Health and safety in restaurants
In any workplace there are hazards that can cause injuries and illnesses to the people who work there. This training focuses on restaurants – you will learn more about hazards that are common in restaurants and how to prevent getting hurt. You will also learn about your rights to a safe workplace.
What type of injuries affect restaurant workers?
The most common injury is sprains and strains – these make up a third of injuries reported in restaurants.
Other common injuries include cuts, bruises and burns.
Most of these injuries are preventable.
The safest restaurant is one in which as many hazards as possible are eliminated through careful planning and good decision-making about how work gets done. Workers play an important role in identifying the hazards and making suggestions for solutions.
Preventing injuries can actually save lives and save money by:
• reducing workers’ compensation claims;
• avoiding loss in productivity when injuries occur; and • improving employee morale!
Protecting the Health and Safety of Restaurant Workers
Luis’s Story
Luis works at a busy restaurant called “The Honey Pig.” The dining room seats 180 people. He works at the preparation table cutting vegetables and meat all day. He has to keep the cutting machine clean.
On Monday afternoon, Luis rushed into work from his morning job as a school janitor. He had to prepare 10 orders of vegetable servings at once and found that his co-worker from the day shift hadn’t cleaned the vegetable cutting machine.
Luis tried to quickly clean between the machine’s blades by reaching in with his bare hands to pull out some remaining pieces of vegetables. The machine was not unplugged, and because the turn-on button was very sensitive, he accidentally turned it on. The machine shredded his three middle fingers.
What causes the injuries of restaurant workers like Luis?
