A continuous focus on health and safety

CHI Hotels and Resorts (CHI) recently held a detailed international conference on health and safety at the Corinthia Palace Hotel and Spa in Attard for its health and safety officers from all properties worldwide. These included the hotel brands of Corinthia, Wyndham, Ramada Plaza and independent hotels.

Motivated by CHI's health and safety expert Jacqueline Tanti-Dougall, the three-day event had 'Management of health and safety' as its main topic and included the launch of CHI's updated health and safety manual for each of its hotel properties.

The conference opened with an address by CHI's chief executive officer and managing director Tony Potter, who stressed the importance of having uniform and stringent health and safety standards in all CHI hotels to ensure the well-being of guests and staff at all times.

Underlining the focus that CHI Hotels has on these important issues, the conference was also attended by the company's chief financial officer Paul Bugeja.

Selected individuals from all CHI operated hotels have been appointed safety officers and their visit to Malta was part of an ongoing 'Train the Trainer' programme that is being implemented across the brands that CHI operates and other independently branded properties.

Mr Potter commented: "With some 5,000 employees and as many resident guests and walk-in clients using our hotels at any given moment, health and safety issues are a major objective and the company's inherent responsibilities enormous. It is for this reason that rather than outsourcing our requirements, we have chosen to empower our own people, who know our properties better than anyone, and whose intimate knowledge of their hotels can be relied upon to guarantee a high level of efficiency and commitment to our newly established health and safety standards."

Key speakers included Dr Tanti-Dougall, insurance consultant Stuart McCreadie, Kevin Gauci from the Occupational Health and Safety Authority, Stanley Zammit and Paul Sciriha.

The training officers also spent an entire day at the Civil Protection Department at Ħal Far, where hands-on training in firefighting and related techniques was conducted by chief fire officer Anthony Pisani.

The conference also served as an opportunity for all participants from the various hotels to meet on a social level and experience the many attractions Malta has to offer.

Proficiency certificates were awarded to participants by Mr Potter at the end of the conference.