There is no tourism without health. Every professional in the industry is aware of the importance of their clients’ health and safety and the huge impact a food poisoning or Legionella outbreak can have on tourist accommodations. A mistake, bad management, in this area can completely ruin the prestige and brand of a business’s tourist season or the entire hotel group.
Since the day it was founded as an association, HOSBEC is aware of the need to provide professional consultancy and training services in the field of health to all its employees and to deal with health authorities and tour operators in health crises or new situations. regulatory regulations. .
In 2003, HOSBEC-Salud was formally established as a technical consultancy and training department dedicated exclusively to providing services to relevant tourist accommodation, with four technicians specializing in food hygiene and water hygiene.
A complete department
Among the activities carried out by HOSBEC-Salud, activities for the development of health guides and technical documents for the hotel and tourist accommodation sector stand out. Among them, the HACCP Guide for food hygiene in Tourist Accommodations in the Community of Valencia, the general Guide for the Management of health crises in tourist accommodations, and the specific guides for the Management of Norovirus gastroenteritis outbreaks, or the various Management Guidelines in hotels and tourist accommodations developing during the Norovirus pandemic. Also in the area of ​​water hygiene, the Hygiene-Sanitary Management Guide of water facilities in tourist accommodation in the Community of Valencia or the protocol of action in case of faecal accidents in swimming pools stands out.
On the other hand, the food safety and water hygiene inspection service, which is an important tool for knowing and managing the risks associated with water hygiene (drinking water, bath water, facilities with a risk of Legionella spread) as well as food safety risks arising from catering. , etc.). HOSBEC-Health offers this universal and free auditing service to all employees, so each organization can learn about the level of risk in each area and even compare itself to other organizations of the same type through a scoring assessment system.
Consulting in the healthcare field can range from the hygienic design of a kitchen or SPA or the documentation of allergens in a menu, to legal advice in the event of a complaint or request or related complaints from customers in the field. .
Training of staff in the field of health is a fundamental aspect of health management of tourism enterprises, although it is required by law for many business activities (food processor, HACCP management, hygienic-sanitary maintenance of swimming pools, basic care of Legionella). risk facilities…), the regulation of educational institutions is practically zero. From HOSBEC they consider it very important to guarantee all employees this training with the highest quality and accessibility. Currently, lessons for the above-mentioned activities are offered face-to-face or in a hybrid video-face-to-face method (to be chosen by each student).
Another of the activities in this field is the verification of the measurement equipment, which means the calibration or verification of the measurement equipment critical in the healthcare field, which is mandatory as determined in the health management self-regulatory guidelines. This includes the verification of thermometers in food storage facilities or food acceptance control, thermometers in domestic hot water systems, free chlorine or pH meters in swimming pools or drinking water, turbidity meters, etc. includes. The association offers this service free of charge and universally with an annual calibration service for the equipment mentioned above.
HOSBEC-Health publishes a monthly bulletin with information on the subject, in addition to the information circular that can be issued when relevant news in this field is released, regarding the provision and dissemination of health-related information. It is popularized among hotel managers and department managers and keeps them up to date in these areas.
And finally, participation in various projects related to public health and tourism sector. Related to this, like any technical department, there is a large mixed bag of multiple and varied projects. In Hosbec’s case, the hotel’s program to prevent food waste stands out, the Healthy Holidays Program, which allows the development of nutritional labels for meals displayed at the buffet, with a guideline and relevant graphic information for minimizing food waste. .
Source: Informacion
James Sean is a writer for “Social Bites”. He covers a wide range of topics, bringing the latest news and developments to his readers. With a keen sense of what’s important and a passion for writing, James delivers unique and insightful articles that keep his readers informed and engaged.