. They send a clear message that they value diversity of thought and experience.

I am grateful to my male mentors and peers for opening my eyes to opportunity, I feel the real challenge for us today is in encouraging potential female leaders to understand what they are capable of and stepping out of their comfort zone to bring more

diversity to our boards. Often the only obstacle is fear of failure and if there's one thing I've learnt, you will never know you can do it unless you confront that fear. To any aspiring female board members, my advice would be to equip yourself properly to take on the challenge and really understand the responsibilities of being a board director. Invest in the AICD directors course, speak to other female leaders and rise to the challenge, you might be very surprised at your own ability. ď Ž

37

HOW HOTEL CHATBOTS WILL CHANGE GUEST

experience

BY BRENDON GRANGER

The world loves to chat. Today, over 2.5 billion people have at least one messaging app installed, with predictions that number will hit 3.6 billion within a couple of years. As travel becomes increasingly mobile-centric, travel brands are realising that messaging platforms represent the future of customer communication. And many are starting to see the huge potential of chatbots.

U

tilising AI (artificial intelligence), chatbots deliver a text-based service that seeks to replicate having a natural conversation with a human. Chatbots are nothing new – emerging back in the 1960s, but the technology has advanced quickly in recent years. Today, they’re being used to do everything from booking a taxi to paying bills, and increasingly – they’re becoming more prevalent in the travel industry.

THE EXPLOSION IN TRAVEL CHATBOTS Recently, a flurry of metasearch sites including Skyscanner, Kayak, and Hipmunk have created their own chatbots, integrating them with Facebook Messenger and Slack.

Hipmunk’s chatbot is particularly advanced, providing suggestions to questions like, “When’s the best time to fly between New York and Paris?”

Dedicated travel bots are starting to pop up more frequently, such as personal travel assistant, Taylor.

While relatively limited, this AI bot is designed to provide digital nomads with suggestions on where to sleep or work in a city. A “Nearby” and “City Lookup” feature also offers information on the suitability of other

38

cities, including things like living costs and internet access.

And now, chatbots are slowly beginning to find their way into the hotel industry.

CHATBOTS BEING USED

BY HOTELS Earlier this year, Booking.com announced the roll out of an SMSstyle chat tool that lets guests communicate directly with the hotel they’ve booked with – all via their Booking.com account. Hotels are able to initiate the conversation too, and the tool also has a series of translation templates to enable hotel employees to send standardised messages to overseas guests in their native language.

Hotels themselves have started building their own chatbots. Just recently, Edwardian Hotels in the UK launched an AI chatbot Edward at twelve of its hotels. As well as offering tips on local tourist sights, restaurants and bars, Edward can deal with requests for amenities and services such as fresh towels and room service.

The hotel’s chatbot can even handle complaints, and it also features

live assistance so that issues can be escalated to a member of staff.

Edward is designed to respond within seconds, cutting out the delay that might occur through traditional methods.

While impressive, chatbots like Edward still have a long way to go.

New developers are entering the marketplace all the time, pushing the technology into evermore exciting places.

EXCITING EVOLUTION In terms of where chatbots might go, advancements within artificial intelligence promise big potential.

Powered by machine learning, chatbots can learn through each and every interaction. As this learning constantly grows over time, and AI technology progresses, they’ll become increasingly adept at making relevant recommendations.

As they improve their grasp of conversational context, chatbots will also be better at understanding intent and meaning, grasping the subtlety of language while being able to predict where the conversation is going.

Voice-based technology used by the likes of Amazon’s Alexa and

Apple’s Siri could also soon be integrated with chatbots to create a more seamless interface. Instead of tapping away at a screen, a hotel guest could make a request simply with their voice.

THE FUTURE OF GUEST COMMUNICATION? By offering a more natural form of communication and near-instant responses, chatbots can help hotels elevate the guest experience. From an operational point of view, they could also free up hotel staff by dealing with requests that hectic front desks would otherwise need to manage themselves.

Yet for all their promise, it’s highly unlikely that chatbots will replace the need for human conversation. Even if the technology sufficiently develops to offer flawless service, guests will always want a person to deal with in certain situations – especially complaints. While a machine might appear to show empathy and understanding, nothing can replace the genuine emotions expressed through personal interaction.

That said, there’s no doubt that chatbots can become a huge asset to hotels when used in the right way, especially given the exciting ways they continue to advance. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR With a great passion for all things hotels, but in particular technology and a desire to help others his role as director at Technology4Hotels allows him to do both.

Brendon has worked with hundreds of hotels to help them with their in-room technology.

In the last few years he has helped them to increase guest satisfaction, strengthen guest loyalty and encourage repeat bookings as well as win awards such as the best business hotel, best city hotel, best upscale hotel and best luxury hotel in Australasia.

