Housekeeping under pressure: Labour Inspectorate inspects hotels for physical strain

Since the summer, the Dutch Labour Inspectorate has been carrying out inspections at an estimated 120 hotel locations. The focus of these inspections is on the physical strain experienced by cleaning staff. Among other things, inspectors are examining working methods, ergonomic aids, staff training and the way in which physical strain is incorporated into the risk assessment and evaluation (RI&E).

The responsibility lies with the cleaners’ employer. If a hotel employs its own housekeeping staff, that responsibility lies with the hotel. Where cleaning is outsourced, the responsibility may lie with the cleaning company. The message behind the inspections is clear: physical strain must not only be acknowledged on paper, but must also be demonstrably minimised in day-to-day operations.

It’s not as bad as you’d think, is it?

Anyone walking into a hotel room after housekeeping has been there will mainly notice the result: a neatly made bed, a clean bathroom and a dust-free floor. What is less obvious is just how much bending, reaching, lifting, pushing and repetitive movements are required to achieve this.

The 2025 National Survey on Working Conditions, conducted by TNO and CBS, shows that 53 per cent of employees in the hospitality sector carry out physically demanding work. Only in the agricultural sector is this proportion higher. Furthermore, 18 per cent of hospitality sector employees state that additional measures are needed to tackle physically demanding work. Whilst these figures apply to the hospitality sector as a whole, they do illustrate that physical strain is a serious cause for concern.

A great deal of physical strain arises from seemingly simple tasks. Making the bed is a good example of this. Sheets have to be removed, mattresses and duvets handled, and fresh bed linen tucked in. This requires staff to bend down, turn and reach regularly. Added to this are, at the very least, cleaning the bathroom facilities, vacuuming, disposing of rubbish and working around furniture.

That is why ergonomics begins right from the design stage of the hotel room. Is the bed easily accessible? Is there sufficient space to move around it? Can furniture be moved without requiring a great deal of physical effort? And can hard-to-reach areas be cleaned without having to work in an awkward position all the time? A room that can be cleaned efficiently can therefore save both operational time and physical strain. If, as a hotelier, you use an external company for housekeeping, always ask how they have adapted their policies in this regard.