Vibrating pillows

[lyledunn]

I am organising some remedial work in a hotel following a FRA. Very thorough and no real issues. However, the chap has required the hotel to understand the needs of overnight guests and issue vibrating pillows where the need arises! Do they do that in the Ritz or is this only for hotels in the outback?

[kurnal]

I have two brand new deafgards sitting on the shelf that was  a cancelled customer order 3 years ago will let them go at half what I paid for them plus carriage at cost.  If this is of interest pm me.

[lyledunn]

This hotel has 65 twin bedrooms.  Not impossible that a convention for the hard of hearing would be in town and may need to rest their heads but, ordinarily is there some kind of accepted diversity factor that could be employed. Surely we don't need 130?
Also, there is a recommendation that the heat detectors currently in all bedrooms are replaced with optical smoke detectors with a visual alarm base. I know that this was subject to legal challenge but any thoughts on the merits or otherwise?

[Owain]

This hotel has 65 twin bedrooms.  Not impossible that a convention for the hard of hearing would be in town and may need to rest their heads but, ordinarily is there some kind of accepted diversity factor that could be employed. Surely we don't need 130?

The Equality Act requires reasonable adjustment.

http://www.actiononhearingloss.org.uk/your-hearing/about-deafness-and-hearing-loss/statistics.aspx

"More than 900,000 people in the UK are severely or profoundly deaf."

Out of a 75 million population that's about 1.2%, so if the hotel has one or two in stock (or one or two rooms already adapted) that probably will suffice. In many cases a deaf person will be travelling with a hearing companion who can wake them.

Not a fire issue particularly, but hearing impaired guests may want a TV that has subtitles, a flashing light on the phone, and a flashing light door-knock sensor or doorbell on the room door.

[kurnal]

Other measures are possible, if there are night porters a register of special needs can be held at reception and a roving staff member sent to assist the guests. Not ideal but standard solution at many hotels. This duty can be also delegated to the team leaders of conventions. A couple of deafgards will probably also be an adequate solution for that size of hotel.

Visual alarms will not arouse a sleeping person but are useful during the waking hours, though how many is it reasonable to fit?  The hotel remains compliant with L2 using heat detectors, provided disabled rooms have smoke detectors. Optical smoke detectors will give earlier warning but whether they will help save a person in the room is a moot point and a very old chestnut. The detectors in rooms adjacent to escape routes are intended to protect the escape route and not the occupant of the room. The standard recommeds that disabled persons may need assistance or be siower to respond, so the standard and ADB both recommend DS in disabled rooms. But personally I usually recommend a phased upgrade to smoke detectors as it has got to benefit the relevant person asleep in bed.

[Dinnertime Dave]

This hotel has 65 twin bedrooms.  Not impossible that a convention for the hard of hearing would be in town and may need to rest their heads but, ordinarily is there some kind of accepted diversity factor that could be employed. Surely we don't need 130?
Also, there is a recommendation that the heat detectors currently in all bedrooms are replaced with optical smoke detectors with a visual alarm base. I know that this was subject to legal challenge but any thoughts on the merits or otherwise?

I'd work on 10%

With regards to heat detection, see determination here -

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/8077/Determination_in_respect_of_the_fire_safety_adequacy_of_fire.pdf

[Mike Buckley]

Other measures are possible, if there are night porters a register of special needs can be held at reception and a roving staff member sent to assist the guests.

Yes I come across this solution fairly frequently and it works until you start counting up numbers. You normally find one person who is trying to marshall the evacuated guests, act as contact point with the fire service, phone round to bring more staff in and help disabled guests out of the building!

[kurnal]

I agree Mike its often a cover up to avoid spending money but the value of having a roving member of staff banging on doors and alerting people when there is a fire has been proved on many fire incidents -  the response of hotel guests to an alarm on its own can be almost non existent. I will post up a link to one such event if I can find it.

Here it is -

http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/3599167.Hotel_fire_was_not_arson__say_police/

An example of such a system working well.

[wee brian]

Lets face it - unless you get the message reinforced by staff - most people ignore the alarm or at least look out their bedroom door to see what everybody else is doing (I've done this myself!).