To lift or not to lift seems to be a constant question on the hospitality groups I belong to like, Suite A$$ Service, Funny Hotel Front Desk Stories, and Hotel Manager Rants asking whether team members should assist customers medically. Examples being:
- Should we have to help them out of the tub?
- Do we assist them into a wheelchair?
- Does our hotel have to provide a wheelchair upon request?
- Can’t we help them get out of bed?
My knee jerk reaction was hell no, you should not. Why not? Doesn’t that goes against everything we do in the hospitality industry, which is to help our guests? The question begged to be answered more fully. To do this many factors should be taken into consideration when making this decision.
- Cost
General Liability and Workers Compensation premiums are based on each industry and the department codes assigned it by the NAICS. As per EK Insurance, a respected insurer, these codes are used in determining conditions, exclusions and premiums.
The code for Accommodations is 72. The code for Health Care Services is 62. The cost, both in premium if you render services that would fall under health care, or the damages if you allow your team to do so, without proper training or certification, causing injury to either party, could be significant.
Safety of Guests and Team Members
Have your team members been trained to perform these types of duties? In almost all cases the answer would be no. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recognize that the act of moving a patient is difficult for trained personnel. This is especially true without the utilization of devices that assist in doing so safely.
Daniel Zwerdling, in his NPR Series, “Injured Nurses” , advises that even highly trained health care workers are often injured moving people. In lieu of this how can guests, owners and managers expect hotel team members to do so?
- Medical Equipment required by the ADA.
Hotels often operate under the assumption that their franchise or Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) require providing a wheelchair to guests. Jim Butler and the Global Hospitality groups’ Legal Blog says this is a hard no. I am not aware of any franchise that requires the presence and availability for guest use of a wheelchair. (Feel free to correct me if I am wrong.)
- Maintenance and Service
An enormous number of moving parts are require service by the maintenance teams of the hospitality industry. If the title “Jack of all Trades” should ever become a superhero title it would belong to the maintenance crews. They are versed in light construction, plumbing, electrical, and vending machines. They master everything from commercial washers, dryers, ice machines, dishwashers, to the mundane coffee pots and blow-dryers.
MSKTC, out of Arlington, VA has published a “Maintenance Guide for Users of Manual and Power Wheelchairs”. This guide is very informative and necessary. It focuses on the importance and how to of proper maintenance to prevent injury. After all wheelchairs can not be expected to work perfectly after sitting in a closet for a year. Do you want to be responsible for the proper maintenance of these items?
- What CAN we do to assist our guests?
Several options are available that do not put your guests, your team, or your bottom line in jeopardy. Special Needs Group is just one company offering the delivery and rental of accessible equipment. They provide such items as wheelchairs, power chairs, oxygen, and other essential items to assist the travelling medically challenged public. Make sure your team has the contact information for them or a local purveyor of such items.
Let’s address the request to physically assist a guest with mobility issues. Here are some practical steps to follow:
- Stay calm.
- Call 911. Let them know there is a guest that needs assistance.
- Emergency personnel may be dispatched. Note* If the guest does not get transported, generally, there is no charge.
- Inform the guest/s that you have requested emergency assistance.
- For a guest stuck in the tub, place a robe or towel over the guest for modesty.
- Assure the guest and/or travelling companions that help is on the way.
- Direct emergency personnel when they arrive to the appropriate room. Make sure you have a key ready to access the door.
- Follow up with the guest/s to make sure they are alright.