Free hotel workplace safety assessment

Start with these task groups. Use one worksheet per task, and add any task this list misses.

• Room cleaning and bed making

  Force, repeated reaching, awkward posture and work pace.

• Laundry and linen handling

  Loads, carts, heat, machinery and repeated movements.

• Cleaning products and waste

  Chemical contact, exposure, sharp objects and contaminated material.

• Kitchens and food service

  Burns, cuts, wet surfaces and powered equipment.

• Facilities and maintenance

  Electrical work, energy control, access and unfamiliar repairs.

• Reception and guest interaction

  Aggression concerns, lone work, communication and response.

• Deliveries and event setup

  Handling, temporary layouts, vehicle routes and contractor work.

• Pools, grounds and other services

  Task-specific chemicals, heat, equipment and specialist follow-up where needed.

5. 5

   Chemical hazards

   Bathroom descalers, disinfectants, laundry detergents and pool chemicals: spray-bottle labels, dilution, ventilation, splashes and separation of products that must not mix.

6. 6

   Lifting and repeated strain

   Lifting mattresses to tuck sheets, scrubbing tubs, pushing full linen carts and moving banquet tables, luggage or laundry bags through narrow service routes.

7. 7

   Noise and vibration

   Laundry extractors, mechanical rooms, grounds equipment and event sound systems that may expose workers to noise or make radio calls and warnings difficult to hear.

8. 8

   Heat, cold and physical agents

   Steam presses, hot dryers and kitchen surfaces, cold rooms for catering supplies, and outdoor pool or grounds work in summer heat.

9. 9

   Biological hazards

   Used linens, restroom waste, needles hidden in trash or bedding, and blood or vomit cleanup: identify contact routes and the handling arrangements each task needs.

10. 10

    Fire and emergencies

    Dryer lint, kitchen grease, hot-work repairs and linen storage near ignition sources, plus service exits narrowed by carts or temporary event equipment.

11. 11

    Confined or restricted spaces

    Water tanks, utility pits, crawl spaces and service shafts that maintenance staff or contractors might enter: evaluate each space before planning entry.

12. 12

    Violence and lone work

    Night reception, cash handling, entering occupied rooms, guest disputes and isolated parking or service areas where workers need reliable contact and response arrangements.

13. 13

    Work organization and contractors

    Room-turnover deadlines, split shifts, event changes, temporary staff and outsourced housekeeping or maintenance: clarify handoffs, training and responsibility across departments and employers.

14. 14

    PPE and exposure-control gaps

    Gloves suited to bathroom or pool chemicals, splash goggles for dilution, footwear for wet routes and task-specific protection for maintenance or contaminated-waste handling.

15. 15

    Additional job-specific hazards

    Anything room attendants, laundry workers, reception staff or maintenance crews raise that this list misses, including unusual guest requests, renovations or newly added services.

Consider eliminating or substituting the hazard first, then suitable engineering controls, administrative arrangements and PPE. The right combination depends on the job and the requirements that apply to it; PPE alone does not resolve every risk.

1. Elimination — remove the hazard or the task that creates it.
2. Substitution — use a less hazardous material, product, method or piece of equipment.
3. Engineering controls — separate people from the hazard with guards, barriers, ventilation or layout changes.
4. Administrative controls — change how the work is done through procedures, scheduling, instruction, signs and supervision.
5. Personal protective equipment (PPE) — protect each worker with equipment chosen, fitted and maintained for the task.

Ideas to discuss for this workplace:

• Review the cart route, thresholds and storage layout to reduce avoidable difficult pushing and repeated handling.
• Check cart condition, suitable loads, handling methods and coordination between departments.
• Check changes during room turnover and ask room attendants whether they work. Keep outsourced-service actions assigned to the responsible employer.

For each action, record the hazard, the people exposed, existing controls, the additional action, its priority and the basis for it, the responsible role, a target date, verification evidence and any remaining questions. Do not close a finding just because a document was created.

List departments, outsourced services, shifts and specialist facilities. Bring worker concerns, cleaning-product information, equipment instructions and details of changes to events, staffing or maintenance. Include unusual tasks assigned to employees outside their normal department.