Celebrating and recognising ahs hospitality's commitment to health and safety in the workplace in the lead up to World Day For Safety And Health At Work 2024

Introduction of video-embedded SOPs for our standard task

One of the noteworthy initiatives we have introduced at ahs hospitality is the implementation of instructional videos to demonstrate our Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for our routine housekeeping activities. These SOPs are crafted to incorporate identified safety controls from risk assessments presented in a user-friendly video format.

This approach not only helps make it easier for newly recruited housekeepers to understand, where English may not be their native language, but also clearly demonstrates what their job roles and responsibilities involve. The videos also highlight what systems exist, and behaviours are required to maintain safety when working. For example, in the video to be watched by all house persons showcases the importance of following correct and safe processes, completing work duties, the importance of warm up stretches, how to lift safely, plus the referenced risk assessments involved.

Upskilling our quality and training managers to be qualified lead auditors

Furthermore, we have invested in upskilling our Quality & Training Managers to become endorsed lead auditors. Recognising auditing and inspections as pivotal behaviours in continual improvement, our state-based leaders are now equipped to collaborate with Housekeeping Managers and their housekeeping teams to identify and act on opportunities where they can work together to proactively strive for improvement. This does not only mean better operational standards will be delivered to our hotel clients, but an overall better experience for guests staying at the hotel.

Enhancement of our IT architecture to support ‘safety first’

In line with our commitment to safety-first practices, at ahs hospitality we have enhanced our IT architecture. This includes creating additional pathways for our team to report and investigate incidents via mobile apps. Additionally, safety compliance dashboards have been upgraded to provide greater insights into safety performance metrics (training, frequency rates, inspections) allowing our teams greater insight to allow for improved management of safety risks. Indeed, by enhancing our IT architecture, we are creating streamlined processes that champions safety.

Spotlighting Chemical Safety

Chemical safety is another area where we have demonstrated proactive measures. Collaborating closely with our suppliers Diversey, and Bunzl, ahs hospitality has rationalised our range of chemicals to ensure they not only deliver quality cleaning outcomes but also enhanced safety. We have also worked together to create customised educational clips to educate employees on the proper usage of chemicals. We also recently introduced a new chemical register which was formulated after thorough consultation with workers and site management. The new chemical register summarises the key safety information from the Safety Data Sheets for each chemical that is relevant to our housekeeping.

ahs hospitality’s proactive approach towards health and safety in the workplace greatly compliments our ethos of keeping people at the heart of all we do. As we get ready for World Day for Safety and Health at Work in April, we thank all our suppliers, hotel clients and housekeeping teams for all their efforts in fostering a safe and healthy work environment for all.

Want to learn more about our commitment to safety – read our interview with our General Manager – Safety & Quality, Jay Markland here.

ahs hospitality is Australia and New Zealand’s first, and leading provider of outsourced housekeeping services. As a proudly trusted provider since 1993, ahs hospitality guarantees compliance, has a proven track record for quality and is an industry-recognised provider to hotels.