(Source: designwebby.com)

The bed is the focal point of any hotel room and can have the potential to ruin a night’s stay. From a lumpy bed and not having enough pillows to the sheets being tucked in too tightly, there are lots of things that can be wrong and that’s without considering bedbugs. These are tiny creepy crawlies, also called hitchhikers, which can be found anywhere humans go. My skin goes itchy at the thought.

With this in mind I found some great tips on SmarterTravel.com which I thought would be worth sharing:

1. Bedbugs like to live in cracks or crevices within the hotel room. It is important to check folds and seams in the mattress, sofas, chairs, headboards and anywhere they can sneak behind.

2. Store your suitcase in the bathroom. If the bathroom has a linoleum floor it will be easier to see the bugs.

3. Inspect your bed. These pests are called bedbugs for a reason. Make sure you check bed linens and the mattress for the apple seed-sized bugs and signs of blood droplets, from where they have been feeding on previous guests.

4. Look for faecal droppings. If there’s no sign of the bugs themselves, there may be evidence of what they have left behind.

5. When emptying your suitcase, keep your luggage off the floor and check drawers and cupboards before storing clothes.

I know that bedbugs are often more of a nuisance than anything serious, but the thought of having creepy-crawlies, however small, in my room makes me cringe. A quick inspection certainly couldn’t hurt, and you’ll probably get a better night’s sleep.

Teenage pop star Chipmunk has been unfortunate enough to catch food poisoning while on holiday in Jamaica. The singer was taking a much needed break ahead of his UK tour when he became unwell.

But don’t fear all you teeny boppers. Chipmunk is currently recovering well in a Jamaican hospital.

In light of Chipmunk’s misfortunes, I’d like to reiterate the importance of food hygiene on holiday with five useful tips to avoid food poisoning:

1. Eat in a clean environment. Whether you are staying in a 5-star hotel or backpacking in a hostel, if the place is poorly maintained or has evidence of pests in public areas then the parts you can’t see will probably be much worse.  For the sake of your holiday, it’s important not to compromise.

2. Make sure that you are the only thing that is pink and don’t accept undercooked foods.

3. Ensure that food is served hot not warm.  Your hotel may serve up a fantastic buffet with all the trimmings, but don’t feel you have to tuck into the food if it looks like it’s been left out for a while.

4. If the water quality in the area is suspect, be wary of washed salads and iced drinks. That Margarita on the beach may be a tempting offer, but waterborne bacteria can cause severe illnesses.

5. Outside the hotel, be careful of food in places where hygienic conditions are poor. Exploring a busy market or eating out to experience the authenticity of a destination may be exciting, but if that is followed by a visit to the local chemist or hospital then a holiday can be ruined.

Source: www.yourtravelrights.co.uk

More of us now prefer to have some ‘me time’ on holiday and are opting to travel alone on a soliday.  Personally, I prefer the company of my family and friends on holiday, but understand the lure of meeting new people and exploring places as a lone traveller.

For those of you embarking on a solo voyage we would recommend you take a look at the solo traveller blog, which gives lots of hints and tips on the best places to go and how to meet new people.  But we thought we’d also give travellers a few tips on how to stay safe whilst travelling alone:

1. Don’t get swept away by the experience and forget common sense.  Always stick to eating thoroughly-cooked foods, avoid salads and drink bottled water.  Holidaying on your own will seem very lonely if you’re taken ill with food poisoning.
2. Eat out in lively cafes, where you don’t stick out as a solo traveller.
3. Avoid looking like a tourist – don’t go everywhere with a map or have wads of cash in your wallet, otherwise you’ll become a crime magnet.
4. Try to stick closely with other travellers, but be careful who you trust.  Many will give you recommendations of safe places to eat, sleep and visit in the area.
5. Finally, set up a blog where you account your experiences once a week.  This will give your family back home peace of mind that you are safe and well.

So, how about you – have you considered completely getting away from it all on your own?  If so, where would you recommend?

Source: www.devon.org.uk

I read an article this week discussing whether the formal dinner party is dead.  Apparently, we are starting to favour informal communal buffets where each guest brings a dish and everyone helps themselves.

