Health and Safety Regulation in Hospitality Industry

Health and Safety Regulation in Hospitality Industry POLICY DEVELOPMENT IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY Question 1: In the context of the CDM Regulations and the refurbishment of a floor of bedrooms in a multi storey hotel, critically outline the purpose and content of the Health and Safety Plan and Health and Safety File. Discuss the relationship between the two components and how the Health and Safety File will be of benefit to contractors in the future. Critically assess the merits of the Building Regulations application process and construction technique utilised for Mcdonalds modular drive through restaurants. The following will evaluate the best way of refurbishing a floor of bedrooms in a multi storey hotel so that the renovated building complies with all relevant health and safety legislation and regulations. The requirement to meet all the relevant health and safety legislation and standards means that the designers and the builders of renovations are as legally responsible as the hotel owners for all breeches of those requirements. Failure to meet regulatory standards could leave the constructors liable for civil prosecution or prone to litigation by the hotel owners, the hotel staff besides the hotel guests. Prosecution or litigation that could take years after the original renovation was actually completed (Youell, 2003 p. 99). The best way to develop a renovation plan that will receive planning permission from the appropriate local authority is to know exactly which health and safety regulations the proposed renovation needs to fully comply with. If the hotel is exempt from any of the health and safety regulations or the hotel owners believe that it is exempt from those standards it is always best to double check. Besides ignorance of the law is not an excuse for breaking it, and it will not protect contractors from legal action been taken against them. Of more immediate concern for contractors tasked with renovations a failure to abide to all building or health and safety regulations could result in the refusal of planning permission. After all it will only cause delays if the renovation plans are refused planning permission or if such breeches of the health and safety standards are missed at that stage and leave the design firm as well as the hotel owners liable to prosecution or litigation. Renovation w ork that does not reach the required health and safety standards might not be good enough to last over the long-term without the need to be repaired or eventually replaced due to its low quality (Youell, 2003 p. 99). Therefore to ensure that the renovation proposals receive planning permission and are legally sound a Health and Safety Plan as well as a Health and Safety File are necessarily developed and maintained to safeguard the building contractors and the hotel owners from both accidents and legal proceedings. The purpose of the health and safety plan is to ensure that the hotel will be fully compliant with the health and safety regulations that it is required to meet so as to function legally as a hotel. To make a fully functioning health and safety plan not only needs a strong knowledge of relevant regulations; it also requires the blueprints or plans for the hotel itself. An understanding of the hotel’s layout is essential with regard to making the health and safety plan practical and well designed. The objective of the health and safety plan is to make sure all the safety measures within the hotel are clearly accessible thus allowing both hotel staff and all hotel guests to remain safe in any emergency situation. The content of the health and safety plan would include the design layout and the exact location of fire fighting equipment, first exits, fire alarms, and any available first aid facilities. The plan should also include where hotel employees and guests meet, should the hotel have to be evacuated, especially in the event of a fire taking hold of the premises. Consideration should also be given to the fitting of smoke alarms, fire alarms, and sprinkler systems (Youell, 2003 p. 99). Besides considering fire safety procedures, and first aid measures the health and safety plan should include measures to maintain hygiene standards in the kitchens, toilets, dining areas, and the guest bedrooms. Good hygiene standards are needed to ensure that the hotel remains clean, tidy, and free of dirt, allowing the hotel staff and all guests to avoid food poisoning or infection. The plan needs take into account the location of the kitchens, rubbish bins, and toilets in relation to the bedrooms used by guests. Poor hygiene standards and food poisoning could prove to be very bad for the future of the hotel, as it may bring it to the attention of environmental health officers that have the power to close it down until the hotel meets the minimum required regulatory standards (Bloomsbury, 2005 p.124). Another factor for maintaining the good hygiene of the hotel is the straightforward one of guests not wishing to return to dirty and unclean accommodation (Bloomsbury, 2005 p. 155). The purpose of the Health And Safety File is to record how the hotel complies with all relevant regulations before, during, and after the proposed renovations. The file is meant to ensure that the hotel sticks to the measures it set out