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Commercial kitchens are notorious for high worker turnover and chronic understaffing.
When you’re short on line cooks, everyone has to pick up the slack and work faster, meaning a higher chance of mistakes and injuries, leading in turn to an even thinner staff. Following best practices to minimize injuries could improve your restaurant’s flow as well as reduce the potential for claims to your workers’ compensation insurance Maitland FL.
1. Protective Clothing
Any exposed skin or runs the risk of being burned by grease splatters or piping hot cooking surfaces. By providing long-sleeved, high-necked chef coats, your employees can easily avoid most accidental burns. Closed-toe shoes can help prevent crushed toes from dropped heavy objects, and cutting gloves offer resistance for knife mishaps.
2. Safe Walking Surfaces
Slips are the second-highest cause of commercial kitchen injuries. Keep your walking surfaces in excellent repair and replace steps and bumps with inclines and paint irregular surfaces, so they are visible to employees. Require shoes with non-skid soles, install rubber mats where you can, and train employees to clean up spills immediately.
3. Cleanliness and Organization Standards
Keeping all work areas clean and organized should be ingrained in every kitchen employee, supervisor and manager. Dirty prep surfaces encourage the spread of foodborne illnesses to staff and guests, and cluttered work areas can increase the likelihood of falling equipment. Dedicate one employee every shift to keep floors clean and dry and clear walkways of debris.
4. Comprehensive Training and Refresher Program
Train all of your employees on the correct heavy lifting technique, as well as basics like how to walk safely on slippery floors and not overburden themselves when carrying items around the kitchen. You may have some of your workers using food processing equipment with sharp moving and grinding elements. Identify the hazards to them and teach them how to handle, clean and troubleshoot the machinery safely.
No one wants to suffer a painful injury or lose pay because of an accident you might have prevented. Help your employees stay safe and well by developing a restaurant safety culture.