Compared to some industries, it can be argued that working in the foodservice sector is not that dangerous. Perhaps not when compared to scaffold builders working on high-rise buildings or crab fishermen on the Bering Sea. Nevertheless, food service workers still suffer serious and debilitating injuries on the job.
One of the most serious types of injuries to food service workers is a burn. Anyone who works in a kitchen or grill can get badly burned on the job.
Fry cooks frequently suffer burns
The fast-paced environment of a busy diner or other eating establishment means that there will be multiple people in tight quarters moving quickly, often with arms laden with trays, around some very hot surfaces and substances. That can be a recipe for a workplace disaster.
Fry cooks have the highest risk of suffering burns in the workplace because the top cause of burns among culinary workers is misadventure involving a deep fryer.
Cooks and other kitchen workers also get burned by hot grease and oil when moving the hot liquids between the stove and storage and disposal areas. Steam tables and bubbling pots of soup are other culprits affecting the workers’ safety.
Pace, pressure contribute to kitchen dangers
Also, when a restaurant gets really slammed during peak volume hours, the servers can get “in the weeds” with backed-up orders. So, they pop into the kitchen to check on the appetizers for table six and wind up getting burned when they collide with a co-worker from the kitchen.
Liability is on managers, owners
The company, its owners and the management bear the ultimate responsibility for ensuring the workplace environment is safe, with no breaches of procedures, policies or safety protocols. Workers who suffer burns on the job can seek workers’ compensation benefits for their losses and to obtain the benefits they need.