in the Health and Safety Plan. The file should record the health and safety performance of the hotel with regard to the maintenance of equipment, facilities, as well as all the procedures that enhance safety standards or good hygiene. The Health and Safety File should also keep a note of all the training that the staff at the hotel is given in respect of maintaining and implementing safety measures and all hygiene standards. The hotel staff should ideally be given training to use fire fighting equipment when it is safe to do so, to provide first aid when needed, and carry out practice fire safety drills. When necessary staff will need to be given extra training should they not perform their duties to a high enough level to comply with the standards se t out in regulations. The Health and Safety File should also ensure that all hotel guests have access to information about the location of fire safety equipment, first aid facilities, and the assembly point in case of the hotel being evacuated (Youell, 2003 p. 99). There should be a strong relationship between the Health and Safety Plan and the Health and Safety File. The two items should compliment each other, as together they provide the means to plan and implement safety and hygiene standards at the hotel. The Health and Safety Plan sets out how the safety and hygiene standards will be achieved, whilst the Health and Safety File is intended to record what is actually happening at the hotel in terms of complying with regulations. The Health and Safety File by itself could be very useful to any contractors that need to carry out any building or renovation work at the hotel, as a means of checking the record of the hotel in meeting regulatory requirements. Contractors would be able to consult the Health and Safety File if they have any queries regarding the equipment, facilities, as well as the safety and hygiene procedures used by the staff at the hotel. If the Health and Safety File has been kept up to date consulting it will allow the contra ctors to know whether or not the hotel has been adhering to the regulations it is legally supposed to do at all times. Knowing if the hotel is not complying with regulation would give the contractor the opportunity to suggest building alterations or changes in safety and hygiene procedures that if implemented mean the hotel does comply with all relevant regulations (Bloomsbury, 2005 p. 155). There are ways of ensuring that a company only has to pay minimal attention to completing Health and Safety Plans and Files without breaking the regulations or ignoring the spirit of the law. The fast food company MacDonalds has probably devised the best way of minimising the planning permission required whilst adhering to the statutory safety and hygiene standards set out in regulations and legislation. As a company MacDonalds has made its fortune and its reputation by the mass standardisation of its restaurants, equipment, staff training, marketing image, and finally but by no means least its food products. People know what they are going to get when they go into a MacDonalds anywhere in the world, and more of them like it than dislike it (www.LHC.ORG.UK). MacDonalds believe that the standardisation process is definitely a successful strategy when it comes down to gaining rapid planning permission and complying with safety and hygiene standards. Planning authorities will be made aw are by the company that their restaurants are pr-designed to pass safety and hygiene standards, whilst all new staff will be fully trained to make sure that standards are always adhered to (Mason, 2005 p.44). The senior management are well aware of the benefits of standardisation, if one design passes safety and hygiene standards it is adopting that design for all its restaurants as that makes financial, marketing, and practical sense to do so (www.LHC.ORG.UK). MacDonalds have developed modular drive through restaurants as a method of constructing new outlets quickly at the same time as passing the Building Regulations application process. As a company MacDonalds has always set out to have all its ordinary and drive through restaurants designed to look exactly the same as each other as well as also having the same features and equipment. For MacDonalds having restaurants that look the same everywhere they are constructed has been a highly successful branding strategy and exercise that has allowed the firm to expand impressively across the globe. To be more precise it is a global franchise which, has expanded due to its high profits and relatively low capital costs (Mason, 2005 p. 44). However the merits of using modular designs go beyond marketing ploys and serve pragmatic purposes. When MacDonalds set out to design its modular drive through restaurants it certainly took the Building Regulation application process into account. The modular drive through restaurant was designed to meet safety and hygiene standards in as many countries as possible, so that they could be constructed in as many places as the company would like. The low cost of construction when combined with the ease of gaining planning at the same time as being able to pass all safety and hygiene standards makes buying into the MacDonalds franchise a good investment. The prefabricated structures have the advantage of not requiring a high degree of planning permission than buildings