For a hotel, safety extends far beyond the guest room.
Behind the scenes, hotel operations rely on a complex network of kitchens, bars, restaurants, beverage systems, cool rooms, cellars, service areas, storage spaces and plant rooms. Many of these areas are accessed by staff, contractors and service technicians every day, whilst business operations continue on around them.
Carbon dioxide is often an important part of that operational environment.
It’s widely used for draught beverage systems and other applications, but its invisible nature means that a leak could go unnoticed for hours, making it a hazardous part of the operation.
For New Zealand Beverage Systems (NZBS), that’s why CO₂ safety has increasingly become part of a wider conversation about proactive risk management.
An invisible hazard in operational spaces -
CO₂ is colourless and odourless, so there is no reliable visual or olfactory warning when a leak occurs. It is also heavier than air and can accumulate in enclosed or low-lying areas where ventilation is limited.
In a hotel environment, that could create particular safety challenges.
A cool room might remain closed overnight. A cellar or service area might only be accessed periodically. Contractors could enter operational spaces without knowing whether a leak had occurred.
This makes CO₂ safety more than an equipment issue.
It becomes a question of how to identify, monitor and manage the risks. From reactive response to proactive protection -
NZBS has been working with LogiCO2 to encourage hotels and other hospitality businesses to consider continuous CO₂ monitoring as part of their safety infrastructure.
Rather than relying solely on routine checks or human awareness, a monitoring system continuously measures the atmosphere and provides warnings when CO₂ concentrations reach defined alarm levels.
Their systems can support multiple sensors connected to a central monitoring unit, allowing large and complex properties to monitor several areas. Additional functionality includes remote alarms, smartphone notifications, connections to building management systems and other safety features.
For a hotel with multiple beverage or service areas, that scalability is particularly useful. The aim is not simply to install an alarm.
It is to create a system in which the right people can be alerted to a developing issue before someone unknowingly enters an unsafe environment.
What about New Zealand requirements?
The conversation around CO₂ safety has raised an important question for New Zealand hotel operators: what is actually required?
New Zealand’s Health and Safety at Work Act establishes broad duties for businesses to manage risks and protect workers and other people affected by their operations. However there is not currently a specific requirement for businesses using CO₂ to install monitoring systems.
The absence of a prescriptive monitoring requirement does not mean the underlying risk can be ignored. It means operators need to consider the risks associated with their particular environment and determine what controls are reasonably practicable. That’s where NZBS comes in.
Alongside LogiCO2, they are advocating for greater awareness precisely because they believe proactive safety should not depend solely on regulation. Their mission is simple:
To make NZ hospitality businesses safer places.
A hotel’s CO₂ safety strategy could potentially impact several stakeholder groups.
Employees could be protected during normal operations and maintenance. Contractors and technicians could have an additional layer of protection when entering service areas. Guests could benefit from safer hotel operations, even when they are blissfully unaware of the equipment responsible for creating that protection.
There’s also an operational benefit.
LogiCO2 systems can detect smaller leaks, helping identify problems before they result in unexpected CO₂ depletion, emergency deliveries or interruptions to beverage service.
NZBS and LogiCO2 are working on raising the standard together.
That work had included sharing information about CO₂ exposure, highlighting the realities faced by service technicians, showcasing real-world installations such as their recent project at Auckland’s Urbanaut Brewery, and encouraging operators to consider whether their existing safety measures adequately address an invisible gas hazard.
For hotel operators and procurement teams, this conversation is ultimately about more than purchasing a piece of equipment.
It’s about asking a simple question:
If CO₂ is part of the operation, how confidently can the property say that it knows when and where there is a problem?
Proactive safety means not waiting for an incident to provide the answer.
NZBS, as the New Zealand and Pacific Islands distributor for LogiCO2 safety systems, is continuing to work alongside the industry to raise awareness, improve understanding and help make CO₂ safety a more visible part of hotel risk management.
To find out more about LogiCO₂ monitoring solutions or discuss the right option for your business, get in touch with the NZBS team today.
