Unit : SAFETY AND SECURITY

Safety and security are concepts often used interchangeably, and it should be understood that
both are means of safeguarding human and physical assets. The term ‘safety’ is used with
reference to such things as disasters, emergencies, fire prevention and protection, and
conditions that provide for freedom from injury and prevent damage to property. The term
‘security’ is used with reference to freedom from fear, anxiety, and doubts concerning humans
as well as protection against terrorism and thefts of guest, employee, or hotel property.

WORK-ENVIRONMENT SAFETY AND JOB-SAFETY ANALYSIS

The management of any place of work are legally bound to provide a hazard-free environment
to their employees. The nature of work that the housekeeping staff is involved in is such that
employees may easily become accident-prone if they are careless with equipment, chemicals, or
procedures.

POTENTIAL HAZARDS IN HOUSEKEEPING

Due to the nature of the work performed by housekeeping staff, they may be exposed to many
dangerous and unsafe conditions, or hazards, if they are not careful. To reduce safety risks, all
employees should be aware of potential safety hazards. These hazards may include:

• Faulty equipment;
• cleaning agents left uncapped;
• damaged flooring or chipped tiles;
• Non-adherence to instructions outlined in
• Slippery floors and spills not mopped up;
• Slippery guest bathrooms;
• handling corrosive cleaning agents with
• Cracked or broken glass;
• Worn-out electrical insulation or fittings
• mixing certain chemical cleaners, causing undesirable/dangerous reactions;
• overloaded electrical sockets;
• cleaning agents kept in unmarked or wrongly marked containers;
• trailing equipment flexes;
• worn carpets and rugs;
• Incorrect use of trolleys;
• cleaning equipment left lying
• Incorrect methods of bending and lifting around;
• Unsatisfactory hygiene and sanitation
• Unsafe use of ladders; and
• Inadequate lighting;

Principles of First-aid:

 Act calmly and logically

 Be in control
 Be gentle but firm, and speak to the casualty.
 Build up trust
 Explain the casualty
 Answer honestly.
 Never leave the casualty alone.
 Always inform the police about the serious accidents.
 Send the casualty to a hospital or doctor by the quickest means of transport.

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DO NOT: -

 Touch a wound with your fingers or any other instrument's.

 Put an unclean dressing or a cloth over a wound.
 Crowd to gather.
 Move a patient unnecessary
 Wash wound
 Take off clothing unnecessarily.
 Neglect shock.
 Fail to give artificial respiration when needed.
 Burning a patient by using an unwrapped hot water bottle or other heated object.

First aid box must include:

 First aid book

 Antiseptic cream
 Savlon or Dettol
 Antihistamine lotion.
 Calamine lotion
 Paracetamol
 Aspirin.
 Soframycin skin ointment.
 Travel sickness tablets.
 Oil for cloves.
 Clinical thermometer.
 Sterilized white absorbent gauze.
 Sterilized dressing (Packets).
 Large sterilized dressing.
 Sterilized cotton wool.
 Crepe bandage.
 Adhesive plaster.
 Adhesive dressing strip.
 Open weave bandages.
 Roller bandages.
 Eye pads.
 Dressing scissors.
 Safety pins
 Pad and Pencil for writing.

First aid procedures

1. CPR-Cardiopulmonary resuscitation

 Carried out on a person whose respiration has ceased.

 A constant supply of oxygen is vital for the brain and if breathing stops, blood oxygen
level will be affected as all tissues get oxygen through blood circulation.
 Heart maintains this circulation, acting as a pump, if the heart to stop functioning, death
will be result unless urgent action is taken.
 ABC of artificial respiration.
 A- for airway
 B- for breathing
 C- for circulation
A -Clearing the airway-

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  An unconscious causality's airway must be blocked, making breathing difficult and
noisy. The muscular control in the throat is lost, which allows the tongue to sag back and
block the throat.

2. B- Restoring breathing-

 This is done by administering mouth-to –mouth respiration.

 Put your face close to the casualty's mouth and look , listen, and feel for breathing for
five seconds.
 If the heart is breathing it will generate a pulse in the neck.

3. C-Restoring Circulation-
 This is achieved by external cardiac compression.
 This procedure is also known as external cardiac massage, can be carried out by one
individual or two.

4. First aid for common situation

 Asthma-
 Difficulty in breathing and there is a feeling of suffocation .A person who has chronic
asthma would have been prescribed the use of an inhaler.

5. Burns and scalds-

 Burns may cause by dry heat or by hot fat oil.
 Minor burn –hold the injury under cold running water for five minutes. Small burns
need no further treatment.
 Large and deep burns-more than 3 sq. inches need medical attention. immersing the
part in cold water or applying cold, wet cloths.
 Chemical burn –caused by acid, alkali, put the victim under cold running water, shower
if possible.
 Fire burn- victims clothing is on fire smother the flames in rug or blanket. Lay the
person flat.

6. Chocking – response of the victim while chocking is violent coughing, because of food or
some foreign body is caught in the windpipe. If the cough does not clear the blockage get the
victim to bend over and give him /her hard slap between the shoulder blade. In case of small
child hold them upside down and slap on the back.

7. Drowning –causality airway is clear by removing any obstruction, give mouth-to-mouth

respiration immediately upon rescue and continue until breathing is restored or medical aid
arrives.

8. Eyes injuries- in case of corrosive agents have come into contact with the eye they should be
washed out immediately. Bathe the eye with cold water, if possible keeping it under running
water for 10-15 min to ensure that all the acids is washed out.

9. Heart attack/Stroke- due to insufficient blood supply to the heart or a clot of blood in the
heart or a major blood vessel or in the brain. Symptoms may include chest pain, breathlessness
& feeling faint.

10. Sprain- the sprained area needs to be bandaged with a crepe bandage immersed in cold
water and the casualty should be treated for shock.

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Planning for an emergency

 Employee training
 Emergency resources
 Emergency checklist
 Drills
 Emergency response kit
 First aid training and supplies
 Transportation and housing
 Contingency plan review.

FIRE PREVENTION AND FIRE FIGHTING

 Fire is a process in which substances combine chemically with oxygen from the air and
typically give out bright light, heat, and smoke.

Lost & Found Articles

 All unclaimed articles found on the hotel premises should be handed over to the
housekeeping control desk.
 Notices should be put up regarding the handing over of any personal property found so
that all staff members are aware of where such property should be handed over.

Lost and found procedure

 All lost and found articles should be stored in the lost and found cupboards, which is
always kept locked.
 Lost and Found room should be accessible only to the executive housekeeper and
control desk supervisor.
 Records by way of lost and found forms are maintained regarding the date of finding,
time of finding, place of finding, name of finder, description of the article, signature of the
finder and signature of receiver.
 Efforts should be made to find the rightful owner of the article.