Most Common Workplace Injuries for Restaurant Workers

We all love to sit down to a fancy meal at a nice restaurant, or just enjoy a few drinks and food with friends and family out on the town. However, unless you’ve worked in the restaurant industry, it probably doesn’t cross your mind how often workplace accidents and injuries happen. With knives, hot stoves, close working quarters, and many employees, a commercial kitchen can be an accident prone environment. The following are some of the main injuries of restaurant staff:

Cuts and Punctures

In a commercial kitchen, there’s never a shortage of sharp objects. Restaurant workers commonly handle knives, slicers, broken glasses and dishes, and other sharp-edged objects.  While most kitchen cuts are minor, injuries of this nature should always be treated, as blood in a commercial kitchen is a safety hazard.

Burns

The expression, “slaving over a hot stove” is a reality for most chefs and many restaurant workers. Constant contact with hot stoves, fryers, and ovens comes with a considerable risk of burns. In fact, it is estimated that over one third of occupational burns come from restaurants. Burns can happen to chefs, but also to servers handling hot plates, and dishwashers working with hot steam. Most burns occurring in commercial kitchens are not severe and can be treated with on-site first aid.

Slippery Surfaces

In the typical environment of a commercial kitchen, the slip and fall accident potential is so great that most restaurants require their workers to use slip-resistant shoes. This helps to mitigate many potential injuries, but even then, accidents can occur. Not all slippery surface injuries are from floors, either. Injuries can also come from slippery trays, greasy cooking utensils, and other improperly maintained surfaces.

Optical Injuries

Our eyes are our guides for daily life, and for restaurant workers, it’s no exception. Occasionally though, a commercial food worker may end up with an unpleasant substance, object, or chemical in their eye, which may result in an injury. Risks to the eye include splashes of grease or boiling water, as well as cleaning chemicals.  Most eye irritants can be removed by washing the eyes with cold water, but for specific instructions, read the manufacturer’s warning on the back of the label.

Bodily Injuries

Many jobs in the restaurant industry require manual labor. Reaching, crouching, bending, lifting, swiping, and other movements are all part of the normal daily requirements of restaurant workers. Over time, this can lead to aches and pains on the back, feet, hands, or other parts of the body. Most aches and pains from a regular work day are minor, and can be relieved with an over the counter pain reliever. If a work injury is severe, hospitalization or urgent care may be required.

Vickaryous law firm is dedicated to helping people in Central Florida heal and receive compensation for their injuries. If you have been the victim of a personal injury, contact us today at (407)-542-4321 for a free legal consultation.