America's Safest Companies 2019: Four Seasons Hotel, Houston
Four Seasons Hotel, Houston
Houston, Texas
Luxury hotel
358 Employees | 1 Site | 1 EHS Professional
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Four Seasons Hotel, Houston is a multiple ASC recipient for its continued commitment to world-class excellence. Although it’s uncommon for an individual site to be accepted for such an award, the hotel is the first in the hospitality industry to achieve and maintain OSHA VPP certification.
“To meet this standard of excellence, Four Seasons Hotel, Houston implements management initiatives and best practices to systematically integrate health and safety considerations into all activities,” says Shawn Finlay, VP of environmental health and safety. “All activities are to be conducted in a manner that ensures the protection of employees, contractors and visitors.”
While guest safety had previously been top priority for the hotel, which is consistent in the hotel industry, the Houston location’s safety system has helped ensure the health, wellness and safety of its hotel employees is maintained at the same level.
The location has created an injury prevention committee that includes employees and managers from all departments. The committee meets monthly, provides toolbox training to their departments, complete monthly safety inspections and are rewarded for performing proactive safety activities.
One leading indicator Four Seasons, Houston has implemented is a risk assessment and analysis process to identify and monitor the various risks and hazards of the business. The process provides a risk priority number to all identified risks and hazards, which are addressed based on priority (potential severity, potential frequency and current controls) and is department-specific.
An annual one-on-one consultation is conducted with department heads and prevention committee employee representatives to review hazards and risks and develop annual action and continuous improvement plans. Four Seasons, Houston also utilizes a change management program to identify projects and changes occurring that could add a new hazard or intensify existing risks.
Quarterly executive hotel inspections are made as well as monthly committee housekeeping inspections to address hazards before an injury occurs and to identity trends.
A hotel tracking system, HotSOS, is used to report, record and track all corrective actions completed throughout the property and tracks the time taken to close recommendations and requests.
“Each of our employees takes great pride in everything we do here at the hotel, and safety is always a priority,” says Tom Segesta, general manager. “Our team is dedicated to proactively creating and maintaining a safe and healthy work environment at all times, which not only benefits our employees, but our valued guests, as well.”