Risk management in electrical distribution system in Sri Lankan hotel industry

Abstract

An uninterrupted service throughout the facility is a must for building services in the hotel industry because a large part of guest satisfaction with the hotel depends on building services. However, building services face many different types of failures due to various risk factors. Therefore, a risk management framework is an essential part of the building services of a hotel. In case of hotel buildings, the literature suggests electrical power distribution system (EPDS) to be the key building service which governs all other building services and failure in the EPDS can happen due to maintenance risks, operational risks, assets specific risks and human errors. This research was commenced through a study of three leading five star hotels in Sri Lanka. Based on the research findings, a risk management framework was developed to address risks in EPDS of a hotel facility. The risk management framework was developed based on these findings reveals effective practices that could be used to reduce failure in EPDS. The research also pointed that maintenance risk, unplanned operational risk, asset-specific risk and human errors as the main internal risk factors that lead to failures in EPDS. On the other hand, weather conditions was identified as the uncontrollable external risk factors in the hotel industry, a preventive and a predictive maintenance schedule, planned operations, training and development, and proper asset selection criteria were identified as the main risk management strategies used in the hotel industry. The paper proposed a risk management framework to overcome the identified risks in EPDS in hotel industry which consist of failure mode effect analysis, power monitoring panel and a risk mitigation plan to maintain continuous operations in the EPDS. The findings and recommendations of the study will be useful to those responsible for EPDS operations in the hotel industry for the purpose of reducing services failures.