Always going the extra mile, Brendon began his hospitality career over twenty five years ago working in 5 star hotels whilst completing his Bachelor of Business in Hotel Management. He has held various management positions within 5 star hotels, worked as a consultant in both hotel feasibility and technology and has an extensive background in hotel technology.

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39

HOUSE KEEPING 101

RESPONSIBLE AND GREEN HOUSEKEEPING TIPS

BY MARK THOMSON, ECO ARCHITECT

In a time where there has been intense media attention on building materials and occupant safety, it may be a good time to review some housekeeping practices in the spirit of updating ones business responsibilities and continuous improvement. Occupant safety has always been a paramount issue for Hotel Owners and Management. The legal responsibilities or obligations of Hotel Owners and Management focus on guest treatment and safety.

process that starts with Staff training, guest education, security and systems.

T

here can be substantial ramifications when failure to fulfil these obligations results in damage or harm to a guest. A hotels greatest legal obligation is the maintenance of a nonhazardous (safe) and secure environment. Robert Tritter, an avid internet writer of legal related hotel articles writes “A hotel that fails to identify a foreseeable or obvious hazard and fails to adequately warn the guest of its existence, may be found negligent and judged liable for resulting harm of damage to a guest.

In addition hotels have a duty to inspect their facilities and identify hazards that may not be obviously apparent” The growth of Corporate Social Responsibility in the hotel industry has arisen to reduce negative impacts on hospitality businesses. A hotels operations may have negative impacts on local economies, social cultural issues and the environment. Housekeeping is a multifaceted

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An eco-friendly workplace is one filled with employees who are aware of their social responsibility. There are no acts that are too small when it comes to caring for safety and the environment. Safety for guests and workers is a social responsibility.

Some simple safety tips to be considered might include • A review or focus of trip hazards permanent and temporary throughout the facility by housekeeping staff • Regular checks of all fire egress routes right through to the street access point • Ensuring all electrical equipment is tagged according to local authority requirements • A review of all chemicals and cleaning products (checking material safety data sheets)

• A review of first aid equipment and locations • Review indoor air quality standards and address strong smells from cleaning agents • A review of signage and location of security and warning signs • Reviewing the security of storage spaces including operations of locks and access • Address all water leaks or wet (high moisture) areas, particularly to paths and guest areas to avoid slips.

• Identification of staff and guests with special needs and implementing with suitable protocols for emergency situations.

• familiarise staff with fire ratings of all walls and ceilings to understand appropriate repair and maintenance procedures to maintain the integrity of the hotel design standards Engaging and training staff on safety and environmental issues is necessary for an organisation to address its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Understanding the importance of good sustainability practices and CSR reporting is an important way to ensure your housekeeping practices are current and safe.

Current product and material Sustainability tools such as Ecospecifier, GECA and Declare provide the hotel and housekeeping industry with sustainability products and safe materials for hotel use. It is best not to take your subcontractors or suppliers word that everything complies, is eco-friendly and nontoxic. Don’t lose sleep because you haven’t fulfilled your responsibilities that your housekeeping practices are safe and current!  For more information on eco hospitality contact mark@ecoeffective.com.au

REFERENCE AND FURTHER INFORMATION CAN BE SOURCED AT www.ecospecifier.com.au/ http://www.geca.eco/product-finder/ www.abcb.gov.au/.../Fire-Australia-2017-Conference-keepingpractitioners-informed http://www.greenhotelier.org/our-themes/community-communicationengagement/environmental-awareness-and-training/ http://accsr.com.au/what-is-csr/ http://www.youblawg.com/business-law/legal-duties-of-hotel-and-motelowners

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Mark Thomson is an eco-Architect with qualifications from the GBCA and Earthcheck organisations.

Mark has over 30 years’ experience in the Australian design, development and construction industry. He has built and refurbished multiple hotel projects around Australia and was co-owner in a national hotel chain up until 2005.

His current consulting business is Eco Effective Solutions based in Brisbane.

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B L A C K

L A B E L

m o ro c c a n o i l ¡ o m e ga 3 vi ta m i n E ¡ a n ti oxd a n ts

E V E R Y D AY S O P H I S T I C AT I O N 42

See more at swisstrade.com.au | (02) 9979 1500 | info@swisstrade.com.au

What floats

YOUR BOAT

BY JANET C. MARLETTO

IS IT TIME TO EXPAND YOUR UNIVERSE? • Have you been focusing on your personal development?

• Do you meditate? Do you visualise?

• Do you make a point of learning and being curious?

• Do you know what gives you Joy in your life?

• Do you focus on the moment at hand?

