There is a lot of casual restaurant work available at this time of year. Eateries are full to bursting as people head out to celebrate, and seasonal bouts of flu mean some staff call in sick. So, if you need a little extra cash, it’s a great opportunity to make some.
Yet, if you get injured on the job, you could find the negative consequences far outweigh any financial benefit you hoped to gain.
Busy periods of food service mean that kitchen and front-of-house staff are exhausted. They may have been working extra shifts to cover others as well as doing a bit of celebrating themselves. Fatigue and the stress from the pressure can lead to errors that would not normally occur, making an accident more likely.
Typical kitchen hazards
There are multiple ways injuries can occur in a busy kitchen:
- People can get burned or scalded if they or someone else knocks, drops or spills something.
- A moment’s lack of concentration by someone could lead to injuries from knives, slicers or blenders.
- Spillages and people feeling they are too busy to mop it up immediately can lead to slips and falls, perhaps onto a sharp corner of a counter, a hard floor, down a set of stairs or even onto a hot griddle.
- Kitchens must be clean, and the chemicals required to do this are a serious hazard if incorrectly labeled, stored or used.
In most cases, an accident does not result in anything serious enough to prevent a person from finishing their shift and coming back the next day. But sometimes, the consequences can be much more severe. In cases like that, it is good to know that you should still be entitled to workers’ compensation, casual or not.
