Firefighters encounter many known and obvious health risks—smoke inhalation, burns, and so on—but they also face an invisible threat. Exposure to carcinogens at the fireground is a serious health risk that is only recently being addressed in the industry. The results of a National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health study that linked firefighting with higher risk of cancer have sparked much-needed discussion of this issue. 

When creating food safety management plans, Food Safety and Quality Assurance (FSQA) managers must look at the big picture. In addition to choosing sanitation products that are effective and meet regulatory requirements, it is also important to think about the business as a whole. Regular sanitation and deep cleans will always require time and resources, but the more you can streamline processes, the more cost-effective your food safety management program will be. 

The importance of sanitation and hygiene in hotel and restaurant operations cannot be understated. As service providers that regularly interact with customers, prepare food, and clean shared spaces, hotel and restaurant employees must be properly trained and must always have supplies available to ensure defined procedures are followed. The potential consequences of not following sanitation protocols could be illness, loss of trust, and long-term damage to your brand.

When flooding from a hurricane or other natural disaster causes property damage, people are primarily worried about the immediate aftermath, which includes replacing furniture, dealing with insurance claims, and so on. Meanwhile, mold is growing on surfaces inside the building, both in plain sight and hidden from view.

As the world gradually returns to pre-pandemic activities, more restaurants are opening their doors. Service ranges from delivery and take-out only to full indoor seating options, especially in the colder months. With more people sharing spaces in restaurants, it’s more important than ever to maintain safe food spaces. Having a restaurant sanitation checklist will help ensure that your team is doing all it can to keep employees and patrons safe.

Firefighters rely on turnout gear to protect them from heat, smoke, flames, and other potential hazards, including toxic chemicals. Turnout gear—which is essentially all of the PPE worn to a fire scene—includes helmets, gloves, pants, jackets, boots, and any clothing worn underneath. Turnout gear has evolved over the years as the role of firefighters continues to expand and new information has been uncovered through research. Technological developments in materials also contribute to new trends in fire turnout gear. Whatever the kit includes, when it’s exposed to the fireground, it is potentially contaminated and should be treated before returning to the station. 

The global pandemic has brought new awareness to sanitation practices across virtually all industries, but especially those where individuals interact in shared spaces such as schools, restaurants, fitness facilities, and healthcare facilities. Sanitation in the hotel industry has always been of paramount importance, but increased risk of illness has brought it to a new level over the past year. As people start to travel more in the coming months and years, hotel sanitation will continue to be more important than ever.

When disaster strikes, the short- and long-term effects can be devastating for businesses. In the short term, lost revenue and the inability to stay open present challenges for both owners and employees. In the long term, the investment required for rehabilitating damaged buildings can be overwhelming, even when insurance covers some costs. At the community level, the aftermath of a hurricane or other natural disaster can lead to disease and economic devastation.