• Most importantly, do you like/love yourself?

• Do you understand the difference between "moving on" and "expanding your universe"?

Yes, there are many questions to ask yourself. Introspection is a big part of personal development. As I have written in previous articles, Personal Development is integral in the formation of a true leader. Because

I have gone through this process more than once, I'll share some highlights of my experiences with you.

Since I was seven years old, I knew that I wanted to be a teacher.

Consequently, I followed the path to teacher credentialing. Upon completion, I taught very happily for seven years. Around year five, I became aware of the fact that I wanted to have a business world career. However, I wanted to do this change without going back to college.

Rather, I wanted to be able to apply my knowledge and training in a new area: also known as transference. After a few years of research (known as due diligence), it became clear that hotel management would be a good fit for me. My part-time jobs had served as hotel related experience. Although I had studied the possibility of being a travel agent, I learned that the only one who

makes money in a travel agency is the owner. The perk of periodic free trips does not pay for rent and groceries.

Considering the dramatic change in travel practices in the last twenty years, it was beneficial to skip that option.

Thus, I looked at the hospitality industry and found my niche. Thanks to the supportive general manager at The St. Francis Hotel on Union Square in San Francisco, I was offered a management candidate position in the Housekeeping Department. Before accepting, I requested permission visit every other department on my own time to be certain that I made the best decision for my path. He agreed. I did do this on many days off and took notes as I interviewed the department heads. It was amusing to observe the reaction to my activities.

No one had ever seen anyone do this (especially on their own time!); so, they

43

presumed that I was spying for the General Manager! Nonetheless, upon completion of these observations, it became clear that Housekeeping was for me: I could be strong and appreciated in this male dominated world. It also became evident that Housekeeping scares a lot of men.

The responsibility is great and challenging. Perfect for me!

Oh, did I mention that I took a 30% pay cut (from an already low paying profession) to accept the management trainee position? I was motivated to focus and to complete the three year program as well and as quickly as possible. That I did: I was promoted to Assistant Housekeeper in nine months! It meant long days and focus on the steps in the program as outlined in training manuals. I did this on my own wrote a progress report each month which I sent to the corporate office in Seattle. I never received feedback (I did retain copies.) I just kept moving onward. This is a salute to a training oriented company with detailed training manuals accessible to those willing to advance.

Not once during my acquisition of knowledge about operations, budgeting, controls, staffing, service, scheduling,and purchasing All of my background prepared me for clear communications, empathy, evaluation, and especially training. Those transferable skills sped up the training process for me.

After 13 years of directing high quality operations, I reached mastery: everything that could happen had happened.

In 1996 I added Feng Shui consulting to my repertoire. Placement had always been important to me. I applied it at hotels with excellent results.

Private clients also appreciated the noticeable increase in graciousness thanks to the personalised application of Feng Shui principles.

After 26+ years in the role of Director of Housekeeping, I re-entered the world of education as a French teacher on the high school level. It felt good to be in the classroom again. I was confident that I had a lot to offer students since I had been utilising my French on a

44

regular basis. Thanks to the hotel business, I had travelled internationally and used my language skills. Such perks are foreign to most teachers.

When the time came to semi-retire, I did so with pleasure because I had adopted the role of substitute teacher on all levels at a top school district.

This allowed me to network, mentor, write, present and have an agreeable social life. This gracious life style has led me to my latest area of expansion.

How? Regular visualisation and meditation kept my energy level positive, balanced and open to opportunities.

Both of my parents were successful business people. My father invested successfully too. Had he lived longer, he would have taught me more. One important message that he relayed to me was to only invest in what I believe. After reviewing my life, I realised that thanks to my careers in education and hospitality, I have left a legacy of more than a dozen successful executives and dozens of people who love French and keep it in their lives. So, what to do now? I want to leave my life in order in every aspect.

This includes proper protection of assets.

So, it was this visualisation that resulted in an opportunity to be mentored in real estate investing.

“Being mentored” is the key because this is a new world for me. Having support makes all the difference.

As you can see, I am expanding my knowledge base while applying my skill set. There are many moving parts requiring an effective system supported by knowledgeable, experienced, and ethical mentors.

Is it easy? No. Is it worth the investment of time, energy, and resources? Yes! Why? As I become more comfortable and familiar with all of the vocabulary, guidelines, variables, my efforts will progress more and more smoothly and effectively.

How does this apply to you? If you are among those looking for something new or different, it could be beneficial for you to visualise your ideal and to meditate. Above all, being grateful for everything you love in your life will set

scene for more opportunities to come your way. Then it is your job to be alert to opportunities and to check out the attractive options with discernment.

