The Safeguarding Of Assets: Concerns For Safety And Security In Housekeeping Operations.

JOHN VER BAUTISTA

PANGASINAN STATE UNIVERSITY

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After studying the chapter, students should be able to:List and describe the primary concepts of risk management and the safeguarding of assets.Describe the inherent problems associated with maintaining safety and security in hotels and hospitals.Describe how to minimize theft in guestrooms.Describe how to make guests and guestrooms secure.Describe common emergencies that can occur in hospitals and hotels.List actions to be taken in case of an emergency and tell how to safeguard against potential disasters.

SECURITY VERSUS SAFETY(THE DIFFERENCE)

The concept of security in hospitality operations has many times been addressed in tandem with that of safety, even though the general thrust of each term is somewhat different. The current trend today uses the term safety in discussing matters such as disaster, fire prevention, fire protection devices, and conditions that provide for freedom from injury and damage to property. Security, however, is used more as a means to describe the need for freedom from fear, anxiety, and doubt involving ourselves, as well as the protection and defense against the loss or theft of guest, employee, and company property. Both terms are, however, more generally recognized as only parts of a greater whole.

THE BASIC FUNCTION OF SECURITYThe security function in the hospitality industry today is

best described as that major preventive and proactive activity used to protect the assets of the organization. But who would have thought 40 years ago that the asset list would evolve to include our guests and invitees, our employees, and the property of all three, in addition to supplies, equipment, and funds, as well as our reputation and goodwill.

To fulfill this function, those involved in security work must be able to foresee and assess (even predict) threats, then make recommendations to ownership and management regarding the most appropriate action to take that will safeguard both life and property. In addition, personnel of all departments must search out and alert operational management of the need to “prevent” unreasonable and imprudent operation that could result in liability for incautious action and negligent behavior.

NATURE OF THE SECURITY FUNCTION

Few facilities are more vulnerable to security hazards than hotels with restaurants, lounges, casinos, parking garages, and theme parks. The nature of a business that involves the presence of large numbers of people, most of whom are not known to the manager, poses an ever-resent threat to the security of other guests, employees, and the property. The risks of fire and natural disaster, riot, theft, embezzlement, civil disturbance, or bomb threats, have increased in recent years, all of which can cause serious injury or loss of life, theft, loss or damage to property belonging to the guests, employees, or the facility itself.

WHAT SECURITY IS NOT

Security is not what was once seen to be the plainclothes house detective whose only functions wee to keep peace within the hotel and on occasions evict the noisy guest or the one who did not have the means to pay the bill.

Security from Theft in the Housekeeping Department

EMPLOYEE THEFT: NATURE OF THE PROBLEM.

No other hotel employees have as much access to hotel assets and guest property as do members of the housekeeping department.

EMPLOYEE CONTAMINATION: A REAL AND PRESENT DANGER1. When one employee is known to be stealing, others will tend to

follow.2. Employees who are frustrated and angry at the way they are

being treated by management think nothing of talking with each other about how easy it is to rip off the firm. These employees receive the plaudits of peers for their ability to beat the system. Once an employee starts to beat the system, he or she will brag about it to companions or will even put him or herself in a place in which companions can view the theft. When word gets around that management cannot uncover the stealing, others join in.

3. Borderline honest employees do not think it dishonest to “get even” with a greedy, impersonal, giant company that is indifferent to employee needs for recognition and support.

4. Low morale is a sickness sign that forewarns of contamination of employees regarding theft.

5. The problem of contamination is considerable in firms with a highly authoritarian management style, because authoritarian management is only successful where punishment and threats of punishment are primary controls.

A 14-POINT PROGRAM FOR EMPLOYEE THEFT PREVENTION

Institute and ensure professional hiring practices: Ensure that proper screening methods are used during hiring operations. Complete applications, including follow-up of questionable information and gaps, are vital to good hiring practices. Gaps in employment history on applications may hide significant information.

Establish positive identification techniques for employees: Large properties require identification of all employees, usually by a badge system that contains a photograph, signature, and a color code indicating the department or work area of the employee. Such identification systems discourage people bent on thievery from trying to pass as employees.

Conduct theft orientation and attitude training: During employee training it is important to remind trainees that even though the vast majority of employees are completely honest, one dishonest housekeeper with a passkey can be devastating to an operation. One such person in the midst of other honest employees can cast mistrust over the entire organization. Discuss the scenario in which an honest GRA is confronted by an irate guest who thinks the housekeeper has stolen property from the guestroom. Employees should understand that it is each person’s duty not only to encourage honesty among fellow workers but also to confront and bring forth those who would cause any employee to fall under suspicion of dishonesty.

