Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 08-17-2011, 03:21 PM
 
2,093 posts, read 4,682,538 times
Reputation: 1121

Advertisements

Quote:
Originally Posted by esmith143 View Post
I am citing directly from the bill analysis. From some googling, it seems that 15 to 20 is most common, but 30 room quotas also exist in some places.

SB 432 Senate Bill - Bill Analysis

Also see here

As injuries soar, Sacramentans offer help to Hyatt's housekeepers » peoplesworld

and here

http://www.sustainableproduction.org...rt.pdf#page=31

I doubt that training housekeepers to prevent back injury would be cheaper than simply phasing out flat sheets and replacing them with fitted sheets over time.

Why do you think that? By your logic, OSHA training should be made obsolete and businesses would be happy with the increased expense on worker related injury cases at the expense of worker productivity.

I recognize that there is an issue with back injury related to service jobs, but I don't see how banning flat sheets will have any effect on reducing the injury risks for those who properly install flat sheets one corner at a time.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 08-17-2011, 03:28 PM
 
25,619 posts, read 36,583,845 times
Reputation: 23293
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ceece View Post
I'm not sure it's a waste of time if it's a problem for a significant number of workers. Not sure it needs to be a LAW however if the hotels can come to the same conclusion on their own. Unfortunately these days nobody wants to do anything unless they have to.

But I'm sure it's a matter of cost. With flat sheets you can use them for top and bottom, with fitted it's one more type of sheet to purchase.
Thinking about it critically I can see the cost savings.

Bulk and irregular shape of the fitted sheet would increase cleaning and handling costs. Plus the initial outlay is probably more expensive as I assume in a commercial environment you don't buy sheets in sets like a retail consumer. Plus the longevity of a fitted sheet is going to be less most likely because of the elastic corners wearing out before the rest of the sheet.

Now I can see major work comp issues with fraudulent back strain claims.

Yeah forget fitted sheets unless its a expense the individual company wants to invest in for happier customers and reduced WC fraud.

I know I hate those damn sheets pulling out at night on a poorly made hotel bed. However I have stayed at a few upper end hotels in the last year that are using fitted sheets.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-17-2011, 03:41 PM
 
Location: California
11,466 posts, read 19,315,515 times
Reputation: 12712
I think they should supply each room with a black light to inspect for sperm on the bed spread.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-17-2011, 03:45 PM
 
25,619 posts, read 36,583,845 times
Reputation: 23293
Quote:
Originally Posted by Roaddog View Post
I think they should supply each room with a black light to inspect for sperm on the bed spread.
Was wondering when someone was going to mention that. LOL
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-17-2011, 03:46 PM
 
Location: SW MO
23,593 posts, read 37,377,482 times
Reputation: 29336
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ceece View Post
But I'm sure it's a matter of cost. With flat sheets you can use them for top and bottom, with fitted it's one more type of sheet to purchase.
They also don't fold flat so there's a time issue if folded by hand, a major cost issue for a machine to fold them as well as the matter of storage space since they're bulkier.

As has been pointed out, the mattresses don't need to be lifted to slide the sheets under them. If the staff is too dumb to do it right they shouldn't be there. But once again, the CA Legislature caters to the lowest common denominator at some cost to everyone. Of course, that's the level they can best identify with.

Last edited by Curmudgeon; 08-17-2011 at 04:51 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-17-2011, 03:51 PM
 
624 posts, read 1,244,617 times
Reputation: 623
Here is another way to view this: Maybe the workers want the exercise. We are a nation of obese people, maybe the lifting ( properly with knees bent like our PE teacher taught us) is good for us. Teach the workers proper lifting techniques and enjoy the workout while getting paid for it. I am glad politicians have enough time to advocate for these type of laws instead of balancing the budget of California.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-17-2011, 03:58 PM
 
2,093 posts, read 4,682,538 times
Reputation: 1121
Quote:
Originally Posted by slowbill View Post
Here is another way to view this: Maybe the workers want the exercise. We are a nation of obese people, maybe the lifting ( properly with knees bent like our PE teacher taught us) is good for us. Teach the workers proper lifting techniques and enjoy the workout while getting paid for it. I am glad politicians have enough time to advocate for these type of laws instead of balancing the budget of California.
The wussification of American has taken effect.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-17-2011, 04:03 PM
 
Location: Escondido, CA
1,504 posts, read 6,138,767 times
Reputation: 886
Quote:
Originally Posted by TimC2462 View Post
Why do you think that? By your logic, OSHA training should be made obsolete and businesses would be happy with the increased expense on worker related injury cases at the expense of worker productivity.
No, I just think that multiple hours to train every housemaid in the proper lifting techniques (and I presume that the turnover among housemaids is rather high) would cost more to the business than using fitted sheets instead of flat sheet.

In either case, we're talking about sums which are largely inconsequential to the hotel (I'd guess that a fitted sheet costs 50c. more than a flat sheet, and it is reused 100 times, so mandating fitted sheets increases expenses of the hotel by 1 cent per room, per day). But, on the other hand, injury costs are real and significant. So either option is better than doing nothing.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-17-2011, 05:47 PM
 
Location: California
37,091 posts, read 42,072,811 times
Reputation: 34940
Quote:
As has been pointed out, the mattresses don't need to be lifted to slide the sheets under them. If the staff is too dumb to do it right they shouldn't be there.
I know my mother isn't "too dumb" and she won't have anything to do with the mattress anymore. It's still an unnecessary strain even to lift the corners if something is very heavy. Especially when you have to bend to do it. I don't doubt this is a problem, I just don't know if a law or a "ban" is necessary since it depends on the weight of the mattress and how many the housekeepers are expected to deal with in a set amount of time.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 08-17-2011, 06:24 PM
 
Location: SW MO
23,593 posts, read 37,377,482 times
Reputation: 29336
Quote:
Originally Posted by esmith143 View Post
No, I just think that multiple hours to train every housemaid in the proper lifting techniques (and I presume that the turnover among housemaids is rather high) would cost more to the business than using fitted sheets instead of flat sheet.
Funny! When I first started working I was supposed to know at least rudimentary skills necessary for the job. Why should housekeepers be any different? Rather than every employer establishing a training program, aren't there unions that would be happy to do it? Perhaps the community colleges could offer courses in bed-making, bathroom scrubbing, trash dumping and carpet vacuuming.

If you get the feeling I'm making light of this, bravo! You get it. More dumbing down of America. Heaven forbid people should be skilled enough and fit enough to do the job for which they've been hired. Instead, let's saddle employers with even more costs. That makes sense - NOT!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram

Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > California
View detailed profiles of:

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top