Executive Housekeeping Today - January 2009 - (Page 17)

As hotels have become more plush, work has become more difficult for America’s estimated 350,000 hotel housekeepers. According to a study conducted by the Unite Here union, which boasts a large hospitality worker division, the injury rate among hotel housekeepers has climbed 71 percent since 2002. Unite Here also says that of the 622 housekeepers they surveyed in Boston, Los Angeles, and Toronto, 91 percent said they had work-related pain, 67 percent had gone to doctors because of that pain, and 66 percent took medication due to it. Another study, conducted by ergonomics professors at The Ohio State University, concluded that the work performed by hotel housekeepers is so strenuous that they have an even higher risk of back disorders than autoworkers who assemble car doors. Although some hotels dispute these figures and studies, and even claim their injury rates have declined in recent years, everyone can agree that the job of a hotel housekeeper is difficult and can result in injuries. What’s more, housekeepers simply do not typically receive the recognition they deserve. Few people outside the cleaning and housekeeping industry are aware of the challenges faced by hotel cleaning workers. An attempt was made to change this at the ISSA/INTERCLEAN®— North America trade show held in Las Vegas, Nevada. Organized by the Las Vegas Chapter of IEHA, an Olympics-style competition was a Let the “Recognition Games” Begin! by Matt Morrison held in order to honor hotel housekeepers throughout the Las Vegas area for their speed, expertise, and faithfulness in keeping hotel guestrooms fresh, clean, and safe. said they simply could not afford to let any of their housekeepers off for the games.” In fact, many housekeepers decided to participate in the contest on their own time. The event kicked off with a parade that was held in a section of the Las Vegas Convention Center; the celebratory procession was intended to serve as a “showcase of team spirit and enthusiasm.” In fact, the participants were so enthusiastic that many attendees of the trade show were inspired to walk over to see what all the commotion was about. “Participants were encouraged to bring mascots, music, pompoms, posters, banners—anything to make the event more fun,” says Jones. “This was an opening ceremony. And, we even scored the teams, evaluating them on such things as their creativity, coordination, and uniformity.” Preliminaries To get the ball rolling in planning this event, Tom Jones, the Las Vegas Chapter President at that time, secured several sponsors, including Serta Beds, Windsor, ProTeam, Standard Textile, Pahrump Pillows, and Mission Industries, who provided the necessary props for the Olympics. Serta donated six queen-sized mattresses and box springs; Windsor donated six upright vacuums; ProTeam donated six super quarter vac backpack vacuums; Standard Textile donated 12 blankets; Pahrump Pillows donated one case of pillows; and Mission Industries donated sheets, pillow cases, and mats. In addition, IEHA secured Kaivac, Inc. as a sponsor, and at the end of the Olympics, Kaivac held a drawing for IEHA members and gave away a Kaivac 1250 NoTouch Cleaning® system, along with chemicals and accessories for the machine. After obtaining sponsors, Jones then “walked the streets,” looking for hotels that might like to participate in the event. Seventeen Las Vegas hotels got involved with the project, but according to Jones, it was not necessarily easy to get the properties to come on board. “Because of the economy, things are a little slower here than usual right now,” says Jones. “Many properties Let the Games Begin Once the opening ceremony was completed, participants got down to the serious business of the five competitions that would make up these Olympic games: • The buffer pad toss: Blindfolded housekeepers tossed five buffer pads to a partner who was holding a toilet plunger. The partner had to catch the buffer pads while staying in a marked rectangular space at a distance of 20 feet. • The backpack vacuum race: The goal of this event was to put on a backpack vacuum and (continued on next page) January 2009/Executive Housekeeping Today 7

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Executive Housekeeping Today - January 2009

Executive Housekeeping Today - January 2009 Contents Executive Corner Start With the Seal: CRI Seal of Approval Offers Proven Effectiveness 2008 IHW Celebrations! Frugal Housekeeper What’s in Your Janitor Closet? Feature Article Let the “Recognition Games” Begin! The Green Scene Product Highlights New Members Joint IEHA/ISSA Members REH/CEH Members Advertisers' Index Calendar of Events Inside IEHA What IEHA Has Done For Me

Executive Housekeeping Today - January 2009

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