Some opportunities can involve change of location. Yet, so much is done on line these days that you may be able to reinvent your image and to be stationary.

If you are at all hesitant, you can experiment while you have your current employment. This is the safest way to approach change. It may take you awhile to identify your opportunity.

Patience pays off.

After all, it is your life you are considering. Being conscious is critical! By that I mean that you notice people in your age range who seem joyful. Look at what they are doing.

Ask them what gives them joy.

By understanding and recognising that a life of Joy is possible, you are strengthening your vision. Actually other people’s opinions do not matter. After all, it is YOUR vision.

Nonetheless, studying those who are leading a life like one you emulate will provide you with inspiration and keep you energised and positive.

Your positive attitude in all you do is your ticket to more success. In fact if all you get out of this article is to “maintain a positive mindset”, then the article succeeded. The magical mindset does bring good to you. It brings to you what you are exuding.

How do I know this? I have mentored many clients over the last few years that have had their dreams come true very quickly. In fact, you can read their recommendations on my LinkedIn profile page.

Once you are clear about what you want to do next, be ready for momentum to begin. You are on the wave carrying you to your ideal!

Your attitude makes this happen with ease. Hard work makes for more hard work. As long as you have met the necessary requirements, relax and enjoy the ride on the wave!  Janet Marletto is available for questions as well as mentoring by e-mail and Skype. jmarletto@yahoo.com Read her profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmarletto/

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45

Discrete cleaning ENHANCES THE LUXURY APPEAL AND GUEST EXPERIENCE

BY ALICIA FENWICK, SENIOR MANAGER, BRAND MARKETING AT RUBBERMAID COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS

Like beauty, luxury is in the eye of the beholder. The hospitality and accommodation industries know this all too well, and understand the guest’s experience is everything.

From the overall atmosphere as guests walk through the door, to the smallest added touches of luxury in their suite, the lasting impression that keeps guests coming back is the sum of many, many parts.

E

very visible aspect of a hotel or conference venue contributes to its brand image and guest appeal. For this reason, creating an unforgettably-positive experience for every guest is paramount, however no easy task. Guests want to enjoy a first-

46

class experience, day and night and so hoteliers must be relentless in pursuing excellence at every level of service and attend to the smallest detail.

Discerning customers expect all aspects of an accommodation venue

to look and feel immaculately clean at all times. This presents a perpetual challenge for housekeeping teams: how to clean efficiently whilst meeting customer expectations and remaining almost invisible so not to detract from the guest experience.

detract from even the most credible establishments.

Commercial cleaning equipment does not need to be “industrial-looking” to be hard-working and durable.

Compact cleaning carts with a discrete, sleek design – for example an ultra-compact housekeeping cleaning cart designed to look like a small pull-along suitcase – allows housekeeping and maintenance staff to service a high-end venue with minimal disturbance. They can move quickly and effortlessly throughout the venue, blending into the surrounds as they clean.

Another challenge is the constant time pressure to clean and turnover rooms to keep up with guest demand.

Tourism is booming in Australia.

According to the latest figures, there were 8.26 million overseas visitors to Australia last year – up 11 per cent over the previous year. (http://www.tourism.australia.com/ statistics/arrivals.aspx). Domestic travel is also growing, with domestic overnight trips up by 5 per cent, reaching record highs.

Experienced hospitality workers have perfected the art of working efficiently and silently in the background.

Discrete cleaning tools are their secret weapon enabling them to deal with any cleaning challenge and produce spotless results with minimal guest disturbance.

With such a high turn-over, each facility has only a small window of opportunity to clean each room for the next occupant. In such a competitive industry, falling short of expectations for discerning hotel guests can have a lasting impact on business. Paying attention to the smallest detail and maintaining high standards creates a lasting, positive impression for every visitor, every day.

Mess is a fact of life for high-turnover venues. Professional cleaning

equipment built with innovative design, superior functionality and versatile applications ensures any housekeeping challenge is dealt with, quickly and discretely so standards can be maintained, especially during peak occupancy periods.

Speed and productivity is the key to keeping a busy accommodation venue immaculately clean and beautifully presented. Bulky, heavy cleaning tools can be awkward to manoeuvre, slowing staff down and inconveniencing guests. Achieving efficiency with minimum disturbance requires professional equipment that is cleverly built for maximum discretion, convenience and functionality.

Compact housekeeping carts are great for moving through narrow corridors and confined spaces. Yet they must have excellent storage built in, so the advantage of size is not at the cost of usability. With great storage, supplies are always on hand so more rooms can be turned down and restocked in a cleaning round.

Adding mops, cleaning supplies and other maintenance tools into a slimline compact cart ensures the job can be completed quickly without compromising on cleanliness.