This means that the responsibility for providing safely cooked meals no longer lies with the host, but with any guest who brings food along.

So, here are some top tips to ensure your guests don’t bring tasty treats with them and take food poisoning home:

1. Try not to leave buffet food out for any longer than four hours.

2. Keep any chilled foods that you’re offering to guests at or below 8oc  and any food that needs to be kept hot at or above 63oc.

3. Any leftovers from your dinner party should be thrown away or stored in a fridge.  Those left out for a long period of time at room temperature are a breeding ground for food poisoning bacteria.

4. Provide separate tongs for serving different foods such as meat, salad and vegetables to prevent cross contamination.

5. Jam pastries, pickles and cakes, so long as you follow good food hygiene practices, are least risky in terms of food poisoning, so you could just stick with these, but it would mean a pretty unhealthy buffet for all!

We talk a lot on this blog about the importance of keeping safe while you are on your holiday, but during a regular web search we found a great article on the Daily Express site offering advice of staying well during the flight to your destination.

We thought it was worth sharing their ten top tips:

1. Try to arrive at the airport relaxed. You’re more likely to enjoy the flight if you’ve not been in a rush.

2. As soon as your board the plane set your watch to the destination time and during the flight try to eat and sleep accordingly.

3. Avoid drinking too much alcohol and caffeine and eating too much.

4. Drink a glass of water for every hour onboard.

5. On long-haul flights increase your chances of sleeping by packing an eye mask, ear plugs and neck pillow in your hand luggage.

6. Use a skin moisturiser.

7. Wear loose-fitting clothes made from natural fibres. Take off shoes on longer flights as ankles normally swell a little.

8. Most airline in-flight magazines have a range of exercises to follow that can help blood circulation. Exercising calf muscles is especially good. Try not to cross your legs. Go for an occasional walk.

9. Ask to be moved if a near neighbour is clearly ill or coughing badly.

10.  When you arrive have a swim or a good soak in the bath to rehydrate and unwind.

This is just a very brief overview of the article, so if you have a free five minutes we would recommend giving it a read.

Do you have any pearls of wisdom on how you survive a flight?

When you tell someone that you work in health and safety, they automatically think of the usual stereotype – the fun police. But after reading an article in the Telegraph, I even found myself asking if this was an example of safety being taken to the extreme. Apparently, The London Fields Lido in Hackney has warned users that they may have to vacate the swimming pool if it gets too wet.

While we at Check Safety First completely understand and endorse swimming pool safety, it does seem that in this case guidelines have been taken a step too far. Instead, we have pulled together some more practical advice to staying safe while enjoying a splish splash:

Don’t just dive in… Swimming pools come in all shapes and sizes with a variety of features that either aid enjoyment or quite possibly increase your chance of incident. Take some time to look around the pool area, look for things like underwater features which may look great but could be dangerous if dived onto or trapped against. Also look for depth markings and warning signs as a sudden change in depth can be dangerous if you are unaware.

Look around… Look for signs that the pool is well maintained and free of broken fixtures and fittings. The pool area should be clean and surfaces around the pool should not be obstructed or too slippery so that moving around is dangerous.

Children’s pools… When ensuring that your children are safe to swim do not assume that a dedicated children’s pool is safe. Make sure that you can supervise them easily and that, should they get out of the children’s pool, it is not possible for them to get into deeper pool area.

Avoid overcrowding… Swimming pools are designed with a certain number of patrons in mind. If this number is exceeded it becomes difficult to safely control the pool as an individual in distress or drowning would be much harder to spot when obscured by so many others.

What is in the water?… Swimming pool water should be clean, clear and not murky or smelly. If the water clarity/quality is poor then it is evidence that the water disinfection regime is not working effectively. Avoid waterborne illnesses by staying out of water if you see these characteristics.

We mentioned a couple of weeks ago how Pontin’s and Butlins had seen an increase in bookings, but it seems that they are not the only ones benefiting during the recession. It has been reported by TravelMole that there has been a 54 per cent increase in self-catering holiday bookings for 2009.

