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Don't slip up at Christmas
Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year for caterers, increasing the risks of accidents occuring in the workplace.
Slips and trips, manual-handling injuries and health & safety issues involved in employing young seasonal workers are among some of the issues employers may face during the festive season.
Alan Gow offers advice on how caterers can avoid a recipe for disaster in the kitchen…
Slips and trips are the most common cause of major accidents at work, costing the industry around £512million a year, and associated legal actions can also be extremely damaging, especially where customers are involved.
People working in kitchens and foodservice are more likely to be injured through slips and trips than by anything else, particularly as their catering environment can be more intense during festive and holiday periods.
Most trips are due to poor housekeeping and occur on wet surfaces or floors contaminated with food debris and cooking oil. Risks can be reduced by planning ahead to deal with any such problems during busy periods, when the pace of the work increases.
As well as the potential for injuries caused by slipping, there are other health & safety factors to take into consideration during busy seasons.
For example, placing an item, such as a large turkey, into an oven may not seem like an obvious workplace hazard but it can literally be a total pain for anyone who subsequently suffers a back problem as a result of lifting the heavy item.
Indeed, manual-handling injuries are the most common type of occupational ill health in the UK, and result in the loss of an estimated 12.3million annual working days.
There are also a number of considerations for employers to consider when they hire seasonal staff, particularly young people, to help them through busy periods.
At least half of 18 to 24-year-olds are likely to be injured in the workplace, and a TUC-backed report also found that nearly 4,500 workers aged 16 to 24 were seriously injured or killled at work last year.
The recent European Week for Safety and Health at Work focused on the steps employers can take to encourage a safe and healthy start to young people's working lives.
Employers have duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to fully consult and engage with all employees on matters of health and safety at work, and provide appropriate safety training to enable them to do their jobs without risk of illness or injury, regardless of the length of employment. The Scottish Centre for Healthy Working Lives provides an occupational health and safety service for small and medium-sized businesses. Professional advisors are on hand to carry out free and confidential assessments and report on the occupational health and safety needs of your business.
For further advice on how health and safety legislation affects you, visit www.healthyworkinglives.com or the Health and Safety Executive at www.hse.gov.uk
Further information on back strain can be found at the Better Backs Campaign website. http://www.hse.gov.uk/betterbacks/index.htm
This article has been edited from its original version. For the complete feature please see Catering in Scotland magazine November/December 2006.
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