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.

• Keep the drive-thru window closed as much as possible to limit exposure to automobile exhaust.

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.

Consider implementing recommended safe work practices, including:

• Provide adequate space and ventilation for both exterior and interior drive-thru areas.

• Use a reverse-flow fan system to prevent exhaust from entering the interior drive-thru window area.

• Rotate workers to minimize time spent stationed in the drive-thru area.

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.

• Fit headsets properly to your head.

• Don't turn headset volumes up excessively high.

• See your doctor if you are experiencing ringing in your ears or problems with hearing.

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.

Follow OSHA standards including:

• OSHA's general industry standard for noise, 1910.95 Occupational Noise Exposure if applicable:
  • Implement feasible administrative and engineering controls whenever employee noise exposures exceed 85 dBA (eight-hour time-weighted average (TWA) or a dose of 50%).

    • When this occurs, OSHA requires employers to notify employees, to establish and maintain a hearing test program, and to train workers how to prevent occupational hearing loss.

Consider implementing recommended safe work practices, including:

• Use acoustical limiting devices in your headsets. Headsets that use acoustical limiting devices are designed to provide sufficient protection to keep the noise level below the level required by OSHA. Headsets without limiting devices have, in some work environments, caused employee noise exposures to exceed the levels permitted by OSHA.

• Use good quality microphones in your drive-thru to improve reception capabilities.

• Ensure the headset fits the worker properly. Adjustable headsets work best. Ask if alternative ear pieces can be provided to fit different ear sizes.

• Reduce individual employee exposure time to loud noises by rotating workers through the drive-thru area.

• Have a safety and health program that recognizes and addresses the hazards created by workplace noise exposure.

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.

To relieve stress and strain to workers' backs and legs:

• Wear shoes with well-cushioned insteps and soles.

• Avoid static postures by continually altering your position. Use a foot rest bar or a low stool to help alter your posture by raising one foot and then the other.

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.

Consider implementing recommended safe work practices, including:

• Provide stools or a foot rest bar at work stations. This provides employees an opportunity to shift weight from the feet while still maintaining reach and accessibility.

• Provide anti-fatigue mats. Anti-fatigue mats help contract and expand muscles of the person standing on them increasing blood-flow and reducing fatigue.

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.

• Avoid twisting while lifting.

• Avoid overreaching. Walk food out to customers if they are parked too far away for you to safely reach from the drive-thru window.

• Stay fit to help avoid injuries.

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.

• Rearrange workstations to provide for easy access to items used most frequently and to enable employees to keep their elbows close to the body.

• Redesign drive-thru windows to alleviate employee reaching. Rather than having employee reach across a window to deliver food, install a drop box to put orders into to deliver orders to customers. Customers then reach into the drop box to get their order.

• Rotate workers through the drive-thru area to limit their exposure to excessive reaching and lifting and the development of musculoskeletal disorders

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.

• Use drop-boxes if available to deliver food to customers, especially late at night.

• Keep the back door locked unless receiving deliveries.

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.

• Follow the child labor laws that restrict workers younger than 16 years old from working after 7 p.m. except from June 1st through Labor Day, when evening hours are extended to 9 p.m. Do not leave young workers alone at night to lockup.

  • State Child Labor Laws may even be more stringent

Consider implementing recommended safe work practices, including:

• Install bulletproof glass and limited access barriers for drive-thru windows.

• Increase workplace security by installing video surveillance, alarm systems, and door detectors.

• Increase lighting in dimly lit areas such as parking lots and around trash dumpsters.

• Locate drive-thru windows within the same building as the restaurant, rather than in the parking lot by itself.

  For more information see, Serving - Workplace Violence.