The great thing about self-catering is that, apart from saving money, you can share the cooking and holidaymakers get a true home-from-home experience. That said, there is nothing worse than contracting food poisoning when you are away from home.

Even if you are cooking for yourself, it is important to follow these simple common sense steps to minimise the risk of your self-catering getaway turning into a self-poisoning disaster:

• Make sure the kitchen has been thoroughly cleaned. If necessary spend a couple of hours on the first day doing a spring clean of the cooking area.
• Always store raw meats at the bottom of the fridge so that the juices cannot drip onto other fresh food.
• Make sure it is hot right the way through before serving. Undercooked food can be extremely dangerous, causing diarrhoea and sickness.
• Food should be served immediately after it has been cooked. Food that has been kept warm can be a breeding ground for bacteria, and can lead to infections such as the Norovirus, resulting in stomach cramps and aching limbs.
• Eggs are a key ingredient to a popular holiday treat, the full English breakfast, but can be particularly hazardous if cooked incorrectly. Undercooked eggs are likely to cause salmonella, which can lead to constipation and a fever.
• If you are unlucky enough to contract food poisoning, stay away from alcoholic beverages, drink lots of water, as it is important not to get dehydrated and if necessary seek medical attention.

A short but sweet blog entry for Christmas Eve as we are sure that everyone is very busy with their final preparations before the big day. However, if you do have a spare five minutes, we would recommend that you watch the Food Standards Agency’s viral Christmas video. It raises the important issue of food safety this festive season in a humorous way and certainly left everyone at Check Safety First HQ with the giggles.

Joking aside, it does have an important message and we urge anyone that is cooking for the family to remember the five Cs this Christmas:

Cleaning – yourself and food preparation areas

Cooking – make sure that the food is thoroughly cooked through and piping hot before serving

Cooling – ensure that any leftovers are cooled and refrigerated as quickly as possible, preferably within 90 minutes

Cross-contamination – always store raw meats at the bottom of the fridge so that the juices cannot drip onto other fresh food.

Consumption – eat any leftovers within two days of cooking. If you are still eating turkey come 5 January you are asking for trouble.

All that leaves us to say, is we hope that everyone has a very happy and food poisoning free Christmas. See you in 2009.

This week is European Health and Safety Week, and with this in mind we are raising awareness amongst the general public on the importance of food hygiene and staying safe abroad. For example, did you know that many hotels spend more money on the complimentary bottle of shampoos that they provide than on managing hygiene standards?

With high profile incidents, such as the fatal salmonella outbreak in Grand Hotel Gardone in Lake Garda in June, the general public needs to be more aware than ever of the consequences of food-related illnesses and the importance of staying healthy. However, many Brits still seem to be in the dark when it comes to their health.

With this in mind, we have compiled five short tips to help you stay safe whether you are having a long weekend abroad or staying at home:

Clean, Clean, Clean… Look around, if the place where you are going to eat looks dirty, poorly maintained, has rubbish lying around or has evidence of pests, then the areas you cannot see are likely to be much worse. When it comes to the kitchen this is unacceptable and eating food prepared in these conditions is asking for food poisoning.

Take it seriously… Smoke alarms do save lives and it is important that you take alarms seriously. False alarms are annoying but it is always better to be safe and get out no matter what you think may be happening.

Follow the instructions… Fitness and leisure equipment, if used incorrectly or if not properly maintained, can cause serious injuries. Make sure that when using such equipment you have read the operating instructions and have inspected them for evidence of damage or lack of maintenance.

What’s in the water… Swimming pool water should be clean, clear and not murky or smelly. If the water clarity / quality is poor then it is possible that the water disinfection regime is not working effectively. You can avoid waterborne illnesses by staying out of water if you see these characteristics.

Carbon Monoxide, the silent killer… Where a property has gas for heating or cooking it is important to be aware of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. Ensure that these areas are well ventilated and, if you have any doubts about the standard of maintenance of the equipment, do not use it without confirming its safety with the owner or property management.