7.3. Guest Safety Measures

To prevent household accidents resulting in injuries of your guests you should take measures inside, as well as outside of your accommodation. These include mostly careful choice of materials (no glass, preference to slip-resistant options) to minimize the chance of cuts, slips, falls, other traumas, and proper maintenance of the electrical system and furniture to prevent other traumas.

Checklist on Guest’s Safety

Furnished ground protection on all electrical outlets
Regular inspections of the furniture, fixtures, and any other equipment for loose connections and worn parts
Adequate lighting of the hall, stairs, parking lots, etc.
No glass in doors or tempered glass in doors
Slip-resistant anti-slip bathtub, flooring, mats in the bathroom
Grab bars in bathrooms

A number of additional measures should be taken if among your clients are families with children, since the latter in their creative games involve more risks than you normally can expect. So, for instance, if near the accommodation is a well, curious children are very likely to find it and check what is inside. That is why it shall be closed with a cover that can be taken off only by adults. In a similar way, if there is a wall, an abrupt slope or a waste pit nearby, barriers should be installed. High banisters are necessary inside the building - at the staircase and at the balcony.

Sharp tools and machinery (e.g., lawn grazers), matches, lighters, gas devices, fire extinguishers, and any kind of chemicals or cleaners should be kept out of children’s reach, as they usually attract children as magnet. For the same reason, the electrical outlets in the rooms and throughout the building should be made safe. The most efficient devices are caps for the electrical outlets, which are out of use, preventing children from putting fingers or small objects into the socket. Swivel covers allow plug in appliances but close automatically when the outlet is not in use. If there are cooking devices in the guest room at the family’s disposal, stove knob covers made as plastic domes can help prevent children from turning on the oven and consequent burns. In a likely way, a multi-purpose durable latch can be used to lock the microwave, dishwasher, refrigerator, freezer and other appliances.

If you have extra-facilities, you need to take extra safety measures. So, for example, constant supervision or preferably a camera installed at the reception, are needed for controlling the swimming pool. Also, the warning should be made to the parents that children are allowed in the swimming pool only under the control of adults, and you are not liable for accidents. If you practice preparing food on the open fire, the barbeque place should be dug into the ground or made out of stone so that it never accidentally falls, rolls and burns the child.

Checklist on Children’s Safety

Safe electric plugs (caps, swivel covers)
High banisters at the balcony-staircase
Storage of tools, chemicals and potentially dangerous objects out of children’s reach
Special devices for household appliances (stove knob covers, appliance latch)
Slip-resistant tub, anti-slip mats, inflatable covers for metallic part of the bathtub
At the swimming pool - rules, supervision, warning to the parents
Barriers and covers for wells, pits, slopes
Safe barbeque place