wholly constructed on site (www.LHC.ORG.UK). MacDonalds have found that with experience that prefabricated designs that already fully meet planning requirements and regulations will undoubtedly gain full building permission quickly wherever the proposed restaurant is located. The rapid gaining of building permission allows MacDonalds to have all its new drive through restaurants trading sooner rather than later. The new drive through restaurants thus quickly re-coup their modest construction costs and go into profit. Profits are not only made quickly; they are also made over a long-term basis as well. The use of prefabricated designs and materials therefore allows MacDonalds to expand its total number of restaurants at a much lower capital cost than many of its competitors. The beauty of the modular drive through restaurant design is that it is cheap and durable, yet it could also be quickly modified if it needed to be (Mason, 2005 p. 44). The modular design allows for standardised equipment to be fitted, equipment that could b e easily updated modified or completely replaced should building regulations alter, or if the company purchases improved equipment. The modular design is meant to be really simple to construct, maintain and keep clean. The simplicity of the kitchen areas is intended to make it easier to train staff to cook and prepare food as well as cleaning areas to maintain hygiene standards. The training of staff does not take long as all processes and procedures, as well as equipment and food is standardised. The simplicity of the whole operation means that food is prepared, cooked, and served faster (Bloomsbury, 2005 p. 117). Simplicity and standardisation keep costs low, product prices highly competitive, and the company’s profits high. Providing that all staff are trained and keep to the procedures they are taught the company should always be able to maintain safety and hygiene standards whilst never having to wait long for planning permission (www.LHC.ORG.UK). Question 2: Explain how the analysis of a local authority Development Plan can help the senior management team of a national hotel chain identify a suitable site for a new budget hotel in a particular locality? The majority of local authorities in Britain will have development plans to control where and whether new businesses or retail units would be constructed within the areas they control the planning for. Local authorities make up Development Plans as a means of generating wealth, creating jobs and regenerating run down districts and would wish to include such firms within their Development Plan. Development Plan would include the precise locations of where the new offices, hotels, and retail units would be sited. The Development Plan provides further useful information for the senior management to consider besides the proposed or the approved locations of other companies. For instance, every Development Plan should give the location of roads, motorways, railways, and rivers near or within the locality controlled by the local authority concerned. Other information that could be relevant to the locating of the new budget hotel could include local tourist attractions or places that would make hotels less attractive for potential guests, like waste ground, factories, or prisons. If the new budget hotel could be located near the most attractive features of the town or city it is a bonus in terms of marketing the hotel before it opens and expanding the number guests once it has opened. If the company has to locate the hotel in a less attractive site the company could consider pulling out of its construction or consider different ways of marketing it if it is actually built. The company would however wish to avoid being located in areas where it could not guarantee the safety of their guests and their staff, as more would have to be spent on security measures such as fencing or patrolled car parks. The company could find it useful to contact local people and possibly the Police to find out which parts of the town or city they need to avoid when picking the locality of their new budget hotel. Local authorities will make the Development Plan available for the public and b usinesses to examine which allows any firms that wish to open premises within the area to apply for a place within that plan. For the Senior Management of a budget hotel chain that would want to open a new hotel inside a particular locality being able to analyse the local authority’s Development Plan would offer definite advantages when it comes to making the new budget hotel a long-term success (www.LHC.ORG.UK). The exact location of any new budget hotel could make all the difference between it being a successful part of the firm or it being a loss making failure. From a study of the Development Plan the Senior Management should be aware of the alternative sites available for the location of the proposed new hotel, as well as the placing of other new businesses within the development area. Senior Management should have a strong knowledge of the best places and the worst places to locate new budget hotels when it comes down to maximising the number of guests that stay there. Analysing the Development Plan would make Senior Management fully aware of the local authority intentions of which firms to allocate land to, for the construction of their new outlets, offices, or