A historical demand of the ‘kellys’, the hotel maids, is being addressed: only 12% of hotels in the Canary Islands have height-adjustable beds. This is not a whim, as many of their work-related health issues stem from joint or back problems due to the weight of furniture they need to move daily for room cleaning. This is reflected in the second study on ergonomic and psychosocial conditions in the Canary Islands hotel sector. Presented in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, this document, which follows the first one from nearly ten years ago in 2016, serves as a guide for the Canary Government’s Tourism Department to implement measures in the upcoming Tourism Law of the Canary Islands.
“Much work remains to be done” says the responsible counselor, Jéssica de León, acknowledging the need for improvement in occupational risk prevention, especially in departments with heavier workloads or higher accident rates. The Canary Institute of Occupational Safety (Icasel), which conducted the study, is also preparing a similar one for the non-hotel sector and apartments.
The general director of Labor, José Ramón Rodríguez, pointed out that even though some hotels have adjustable beds, “not all are effective, as workers still bear the weight and suffer from related illnesses.”
Other demands include movable carts, though the study reveals only a few establishments have them. Many hotels have carpets, making it difficult to move heavily loaded carts, Rodríguez noted.
Room allocation concerns are also raised. Out of 5,177 people surveyed, 89% are women. Only one in three hotels has conducted time studies, and less than half have set a maximum number of rooms based on cleaning type.
These demands have caused tension between employers and unions in the Tenerife province, where strikes occurred on Holy Thursday and Good Friday to push for a contract meeting workers’ demands. Nearly half of Canary Islands’ hotel accommodations, notably three to five-star hotels, have not conducted specific psychosocial risk assessments affecting workers’ physical, mental, and social health.
The study includes 121 hotels, representing 82% of Canary hotel establishments with three to five stars, covering 97% of available accommodations: 32% are in Tenerife, 27% in Gran Canaria, 19% in Fuerteventura, 18% in Lanzarote, 2% each in La Palma and La Gomera, with El Hierro having 11 participating establishments.
Subcontracting is significant, especially in three-star hotels, with Gran Canaria leading at 48.5%, followed by Tenerife and Fuerteventura. There’s no clear correlation between ergonomic and psychosocial risk management and hotel category. Efforts should ensure subcontracting doesn’t negatively impact workers’ safety and health, indicated the counselor.
Elirerto Galván, director of Icasel, highlighted protocols against various violence types, noting better implementation against sexual harassment compared to psychological harassment. Protocols for external occupational violence remain low, especially in three-star hotels, despite high client interaction, he concluded.