A five-star housekeeping solution achieves much more than a fivestar clean. An advanced, end-toend system with superior looks and performance to match, elevates the brand image, increases productivity and enhances the customer experience, which ultimately leads to increased business. 

Sophisticated design makes a big difference. Why should cleaning and maintenance equipment let you down with bulky, unattractive design that detracts from your luxury image?

An establishment works hard to achieve a high-end look, and should have beautifully-designed, hardworking cleaning tools to match.

Cleaning tools that don’t reflect the venue’s sophisticated standards can

47

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When 21 minutes IS 1 MINUTE TOO LONG

BY MARC FERGUSON

In 2004, Kathryn Strong, an amputee who walked with the aid of crutches, slipped on a potato chip in a food court in an Australian grocery store and fell to the floor, causing her to suffer a severe spinal injury. Once she recovered, Strong, convinced that this accident occurred due to the negligence of the cleaning and maintenance crew in the grocery store, decided to sue.

However, as so often happens in these types of lawsuits, proving negligence is easier said than done.

S

he won the first lawsuit against the owners of the store. However, the store then appealed the decision, and the appeals court ruled in favour of the store. But Strong did not give up. While it took time and costs mounted, she took her lawsuit to the Australian High Court. On March 7, 2012, eight years after the accident, the High Court upheld the lower court’s original verdict and awarded Strong more than $580,000.

What the High Court focused on was exactly how often the grocery store checked the floors to ensure they were safe for foot traffic. The court decided that, in such a busy location, floors should be monitored at least every 20 minutes. When asked when the store’s cleaning crew—or any staff member of the store—had last inspected the floors, it appears that they had last been checked he floors about four and a half hours before the accident occurred.

The High Court further determined that not only had store personnel checked the floors too infrequently but that they had inadequate cleaning systems in place to clean up floors should a liquid or some other substance spill onto the floor—in this case, a greasy potato chip. So due to an inadequate or possibly nonexistent inspection process and an inferior cleanup

system, the court ruled reasonable care was not provided Strong or other customers in the store. As a result, the court ruled in favour of Strong.

time to prevent themselves from falling, but this is not always the case, especially as people age and have more problems with balance.

A CLOSER LOOK AT SLIP AND FALL ACCIDENTS

Because highly polished floors increase the odds of a slip and fall accident occurring, managers and housekeeping personnel should become very familiar with what is called coefficient of friction, or COF. COF refers to the slip resistance of floors, including highly polished floors. And while the type of floor installed can impact COF, very often it is the floorcare products applied to the floor that are the ultimate determining factor as to how slip resistant and safe the floor is.

While this incident occurred in a grocery store, slips and falls happen all the time in hospitality locations such as hotels and restaurants. Not only do accidents occur among patrons, but there is a very high incident of slip and fall accidents among hospitality employees as well. According to a report published by the University of South Australia in December 2012, restaurants and cafés are one of the three highest-risk industries when it comes to workplace safety, and one of the most significant problems is slip and fall accidents.

Safe Work Australia, a government agency that leads the development of national policy to improve worker health and safety, says a slip occurs “when a person’s foot loses traction with the ground surface due to wearing inappropriate footwear or when walking on slippery floor surfaces such as those that are highly polished, wet, or greasy.”

Much of the time when slips occur, workers can catch their balance in

In most cases, the desired COF is 0.5 or 0.6. A lower COF—0.3, for instance—would be considered slippery, and a higher number would indicate greater resistance. However, you do not want the COF to be too high, because then the floor can become sticky and tacky and can cause a trip and fall accident, which is precisely what we are trying to prevent.

While managers can insist that housekeepers and staff wear appropriate footwear to prevent them from slipping and falling, there is little they can do about the type of footwear guests and patrons wear in their properties. What property managers

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can do, however, is safeguard the floors by ensuring that they have the desired COF and then make sure that there is an adequate fall prevention program in place, including conducting ongoing floor inspections and implementing proper and effective spill cleanup procedures.

STEPS TO A SLIP AND FALL PREVENTION PROGRAM There are several steps a hotel or restaurant can take to ensure the safety of their guests as well as their staff. It starts with a floor audit to identify potential areas of concern. An audit often can be handled in-house, but it is best, for the first examination at least, that it be conducted by a “certified walkway auditor.” A certified walkway auditor is well versed in floor safety standards, has experience identifying floor hazards, and knows how to use a tribometer, the machine used to measure COF. Property managers should then address and correct any problems noted in the floor audit as well as take the following steps: • Make sure that mats are adequately placed inside and outside all building entries. Also make sure that the mats are placed on a dry surface; the bottoms of many floor mats are rubber, and they can slip and slide if the surface is wet.