hotels. The most prestigious firms will want to locate in the most prime positions possible to fit in with their corporate image, whilst a low budget hotel firm might not need to do the same. A low budget hotel does not have to obtain a prestigious land site, it does however have to be based if at all possible on land that is near to town or city centres, and ideally is easily accessible for as many potential guests as possible. The senior management would find it useful to locate the new budget hotel near the main roads, the railway, close to local businesses, and preferably with free secure car parking spaces available. Such a location would be a good selling point to business travellers and tourists a like. If they could gain an accurate analysis of the Development Plan then it increases the chances of securing a good locality for the new budget hotel (www.LHC.ORG.UK). The hotel company could benefit from examining the Development Plan as it would allow them to know if they could use prefabricated designs that permit the construction to be finished earlier and thus earning revenue sooner. If the hotel chain already uses prefabricated designs and construction techniques then it will them greater flexibility when it comes down to the precise locality of the new budget hotel. Flexibility that stems from the savings in construction costs being able to provide a bit of leeway if the price of being in a better location is higher than first anticipated. A sound understanding of the development plan would enable senior management to have the locality and the rapid construction of the new budget hotel finalised as soon as possible. Such an understanding would thus grant the company more time to advertise the opening of the new hotel at an early stage to maximise the number of guests upon its opening. The evaluation of the Development Plan would also give se nior management a precise idea of the number of hotels within the town or city that are already built and those hotels that are planned. Knowledge of the hotels within the district gives senior management invaluable information when it comes down to the marketing, and pricing strategy for the new budget hotel which could make all the difference between success and failure. Knowing the nature, location, as well as the strengths and the weaknesses of all its rivals within the locality could certainly prove very beneficial to the senior management in selling the merits of the new budget hotel in relation to its competitors. Senior management could also take advantage of the company’s brand name and its reputation. Marketing for the new budget hotel should emphasis that the locality will soon be able to benefit from the arrival of a low cost hotel that happens to provide high quality service (www.LHC.ORG.UK). Bibliography Bloomsbury Reference, (2005) Dictionary of Leisure, Travel, and Tourism – 3rd edition, Bloomsbury, London Mason P (2005) Tourism Impacts, Planning and Management, Elsvier, London www.LHC.ORG.UK Youell R, (2003) Complete A-Z Travel Leisure Handbook – 2nd edition, Hodder Stoughton, London

Analysis of As You Like It by Daniel Maclise :: As You Like It Daniel Maclise Literature Essays

Analysis of As You Like It by Daniel Maclise During the time that France was divided into provinces (or dukedoms as they were called) there reigned in one of these provinces an usurper, who had deposed and banished his elder brother, the lawful duke. The duke, who was thus driven from his dominions, retired with a few faithful followers to the forest of Arden; and here the good duke lived with his loving friends, who had put themselves into a voluntary exile for his sake, while their land and revenues enriched the false usurper; and custom soon made the life of careless ease they led here more sweet to them than the pomp and uneasy splendour of a courtier's life. Here they lived like the old Robin Hood of England, and to this forest many noble youths daily resorted from the court, and did fleet the time carelessly, as they did who lived in the golden age. In the summer they lay along under the fine shade of the large forest trees, marking the playful sports of the wild deer; and so fond were they of these poor dappled fools, who seemed to be the native inhabitants of the forest, that it grieved them to be forced to kill them to supply themselves with venison for their food. When the cold winds of winter made the duke feel the cha nge of his adverse fortune, he would endure it patiently, and say: 'These chilling winds which blow upon my body are true counsellors; they do not flatter, but represent truly to me my condition; and though they bite sharply, their tooth is nothing like so keen as that of unkindness and ingratitude. I find that howsoever men speak against adversity, yet some sweet uses are to be extracted from it; like the jewel, precious for medicine, which is taken from the head of the -venomous and despised toad.' In this manner did the patient duke draw a useful moral from everything that he saw; and by the help of this moralizing turn, in that life of his, remote from public haunts, he could find tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything. The banished duke had an only daughter, named Rosalind, whom the usurper, duke Frederick, when he banished her father, still retained in his court as a companion for his own daughter Celia.

