Approximately 20 percent of all workplace injuries are caused by slips, trips, and falls. For employers, this often results in workers missing about 11 days of work, costing on average of $40,000 per incident.*
For restaurant owners and managers, these numbers can be even higher. This is because slips, trips, and falls can be a frequent hazard in busy restaurant kitchens where safety is sometimes overlooked in favor of speed and customer satisfaction.
“But there are steps restaurant owners/manager can take to keep their staff safe and prevent these kinds of accidents in commercial kitchens,” says Matt Morrison, Communications Manager for Kaivac, <http://www.kaivac.com/> developers of the OmniFlex™ Crossover Cleaning <http://www.kaivac.com/cat_10-OmniFlex_Crossover_Cleaning> system.
Morrison suggests:
· Conducting a safety audit. Slips, trips, and falls tend to occur repeatedly in the same locations; document where these accidents occur so that these areas can receive extra attention to improve safety.
· Using and changing warning signs. Safety cones, floor signs, and caution signs should be placed in areas where accidents frequently occur. And signage should be changed from time to time in order to catch workers’ attention.
·Marking hazardous walkways. Taking signage a step further, managers should use highly visible warning tape to mark uneven, possibly dangerous, or slippery floors. Use reflective or photo luminescent warning tape in dark areas.
Maintaining proper floor care. Many accidents occur because floors are not cleaned properly, often because grease, oil, and soils have actually been mopped into the floors. Replace mops with no-touch or crossover cleaning systems that do not use mops or conventional mop buckets.
“And keep reminding workers to ‘think safety,’” adds Morrison. “Speed and satisfying the customer are important, but worker safety should always be at the top of the list.”
*These numbers can vary depending on the source; the estimates are approximate or averages derived from different sources.
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About Kaivac, Inc.
Headquartered in Hamilton, Ohio, Kaivac, Inc. delivers complete science-based cleaning systems designed to produce healthy results and outcomes while raising the value of cleaning operations and the professionalism of the worker. The originator of No-Touch www.kaivac.com/cat_1-No_Touch_Cleaning_Systems Cleaning®, and the OmniFlex™ Crossover Cleaning System www.kaivac.com/cat_10-OmniFlex_Crossover_Cleaning> , Kaivac offers an integrated portfolio of environmentally friendly cleaning products designed to remove the maximum amount of soil and potentially harmful biopollutants in the most cost-effective manner possible. For more information, visit www.kaivac.com
