This report provides an overview of the literature on the harm profile and occupational health and safety risk factors in the hospitality sector, with a particular focus on the accommodation and food and beverage services subsectors.

In addition to reviewing the literature related to the identification of risk factors in the hospitality sector in both New Zealand and international contexts, analyses of secondary data are also used to obtain an overview of the harm profile in the sector. Together, these analyses help establish a robust understanding of the current health and safety issues and management in the hospitality sector.

The review indicates that hospitality workers are experiencing various work-related injuries and diseases. In particular, while cuts/burns/falls are frequently reported injuries in the food and beverage services subsector, pain and musculoskeletal disorders appear to be more predominant in the accommodation subsector. Some work-related diseases commonly reported include noise-induced hearing loss, dermatitis, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. An issue that has increasingly been noted is the risk of psychological harm, including stress, depression, anxiety and emotional exhaustion. These poor psychological health outcomes are exacerbated by several distinctive characteristics of the hospitality sector such as unsocial work hours and being emotionally demanding.