Closely monitor behavior and adhere to company policies and procedures during employee training and probationary periods: Too often, probationary periods are perfunctory and taken for granted. Probationary periods should be understood as trial periods in which the employee is to demonstrate not only worker skills, but also attitudes and perceptions about compliance with company policies.

Inaugurate and closely administer a program of key control: The large number of multipurpose keys maintained within the housekeeping department makes it necessary for a key-control program to be all-encompassing and strictly enforced.

Have a red tag program: There are legitimate reasons why an employee may be allowed to remove properly from the premise. Property given to an employee or awarded from the lost-and-found can be removed under the protection of a red tag system.

Have a regular locker inspection: Although regular and routine locker inspections (even though unannounced) are conducted primarily to ensure that items such as company property, drugs, alcohol, and soiled uniforms are not being allowed to accumulate in lockers, the knowledge that a locker inspection cold occur at any time tacitly disqualifies the locker as a place for temporarily storing contraband or stolen items. Employers should be made aware at hiring that locker inspections will be conducted periodically by a member of management and the hourly workforce. Employees should also be informed about the purpose of locker inspection.

Establish inventory control programs and conduct regular physical inventories with results (and implications) published to the entire department: Guest supplies, cleaning supplies, linens, and other capital items should be inventoried regularly and the results and implications presented to all employees. Employees who have been counseled to be frugal with supplies need to be told when their efforts have brought about cost reductions. Special recognition should be made in front of the entire department. Yet employees must understand that situations in which inventory usage is high and out of control will have the immediate attention of management.

Keep records of missing items of guests and of the hotel: When items are reported or found to be missing, make cross-reference files of the item by type and of the employee who could have been involved. Sometimes patterns develop that are valuable in uncovering causes for the disappearance of items.

Employee parking should not be adjacent to the building: employee parking areas should be sufficiently far away from buildings and structure so as to make it difficult to slip in and out of an entrance several times a day and into a parked car. Areas to and from employee parking should be well lighted.

Trash handling requires special consideration: The handling and disposal of trash is a significant part of most housekeeping department jobs. Trash collection supervisors on a rotating basis. Because of the possibility that trash might be used to hide contraband, it should not be allowed to accumulate near incoming supplies and equipment.

Enlist employees as part of the security team: Security is not a one-person job. GRAs and supervisors can be valuable in theft prevention and security by reporting suspicious behavior by guests, damage to rooms, items noted as missing from rooms, and special or unique types of belongings noted in opened luggage in guestrooms. Several large suitcases with few articles of clothing hanging in a closet may be an indication of things to come – or possibly to go – such linens, bedspreads, and towels.

When problems are suspected, bring in an expert: Many times inventory losses or reported thefts indicate a problem that may not easily reveal itself. When such is the case, hire an expert snoop. Snoops are security specialists who pass as employees, gather the evidence needed to resolve theft problems, then quietly fade out of the employee workforce.

Set the example: The first 13 steps of this theft prevention program requite positive planning and follow-through. Aside from those measures used in hiring employees, all other steps may appear unduly oppressive and authoritarian. To the contrary, each step is designed to help honest employees remain honest by removing temptation through known and publicized controls and by emphasizing the fact that honest employees have no problem coping. Dishonest employees, however, will find that dishonest acts meet with equal and opposite vigor.

USEFULNESS OF EMPLOYEES PROFILESBarbara Powers, general manager of the Branford Motor Ian, Branford, Connecticut, and officer of the Connecticut Lodging Association (C.L.A.), suggests that there is an employee profile by which a prospective thief among employees might be identified.Such profiles are developed on the basis of experience with people who have been proved guilty of pilferage or theft. Understand that the profile might apply to honest people.

Here are the characteristics of employees likely to be dishonest often have in common.

1. They wear an air of dissatisfaction with someone or something.

2. They don’t identify with the hotel. The hotel is “they” rather than “we”.

3. They lack respect for people or property, don’t tend to accept responsibility, and are self-centered.

4. They resent criticism.5. They have financial difficulties.

An additional point might be added to an effective theft-prevention program by maintaining profiles on employees who display the characteristics enumerated by Powers. Such profiles may prove useful in establishing a likely list of suspects when things start to disappear and no further indication or evidence is immediately at hand, if only to know whom to watch more closely in the future.

