Performing manual tasks and slips, trips and falls are the most common causes of injury to people working in the accommodation industry - on average there are around 3700 compensated injuries a year resulting in more than a week off work.
I advise accommodation owners and operators to pay particular attention to putting in place good risk management practices if they wish to avoid the human and financial costs associated with such workplace accidents.
Manual tasks can contribute to injuries affecting all parts of the body, particularly the back, shoulder and wrist. Work involving manual tasks, such as making beds or lifting luggage, is the greatest cause of muscular stress injuries.
To manage the risk of injury from manual tasks it is important to identify potential hazards and problems in the workplace. For example, consider all manual tasks in the workplace, assess the risk of each and identify and implement the most effective means of controlling the risk. The preferred control measures are those that offer a permanent solution; for example, redesigning the manual task so that it is carried out at a comfortable working height rather than from a bent over position. If this is not possible, rotation of tasks or alternating tasks may be a way of minimising risk.
Examples of ways to control typical hazards include:
provide easy access shelving, or store heavier items on middle shelves and lighter items up higher
use smaller lighter rubbish bins and move them by trolley
ensure workers are trained in safe lifting methods
use trolleys to transfer luggage to rooms
share lifting tasks.
Slips trips and falls are commonly caused by wet or greasy floor surfaces, cluttered walkways, poor lighting and busy work areas. Slips generally result from a lack of friction with a walking surface such as wet or oily floor surfaces. Falls can either be at the same level or from heights.
Ways to control potential hazards in the accommodation industry include:
clean up spills and dropped food immediately
use floor cleaning products that remove oil and grease
erect warning signs if floors are freshly mopped
cover normal flooring with non slip material or use non-slip mats in high traffic areas
wear non-slip shoes
keep walkways free of clutter
ensure stairwells and storage areas are well lit
design the delivery area so that unloading is done as close as possible to the storage area.