• Take special care in transition areas.

Slips, trips, and falls can occur in areas, for example, where a carpeted floor meets a hard surface floor, especially if the walker's shoe bottoms are wet. Place a floor mat across such transition areas.

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• Minimise floor level changes.

Install a ramp where there are two or more steps.

• Look for such hazards as tears in carpets, cracks in floors, and power cords extending over floor surfaces, even if the cords are covered. These can all cause a slip, trip, and fall.

CLEANUP OPERATIONS A lot was learned from the High Court decision mentioned earlier. For one, floors in a public place, such as a hotel or restaurant, should be checked every 20 minutes during operation to ensure that there are no hazards. But what do you do if a risk is detected – for instance, a spill on a hard surface lobby floor?

This is when housekeepers need a spill-response plan, which would include the following: • Have all tools and equipment necessary to clean up a spill in one location; in a large hotel, there may be a need to have multiple cleanup equipment locations.

• As soon as a spill has been noted (likely during one of the frequent floor checks), block the area until warning cones can be installed; warning cones should be placed several feet before and around the problem area.

• Determine what the spill is; if it is hazardous, experts may need to be called in to clean up the spill.

• If the spill is nonhazardous, first pick up or sweep up any solid debris.

• The next step is to clean up and remove the spill; however, do not use a mop for this task. If, for instance, the spill contains grease or oil, the mop will just spread the

grease or oil around, making for an even larger slippery surface area.

• Leave warning cones around the area for up to 20 minutes, to ensure that all floor areas are thoroughly dry before removing them.

Instead of using a mop, use equipment specifically designed to pick up the spill, clean the floor, and vacuum up the area.

There are now all-in-one multipurpose floor cleaning systems, some known as “auto vacs” or “SUVs,” designed for this purpose. While they clean as effectively as an autoscrubber, they are much easier to use, smaller, and lighter, which works better in a hotel setting.

CONDUCT A FLOOR AUTOPSY The word “autopsy” might seem like a bit of a scary term, as it is what is performed when someone dies to determine the cause of death.

When it comes to floors, a “floor autopsy” is performed to find out exactly why someone slipped and fell in a particular area, with the goal of preventing it from happening again.

For instance, in a restaurant, falls are very common in the first few feet going into or out of the kitchen. A floor autopsy would tell us that this is an area where floor mats are needed.

Whenever there is a slip and fall accident in your property, conduct a floor autopsy to understand the cause, take corrective measures, and make sure it never happens again.  Marc Ferguson is international business development manager for Kaivac, developer of the No-Touch® and OmniFlex™ cleaning systems. He can be reached at mferguson@kaivac.com or through his international company website at http://www.kaivac-emea.com.

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Hotel

HOUSEKEEPING SAFETY

BY SOUDI NOORI,

DIRECTOR OF SAFETY AND RISK ENGINEERING SOLUTIONS

The main reasons for housekeeping activities are to ensure general cleanliness and sanitation of facilities. Housekeeping employees are required to dust and tidy rooms (Figure 2), vacuum, make beds (Figures 1a, 1b, 1c), scrub bathrooms, clean and polish toilets, taps, sinks, bathtubs and mirrors (Figures 3a, 3b), take out the trash, and more in fifteen to thirty minutes for one room.

T

hese may sound like easy, everyday activities, but when employees must perform each of them dozens of times a day, subject to room cleaning procedures and under various physical and psychological stressors, they can add up to a serious risk to health and safety.

Figure 1a – Making Beds

Figure 1b – Making Beds

WHAT ARE THE RISK FACTORS OF HOUSEKEEPING?

• standing or walking

Hotel housekeepers are exposed to different kind of hazards including:

• squatting

• Ergonomic hazards.

• stretching

• Exposure to chemicals in cleaning products, including skin reactions or respiratory illnesses.

• reaching predominantly below chest height

• Exposure to biological infectious diseases from soiled linens, uncapped needles and/or bodily fluids.

• twisting

• Slips, trips and falls.

• Fatigue and other health problems from shift work or long hours of work.

• Working alone.

Figure 1c – Making Beds

• Workplace violence.

• Manual handling of equipment – vacuums, carts.

The main risk factors for housekeeping is repetitive motion injuries, due to;

Figure 2 – Tidying a room

Figure 3a – Cleaning

Figure 3b – Cleaning

• heavy physical workload and excessive bodily motions which are a high risk for back injuries • forceful upper limb motions in awkward positions which are a high risk for neck or shoulder and arm injuries Space limitations require workers to use many uncomfortable postures.

These are:

• push/pull forces of around 5-10kg • stooping • kneeling

• bending • crouching A housekeeper changes body position every three seconds while cleaning a room. If we assume that the average cleaning time for each room is 2530 minutes, we can estimate that a housekeeper assumes 8,000 different body postures every shift.

