Meeting the needs of overnight guests is big business in the United States. According to the American Hotel and Motel Association (AHMA), lodging is a $134 billion industry. In most U.S. states it is the first- second-, or third-largest employer. Overall, the sector employs about 1.8 million people.
Employees who clean guest rooms, serve meals, and maintain grounds at hotels face a host of hazards that rival those in many other industries. Although the chief risks are ergonomic injuries from sprains and repetitive work, this employee group also experiences risks related to:
- Chemical exposure,
- Slips and falls,
- Violence,
- Indoor air quality, and
- Bloodborne pathogens, among others.
We talked with the top safety executive for the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas to find out how it’s protecting its huge staff.
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MGM—Safety on a Grand Scale
“Safety is the first concern in every job and task that you perform. There is no job assignment that you should undertake if you have not been trained to safely perform the work.” These are the opening lines of the Las Vegas MGM Grand’s “commitment to safety.” The Grand is one of several properties owned and operated by MGM MIRAGE in Nevada, Mississippi, and Michigan. A staggering 10,000 employees and 1,200 contractors are at work at the vast hotel and casino.
The company’s policy states that “all accidents are preventable.” It lists guidelines and requirements covering everything from:
- Reporting unsafe conditions to inspecting work areas;
- Use of chemicals;
- Lockout/tagout procedures;
- Medical emergencies,
- Earthquake and fire safety;
- Evacuation; and
- Accident reporting.
A decentralized worker-protection program is run by a two-person department. Tim Jones is executive director of safety and health. “Safety is part of the operating procedures of every one of our departmental entities,” he explains. Departments are accountable and responsible for all safety functions, including training.
The MGM Grand is typical of the lodging industry, as overexertion and lifting-related issues are the primary cause of employee injury. Jones says they account for about 50 percent of incidents; slips and falls are second. The two categories make up about 95 percent of injury-related costs and lost workdays. The bulk of injuries befall employees in housekeeping and beverage service.
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Reducing the Risk
Asked how the hotel is battling back against ergonomic injuries, Jones points to several initiatives, including an improved housekeeper training program. New hires spend 2 weeks on a training floor learning the job duties and how to do them safely. Training covers fire and evacuation procedures, bloodborne pathogens, and other compliance requirements.
Jones says the hotel has slightly reduced the number of rooms a housekeeper is required to clean each shift. That’s because the MGM Grand, like so many others, has moved toward more luxurious, heavier bedding and other amenities that can increase ergonomic risk.
An effort to reduce slips and falls is also starting to pay off. One simple strategy has been to improve signs that indicate floors are being cleaned or are in need of repair. Several of the facility’s 30 kitchens are now using epoxy floor covering that is antislip, does not peel, and is easier to clean thoroughly than other types of flooring. The hotel participates in Serv-Safe (http://www.servsafe.com), a National Restaurant Association training program that primarily emphasizes food safety but includes employee safety components.
Training 10,000 employees in required safety standards and procedures sounds pretty daunting. But, like other elements of the safety process, it is managed and tracked at the departmental level, says Jones. The training itself is centralized within The University at MGM, an in-house function overseen by the Human Resources department.
Service is the name of the game in the lodging business. Without well-protected, well-trained employees to deliver it, guests will not receive the service that makes such a difference in the quality of their hotel experience. As in any industry, awareness and action are the keys.
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