Are Your Catering Employees Faced with Injuries? Consider Training in Health and Safety in Catering

In business establishments that deal with commercial catering services, there is need to have a high level of hygiene and ensure safety of both workers and customers. Many health and safety risks present themselves in catering businesses that have not developed a strategic training plan for their employees. When there are increased incidents of injury, poisoning, and poor food handling, it affects the growth of the business. It also puts the business in troubles when inspectors knock the doors. Therefore, a catering business owner should make sure that proper training in health and safety in catering is maintained.

Injury to workers

Employees are the driving force of a business, and when their health is put at risk, it can result to damage. They need to be protected when they are working and one way to achieve this is by ensuring that they are properly trained on issues pertaining to health and safety. When a restaurant or food outlet reports increased cases of employee’s injury due improper flooring, lack of use of protective equipments, or inability of employees to identify hazards, this can cost the business dearly.

Therefore, there is need to consider having the workers trained time in time so that they are up-to-date with safety issues in workplace especially the kitchen and dining areas. An employer who has a record of having many accidents in workplace is likely to lose confidence with workers and the key employees may begin quitting their jobs. The image of the business is tainted.

Types of injuries that occur in commercial kitchens

There are many kinds of injuries, which can occur in commercial kitchen facilities such as trip and fall, contact dermatitis, cuts, and burns. The flooring surfaces in kitchens can be vulnerable to moisture and spillage from cooking oils. While there may be cleaning workers onboard doing the cleaning work, when hazards occur and they are not identified, accidents can still occur.

Kitchen workers need to identify hazards promptly and measures are taken to prevent damages. Some substances used in the kitchen such as cleaning detergents or even the substances from foods like juices can cause contact dermatitis to people who have autoimmune disorders. This may result to harm on the workers.

Workers should be trained on how they can wear protective equipment such as gloves when handling such food or substances. Similarly, heat can cause burns in kitchen. The heat may be from boiling or steaming food or the fire from the commercial cooking range equipment.

Therefore, employee should know how to handle such equipment and food that is boiling to prevent injury by heat. Handling sharp kitchen equipment like knives also presents risks. When they are not handled carefully, workers will tend to suffer from cuts.

How training can reduce injury in kitchens

Training on health and safety in catering can help minimize the accidents that are witnessed in kitchens. Workers are able to know how they can identify hazards and prevent damages. They understand ways to handle equipment and keep themselves protected from the hazards. This enhance a safe working environment and creates morale in workers. It also saves the catering business owner from lawsuits and costs associated with employee injuries.

Food Industry Training provide CIEH accredited and certified online eLearning training courses ranging from Food Hygiene manufacturing safety.