Analysis of “The Author to Her Book”

What is the most useful thing you have learned about the teaching process? What would be your ‘top tips' to others? [Responses from 70 school librarians surveyed by Netskills in 2007] To introduce an element of fun into training. Happy people are more likely to learn plan your activities be flexible – if it doesn't work ditch it try not to do too much in one session review your session and adapt it some classes respond differently to others learners need to be involved and engaged with the learning process 1. Make the skill you are trying to teach relevant to the students at their point of need. . Don't underestimate the power of â€Å"†modelling†Ã¢â‚¬  a process. keep trying – don't give up be strong be assertive stay calm be helpful and work as part of a team It's not as difficult as some teachers make it look! Manageable bites – do not attempt to serve the whole in one ‘IT'. Fairness & honesty – sounds woolly but children spot a phony immediately. Also – we are here to educate not be their next best friend. Consistency – links with the above. Sense of humour! Teaching starts with the learner – they need to be engaged and understand what they are being offered is relevant and useful.Sessions need to be clearly structured in small steps so the learner can succeed and build confidence. Don't try to pack too much into one session – it's much better to cover the information carefully and allow time to recap at the end. Be well prepared Know your subject matter inside out Be able to ad lib if necessary Look at the broader aspects of the Curriculum including assessment. Education is our market so get involved with academic staff and what they do. With young people activities always take much longer to deliver than you expect.You need to be able to make learning available in different ways – some people will respond to a hands on approach – others want everything in hando uts to be able to refer back to – and others want demonstrations. Being flexible and not making people feel unsuccessful if they take a long time to learn something new or need to repeat activities is very important in helping people to learn. – not to try to do / teach too much at any time – that children have different ways of leaning so to make any input as varied as possible.Willingness to learn, make mistakes, review and revise, collaborate well with school staff and sustain motivation and a professional image seem to be very important. That people learn in different ways, and that you need to think about this when presenting materials – sometimes you can present the most important details more than once, using approaches to suit different learning styles (eg in a presentation, in a quiz, and in a handout) Try to forget how you might be teaching and to concentrate on what they are learning. Focus on 1 thing at a time, just because you don't get them for long, don't try to cram in everything possible.Have your 2/3 learning objectives spelled out at beginning (tell them what they are going to learn, teach it and then check understanding) Make sure that the information is accurate and appropriate to the level of the learner Try to make it as multi-sensory as possible to stop them getting bored – keep it short and useful Give handouts to assist further development Always check your timing is realistic and plan the lesson well Be aware of different styles of learning. Use the same structure for planning lessons as the teaching staff. Have a plan B in case of IT failure, over/underrunning time.Make it as relevant as you can, spend as much time as possible with the students so you know exactly what they are trying to research and what their strengths and weaknesses are. Try to meet as many learning styles as you can. Observe and learn from teachers in the classroom and follow same strategies and techniques e. g Starter activiti es Main body Clear aims and objectives Plenary Take account of different learning styles Mindmapping Differentiated work Listen. Don't expect everyone to understand first time. Pace yourself Change the way you present information eg practical, etcThe different ways in which children learn and the necessity to pitch lessons across a range of abilities. To listen and respond positively, encouraging rather than demoralising. Different people learn in different ways. Include a variety of strategies in each lesson. Make the content relevant to the context. Plan what you're going to do but be flexible enough to go with the flow. You need to understand your audience. Keep it SMARTER make it fun! Develop your own style of presentation and learn behaviour management â€Å"Remember that the members of any class will have a mixture of preferred learning styles-make sure there is variety.Do not be too dominated by your own preferred style Be well prepared, lack of organisation will show Have m ore material than you need: make sure there are extension activities available Make sure your audience think you are prepared to listen to them as well as teach them I used to be very concerned not to appear to patronise HE students and at first, tended to expect too much from them-then I discovered that actually they respond well to simple presentations with graphics etc, So, my advice would be: ‘Pitch your lesson to be simple and accessible, then differentiate the assessment challenge to the level(s) of ability/student expectation'.This works in school just as it did in HE Skills that have proved most useful have been to vary pace and delivery style. I would offer these ideas as top tips: Use the three part lesson – a clear opening giving objectives, body of what you want to convey and then a plenary to ensure the main points have been absorbed. Vary your delivery method and types of support material to address the different learning styles. Encourage student question ing at higher levels to improve their learning processes. Allow peer teaching to take place between the students – great way to cascade new knowledge.Use student evaluation to improve the lessons. Ask teachers for advice on planning activities, try and get to meetings on secondary strategy, etc Be flexible – what works with one class may not work with another. It is a waste of time telling students what they don't need to know at that time. You need to consider the different ways