FAST FOOD ESTABLISHMENTS / FOOD SERVICE
Major accident exposures to food establishment workers include slips & falls, burns, lacerations, and materials handling.
SLIPS AND FALLS:
Probably the most common source of injury in food establishments, this is also a common source of injury in all industries.
The two major components of slips and falls are the walking surface (floor), and footwear. The combination of cooking oils, or grease, plus water can create very slippery floors in food preparation areas, so typically abrasive-faced tiles, or nonskid mats are recommended for these areas. Another common slip and fall trouble spot is in front of ice machines, where puddles form from spilled ice, or the spilled ice itself becomes the hazard. Absorbent and/or nonskid mats are recommended in these areas. Of course, in both instances, good housekeeping is one of the best controls.
For some slip-resistant flooring product ideas, click here
Wearing the right footwear is a major plus. The Shoes For Crews program has been very successful in a number of food establishments and is highly recommended.
TRAINING:Training is an essential part of food service safety. While particulars may vary by your specific operations, a good overview of the basic topics that a food service worker should be trained in, are in this paper, which can also be used as a training outline and documentation form.
FOOD SERVICE ESTABLISHMENT AUDIT:This document can be used as a basis to check your establishment(s) against some of the more common safety standards in the industry. It can be downloaded and used as the basis for management and employee training.
(Note: Individual files can be downloaded by right clicking on link and choosing "Save Target As". Files require Acrobat Reader to view, which can be downloaded for free by clicking on icon.)
