Do you really think that hotels should provide gloves to housekeepers? I mean they are clean bathrooms and soiled linen.
2006-12-17 18:20:58 · 21 answers · asked by H 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Cleaning & Laundry
When I asked the manager they said they would get some, never happened. So I went to the Assistant GM and he gave me a box (of 120) it was done in a week. So when I went back for more he gave me 6 pairs and asked what had happened to the box he gave me? I told him that I use one pair per a room and we get about 12 rooms per a day. HE got mad and said they are expensive. I know they are 9.99 at Walgreens. I would buy my own but I think the hotel should provide them. I am the only one that uses gloves and I jsut think it is sickening all that hair, verine, feces and whatever may be non visible to the naked eye. I just want some other input.
I know OSHA (Occupational Safety & Health Administration) which is mainly for hospitals, so I am a bit confused. Thanks
2006-12-17 18:34:27 · update #1
OSHA has requirements that employers provide appropriate PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) for any identified hazards in the workplace.
When cleaning the toilets and changing bed linens it is reasonable to assume that the employee may come in contact with body fluids but not necessarily OPIMs (Other Protentially Infected Materials) and those activities may or may not be covered under OSHAs Bloodborne Pathogens standard. Disposable latex or nitrile gloves (as you indicated one pair per room) would provide reasonable protection against exposure but would have to be provided by the employer only if they determine a risk of exposure to blood or OPIMs with visible blood.
http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=10051
Another common issue faced by housekeeping staff is needlesticks due to improper disposal of needles in the garbage. This issue is definitely covered under the BBP standard. Your employer should have discussed the procedures for exposure to needlesticks and accidental exposure to blood or body substances containing blood.
This link is an OSHA letter of Interpretation which carries the weight of a standard for enforcement purposes. It address hotel housekeeping. http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=INTERPRETATIONS&p_id=21002
Essentially OSHA does not consider housekeeping staff to be in a direct risk for occupational exposure, but your employer needs to make the determination whether the employees are at risk or not.
2006-12-18 01:49:34 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most definitely! Supplying gloves to housekeepers should not be seen as an added expense but as a quality of life/safety issue. Housekeepers do not know who (or what) has stayed in those rooms. By supplying gloves to the house staff, you are providing an extra level of protection for them while they carry out their work. Would you want to clean around a dirty toilet with a scrub brush and not wear gloves in the process? What about handling one of those rare and ever so enjoyable puddles of vomit when they arise and the bathroom was too far to get to (or imagine anothre bodily discharge). Hell ... think about what may happen under the sheets many nights at a hotel. You think the housekeepers want to touch (or even think about touching) those sheets afterwards?
It is a simple question of health and safety management. Inform management that it is a quality of life issue for you and the other members of the staff that are integral in the cleanliness and sanitary care of your establishment. If there are further issues, contact OSHA about it. I have been to hotels where the housekeepers have been provided gloves, so there are other options if this hotel does not feel it needs to ensure your health.
2006-12-21 04:54:36 · answer #2 · answered by icehoundxx 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Tell your boss you could always call OSHA and see what they say about you needing gloves?
Check your MSDS's. You may find that some or all of your cleaning products suggest wearing gloves. If that is the case by law you have to be provided with them and they have to be readily accessible.
2006-12-17 18:43:32 · answer #3 · answered by CleanPeersDotCom 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The hotel I work at provides gloves for all the employees. They are on every maid cart, in the kitchen, and laundry room.
2006-12-17 18:32:12 · answer #4 · answered by a_rose_by_another_name 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
YUCK! Your GM sounds like a real jerk. Next time you encounter a particularly nasty pile of wet, sticky towels on a filthy floor, have him come up there and ask him to pick them up with his bare hands. He'll have a truckload of rubber gloves there the next day!
2006-12-18 02:56:04 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes nothing wrong with asking that ? I dont know why OSHA hasnt latched on to this problem. I know if it was my job I'd buy my own if the cheap SOB's that owned the motel wouldnt buy them for me.
2006-12-20 13:50:59 · answer #6 · answered by I race cars 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
EEEEWWWW!
I'm sure they are required by some type of health code to protect employees from the mess(s) they have to clean up. If not, I would get my own.
2006-12-17 18:26:10 · answer #7 · answered by lucy 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
absolutely. no matter what the job capacity, if there is a chance of exposure to body fluids, there is a chance of exposure to blood born pathogens. micro-organisms that reside in bodily fluids that can cause any number of illnesses, from rotovirus, to hepatitus.
2006-12-17 18:39:55 · answer #8 · answered by wrldzgr8stdad 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, absolutely. All cleaning people should be supplied with gloves.
2006-12-17 18:22:08 · answer #9 · answered by Faith 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Most definitely!!! Who knows what people do in hotel rooms.
2006-12-17 18:23:17 · answer #10 · answered by jade_143 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