Preventing Falls for Employees in Your Restaurant

You might not realize it, but preventing falls is just as important in the kitchen as it is in the dining room of a restaurant. In fact, slip and fall accidents are one of the most common reasons for food service injuries in commercial kitchens. The good news is that with certain safety measures, they can be prevented, saving you a lot of money and grief.

CONSIDER PAST SLIP AND FALL INCIDENTS

Chances are you’re reading this because you are either a cook in a kitchen or a restaurant owner. As such, you want to protect your employees and guard yourself from liability in case of a workplace accident.

One of the easiest ways of preventing falls is to simply look at previous incidents and risk factors that may occur in your kitchen. Here are some common examples:

• Melted water by the ice dispenser
• Rubber mats that have lost their grip
• Mats that are uneven
• Greasy floors that are not cleaned properly
• Not using proper cleaning products for floors

WEARING THE RIGHT SHOES

As an employer, you should have rules surrounding shoes that can and cannot be worn in the kitchen. Not only can specialized shoes keep accidents from happening such as knives falling and cutting into sneakers, but specialized shoes have proper grip to prevent slips. OSHA specifically states that slip resistant shoes with low heels should be the only shoes worn in a kitchen.

ADDITIONAL SLIP, FALL, AND TRIP HAZARDS

Kitchens aren’t the only places your employees can get hurt. They can also be injured outside of the kitchen. For example, if you have an entryway and you allow customers to place their dripping umbrellas there, one of your employees, you, or even a customer could slip on the wet floor.

Bathrooms can also be troublesome spots. Make sure that when designing the bathroom you place towel dispensers next to sinks. This keeps people from having to walk across the space, dripping all the way, to reach the dispenser.

All of these issues not only can result in accidents, but you could be fined by OSHA by not keeping a safe kitchen for your employees. You may also expose yourself to workers compensation cases and lawsuits for premises liability.

For a free consultation contact Sloat & Nicholson at 1-800-873-3202.