Following the approval of an ordinance earlier this year establishing workplace safety rules for hotels, Ontario city officials are continuing an outreach campaign to inform hospitality businesses of the new regulations.
The Ontario City Council adopted Ordinance No. 3326 in January establishing new hotel employee safety regulations aimed at strengthening workplace safety standards across the city’s hospitality industry.
The ordinance regulates the use of employee safety devices as well as workplace training and hotel safety protocols intended to support hospitality employees who work in Ontario’s growing hotel and tourism sectors.
The new law provides workplace protections for employees who work alone in guest rooms or public restrooms. It specifically confirms that employees have the right to receive a personal safety device such as “panic button” mechanisms that instantly report an their location to security personnel and enable emergency communication. The ordinance additionally confirms that hotel employees have the right to report threatening or violent behavior, contact law enforcement, leave an unsafe work area while waiting for assistance and report safety concerns without retaliation from management.
Hotel operators are required to provide personal safety devices to employees who may work by themselves in guest rooms or public bathrooms, post required employee notices, provide written information about the new law to employees, maintain emergency response procedures and designate trained security responders.
“Hotels shall designate security personnel or on duty managers as being responsible for responding to personal safety device alerts,” according to Ordinance No. 3326. “Such individuals should receive a minimum of two hours of training on the Hotel’ s procedures for response, the functioning and operation of the personal safety devices and employee rights. … The Hotel shall have at least one such designated and trained individual on duty at all times.”
According to the city, employes “covered” by the ordinance’s regulations who “report threatening or violent conduct by a guest may request to be reassigned away from that guest, and the hotel employer must honor that request. Employees must also be allowed sufficient time to contact law enforcement and participate in any resulting investigation,” officials reported. “Hotel employers are required to cooperate with law enforcement during any investigation.”
The law also requires hotels to allow housekeeping staff to leave room doors open during cleaning work.
With major investments underway across the city, including new entertainment venues, tourism activity, and hospitality development, local elected officials and members of the business community say the effort reflects the city’s continued evolution as a regional destination.
“Ontario’s hospitality industry is growing quickly, and the people working in that industry are a big part of what shapes the experience visitors have in our city,” Mayor Paul Leon said in a statement. “As we continue to grow as a destination for entertainment and tourism, we want to make sure we’re supporting a safe and professional environment for our hospitality workforce.”
Currently the city has about 5,575 hotel rooms, with an additional 1,200 rooms expected in the coming years as new hotel building projects move forward.
Upcoming hotel developments include the 124-room Hilton Hampton Inn and the 256-room Hyatt Place/Hyatt House, both expected to open this summer. Also breaking ground this summer is the 230-room dual-branded Aloft-Residence Inn hotel project adjacent to the ONT Field baseball stadium and the Ontario Sports Empire, a 190-acre athletic complex.
Hotels with 50 or more guest rooms or suites have until late February to comply with the new law’s provisions. Smaller hotels have an additional six months to comply.
“As Ontario’s visitor economy continues to grow, so does the importance of maintaining strong hospitality standards across the industry,” Michael Krouse, president and CEO of the Greater Ontario Convention & Visitors Bureau, said in a statement. “These efforts help support the people who work within our hotels every day while reinforcing the level of professionalism and care visitors increasingly expect from leading destinations.”
The city is working alongside local hospitality businesses and industry stakeholders to support outreach and education efforts related to the new ordinance and its implementation, officials said.
The city has partnered with the Greater Ontario Convention & Visitors Bureau, or GOCAL to assist with outreach to local hospitality businesses. For general questions or assistance accessing hotel resources, GOCAL is available via info@gocal.org or 909-937-3000.
More information about the ordinance is online at OntarioThinksBusiness.com/HotelEmployeeSafety.