Fire and Emergency Response
Safety in the Hospitality Industry
In the event of an emergency, the owner or occupier of a building has to make sure the occupants of the building are able to get out of the building safely. The level of emergency response will depend on the size and nature of the establishment.
See it
The level of emergency response preparedness that is required will depend on the type of emergency and how much risk it puts people in. In the hospitality industry, consideration has to be given not only to employees but also to customers and visitors. The first step is to consider the range of potential emergency situations that may occur. These may be: • fire, especially in kitchen areas • explosions • gas leaks • building collapse • burst water pipes and flooding • armed robbery • emergency in nearby buildings • bomb threat. You should consider things like: • the number of people that may be affected by the emergency • the people at risk - customers, staff or both? (Customers are sometimes harder to protect because they will not know the risks.) • the likelihood of the emergency, considering the nature of the work and the history of similar businesses • the likely severity of the damage.
Assess it
When assessing the risk look at how likely it is that someone will get hurt, how badly they will get hurt and how often someone is exposed to the hazard.
Info Sheet
Fix it
You need to have plans in place to control the emergency and to make sure that nobody is put at risk at any time. You will have to consider: • evacuation plans and ensuring that exits are marked and always clear • training for staff in how to respond and what to do in case of an emergency • provision of fire or other emergency response equipment • emergency service contact details, including fire and police.
Evaluate it
Once the appropriate fix has been implemented, it is important to evaluate whether it has been successful in controlling the hazard. Check it again after a period of time or if there are any changes to the workstation to ensure it is still effective.
More Information?
• Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations 1995 - Division 2.6
About this Info Sheet
These information sheets have been developed to help businesses within the hospitality industry to deal with some of the more common aspects of managing OHS&W. They have been developed using the combined experience of many other businesses and to satisfy the requirements of the Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Act 1986, the Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Regulations 1995, and all relevant Codes of Practice. The information sheets have been written using the SAFE system described earlier - which is how to See, Assess, Fix it and Evaluate it. You should also remember that these are guidelines only, and do not cover all possible situations. If you have any doubts you should contact one of the following.
WorkCover Corporation
100 Waymouth St Adelaide SA 5000 Telephone 13 18 55 Fax (08) 8233 2466 Internet www.workcover.com
Workplace Services (Department of Administrative and Information Services)
1 Richmond Rd Keswick SA 5035 Telephone (08) 8303 0400 Fax (08) 8303 0423 Internet www.eric.sa.gov.au
Australian Liquor Hospitality and Miscellaneous Workers Union
101 Henley Beach Rd Mile End SA 5004 Telephone (08) 8352 3511 Fax (08) 8443 7678 E-mail www.lhmu.org.au
Tourism Training SA
27 Gresham St Adelaide SA 5000 Telephone (08) 8212 0244 Fax (08) 8212 0230 E-mail ttsa@ttsa.com.au