in which people learn and structure your teaching accordingly in order to ensure that as many people as possible benefit from your session. Students need to ‘have a go' themselves to make learning more relevant. Teaching is a two way process. planning is key ind out what students know beforehand/build on prior knowledge connect the learning cater for variety of learning styles focus on process as much if not more than content develop learner attributes allow time for practice/reflection on learning teach skills in relevant context offer extension activities for G and differentiate carefully for individual learning needs look confident even if you're not! You never stop learning. More teachers should know this, but they don't. Be aware of the level of work involved in teaching, especially creating classwork and assessment. Aim low – whoever you are teaching. Keep calmBe well prepared Keep it simple Try out any worksheets yourself to make sure they can be completed in the time available. Have extension activities ready for the more able who will finish early. Keep instructions/worksheets simple – too much text is a turn-off. Be aware of different learning styles – you'll naturally write things to suit your own style but not everyone learns the way you do! † Listen. Be well prepared. Continually assess if the pupils are understanding as you deliver the lesson. Preparation of materials [sometimes differentiated] is key and the willingness to be flexible and adapt materials as necessary.Be aware of your timing Match the activity/material(s) to the ability/age of the students† Keep it informal and use their individual interests to garner enthusiasm Different presentation styles for different audiences Don't talk too much Active participation of audience Know your audience's ability – don't use jargon they can't understand, don't patronise Think about different styles of presenting information – don't overuse PowerPoint. Be prepared to repeat yourself and back up the information you give in many different formats and on many occasions.Be passionate about what you are doing – students soon pick up if you are bored with the subject yourself. Be prepared to adapt to change within your organisation. Keep an open mind and be prepared to adapt the ways you can teach library inductions, information literacy and support whole school literacy in line with your school's priorities. Creativity is key! Be we ll prepared. It'll always take longer than you think. Never show fear! I have found observing, associating and learning from teachers (and sometimes their mistakes! ) has been the key element in the growth of my own understanding of teaching.It's an ongoing learning process! Ask for help/ advice/ support from sympathetic teaching colleagues &/ or Staff Development Coordinator. Starting in a new school – ask to shadow a form for a day & ask to follow up with occasional lesson observations of teachers with different teaching styles (& different year groups). Planning and preparation are key. Ensure you know what equipment you need before the lesson starts and that it works; arrange furniture in a way that you want it. Ensure that you know what outcomes you want from your lesson and how you are going to achieve them.Make sure that all pupils are involved. Don't just talk but make sure that each lesson has variety within it – questions and answers, worksheets etc. Ensure t hat you sum-up what you have covered at the end of the lesson. Make everything that you talk about relevant to the pupils. Teaching comes in a variety of formats and styles differ enormously among teachers. It is more difficult than we think and easier than teachers make us believe. Teaching is changing constantly. Listen to and learn from the children you teach. Teachers are learners themselves and good teachers know this.With their unique set of skills, most librarians would be very able to complete an equivalent to a PGCE. Be confident, assertive and fair. Be well prepared – plan effectively. Relax – pupils smell fear. Include variety in the lesson, don't talk for too long – pupil attention spans are limited. Liaise with teaching staff. be ahead of all requests – if possible. Be concise, but pertinent. patience! I was totally thrown in at the deep end in my first job as I was expected to teach with no training what-so-ever AND my teaching was OFSTED in spected that year (although I did point out to the inspector that I wasn't a teacher. Over the last 9 years I have taught myself by reading and watching other staff. I have written my own lesson plans and schemes of work. In my current role I am teaching a lot of IT and would like to train to be an IT teacher but can't afford to have the time off work to do the teaching practice. It would be nice to have some teaching qualification for school librarians taking this into consideration. Find an ally on the teaching staff and ask for help. Be prepared to ask for and accept guidance. Have a number of areas in the curriculum where you think teaching of research skills can be integrated and explain with a lesson plan.Have to be flexible. Teachers think on their feet! Need to have various ways of explaining- not all pupils learn in the same way. Use the same methods as teachers in your school: class line up outside, take register, require silence before speaking, students seated boy-girl. Adapt to how your school does these things. Vary methods – do not expect students to be able to sit still for a long time. Use music, get students to move around, use competition between groups of students, engage children with controlled use of ICT and encourage multi-media. Act like a member of teaching staff using school behaviour policy.Have high expectations of students in terms of their learning and behaviour. Get feedback from students and teachers and use this to improve your sessions for the next time. Learn from other librarians and share things that work. To teach something pupils actually want to learn, or show them how useful it will be to know more about the topic. With regards to library skills it should be within a course that teaches information skills, as that is essential. Adapting material to individual needs. Also using a variety of methods, particularly ‘hands-on' or kinaesthetic activities.

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