What are the Latest Hotel Panic Button Compliance and Brand Mandates in the United States?
Over the past few years, the hospitality industry has been making significant efforts to improve the cleanliness and safety of its properties. One of the most prominent initiatives in this regard is the 5-Star Promise, which is a safety pledge made by major hotel brands. As part of this initiative, hotel employees in the United States are provided with panic buttons to ensure their safety while on the job.
However, the importance of hotel panic buttons goes beyond just the 5-Star Promise. Local cities and states have also recognized their significance in ensuring the safety of hotel employees. As a result, many have passed legislation that makes panic buttons a safety compliance requirement for hotels. This is a significant step towards protecting the well-being of hotel workers and improving the overall safety of the hospitality industry.
In this blog, we will delve into the latest hotel panic button compliance and brand mandates in the United States. We will explore the various state and city laws that require hotels to provide panic buttons to their employees and the specific details of each mandate.
It is essential to note that compliance with these mandates is crucial for hotels, as failure to comply can result in hefty fines and legal repercussions. Therefore, it is essential for hotel owners and operators to stay informed about the latest panic button compliance requirements and brand mandates.
What are the Hotel Panic Button Compliance Requirements in Georgia?
Currently, Georgia is in the process of implementing its own mandates, specifically Senate Bill 389. This bill requires all tourist court employers to provide a panic device, at no cost to the service employee, to each employee who is assigned to work in a guest room without any other employees present.
The Department of Public Health in Georgia is responsible for developing and providing a program for panic button compliance. This program must be created through rules and regulations and have a pending approval date on or before January 1, 2023. The deadline for compliance with this mandate is December 15, 2022.
To comply with the mandate, Georgia hotels must provide a two-way radio or other electronic device to employees, enabling them to communicate with or summon immediate on-scene assistance from a security officer, manager, supervisor, or other appropriate tourist court staff member. This ensures that employees can get help quickly in case of an emergency.
It is crucial for hotel owners and operators to comply with Georgia’s panic button mandate as failure to do so can result in hefty fines and legal repercussions. It is essential to familiarize oneself with the specific requirements of the mandate and ensure that the necessary panic button devices are provided to employees.
What are the Hotel Panic Button Compliance Requirements in Illinois?
Illinois is one of the states that have implemented panic button compliance mandates to ensure the safety of hotel and casino employees. Effective as of March 1, 2021, the state passed the Hotel and Casino Employee Safety Act, which requires each hotel and casino to equip an employee who is assigned to work in a guest room, restroom, or casino floor, under circumstances where no other employee is present in the room or area, with a safety or notification device.
So, what are the panic button requirements for Illinois hotels and casinos? The mandate specifies that a portable emergency contact device must be provided to employees, and it must be supplied by the hotel or casino employer. The device must use technology that the employer deems appropriate for the property’s size, physical layout, and technological capabilities. This ensures that the device is tailored to the specific needs of the hotel or casino.
The device provided to employees must also be designed so that it can be quickly and easily activated to alert a hotel or casino security officer, manager, or other appropriate staff member designated by the hotel or casino. This ensures that prompt assistance can be provided to the employee in case of an emergency.
What are the Hotel Panic Button Compliance Requirements in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts is in the process of implementing its own panic button compliance mandates to ensure the safety of hotel employees. The Bill H.1657 Safer Hotels for Workers Act is currently pending, and if passed, it will require hotels with 25 or more rooms to provide a panic button to employees who work in guest rooms or enclosed areas where no other employee is present and where guests may be reasonably expected to be present.
The mandate also requires the development and maintenance of a program to educate hotel employees regarding the use of panic buttons and their rights in case they activate their panic buttons. The program may include written information and should encourage hotel employees to activate panic buttons when appropriate.
So, what are the panic button requirements for Massachusetts hotels? The mandate specifies that a portable emergency contact device must be provided to employees, which they can quickly and easily activate to summon immediate on-scene assistance from a security officer, manager, supervisor, or other appropriate hotel staff member. This ensures that help can be provided to the employee in case of an emergency.
What are the Hotel Panic Button Compliance Requirements in New Jersey?
If you’re wondering about the panic button compliance requirements for hotels in New Jersey, here’s what you need to know. The state has implemented the Panic Button Law Bill, which requires hotels, inns, boarding houses, motels, or similar establishments with at least 100 guest rooms to provide panic buttons to each hotel employee assigned to work in a guest room without another employee present. The hotel must provide these devices at no cost to the employee, and the deadline for compliance was January 1, 2020.
Under the new law, hotel employees who reasonably believe they are in the presence of an ongoing crime, emergency, or immediate threat of assault or harassment may stop working, leave the immediate area, and wait for help to arrive. The hotel may not take any adverse action against an employee who exercises their right to use the panic button.
To comply with the mandate, New Jersey hotels must provide a two-way radio or other electronic device to employees, which should be kept on the employee’s person when they are in a guest room. The device should allow the employee to communicate with or summon immediate on-scene assistance from a security officer, manager, supervisor, or other appropriate hotel staff member. This ensures that employees can get help quickly in case of an emergency.
What are the Hotel Panic Button Compliance Requirements in Oakland, California?
Oakland, California, has implemented panic button compliance mandates through the Measure Z, Hotel Minimum Wage and Working Conditions ordinance. This ordinance requires hotel employers within the city that have 50 or more guest rooms to provide panic buttons to all hotel employees assigned to work in a guest room or bathroom without any other employees present. The effective date of this ordinance was July 1, 2022.
Under this ordinance, hotel employers are prohibited from disciplining an employee for using a panic button, except where the employer has “clear and convincing” evidence that the employee knowingly and intentionally made a false report of an emergency. Additionally, each hotel must place a sign on the back of each guest-room door about their provision of panic buttons.
So, what panic button requirements must Oakland hotels meet? The mandate specifies that an emergency contact device must be carried by the hotel employee, which allows them to alert another employee or security guard responsible for providing immediate on-scene assistance in case of an ongoing crime, threat, or other emergency. This ensures that employees can get help quickly in case of an emergency.
It is essential for hotel owners and operators in Oakland to comply with these mandates. Failure to do so can result in hefty fines and legal repercussions. Therefore, it is crucial to familiarize oneself with the specific requirements of the mandate and ensure that the necessary panic button devices are provided to employees.