Kitchen Safety 101: How to Prevent Costly Restaurant Injuries

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Whether you manage a QSR or casual-dining establishment, these are the most common types of injuries that occur in restaurants:

  • Cuts, lacerations and punctures (22 percent)
  • Slips, trips and falls (20 percent)
  • Burns and scalds (13 percent)
  • Sprains, strains and soft-tissue injuries (15 percent)

Understanding the impact these injuries could have on your business and knowing how to prevent them can help make your restaurant a safer place for your employees to come to work.

The Cost of Complacency

Most accidents in the industry are minor ones that can be remedied for little more than the price of a bandage and some topical cream.
However, more severe injuries can be costly, as the price tag that results from a workplace accident can include lost time, medical bills, attorneys’ fees, settlements and the increase in insurance premiums due to the frequency of claims.

Injuries such as strains, sprains, slips and falls can be the most serious and expensive types of accidents due to the long rehabilitation period that is often needed. These injuries can happen easily – an employee might simply turn the wrong way, overextend when reaching for something, or struggle to lift a heavy jug of fryer oil without having adequate room to maneuver. Improper lifting can lead to a severe back injury – costing well over $100,000 in cases where surgery and long-term physical therapy are required.

Treatment costs also escalate quickly with permanent injuries that need continual care, such as second- and third-degree burns that
can result from hot fryer oil.