Youth Worker Safety in Restaurants eTool - Serving

Serving

The Serving area of a restaurant offers young workers an opportunity for direct interaction with the customer, while learning food service and money handling skills. Young workers in this area may also be exposed to the following hazards:

Take the Quiz

Safety Poster

Slips/Trips/Falls

Potential Hazard

Ice bin

Slips, trips, and falls can occur in the serving area while young workers are:

Working around ice bins, where ice can easily fall onto the floor, causing puddles.
Working in busy, congested areas.
Walking or running on slippery or uneven floor surfaces.
Carrying dishes around blind corners or stairs.
Using single door entry to and from the kitchen area.

Possible Solutions

Young Worker Solutions

Employers have the primary responsibility for protecting the safety and health of their workers. Employees are responsible for following the safe work practices of their employers.

Non-slip shoes

Wipe up any ice that falls on the floor around the ice maker immediately.
Wipe up spills immediately.
Clean or pick up any other items (such as food spills) from floors as soon as possible.
Wear non-slip shoes, and avoid wearing sandals or open toe shoes, high heels, or shoes made out of canvas.
Carry items only at a height that you can safely see over.

Employer Safety Solutions

Employers have the primary responsibility for protecting the safety and health of their workers. Employees are responsible for following the safe work practices of their employers.

Food on floors can be a slip hazard

Hazard tape alerts workers to a height change

Follow OSHA Standards including:

Keep all places of employment clean and orderly and in a sanitary condition [1910.22(a)(1)].
Keep floors clean and dry [1910.22(a)(2)].
Provide warning signs for wet floor areas [1910.145(c)(2)].

Consider implementing recommended safe work practices, including:

Keep passageways and walkways free of clutter and crowding.
Decrease overcrowding by adding additional supply stations or carts with supplies at convenient locations.
Provide adequate lighting, especially in serving and preparation areas.
Provide non-slip matting in areas that tend to be wet.
Alert workers to step-ups and step-downs by using hazard tape or other warning signs.
Provide mirrors for blind corners.
Provide windows on swinging doors so you can see if someone is coming out. Also provide two-way doors, one for only going in, and one for only coming out. Follow a set traffic pattern to avoid collisions (for example, enter on the right side, exit on the left).

For more information see General Hazards - Slips/Trips/Falls.

Go on to Serving Module - Burns and Scalds


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