Florida Attractions Association Attraction Code of Practices

FLORIDA ATTRACTIONS ASSOCIATION

ATTRACTION CODE OF PRACTICES

CLEANLINESS

Functional, sanitary facilities including toilets, grounds, buildings, and transportation vehicles and vessels are important to the enjoyment of the experience by the public.

Toilet Facilities

Attraction members shall provide the proper number of flush toilets for places of public assembly which are properly plumbed, connected and discharging to an approved sewage disposal system. Floors and plumbing fixtures shall be cleaned and sanitized as needed but not less than once a day. Plumbing fixtures and plumbing shall be kept in good repair and free from odor. Sanitary facilities shall be furnished at all times with soap, preferably liquid type and approved single service towels or other approved hand-drying devices. The use of a common towel is prohibited. Each sanitary facility shall be provided with toilet tissue at all times. (Source: “Sanitary Facilities for Building Serving the Public and Places of Employment,” Chapter 10D-10, Florida Administrative Code, 1992)

Trash

All sweepings, solid or liquid wastes, refuse, and garbage shall be removed in such a manner as to avoid creating a menace to health and as often as necessary to maintain good sanitary conditions. (Source: General Industry Digest, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 1988)

Housekeeping

All places of employment, passageways, storerooms, and service rooms shall be kept clean and orderly and in sanitary condition. (Source: General Industry Digest, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 1988)

SAFETY

Employees and consumers alike should be furnished with a place of employment and entertainment which is free from recognized hazards which may cause death or serious physical harm.

Accident Recordkeeping and Reporting

Each employer shall maintain in each establishment and enter each recordable event no later than six working days after receiving the information. Within 48 hours after an employment accident which is fatal to one or more employees or which results in the hospitalization of five or more employees shall be reported by the employer, either orally or in writing, to the nearest OSHA Area Office. (Source: General Industry Digest, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 1988)

Aisles and Passageways

Aisles and passageways shall be kept clear and in good repair with no obstruction across or in aisles that could create hazards. Permanent aisles and passageways shall be appropriately marked. Covers and or guardrails shall be provided to give protection from the hazards of open pits, tanks, ditches, and so forth. ((Source: General Industry Digest, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 1988)

Emergency Action Plans

An emergency action plan to ensure safety in the event of fire and other emergencies shall be prepared, in writing, and reviewed with affected employees. The plan shall include the following elements: escape procedures and routes; critical operations; employee accounting following an emergency evacuation; rescue and medical duties; means of reporting emergencies; persons to be contacted for information or clarification. (Source: General Industry Digest, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 1988)

TRUTHFUL ADVERTISING

The truthful and accurate representation about services, entertainment, and products available at an attraction is an integral part of the total entertainment operation for the business and is equally important to the consumer for information value.

The Advertising Principles of American Business

•   Truth - Advertising shall tell the truth, and shall reveal significant facts, the omission of which would mislead the public.

•   Substantiation - Advertising claims shall be substantiated by evidence in possession of the advertiser and advertising agency, prior to making such claims.

•   Comparisons - Advertising shall refrain from making false, misleading, or unsubstantiated statements or claims about a competitor or his or her products or services.

•   Bait Advertising - Advertising shall not offer products or services for sale unless such offer constitutes a bona fide effort to sell the advertised products or services and is not a device to switch consumers to other goods or services, usually higher priced.

•   Guarantees and Warranties - Advertising of guarantees and warranties shall be explicit, with sufficient information to apprise consumers of their principal terms and limitations or, when space or time restrictions preclude such disclosures, the advertisement should clearly reveal where the full text of the guarantee or warranty can be examined before purchase.

•   Price Claims - Advertising shall avoid price claims which are false or misleading, or savings claims which do not offer provable savings.

•   Testimonials - Advertising containing testimonials shall be limited to those of competent witnesses who are reflecting a real and honest opinion or experience.

•   Taste and Decency - Advertising shall be free of statements, illustrations or implications which are offensive to good taste or public decency.

(Source: Adopted by the American Advertising Federation Board of Directors, 1984)

HOSPITALITY

Courtesy, service, and professionalism are key components of hospitality. Hospitality is intangible, perishable, heterogeneous, and produced and consumed simultaneously. Some specific dimensions of hospitality are reliability or the consistency of performance and dependability; responsiveness or willingness of management and employees to provide service to the public; competence or the possession of skills, knowledge, and attitude; access or ease of approachability; and courtesy or politeness, respect, and consideration.

Training

Hospitality training shall be provided to employees at all levels on a regular basis. A written policy on what hospitality/service expectations are for each job description shall be maintained and reviewed on a regular basis with the employee. (Source: “Maximizing Quality Service in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry,” Mark A. Bonn, Ph.D., Quality Management Company, 1994)

COMPLAINT RESOLUTION

In the event any consumer shall complain that an attraction member has engaged in any improper course of conduct pertaining to the presentation of its goods or services, the member attraction shall promptly investigate the complaint and shall take such steps as it may find appropriate and necessary under the circumstances to cause the redress of any wrongs which its investigation discloses to have been committed. (Source: Code of Ethics, Direct Selling Association, 1992)

Procedure

Every attraction member shall have a written standard operating procedure for handling complaints. (Source: Director, Division of Consumer Services, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services)

Members are asked to execute a signed agreement to conform to the Code of Practices.