Gov. Phil Murphy signs legislation in Atlantic City requiring hotels with more than 100 rooms to include a panic button on June 11, 2019. – GOVERNOR’S OFFICE
New Jersey will now require panic buttons for most hotel workers, a move which proponents argue will protect staff from physical attacks and sexual harassment and assault.
The measure would require staff who enter hotel rooms alone – typically housekeeping and room service – to be provided with panic buttons that would allow for easy, two-way communication with management and security.
Any hotel with at least 100 rooms would be subject to the requirement under the measure, Senate Bill 2986, which was passed by both the Assembly and state Senate unanimously. It would go into effect in six months.
“We must protect the safety of workers in the hospitality industry,” Murphy said in a statement accompanying his signature of the bill. “This new law will ensure that hotel employees performing their duties will have the means to summon immediate assistance if they are in danger.”
The governor signed the measure in Atlantic City, which has at least 15,000 hotel rooms spanning nine casinos and includes roughly 2,000 housekeeping staff.
