For the purpose of this blog post, I will consider my current job, but I will be blogging from the Housekeeping perspective. They come into contact more with exposure to chemicals than I do at the front desk.
Ergonomics - Housekeeping is a very demanding job physically, and they are at risk to cause themselves physical harm if they are not practicing proper postures and lifts while preforming their job.
Biological - Asbestos exposure is something I gave listed here because it is possible that they will be exposed to asbestos. The St. Francis Hotel is original and was built in 1904. It survived the earthquake, and the building definitely contains materials within it that would not be deemed suitable by current contraction standards. Another potential exposure is to blood. Although it isn't come across as often, one can only imagine the things that are found in a hotel room.
Chemical - Housekeepers are consistently exposed to chemicals throughout the day with their job requirements. There are a number of chemicals they use to clean a variety of surfaces in the hotel rooms. This section is probably the most "at risk" section for housekeepers because they will spend the entire day around these chemicals, using them constantly to preform their duties.
Radiological - There isn't a circumstance within the hotel where someone from housekeeping will be exposed to anything radiological that I can think of.
The first thing I can think of using the hierarchy of controls is substitution. I would go through the chemicals being used by the workers and substitute the ones that are potential hazards to their health and to the health of the environment. PPE is currently worn be housekeepers when they work with chemicals, deal with blood, glass, or needles. I would require refreshment course more often. It is easy to forget procedures or become numb to the potential threats overtime, so I would at least require more frequent refreshment courses to stress the importance of PPE. Elimination of workplace threats isn't really an option here, but we can do everything else possible to reduce the potential threats posed by the demand of the job.
Ergonomics - Housekeeping is a very demanding job physically, and they are at risk to cause themselves physical harm if they are not practicing proper postures and lifts while preforming their job.
Biological - Asbestos exposure is something I gave listed here because it is possible that they will be exposed to asbestos. The St. Francis Hotel is original and was built in 1904. It survived the earthquake, and the building definitely contains materials within it that would not be deemed suitable by current contraction standards. Another potential exposure is to blood. Although it isn't come across as often, one can only imagine the things that are found in a hotel room.
Chemical - Housekeepers are consistently exposed to chemicals throughout the day with their job requirements. There are a number of chemicals they use to clean a variety of surfaces in the hotel rooms. This section is probably the most "at risk" section for housekeepers because they will spend the entire day around these chemicals, using them constantly to preform their duties.
Radiological - There isn't a circumstance within the hotel where someone from housekeeping will be exposed to anything radiological that I can think of.
The first thing I can think of using the hierarchy of controls is substitution. I would go through the chemicals being used by the workers and substitute the ones that are potential hazards to their health and to the health of the environment. PPE is currently worn be housekeepers when they work with chemicals, deal with blood, glass, or needles. I would require refreshment course more often. It is easy to forget procedures or become numb to the potential threats overtime, so I would at least require more frequent refreshment courses to stress the importance of PPE. Elimination of workplace threats isn't really an option here, but we can do everything else possible to reduce the potential threats posed by the demand of the job.
Hi Jordan,
ReplyDeleteReplacing chemicals with healthier substitutions is a great idea. With the green chemistry ideas maybe they could find better alternatives that are possibly helpful to their budget too. The Bay Area seems to be the place ahead of the rest in terms of environmentally-friendly solutions!