Preventing Slips And Falls In Restaurants
Restaurant owners and managers face enormous employment issues that necessitate their attention. Employees’ “great resignation,” combined with the pandemic’s loss of over 800,000 deaths in the United States, has left businesses in the service industry scrambling for replacement workers.
Many restaurants are hiring people who have never worked in the hospitality sector as servers, bartenders, and wait staff. There is a learning curve for these employees when it comes to navigating their new employment.
If their previous experience with restaurants had only been as diners, the maze of food storage areas and food processing places concealed behind the public area may astonish them. They may also be surprised by how slick and dangerous the floors in those areas can be as a result of the grease used in cooking and frying, the soap used to clean the dishes and kitchen surfaces, and even the flooring material utilized.
Slips and falls in restaurants cause more than 1 million clients and 3 million food service staff to be hurt each year. Slips and falls are not amusing, despite what you may have seen on those “funny video” television shows. Head damage, broken bones, hip fractures, lacerations, spinal injuries, and severe burns from stoves or hot food are all possible outcomes. All of these injuries have the potential to cause chronic pain and suffering for the rest of one’s life. The restaurant business spends more than $2 billion each year on these injuries, which are increasing by 10% each year.
When expanding or remodeling existing restaurants, or when building new restaurants, use slip-resistant, high-traction flooring materials to reduce the danger of slips and falls. Keep the coefficient of friction of the flooring material in mind (COF). A COF of.60 indicates great friction, a COF of.50 indicates adequate friction, and a COF of.40 indicates caution when walking on the surface.
Incorporate specific kitchen-safety floor mats made of grease-resistant materials. Spilled liquids and food run through the mat and away from the surface thanks to drainage holes in the surface.
Brush-tip mats should be placed at entrances to sweep dirt and debris off of visitors’ shoes and boots. When it’s raining or snowing, add more highly absorbent mats to the building entrances. Encourage employees to wear non-slip, professional-grade footwear.
It is your responsibility as a restaurant owner or manager to keep your guests, clients, and employees safe. The material that comes with it can help you learn more.