In addition, forceful movements while using awkward body positions include lifting mattresses, cleaning tiles, and vacuuming every shift. Housekeeping is a physically demanding and very tiring job. It can be classified as "moderately heavy" to "heavy" work because the energy required is approximately 4 kilocalories per minute (4kcal/min).

HOW CAN WE REDUCE THE RISK FACTORS? It is employer's responsibility to fix hazards by looking at the following

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options (in order from most effective to least effective): • Elimination – Sometimes hazards – equipment, substances or work practices – can be avoided entirely.

• Substitution and Engineering Solutions – Sometimes a less hazardous thing, substance or work practice can be used.

• Isolation – Separate the hazard from people, by marking the hazardous area, fitting screens or putting up safety barriers.

• Safeguards – Safeguards can be added by modifying tools or equipment, or fitting guards to machinery.

• Instructing workers in the safest way to do something – This means developing and enforcing safe work procedures.

• Using personal protective equipment and clothing (PPE) – If risks remain after the options have been tried, it may be necessary to use equipment such as safety glasses, gloves, helmets and ear muffs. PPE can protect you from hazards associated with jobs such as handling chemicals or working in a noisy environment.

Sometimes, it will require more than one of the risk control measures above to effectively reduce exposure to hazards.

It very difficult to improve working conditions for housekeepers by means of better engineering. However, some improvements can be made by selecting more appropriate equipment.

Lighter vacuum cleaners (preferably the self-propelling type), and lighter service carts with wheels designed for carpeted floors would ease the workload for their operators providing this equipment is always kept in good repair. When new vacuum cleaners are purchased, low noise emissions should be one of the criteria.

Improving the body postures that pose a major risk for musculoskeletal disorders seems an unachievable task. Again, this fact results from the particularity of hotels as a workplace.

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To attract guests and remain competitive, hotel management pursues a policy that everything should be "so clean it sparkles".

Floors, walls, windows, mirrors, and bathroom fixtures might be adequately cleaned with some form of an extension tool to reduce bending and over-stretching. However, the demand for spotless cleanliness and hygiene, management often requires their cleaning staff to spend extra time and effort cleaning by kneeling, leaning, squatting, crouching, slouching and stretching. These postures will, in time, contribute to new musculoskeletal injuries and aggravate old ones.

New approaches, other than strictly ergonomic ones, need to be investigated. For example, action can be taken from the administrative level.

Options for improvement include: • job rotation • job enrichment and job enlargement • team work • education and training on work practices Job rotation is one possible approach.

It requires workers to move between different tasks, at fixed or irregular periods. However, it must be a rotation where workers do something completely different. Different tasks must use different muscle groups to allow muscles already stressed to recover.

Another approach is job enlargement.

This approach increases the variety of tasks built into the job. It breaks the monotony of the job and avoids overloading one part of the body. Job enrichment involves more autonomy and control for the worker.

Team work can provide greater variety and more evenly distributed muscular work. The whole team is involved in the planning of the work. Each team member carries out a set of operations to complete the whole product, allowing the worker to alternate between tasks. This approach reduces the risk.

A well-designed job, supported by a well-designed workplace and proper

tools, allows the worker to avoid unnecessary motion of the neck, shoulders and upper limbs. However, the actual performance of the tasks depends on individuals.

Training should be provided for workers who are involved with housekeeping activities. It is important that housekeeping staff be informed about hazards in the workplace, including the risk of injuries to the musculoskeletal system. Therefore, identification of the hazards for such injury at any given hotel is fundamental.

Individual work practices, including lifting habits, are shaped by proper training. Training should encourage employers and workers to adopt methods that reduce fatigue. For example, it is advisable to plan one's workload and do the heavier tasks at the beginning of the workshift, rather than at the end, when fatigue is at its maximum. When a person is tired, the risk of injuring a muscle is higher.

Training should also explain the health hazards of improper lifting and give recommendations on what a worker can do to improve lifting positions.

Training should also emphasize the importance of rest periods for the workers' health and explain how active rest can do more for keeping workers healthy than passive rest. The effect of such training can reach far beyond occupational situations because the workers can apply this knowledge also in their off-job activities.

WHAT ARE SOME PREVENTIVE MEASURES FOR A HOTEL HOUSEKEEPER? • Know potential hazards of your workplace and the activities you perform.

• Learn and use safe lifting techniques.

• Wear proper protective equipment when handling cleaning products.

• Wash your hands frequently – an important step in preventing infection.

• Always wear appropriate personal protective equipment for the task.

