Are your restaurant’s employees protected against on-the-job injuries?
There are fast-moving bodies, hot food, fire, greasy floors, and an abundance of knives and breakables – all in one room. It does not take much research to find that restaurant jobs can be some of the most dangerous. While little burns and cuts are unavoidable, wounds, impalement, extremity loss, and serious burns are no laughing matter.
Keep your restaurant workers safe against the many hazards of the commercial kitchen! Here are some tips how:
1. Educate your workforce.
Education and awareness are your employees’ best protection. Make sure that every employee knows as much about the hazards in the workplace as they do their tasks. An informed employee is a protected one.
2. Conduct safety and emergency response training.
Make safety and emergency response protocol training mandatory for everyone in your organization. The first few seconds of an emergency are the most crucial. How employees react to certain situations in the moments before professional EMTs and firefighters can reach the scene is crucial.
3. Implement warning signs.
You can never be too safe, especially in a workplace as intense and busy as a commercial kitchen. Hang up signs for wet surfaces, fire hazards, hot spots, special garment requirement areas, dangerous machinery zones, etc.
4. Create protocols for emergencies.
Always have a standard operating procedure for different kinds of emergencies. Because the first seconds of an emergency are the most crucial, ensure your workforce knows what to do in cases of medical emergencies or physical dangers.
5. Invest in proper work clothing.
In a restaurant, proper work clothing and accessories go beyond aesthetics; they can mean the difference between a life-threatening slip and fall or a regular shift. Provide your employees with adequate protection against the hazards of the job.
6. Maintain an organized workplace.
As basic as this seems, many restaurants are guilty of clutter. Clutter is an accident waiting to happen. Keep an organized workplace so you don’t run the risk of breakables or sharp tools falling on anyone’s foot.
7. Identify risks and create mitigating systems to prevent hazards.
Identifying the most at-risk areas in your facility is the most crucial part of protecting your restaurant workers. For instance, with slip and fall accidents being the second-most common cause of injuries in the food service industry, you should invest in high-traction shoes and kitchen floor mats.
CLS Is Your Restaurant Safety Provider!
When it comes to creating a safe workspace for your employees, one thing holds true: it takes quality, maintained materials to make it happen. Your employees are your greatest assets. Keep them safe with high-quality uniforms and slip-prevention mats from CLS. Call us 800-875-4636 and request a free quote!
