|
With the food service industry being such a fast-paced business, many restaurants and restaurant owners may not be focused on employee safety. Still, restaurant workers encompass one the largest groups of injured workers in the nation. Restaurants are one of the fastest-growing industries, and that number will continue to grow. Safety should be at the forefront of any industry but especially in the food service department. Restaurant employees face many hazards every day in such an ever-changing environment. For all of these reasons, safety should be just as important as profit.
According to OSHA, the most common injury to restaurant workers is sprains and strains, which is a third of all injuries reported by restaurants. These can occur from slips, trips, and falls, over-reaching, standing in one place too long, or lifting a heavy object. Other common injuries are cuts, bruises, and burns. However, with a few preventative measures, most of these accidents can be avoided.
With the hectic schedule of restaurants and their employees, it can be challenging to get everyone in the same place at once for an official safety meeting. Therefore, most restaurants have "pre-shift meetings" where the staff and managers meet to discuss the goals and employee responsibilities for the upcoming shift. This is the perfect time to review any hazards that may be present for the day, such as high traffic areas where collisions may occur, where grease, wet spots, or food spillage typically accumulate, creating a slip, trip, and fall danger, or point out inventory that is heavy and requires two or more people when needed.
Restaurant owners can also invest in a few items as well to decrease workplace injuries. A best practice is to require slip-resistant footwear, and one way to ensure workers have them is to develop a program that helps new employees with the costs associated with purchasing proper PPE. For example, an employer might consider splitting the cost of the shoes 50/50 to relieve some of the new employee's financial burden, or paying for the shoes up front and removing the funds from the employees' first paycheck. Slip-free mats are also an excellent investment, although they should be replaced occasionally from daily wear and tear. In addition, magnetic strips for storing sharp knives or instruments will prevent employees from laying them down, creating a cutting or laceration danger. Lastly, training employees on properly storing inventory, heavy items on the bottom, and light items on the top will drastically reduce the number of strain and sprain occurrences.
Again, restaurants are an extremely fast-paced environment, and safety can get lost in the hustle and bustle of everyday business. Also, with most restaurants opening back up to full capacity and a full staff, now would be the perfect time to start implementing some new safety standards. The most important aspect of a safe workplace is constant training. The more safety is engrained into the employees, the more natural it becomes. Safety should always be a top priority.
For more information regarding restruant safety please visit our online safety library or contact our Loss Control Department.
|
