WORDS: JEANNINE WILLIMASON. IMAGE: AWL IMAGES


shop talk | agents WORKRIGHTS


HEALTH AND SAFETY A travel agency certainly isn’t a hazardous environment compared with a construction site, mine or chemical plant, but that doesn’t mean it’s not covered by health and safety legislation. Nearly all employees are covered by the jurisdiction of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which in turn administers the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH). There are some exceptions, such as the self-employed. This means employers have a general duty


of care to provide a safe workplace free from known dangers. A travel agent is at much less risk from sustaining burns than a chef, but there are a range of common accidents that occur across all occupational sectors, with trips, slips and falls accounting for around 20% of all non-fatal injuries, according to research by the American Red Cross. Therefore, carelessly placed boxes of


brochures could easily constitute a trip hazard, or worse, if they were stored in front of a fire door. In an office environment, uneven floor surfaces left unrepaired, liquid spills left unattended or poorly lit areas could all be deemed to put employees at risk. The surrounding atmosphere can also be deemed unhealthy and OSHA’s recommendations for workplace air treatment set federal standards for temperature and humidity levels, with 68F the minimum temperature and 76F the maximum and the acceptable range for indoor humidity being between 20% and 60%. To help assure a safe and healthy workplace,


OSHA provides workers with the right to ask the Administration to inspect their workplace and receive information and training about hazards, methods to prevent harm, and the OSHA standards that apply to their workplace. Employees who exercise these rights and contact OSHA are also safeguarded against retaliation discrimination. This so-called ‘whistleblower protection’


means employers can’t punish staff by taking ‘adverse action such as firing, laying off, blacklisting, demoting, denying overtime or promotion, failing to rehire, disciplining, denying benefits, making threats or reducing pay or hours. To find out more about health and safety in the workplace, visit osha.gov.


French wine tours FOCUS ON Culinary tourism


FOOD IS A hot trend in more ways than one. Agents can tap into the current passion for food that’s being fuelled by the proliferation of food related travel shows, celebrity chef programs and TV shows such as The Great British Bake Off. This passion has resulted in a growing appetite


for culinary tourism, and agents who know their onions can guide clients towards a foodie vacation that goes beyond visiting a few local restaurants. The importance of this market is reflected by the Portland-based World Food Travel Association’s (WFTA) study into global food and drink tourism — the first of its kind, to be published in 2016. In the meantime, agents can suggest a


variety of specialty vacations, such as joining the annual olive harvest in Greece, French food and wine itineraries in a country renowned for its gastronomic heritage, and exotic Asian tours with cookery classes. A love of food and travel led to New Orleans


couple George and Linda Meyers launching Cook in Tuscany, a six-day vacation in the medieval


walled village of Montefollonico. Linda says specialist culinary tours are totally different from itineraries that take clients to ‘local’ restaurants that are often geared to the mass tourism market. “We want our guests to feel like they live there


in the village, providing a true and authentic experience, including daily cookery lessons with local women, for the traveler who doesn’t want to be just a tourist.” “Culinary tourism provides clients with a real


taste of different destinations and cultures,” says Karen Dennison, of Blank Slate Travel. “With the increased interest in competitive cooking reality shows, such as Iron Chef America and Top Chef, my clients are learning about different cuisines and unusual ingredients.” “This has inspired a desire to seek a more


authentic experience when traveling, such as cooking classes, shopping in farmers markets and going on tours where they can contribute to the preparation of a meal. It really is an exciting way to learn about a country.”


38 | ASTAnetwork | fall 2015


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