• Avoid bending back when changing pillow covers or duvet covers

• Wear shoes with non-skid soles.

• Know emergency contact numbers and keep them immediately available.

• Keep carts in good repair, check wheels and weight distribution of supplies.

• Use long handled tools such as dusters and mops to avoid bending and stretching.

• Review SDS for cleaning products and follow instructions for safe use and storage.

• Provide training on bloodborne pathogens and practices to follow if needles or bodily fluids are encountered in the hotel room.

Have a sharps disposal container on the cart for needles and sharps.

ERGONOMIC PRACTICES FOR ROOM ATTENDANTS Room attendants are subject to strains from repeated lifting, pushing, bending, reaching and wiping when making beds, cleaning bathrooms, vacuuming rugs, wiping furniture and pushing carts.

Manual lifting, awkward postures, repetitive forceful movements can cause strains and injuries to the back, shoulder, arm and hand.

Avoid excessive bending of the back to clean the bath tub Kneel to clean low furniture

CLEANING FURNITURE • Use a long handed tool or stand on a step-ladder to reach high furniture or lighting • Kneel when cleaning low furniture

VACUUMING CARPETS • Use vacuum cleaners which are light-weight and easy to use • Avoid bending the back by kneeling when vacuuming under furniture Push rather than pull carts

CLEANING BATHROOMS • Kneel to clean the floors to avoid excessive back bending • Kneel next to the bath tub to avoid excessive back bending and arm reaching when cleaning the tub. 

Avoid excessive bending of the back during vacuuming

HOUSEKEEPING CARTS • Carts should not be overloaded, stable and easy to move and not obstruct vision • Push rather than pull carts

Avoid bending your back

Room attendants should be given appropriate equipment and training in proper work methods and postures to reduce the risk of strains and injuries.

Working correctly can prevent strains and injuries.

• When pushing a cart, place your hands just below shoulder level on the cart handle • Ensure carts are maintained in good working condition. Wheels should be aligned and turn smoothly.

• Report any faulty carts to your supervisor

Kneel next to the bath tub to avoid bending the back

www.sres-australia.com.au

MAKING BEDS • Bend your knees, not your back • Kneel and do one side of the bed each time

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Product NEWS BASIC INSTINCTS Humans have a common basic instinct to survive, multiply and flourish, so to could be said of the accommodation provider.

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RAINBOWAIR AUSTRALIA Ozone is very effective in eliminating odours including tobacco smoke, human and pet odours, food odours, mould and mildew odours, garbage odours, renovation odours and much more. It is not a re-odorant. It totally destroys the offending gases that are the source of everything we smell. Unlike many other deodorising methods, ozone actually searches out and destroys the problem gases. It will react with contaminants in the air, water, fabrics and on the surface of the walls and ceilings.

Unlike other types of air purification systems, an ozone

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MEND-A-BATH TESTIMONIALS I have had Mend A Bath resurface approximately 40 of our spa baths that were in need of rejuvenation and I couldn’t be happier with the results, the finish achieved was exceptional. When dealing with both the office staff and technicians on the job, I found their service and attitude to be professional, courteous and very efficient. I would have no hesitation in recommending them to my fellow property managers within the hotel resort industry.

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All the work has been completed on time with no fuss and no problems, even with my short notice and high expectations. The work has been first class with our baths looking like new again. I look forward to working with you again.

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WAGEN EXPANDS ITS NETWORK With over 40 years of supplying the industry with professional trolleys, Wagen is arguably the market leader in Australia within hospitality. Predominately supplying individual businesses, Wagen has now extended its’ network through national resellers.

Recently securing partnerships with the likes of Bunzl, Reward Hospitality, Chefs Hat, Statewide Cleaning Supplies, Southern Hospitality, Spacepac, Total Cleaning

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In addition to the cosmetic benefits of Moroccan Oil, there is also an important socio-economic aspect to this ingredient; the cultivation of Argan plantations in Morocco.

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Supplies and more. Wagen trolleys are now available through your preferred hospitality distributor.

When it comes to support and custom design, it’s business as usual at Wagen. The experienced Wagen sales team are still available to answer all your queries and aftermarket support, ensuring your customer experience is as good as the trolleys themselves.

Argan Oil production today supports the lives and families of 2.2 million people in the ‘Arganeraie’ region. Through the establishment of formal co-operatives which are supported by leading international organisations, Argan Oil production has provided Berber tribes with a higher social status and an income, which many now use to fund education for themselves or their children.

Whether you are looking for a genuine lifestyle brand, or simply a modern toiletry range, Body Zone Black Label not only enhances the presentation of your hotel bathroom, but also provides a luxury bath experience for your guests.

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TH E ESSE NCE OF LUXU RY

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