Risk, Crisis and Disaster Management

Assessment Brief:

Students are to read the case study and prepare a risk management report for the executive committee.

CASE STUDY

You have just been hired as General Manager at recently restored historical hotel located in The Rocks. The hotel has been providing very cheap, temporary accommodation since the early part of the last century.

The hotel is located in the heart of Sydney but in a very dimly lit area where there has been a number of assaults and robberies. Last week, the rumour amongst the staff, was that one of the guests was badly assaulted and went to hospital. Also your guests have been allowed any number of visitors to their room without having to go through reception. Your mandate is to update the service and operations to suit tourists needs for 2013 and beyond.

In your first week on the job, you conduct a review of the premises, noting that the lift is old and is constantly out of order. The staff report to you that over the last month the lift has broken down at least 5 times, once there was an elderly guest in the lift and they suffered a stroke.

You also ask to see the written occupational health and safety plan. Hotel staff indicate there is no written plan, but they conduct a fire drill every summer for practice. In addition you have also discovered the Health Safety Representatives have not completed HSR training and the Health Safety Committee is mainly made of full time staff from the administration area.

The committee has not met for over three months and the minutes of the last meeting show the main topic for discussion was the staff Christmas party arrangements. Only two members of the committee have completed their committee training as the HR Manager said it was too expensive. When staff are injured they usually go to their local doctor as the first aid at TCR is not reliable - with kits not properly stocked and no effort
made to roster qualified first aiders to each shift.

The Human Resource department has been so busy recruiting to replace the staff who keep leaving - they have fallen behind in conducting induction training. New staff are handed a staff hand book only. Staff are complaining of tiredness - and appear to be frustrated. When conducting an audit you also discovered that there are no procedures at all for risk management. After reviewing the current sick reports for staff, you have discovered that an unusual number of housekeeping staff have been absent from work over the last month.

Upon investigation you have found that the housekeeping department, which has 120 staff who are mostly casuals with a majority from Non English speaking backgrounds, have been using a new cleaning substance for the last six weeks that works well for glass shower screens. This has made the job easier for staff and has saved a great deal of time. Injuries and illnesses the staff have suffered include:

Breathing difficulties when overcome by fumes for 8 staff

Contact burns to hands for 4 staff

Burns to the eyes for 2 staff.

After talking to the staff you have discovered not all incidents with these chemicals have been reported. Even a guest has been overcome by fumes.

When you have been conducting your investigation you have not been able to find any information about the chemical. The bottles staff are using are not labelled and the supplier has supplied no information about the safe use of the chemical.

Further the hotel also has an events/function area that can be hired by people not staying at the hotel.

It is meant to hold up to 100 people in the dining area. You notice however that there is a booking next week for 150 guests and for 16 birthday party, with fireworks and a band. It is unclear as to the training your staff have been provided with regarding the service of food and alcohol.

Report requirements:

Your report needs to:

1. Identify the breaches in WHS legislation, with specific reference to the legislation that applies in the case study i.e. NSW legislation

2. Identify the hazards within the workplace

3. Assess the risks associated with the hazards and determine the priority for risk treatment

4. Identify appropriate management level controls to address non-compliance with legislation

5. Identify the risk controls applying the hierarchy of controls for the identified hazards

6. Conduct a cost benefit analysis that clearly states the costs and benefits associated with the non-compliance, hazards and recommended controls.

7. Describe the consequences of not improving compliance and managing the workplace hazards.