THEFT BY GUESTS AND OTHERS

There is some question about who might be more to blame for theft losses: employees, guests, or other people bent on dishonesty. The degree of loss from each source seems to depend more on the attention paid by management to each of the sources than any other factor. Management cannot assume that theft losses will come more from one source than any other source. Guest bent on stealing linens can bring as much havoc to inventory cost as can employees or outsider who have targeted the hotel as a source for contraband.

TV THEIVES

The most expensive item that attracts the attention of thieves in hotels is the television set. This is especially true of television sets in rooms that are first-floor drive-up rooms, with sliding glass doors that open directly into parking areas. There is only one thing that can improve on this setup as far as the thief is concerned – not to have to unbolt the television to remove it.

Security within Hotel Guestrooms

Innkeepers have a common-law responsibility to provide secure premises within which guests may abide. Security is defined as the measures that are required to promote a state of well-being relative to an establishment to protect life and property, and to minimize risks of natural disasters or crime. The protection of guests within their rooms must be paramount.Several states have become quite specific in what constitutes adequate security for hotel guestrooms. In addition, most major hotel companies have set minimum standards relating to locking devices for guestroom doors. Holiday Inns, Inc., specifies about 16 criteria that door locks must meet or exceed before they may be used in Holiday Inns.

Reasonable security for guestrooms includes the following:

1. Automatic closing doors2. Automatic latching devices on latch bolts that require a key

or other specialized device to open or unlock the door from the outside.\

3. Dead bolts that are an integral part of latch bolts; set from inside the room; must be capable of being opened from outside the room with an emergency passkey,.

4. A door chain or other mechanical locking device that may be set from inside the room, such as the mechanical locking device that has replaced door chains in the Los Angeles Airport/Marriott Hotel. When the lever attached to the door frame is thrown across the ball attached to the door, opening the door will catch the ball up in the track slot, allowing the door to be opened only three inches.

5. A peephole installed in the room door whereby the guestroom occupant may see who is on the outside of the door before opening it.

6. Drapes that fully close and are capable of blacking out the room in bright sunlight.

7. Locking latches and chain locks on all sliding glass doors.

CARD ENTRY SYTEMS

The greatest change to have come about in many years for guestroom security is the card entry system. The large numbers of manufacturers that are now involved in producing such systems is a testament to the need for some technique that will replace the antiquated systems of guestroom door keys.

The difficulty in making a system of guestroom keys secure, especially in hotels that have lavish key tags hanging from keys, is well known. The replacement cost for lost, misplaced, stolen, or simply carried-away keys as souvenirs is in itself a major cost problem, to say nothing of the lock of control resulting from such practices. Hotel maintenance departments usually have to establish a routine lock cylinder change program, whereby cylinders from locks on one floor are swapped with cylinders form locks on other floors and new keys are manufactured and stamped with new codes, if any controls is to be maintained at all.

The Do-Not-Disturb Sign Completes with the “Need to

Foresee”

THE GUEST ABSOLUTE RIGHT TO PRIVACY

Most common laws affecting hotels in America stem from the English Common Laws of Innkeepers, which originated in the seventeenth century. One such law deals with the guest’s right to privacy and is quoted frequently even to this day. On occasion, guest, and more to our surprise, many hotel operators, presume that the guest has an absolute right to privacy, and when in his or her room should never be disturbed. Actually, research indicates that the English Common Law was not constructed to guarantee that the guest would never be disturbed, only that he or she would be guaranteed sole occupancy of the assigned quarters. Prior to the law’s being enacted, it was common practice.

MANAGEMENT’S RESPONSIBILITY TO OWNERSHIP, THE LAWS OF THE LAND, AND THE GUEST

With due and proper regard for the guests privacy, management has an important responsibility to the owner of the hotel (which happens to be private property), to state and federal laws that must be enforced on the property, and to the guest, whose safety should always be paramount to the hotel staff.In light of this management responsibility, and with dues respect for the guest’s right to privacy, there must be a reasonable time each day that management, or its to ensure that;1) the room has not been vandalized or furniture and

fixture destroyed, 2) the law is not being broken in the room, and 3) there is no guest in distress in the room.

A MATTER OF FORESEEABILITY

Imagine the following scenario. You are the executive housekeeper in a suburban hotel catering heavily to the individual traveling businessperson. It is one hour after checkout time, and you receive a call from the guestroom attendant on the third floor who says that room 3019 has had a DND sign on the door all morning.

When she checked with housekeeping and the front desk, there had been no instruction given not to disturbed the guest until some later appointed hour. The front desk had no record of a checkout due today from room 3019. The GRA called the room to find out what time the guest would like to have the room serviced, but no one answered the phone. The GRA tried to enter the room with her passkey but found the room dead-bolted from the inside. End of scenario.

