Although restaurants are not a common place for workplace injury, some accidents may happen due to environmental hazards and insufficient guidelines. These include kitchen accidents, slips and falls, as well as procedure mishaps that may occur even with proper guidance and care. According to Hunter Law Group, a well-known personal injury law office in Tampa, Florida, here are some of the most common worker injuries in restaurants:
- Fire hazards caused by faulty electric or gas outlets in the kitchen. Even when operated properly, there may be leaks in your heating system that may be a cause of your workers’ injuries.
- Food preparation accidents can also happen. These involve cuts or wounds caused by poor handling of equipment such as knives, processors, and other sharp tools.
- Slips and falls may also occur in restaurants. This can happen when you have workers who transfer food from the storage area to the kitchen, or even your waiters who deliver food in the dining area
In any kind of business, there is always a risk of accidents both for workers and customers, but it can be minimized. Hunter Law Group shares their insights on how restaurant companies can prevent worker injuries through safety and hazard guidelines.
Five Ways to Prevent Worker Injuries in Restaurants
- Regularly check for workplace safety
Most restaurants will be visited by an inspector during scheduled visits or random times during operation. However, some restaurants know this exact schedule or timeline and prepare themselves to make the workplace “look safe” before resuming unsafe practices during the rest of the year. This may have hazardous effects for your employees as well as your customers. There is always a risk that this practice may result in serious injury which can lead to a costly lawsuit. To prevent this, you ought to include your own regular inspection of workplace safety in your restaurant. These include checking equipment, pumps, chambers, and other workplace conditions that may pose a danger to your employees. If you cannot do this by yourself, you can hire a private inspector to do the job and report the results to you without the fear of failing a formal inspection.
- Perform regular maintenance of your workplace and dining area
In the modern age, it is not only customers who can provide feedback about your restaurants. Employees can also have the privilege of sharing their experience in the workplace. Increase your chances of hiring good employees by performing regular maintenance in your restaurant. Once the inspection is complete and an issue first appears, it is important to take corrective action right away. Regular maintenance is less expensive and more efficient than letting things come to a tipping point and dealing with major repairs.
- Orient new employees with workplace safety guidelines
It is not enough that your workers know about the nature of their job, it is also essential for them to understand proper food handling, equipment use, and protection from all the hazards that can occur during daily operation. This means giving them the right training; especially for your new employees. If you have a sous chef who may be inexperienced with kitchen dynamics, you can ask a senior chef to mentor him or her about the safety guidelines in the kitchen. New transporters, kitchen aides, and other employees must be given guidelines on what kind of protective gear to wear during transport of goods from the trucks to storage.
- Set aside time for various drills
All workplaces, including restaurants, should have their scheduled fire, earthquake and other disaster-related drills. This is important so that employees know what to do in the event of an actual disaster. Not having the time to set aside these drills might pose risks to your employees as they would not be oriented about some things they can do to protect themselves during these calamities. Have drills at least twice a year that help both new and old employees become aware of actionable steps during disasters.
- Provide the right equipment and tools
Some employees may be given the right information, but any number of them may be needing more assistance in how to perform their jobs safely. In this case, you may need to provide the right kind of assistive device or tool to help them do the job safely. These include safety gear such as gloves, state-of-the-art kitchen equipment, shoes, uniform, and any other tools they need. It may also be helpful to make posters on safety guidelines to keep them reminded of what they should do in the workplace.
Following these simple steps can help reduce the risk of personal injuries in restaurants. If you need more information about this, you can contact Hunter Law Group, who are the premier personal injury attorney in Tampa.
