The Housekeeping Role In The Health, Hygiene, and Safety of Hotel Guests

The Housekeeping Role In The Health, Hygiene, and Safety of Hotel Guests

When you think of health, hygiene, and security, you most probably think about the kitchen, the maintenance department, and the security guards. You are now wondering what these terms have to do with the housekeeping role. Probably much more than you think. As a team member of the housekeeping department, you are responsible for many of the health, hygiene, and safety requirements at your hotel.

For example, if a guest trips over a cord in a hallway because you didn’t hide it away properly, just think about what the implications could be if they break their leg. Or what about a guest who places his toothbrush on the bathroom counter, which you cleaned with a strong chemical and then forgot to rinse? Imagine the stomach pain that could cause!

You don’t want to mistakenly cause yourself or your guests any harm, so always be sure to keep these three aspects in mind when preparing your establishment for your guests:

1. Health
2. Hygiene
3. Safety

The Housekeeping Role In The Health And Hygiene

We don’t want to be the cause of our guests falling ill. So how can you maintain a healthy state for your guests, for you, and your colleagues? The best way to stay healthy is by ensuring hygienic and safe conditions at all times at your hotel, which is also one of the main housekeeping roles.

Using strong chemicals or even just normal cleaning agents is a good way to kill various harmful germs that people leave behind and will ensure that you maintain an excellent level of hygiene. Remember to rinse all surfaces and areas properly so that no one can come into contact with those cleaning agents and chemicals that you use. Just think about children. How many times have you seen a small child drop a sweet on the floor and then pick it up straight away and put it back in their mouth? If you had just cleaned that floor with bleach and not rinsed it properly that child could land up in hospital with severe stomach pains.

Using The Correct Tools For The Specific Areas

Perhaps that was a little drastic, but these things do happen and it’s your job and one of the housekeeping roles and responsibilities to ensure that you prevent them from happening at your hotel. On the other hand, you might be using a cloth to clean the front desk that you just used to clean the toilet. This is not hygienic and think about how many guests and colleagues touch the reception desk. Keep your guests and colleagues healthy by ensuring that everything is cleaned and well rinsed. This is why is so important to use to correct clothes, mops and and cleaning agents for the correct areas.

Avoid Spreading The Germs

There is still so much more to learn about this. Also, remember that some illnesses are contagious which means that they can spread to other people who come into contact with you and your germs. This could be through the air, liquid or touch. For example, if you are sick and your colleague drinks from the same glass of water as you, the germs could spread to them through the glass and water. Germs can also spread easily through coughing.

That’s why we always need to cover our mouths with our arms when we cough or sneeze. If you have a contagious illness, it’s always best to see a doctor and stay at home so that you can get well and not pass your germs.

The Housekeeping Role In The Safety Of Hotel Guests

Accidents usually involve injury. Some of us are more accident-prone than others. Accidents are often caused when safety rules are not followed or working conditions are not safe. Imagine you mop the floor but don’t put up the “wet floor” sign. A guest walking through the wet area could slip and fall causing a bad injury. You never want your guests to be injured during their stay at your hotel. And don’t forget your colleagues!

Following your hotel’s policies and procedures, helps you to work in a safe environment while providing safety for your guests. Study the health and safety standards at your hotel to ensure you are prepared to deal with emergencies and know how to employ good hygiene practices at all times.

Anyhow, keep in mind that we didn’t write in this post all the steps and tips as there is so much more to learn about the housekeeping role in the safety of hotel guests. We just covered the basic overall picture of the main housekeeping roles in the health, hygiene, and safety of hotel guests.

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