At that moment, what becomes the most foreseeable probability regarding room 3019? Would this be a proper time to respect, above all else, the guest’s absolute right to privacy?

A MATTER OF FORESEEABILITY…

Consider another scenario that actually occurred. In November 1990, thus author was certified as an expert in hotel operations in a federal court in Maryland and did testify on behalf of a plaintiff who was suing a major hotel for gross negligence. This negligence was alleged to have resulted from the hotel’s not taking reasonable precaution regarding a prior visit by her husband to the hotel, during which he had suffered a diabetic coma in his guestroom. He was not discovered for a period of over 50 hours. Once discovered, he was hospitalized but died five days later. A medical doctor testified that had the victim been discovered 10 hours sooner, he would have survived.

A MATTER OF FORESEEABILITY…

The chronology of events was reconstructed as follows: the victim had been at the hotel for several days. His room had been last serviced on Tuesday morning about 9:00am while he was not in the room. He had returned to his room sometime before midnight on Tuesday, and chained and dead-bolted his door prior to retiring. On Wednesday, the GRA had noticed the dead bolt and had honored it until 3:00PM on Wednesday afternoon, at which time she knocked on the door but got no response. She then used her key but was stopped by the chain on the door. She followed her departmental instructions and summoned a security officer to the room. The security officer noticed that a TV was on in the room and then commented that “the guest just does not want to be disturbed,” even though there had been no coherent response to the security officer’s knock on the door.

No further check was made on the guest or the room until the following day when, at 4:00pm on Thursday, the GRA again called security to reeport that she still had not been able to gain entry into the room. At this time the same security officer came to the room, knocked on the door, got no response, and said he would report the incident to the security office.

A MATTER OF FORESEEABILITY…

Finally, at about 6:00pm another manager, aware of the possibilities, called for an engineer to cut the chain on the door and entered the room to find the guest unconscious in the bathroom, 56 hours after the room was last entered by a member of the hotel staff.

The hotel’s insurance company, after hearing the testimony of the case, offered a settlement out of court to the plaintiff, which she accepted – in excess of $1million.In this case, negligence occurred because the hotel failed to follow a reasonable procedure whereby the guestrooms would be checked at least once each day. Respect for the guest’s right to privacy was allowed to overshadow the need to ensure the guest’s safety at a reasonable time during the day, at least once every 24 hours.

Not only did staff negligence contribute to the demise of the guest, the same negligence contributed to a failure to protect the assets of the hotel company, namely, cash and reputation.

SAFETY

NATURE OF EMERGENCIES

The two most important aspects of emergencies are that they are unforeseeable and uncontrollable. Both of these factors produce unwanted and unanticipated side effects, since reactions to emergencies by guest and, at times, employees are equally unanticipated and (sometimes) unwanted. It is therefore imperative that there be advance planning and that training and drills be held in combating all types of emergencies.In order to maintain safe premises, management must be ready to cope with four types of emergencies; a)Fireb)Bomb threats and bombingsc) Natural disastersd)Riots and civil disturbances.

NATURE OF EMERGENCIES (CONT…)Because property is replaceable but life is not, it is

obvious where most concern must rest. The burden is first to prevent any occurrence that may bring about one of the aforementioned emergencies. If preventionIs impossible, the burden shifts to minimizing 1) risk of death or injury, 2) property damage.

Because housekeeping are usually in the vicinity of a large number of guests during daytime hours, it is imperative that they be well trained in procedures that command confidence in order that they set the best possible example for guests who may be caught in an emergency. For example, some housekeeping personnel are afraid of using handheld extinguishers because of the noise generated and the cloud of white smoke created when activated. Such fears require training and drill to quell. Drills should be regular and should not be concealed from guests. Rather, guests should be informed when drills are to take place in order that those present can see what precautions are taken to deal with emergencies.

FIRE PROTECTION AND THE HOTEL GUEST

Recently, hotel guests have been bombarded with information about how safe hotels have become. Although fire protection and prevention and training have been highly upgraded, the manner in which some guest will receive and accept the information can be dangerous. Guests are inclined to let their guard down if or when someone else implies that there is nothing to worry about. It is not necessary to scare hotel guests into an early departure, but there is excellent reason to counsel guests gently about what to do in what-if situations.

An excellent “what-if” publication was recently created and published by the James H. Barry Company, San Francisco. This publication may be customized and made available for hotels to place in guestrooms. It is simple yet appropriate publication that subtly reminds guest that fire can happen and, it if does, what they should do.A great concern for training in the housekeeping department is an understanding of the panic emotion.

