Hotel Business on the Risk of Toxic Exposures for Hospitality: Q&A with Sean T. Stadelman
“In the hospitality industry, many cleaning products that are used contain potentially toxic substances that pose both acute and long-term risks to employees and/or customers,” Goldberg Segalla’s Sean T. Stadelman said in an interview with Hotel Business. “With the increased use of sanitizing products due to the pandemic, the potential for toxic exposure has increased and thus it is important that the hospitality industry be prepared to mitigate those risks.”
In the article, Sean, a partner in Goldberg Segalla’s Toxic Tort group, discusses the types of toxic exposures that are possible in hospitality settings, how exposure has increased since the start of the pandemic, and how businesses should handle potential risks.
“Much can be done to mitigate these risks,” Sean said. “Certainly, contractual indemnification is an option, but that does not always alleviate the exposure depending on the law of the jurisdiction where the exposure occurred. Proper personal protective equipment, warnings and reminders about misuse which may mean overuse of products are some of the ways that risk can be mitigated. Supply chain testing and documentation of product contents is an area where the hospitality industry can stop the risk from entering the building. In-house monitoring for signals within the medical or scientific literature regarding products and product contents is another strategy to minimize risk and remain state-of-the-art with the processes in place to ensure staff and customers are not exposed to levels of a substance that is potentially toxic.”
READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE:
“The Risk of Toxic Exposures for Hospitality,” Hotel Business, February 10, 2021
MORE ABOUT GOLDBERG SEGALLA’S SEAN T. STADELMAN:
Sean T. Stadelman focuses his practice on litigating complex mass tort and catastrophic injury cases in federal and state courts. His experience includes representing companies in matters involving product liability and toxic torts in federal multidistrict litigation and Philadelphia’s Complex Litigation Center. He routinely works with clients in a variety of industries, including life sciences, vehicle manufacturing, trucking and logistics, and consumer and industrial products. He has also represented health care organizations and professionals with regulatory and litigation matters. Sean is often called upon to work with internal and external experts to develop a strategy focused on securing dismissals under Daubert and Frye given his background in epidemiology and biostatistics.