United States Bureau of Labor Statistics data show that in 2013, while the nonfatal injury and illness rate across all industries was 3.5, hotel and motel workers suffered a rate of 5.4. The most dangerous procedures were making beds, accounting for nearly 30 percent of all injuries, and cleaning bathrooms at 25 percent.

Obviously you want to do what you can to ensure your housekeeping staff stays as safe as possible. There are good, common-sense ways of doing just that.

Inventory the cleaning chemicals your staff uses, and check the health hazards of each. Chances are, you can substitute safer chemicals for some you’re currently using.

In many cases having longer or shorter-handled tools keeps staff from having to contort their bodies into awkward positions when cleaning which, when repeated, leads to injury. Ask them what they need. Lighter self-propelling vacuum cleaners with wheels designed for carpet can make a huge difference too.

Bathroom injuries are usually due to slipping on wet tile, or standing on the rim of the bathtub to save a bit of time cleaning high places. It’s recommended that staff should be either required to wear or supplied with no-slip footwear. They should also have proper step ladders or extension tools for cleaning high places.

Set reasonable cleaning schedules. If housekeepers are overworked or rushed through their cleaning they will take more risks and will not have time for their bodies to rest and recover properly. Making beds in particular requires the body to perform awkward and strenuous motions with heavy objects.

All housekeeping staff need to be trained how to properly lift and move heavy furniture, especially mattresses, which have more than doubled in weight and thickness in recent years to weigh anywhere from 50 to 100 kilos. Many hotels are using lighter furniture to cut down on housekeeping injuries, and providing back braces for staff is a good idea.