FIRE PROTECTION AND THE HOTEL GUEST

Here are four situations causing the fires and related hotel rule violations:1. An intoxicated smoker in bed set a mattress on fire.

Violation: Renting a room to an intoxicated guest without taking away all smoking materials.

2. Late-night fire in a satellite linen room. Violation: Failing to dispose of trash properly at the end of the work day and leaving a service door unlocked.

3. Late-night fire deliberately set in an elevator. Violation: Leaving a known safe environment when a fire is reported without protecting your ability to retrace your path.

4. A television exploded within a guestroom. Violation: Leaving a television in operation in a vacant room.

KNOWLEDGE ABOUT SMOKE AND FIRE AS A FOUNDATION FOR TRAINING PROGRAMS

Contrary to what has been seen on television or in the movies, fire is not likely to chase people down and burn them to death. It is almost always the by-products of fire that kill. Smoke and panic will more likely be the cause of death long before a fire arrives, if it ever does. It is most important that all employees, especially housekeeping employees, be drilled about the effects of smoke and be taught how to avoid smoke and panic in order to set a proper example for guests. There are articles about fire prevention and safety available through the local fire department. This agency can provide the latest state-of-the-art information to support training programs in fire protection in hotels.

Fire drills should be conducted and should include but not be limited to, the following;1. Demonstration of blindfolded employees leaving

a hotel from any known point within the hotel. 2. Demonstration of proper action when there is

reduced visibility in a hotel hallway due to smoke.3. Under the supervision of local fire department

personnel, demonstration of the use of hand-held extinguishers to put out an actual preset fire (Fires set in a trash can in the hotel parking lot can usually provide insights about employee behavior when using these extinguishers.)

4. Showing any of the numerous films available from local fire prevention agencies for housekeeping employees.

5. Making demonstrated knowledge about fire protection and the use of fire equipment a part of performance appraisal.

METHAMPHETAMINE LABORATORIES

Methamphetamine laboratories (meth labs) are simple to build, and the supplies are easy to obtain and very inexpensive. Best of all for the aspiring drug lord, the profits are enormous. The only problem is that the process of “cooking” is extremely hazardous. The chemicals are highly flammable and even explosive. Some of the by-products are so toxic that when a laboratory is discovered, the cleanup team arrives in HazMat protective gear. One of the possible by-products of a “Red P’ lab is phosgene gas – the same gas that was used to gas the troops in World War I.

BOMB THREATS

The hotel personnel who will be involved during a bomb threat will probably be the PBX department and hotel management, along with the fire or police department. Whether a hotel should be evacuated is the decision of the on-scene commander, who is usually a member of the local police or fire department. The decision as to who will order an evacuation is not made on the spur of the moment. It is usually prearranged that the on-scene commander will order any evacuation that is considered necessary.

NATURAL DISASTERS

Floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and sometime high temperatures and snowstorms are natural disasters has its own set of rules. When such event happens hotels tend to empty, whereas others fill up, depends on the location and type of problem.

RIOTS AND CIVIL DISTURBANCES

Civil disturbances may originate in the hotel or start miles away and drift into the hotel. People an unruly crowd at a football game may return to their accommodations and continue their unruliness. Housekeeping personnel should be exposed to possibilities that such events could take place and should be trained in techniques that will calm unruly people.

THE SPECTOR OF TERRORISMMost hotels will never experience a terrorist attack.

Terrorists tend to select “high-profile” targets that will produce the most publicity and, correspondingly, public fear. However, some hotel, are on the terrorist’s list of possible “soft targets” because of their symbolism. The world has witnessed attacks on hotels around the world including the JW Marriott in Jakarta, a hotel identified as a symbol of US imperialism by Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), an organization allegedly affiliated with al-Queda. The Marriott Hotel bombing occurred on August 5, 2003, in Setiabudi, South Jakarta, Indonesia. A suicide bomber detonated a car bomb outside the lobby of the JW Marriott Hotel, killing 12 people and injuring 150.

The housekeeping department, along with all departments in the hotel, should be constantly on guard for suspicious activities. The department’s major role is to act as the eyes and ears of the hotel and immediately report any out-of-the-ordinary behavior on the part of employees or guests, including the discovery of unusual equipment in the guestrooms and packages or luggage in public areas.

In the case of an attack, there should be an emergency plan in place with a well-defined role for the housekeeping department. Training of all personnel must be in place if the plan is to succeed.