Hotel rooms often look spotless and inviting because trained professionals perform all the necessary housekeeping steps. Guests may not realize how hazardous the task of cleaning a California hotel room is. A housekeeper may enter dozens of rooms during a single workday, and the job might present unavoidable dangers. A housekeeper could suffer various injuries after one single mishap.
Housekeeping and hotel hazards
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, housekeepers’ injury and illness incidence rates are relatively high. Several factors contribute to the chance for injuries.
A “messy” hotel room could have trash, towels, pillows, and other items lying on the floor. Such things could create a slip-and-fall hazard, leaving housekeepers suffering from back injuries or worse. A wet bathroom floor might present the same dangerous risk, and sometimes the slippery surface isn’t always noticeable.
Housekeepers might rush to complete cleaning to get a room ready for the next guest. Rushing could affect concentration, which also increases the chances of an accident.
Under California’s no-fault workers’ compensation rules, a hotel housekeeper may collect benefits if injured. Avoiding injuries would likely be far more preferable, but accidents happen.
Harm befalls a housekeeper
Unforeseen accidents aren’t the only dangers that housekeepers face. A worker could suffer breathing problems from inhaling chemical fumes, as many cleaning agents might prove dangerous.
Even a housekeeper who never suffers any slips and falls or other mishaps may experience physical pain. Repetitive motion injuries might leave a worker needing time offer for treatment and rehabilitation.
Of course, an acute sprain may happen from lifting things. Housekeepers find themselves lifting and pushing heavy objects daily.
Upon suffering an injury, it may be best to take immediate steps to file for workers’ comp. The benefits payments could prove helpful when not able to work.