According to Statista, there were 660,755 restaurants in the US as of 2018. Restaurants are among the last working environments that come to mind when considering safety concerns. However, a restaurant environment has significant safety risks, including falls, cuts, burns, fire outbreaks, poor food handling, and even food poisoning. Consequently, it is essential to boost safety in your restaurant business to protect employees and patrons and avoid a bad reputation. Here are some helpful tips for making your restaurant business safer.
- Offer the right training
Ensuring your employees are well trained is one of the most vital things you can do when running a restaurant. Indeed, training will come in handy when revamping your restaurant and improving its safety. Your training must include an emergency action plan and a fire prevention plan. It should also include the right steps for reporting unsafe work practices, conditions, and injuries. Also, your training must stress the use of appropriate clothing, including footwear, gloves, and personal protective equipment (PPE). It is crucial to provide this training at the right time, like whenever your managers learn about a new or previously unnoticed hazard or when temporary and new employees are onboarded. You should also provide training when staff is assigned new roles for which training has not been previously offered. Finally, train your employees when a new hazard arises after introducing new equipment, substances, or procedures to your restaurant’s operations.
- Invest in a dumbwaiter
Many people often praise dumbwaiters for the efficiency they bring to restaurants and other hospitality services. However, one of the most underrated perks of having a dumbwaiter is improved restaurant safety. It is estimated that more than 29% of all accidents reported in the workplace are trips, slips, and same-level falls. As such, they are the most popular cause of workplace injuries. It is easy for anyone to trip and fall when carrying meals up the stairs all day—besides, carrying and lifting places significant strain on employees’ backs and shoulders. Fortunately, a dumbwaiter will simplify your restaurant’s food, utensils, and ingredient transportation process, so keep this in mind. If you have an old dumbwaiter that is not functional, you can invest in lift repairs to get it up and running.
- Adhere to the necessary health and safety codes
Familiarising yourself with your local health and safety codes is crucial to ensure a routine inspection doesn’t catch your restaurant off guard. Food safety regulations provide a checklist that you must adhere to for a safer work environment. For instance, health codes demand that your staff follow the correct handwashing procedure and wear hairnets before handling food. Your workplace must also have a cleaning schedule and food cooked and stored at the right temperature. Furthermore, you must clean your equipment and storage areas and have an effective pest control system in place. Adhering to these health and safety directives will keep your restaurant out of legal trouble and protect your customers and employees, so feel free to consider this.
