​For most hotels December is the busiest season of the year. High volumes of food is prepared, served and eaten. This means that there are natural risks that increase as a result of the higher volumes. 


Take extra precautions to manage food poisoning risks over the festive season.


Check up on these potential high risk areas


Larger volumes of food, mean that there is less space to store in the refrigeration units you have. 


Less space means that there is a high chance that raw meats get stored with Ready to Eat Foods etc.

Hot foods must be served HOT and cold foods COLD - Check your temperature controls in hot and cold plates. 
check and log the storage temperatures in buffet lines. Hot foods must not be hated longer than 2 hours and cold no longer than 4 hours. 

Put smaller portions out in quieter periods (If any) 

Suppliers close over the season, make sure you have  enough supplies, not only of food but chemicals such as hand soap, cleaners and sanitizers. 

It’s crazy busy, don’t leave easily contaminated food out in ambient temperatures for longer than is necessary.

Staff in the kitchen are focused on preparing the meals, which will be in large batches to cope with the increased numbers of orders. Ensure you are monitoring all these areas.

As the amount of foods you are preparing increases, so does the risk of food poisoning - ensure you are completing all paperwork and logs just in case an outbreak of food poisoning occurs..... 

Take care of your staff. Ensure they take regular breaks - ensure their temperatures are controlled also :) 

​In a recent study done on Christmas Lights purchased online - Six of the 13 sets of Christmas tree lights bought through online marketplace sellers failed the testing and were deemed dangerous. (Read more here) 

Don't lose your safety sense during Christmas !

​Even Christmas comes with its safety hazards, check your lights and Trees regularly!!


 -  Be careful before you buy. Ensure they have the CE code 


 -  Do not overload sockets especially extension leads.


 -  Some decorations may be flammable. Keep away from fire.


 - Turn off lights in the evening. 




Keep a fire extinguisher nearby (For larger Premises) 










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An incident from July this year, prompted us to follow up on the outcome on this.

There has been no public follow up in the media since the incident. However we did delve further to find this. (Link to the full article below)

“A spokesman for the water park "Aqualandia"  said it was “simply false” to suggest that the ride is unsafe……..”


Yet, there have been numerous injuries before this one ?? 

Visitors have also left more than 300 poor or terrible reviews on TripAdvisor complaining about injuries and prices at the attraction.

One of the worst comments you never want to have people say about any safety incident is not one member of staff offered help or assistance.

If you have a waterslide on your property or any high risk activities, please ensure you have the correct standards in place. Implement, make consistent checks and most importantly ensure your staff have the necessary skills to manage the plant and equipment.

You can read more about this incident here 
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/9595536/brit-tourist-benidorm-water-park-neck-speaks/

When you get that email to inform you someone is coming to do a health and safety audit at your hotel- how do you feel ?

 - Confident, bring it on, delegate to staff who will accompany them ?


- No reaction- Ok confirm the appointment and assign staff.


 -Panic - what will they ask, how will we perform - how re our health and safety systems ? ​


-However - here is what you need to be feeling - if we don’t pass, we will lose business - we need consistent business and if  
​  we don’t pass we will run the risk of low occupancy - 

How do we get started to know what is required ? 

You could wait until they come and see what the results are, then rectify - or you could contract someone now to help you work towards these requirements.  How will this help ?

Health and Safety inspections are not just about passing or failing when auditors come to visit. Good health and safety practices are about consistent day to day practices. Knowing how to maintain and regularly monitor the safety in your premises. 

With Safety in Asia we don’t just tick boxes on an inspection, we work with your staff in each area, to ensure they know what is required. We help you set up regular checklist to ensure this is monitored on a day to day basis.  This means you will know exactly the standard requirements and carry out best practices consistently. Not just because you are being audited. ​

All this cannot be achieved without the commitment from the whole management team - are you 100% committed ?
  

And lastly , if you still need convincing. Think about your annual financial auditing process- how do you work to ensure this is flawless with no errors ? Is your financial controller accountable for all transactions - of course they must be, or there are consequences - its the same for Health and Safety  - you must be accountable for the safety of your employees and guests. 

How often do you check your swimming pool chlorine and ph levels ? 
Recently it has become apparent that these are not signed off or checked by anyone. So a staff member is assigned this responsibility daily. He is not trained correctly in the task he is carrying out. 
Example. Specific task assigned...
Test the Ph and Chlorine levels with this equipment daily and log it. 
If it isn’t ....levels than add 2/3 KGS of chlorine. 
So every day a pool is being maintained at 3.0 ppm even though the ideal and correct levels are 1.0-1.5. 
Having a pool with such consistent high levels not only causes damage over time to the filters and pumps. It can affect the users in the pool causing skin problems, hair and garment discolouring. 
Photos are from real life situations seen.....
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