(Source: Gluvi.com)

Apparently, the TV remote control is one of the most unhygienic objects within a hotel room. The problem is that the remote sits in the room, gathering disgusting bacteria, usually without even a wipe down from hotel cleaning staff.

So now, to overcome this unhygienic hazard, U.S company Gluvi has released a “TV remote condom.” It fits over the remote to protect guests against dangerous bugs that build up between the buttons.

To be honest, I am not sure whether to laugh or cry. While it is important for every aspect of the room, including the remote, to be regularly cleaned, there are much more pressing health and safety matters for hotels to address.

I wonder what would happen if this product was put in front of the Dragons on Dragons Den. I can only imagine what their comments would be. I am most definitely out!

Tara Parker-Pope

This week I was doing my usual scour of the internet and I came across a blog called Well on the New York Times website. Well is written by Tara Parker-Pope and the entry which particularly caught my eye, for obvious reasons, was her experience of Norovirus.

If you’ve got a spare few minutes then I would recommend you read the entry (just click here). But if you are short of time, then here are the footnotes.

What this entry does well is demonstrate the severity of Norovirus in a way that most people can relate to. Basically, Tara’s home had become overcome with Norovirus after she first picked it up. Subsequently her daughter fell ill with the virus. The entry goes into great detail about their symptoms – cramping, sickness, and diarrhoea. Naturally, as any parent would, Tara felt an element of guilt at not preventing the spread of the virus to her daughter. Unfortunately that is the problem with Norovirus once you have caught it; it is extremely likely that the people around you – including loved ones – will contract it as well.

In this situation, Tara did everything correctly. She kept her little girl off school, cancelled their weekend plans and did a thorough deep clean of her house once well. Norovirus can be horrific and there is little you can do to ease the symptoms or stop any potential spread.

(Source: Daily Mail)

It’s official, some health and safety experts have too much time on their hands. The Royal Mail is planning to ban postmen from using bikes to deliver mail. Apparently, the British roads are too dangerous for postmen to do their rounds on two wheels, so the company is phasing out 24,000 of their English-made bicycles.

It may seem ironic that this rant is coming from someone who works to promote health and safety standards, but even I can admit that my fellow industry counterparts can sometimes go too far.

I find it hard to believe that the job of a cycling postman is so dangerous that his work is best completed using a gas guzzling van, instead of an environmentally friendly bicycle. It’s important that postmen are aware of road dangers, but altering their mode of transport in the name of health and safety seems a little far-fetched. Postmen have been using bicycles to deliver post for years, so why meddle with the pedal?

The Columbus Hotel, Monaco (Source: monacograndprixtravel.com)

I found a list of the top ten celebrity owned hotels in the Mirror and was amazed at the number of high profile personalities that have invested their millions into the hospitality industry.

Here are the top 10:

1. The Greenwich Hotel, New York, owned by Robert De Niro

2. The Big Sleep, Cheltenham, co-owned by John Malkovich

3. Sundance Resort, Utah, owned by Robert Redford

4. Cadogan Gardens, London, co-owned by Liz Hurley

5. Costa d’Este, Florida, owned by Gloria and Emilio Estefan

6. The Clarence Hotel, Dublin, owned by Bono and The Edge

7. Rival Hotel, Stockholm, owned by Benni Andersson

8. The Columbus Hotel, Monaco, owned by David Coulthard

9. Mission Ranch, California, owned by Clint Eastwood

10.  Hotel Villa Angela, Sicily, owned by Jim Kerr

I can only imagine the high calibre of clientele at these hotels; it must cost a pretty penny to spend the night.

It does beg the question, what steps are these celebrity owners taking with regards to health and safety? They wouldn’t want one of the guests suing them if they got food poisoning during their stay – it could end up costing Mr De Niro and friends their fortunes!

I have just returned from a seven-day trip, during which I took six separate flights, with yet another head cold. Other travellers will be familiar with such symptoms after flying abroad.

While some studies say planes don’t spread germs, such as this one from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, others say they’re a breeding ground for bugs of them including this US-based organisation called SmarterTravel.

I remain convinced that the confined atmosphere allows viruses to be spread more easily, but I’m equally convinced that the airlines could do more to improve air quality. A British company working with BAE Systems has developed an air filter that they claim could kill 99.9% of viruses, bacteria and pollutants that circulate around an aircraft.

No doubt the uptake of such filtering systems will be dependent on budget being available – which airlines can ill-afford in the current economic climate with added pressure from shareholders, Governments and lobbyists on various issues. But at what point does passenger safety become more or less important than cost? Don’t we have a basic right to breathe clean air when we travel?

Steve Tate

Source: www.celeb9.com

The Welsh beauty, Katherine Jenkins has failed to hit the high note, after being struck down by the Norovirus stomach bug.  She sadly had to cancel several engagements, including the iTunes concert in London.

She apologised to her fans via her Twitter page from her sick bed saying she still felt “pretty awful”, but that a “hospital visit last night has made a big difference”. Normally a picture of health and an avid gym-goer, Katherine has swapped her ball gowns for her pyjamas in a bid to recuperate, showing us all that anyone can get struck down by the Norovirus.

Get well soon Katherine.

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!

…well this is what some of India’s finest business leaders are worried about.

The country is renowned for having poor public health and food hygiene standards, but the Confederation of Indian Industry is tackling this negative reputation head on by auditing and educating over 800 cafes, restaurants and street stalls close to the Commonwealth Games Village.

They will judge these eateries on maintenance and cleanliness, personal cleanliness of the staff, pest control and garbage disposal, food packaging, storage and water quality. Anything that doesn’t come up to scratch, will undergo emergency training.

This model is the same as the one we at Check Safety First operate with the hotels that we work with, and it’s encouraging to see that this is being replicated in India – if they need any help they know where we are.

This does mean though, that if the Welsh or British athletics team perform poorly at the games then they can’t blame it on food poisoning. Time to up the training, me thinks!

This week we sent a warning to hundreds of UK hotels and restaurants of the dangers of failing to maintain a clean, hygienic and healthy establishment for their guests.  Hopefully our image will give them food for thought and get them thinking about whether they are spending enough time and money on health and safety.

Hotel owners think they can sweep this issue under the carpet, but if health and safety isn’t dealt with, it won’t go away.  Guests don’t book a hotel just because they’ll receive a bunch of luxurious free toiletries.  Many sensibly check out what other consumers thought of a hotel on sites like TripAdvisor before they book.  If there’s any inkling in a guest’s review that the hotel they stayed in wasn’t clean or the food in the restaurant tasted a bit off, chances are the potential guest will look at another hotel.

Our message to UK hotels this week is – if you are spending more on complimentary toiletries than health and safety, look at how you can change this and save your reputation by visiting www.checksafetyfirst.com/enquiries