Cuts and lacerations are the most common type of injury in the Michigan Restaurant and Lodging Workers’ Compensation (MRL) Fund. Although most of these injuries are minor in nature and only require one visit to the medical clinic, there are times when cut/lacerations are severe, such as when there is nerve or tendon damage, that require surgery or therapy. Whether minor or severe, cuts/lacerations hurt not only the employee and his/her family, but also the restaurant’s bottom line and profitability.
Cuts are not only a danger to the employee but customers are also at risk whenever an employee slices their finger open. Life threatening illnesses like HIV and Hepatitis can be transferred through human blood. It is important that commercial kitchen workers take extra care when handling or working with sharp objects.
Potential Hazards
Restaurant workers are most at risk of cut or puncture injuries when performing the following tasks:
The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) annually reports that over 100,000 people are treated in hospital emergency rooms, doctors’ offices and clinics as a result of falls from ladders due to not following proper safety precautions. Most of the injuries are cuts, bruises and fractures. However, more than 300 annual fatalities occur from ladder related injuries.
How are you and your employees accessing top shelf items, changing out light bulbs, changing menu boards, installing decorations, etc.? Hopefully, not with a chair or a stool, but instead with an appropriate ladder! Improper ladder use appears to be all too common of a practice as evident from the numbers of injuries. How many unsafe acts or close calls from improperly using ladders underlie those statistics? The answer is countless numbers of unsafe acts and close calls underlie those statistics. Each time improper ladder use does not result in injury, that unsafe behavior is reinforced and then soon it becomes habit. Read the rest of this entry »
Winter in Michigan can be treacherous from a slip and fall standpoint. Even when mother nature smiles a little sunshine down on us to melt the snow and ice, we still worry about refreezing on our sidewalks, in front of entrance doors, vendor ramps/curb areas and stairs. In addition to snow removal and de-icing procedures, don’ t forget to remind employees to always wear slip resistant shoes and to notify management of icy/slippery areas.
If having to walk across an icy parking lot to the waste dumpster, instruct employees to watch for ice and even consider wearing a shoe covering specifically designed for slippery/icy surfaces. Products include “STABILICERS”, “YAKTRAX”, and “MICROSPIKES” and “CREW GUARDS” from Shoes for Crews. A Google or Bing search will list a number of dealers for these products. You can also contact your MRL FUND Loss Control Team at 810-735-9885 for additional assistance. Extra caution is necessary if using products with spikes as they can damage floors and even increase the risk of slip/fall if worn indoors.
Over the past two decades, your fund has developed a variety of tools and capabilities designed to help members of your industry control costs and benefit from the ownership savings that the fund has to offer. Please review these resources and contact us for any assistance that we can provide.
• On-site consultations. A fund safety engineer can visit your facility and assist in determining your specific needs then offer suggestions designed to reduce or eliminate the potential for injuries. Please contact the fund’s safety team SSI (Strategic Safety, Inc.) if you’re interested in receiving a visit or for any other assistance. Phone: 810-735-9885 Email:vickie@strategicsafety.net
• In addition to site visits, SSI can provide help in a variety of areas, including safe lifting techniques, DOT Compliance, first aid, CPR and employee training through presentations and written material.
• The fund’s excess carrier, Midwest Employers Casualty, offers free safety “Toolkits” and safety webinars on topics such as burns, knife safety, workplace violence, etc. Toolkits include a poster, handout, and a PowerPoint presentation. Contact Pam Goldman at: pgoldman@mwecc.com to gain access.
• The MRL fund’s website www.MRLFund.org provides access to information on how the fund operates and allows you to request payroll adjustments, loss control visits and to report claims.
Workplace violence is any act or threat of physical violence, harassment, intimidation, or other threatening disruptive behavior that occurs at the work site. It ranges from threats and verbal abuse to physical assaults and even homicide. It can affect and involve employees, clients, customers and visitors. Homicide is currently the fourth-leading cause of fatal occupational injuries in the United States. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), of the 4,547 fatal workplace injuries that occurred in the United States in 2010, 506 were workplace homicides. Homicide is the leading cause of death for women in the workplace. [More...] However it manifests itself, workplace violence is a major concern for employers and employees nationwide.
Cuts are not only a danger to the employee but customers are also at risk whenever an employee slices their finger open. Life threatening illnesses like HIV and Hepatitis can be transferred through human blood. It is important that commercial kitchen workers take extra care when handling or working with sharp objects.
