Canadian Occupational Safety

20 Canadian Occupational Safety | www.cos-mag.com arms.' That's a little unsettling." Doucet has a significant burn on his right arm from a busy night in the restaurant. "I had a pan heating up with some oil in it to sear salmon and when I placed the salmon in the pan, the oil splashed on my arm and I had a second degree burn," he says. "You just need to be cautious and thinking about what you're doing when you're really busy so that you're not going past that threshold of common sense." Through his restaurant and food safety inspections over the past 20 years, Jones has seen burns caused by improperly using deep fat fryers, picking up pots and pans without a protective mitt and spilling hot liq- uids. Burns can also be caused by handling certain types of foods, such as really hot peppers or hot sauces, says Sellick. Workers should keep handles of pots and pans to the side, ensure deep fryers are at the proper temperature and be aware that steam can cause burns too. They should also assume that everything is always hot, includ- ing cooling racks, says Green. Double-breasted chef coats are designed to help mitigate burn concerns and heat transfer. Improper clothing around open flames, such as polyester or a cotton-polyester blend or loose clothing, can catch on fire. Proper workplace design can also help prevent burns. Many restaurants give their big space for dinning, so they can have more customers, but this means the kitchens can be small, crowded and cluttered, says Waddell. "That's when you might get burned because someone is brushing past you or you're brushing past someone and you hit your hand on the grill or some other hot surface, even though you know it's there and you know to be cautious around it, when there's a rush — lots of people around, things are moving fast — that's when things can happen." Slips, trips and falls are another major k itc hen ha zard. These contribute the most to workers' com- pensation costs in the restaurant and dining industry in B.C., according to go2HR. Wet floors, wearing improper footwear, falling down stairs or trip- ping on wires and extension cords are often to blame. To reduce the hazard caused by spills, Delta Halifax launched the Own the Spill program. "If somebody actually spills some- thing, or the first person who comes across a spill, they own it until it's taken care of because if someone walks by and sees that someone dropped a glass of water and does nothing about it, the next person might not see it and may slip on it," says Doucet. Proper non-slip footwear is crucial for all restaurant and food service environments. Crocs, sandals or open- toed shoes are unacceptable, Jones says. And this goes for those in the kitchen as well as front of house. "Servers coming and going into the kitchen, they may think 'Oh I am not out right by the fryer' but the grease or oil that may be on the floor can spread throughout the whole kitchen, then they are taking it out into the dining area as well," says Sellick. Traction mats can be helpful in kitchens because liquids go into the holes and do not present an even greater slipping hazard, says Jones. Fires are always a concern in kitch- ens. It's important for workers to understand the basics, such as a grease or fat fire should never be extinguished with water and deep fat fryers can cause a fire if water gets into them, says Jones. The right fire extinguishers — one with an ABC classification for paper, liquids and electrical fires and another with K classification for fat, grease and oil — need to be on hand and workers need to know how to use them. When Jones inspects restaurants, many of them either have the wrong type of fire extinguisher or no extinguisher at all. It's also important to have a Class K fire extinguishing system for commer- cial hoods that is serviced regularly and in good working order. Workers need a solid understand- ing of how quickly a fire can happen, says Sellick. "A lot of restaurants use propane stoves, (so) using hand towels in lieu of oven mitts that are tight fitting and you're reaching over top, easily fire can happen there," she says. "And often we have panic, which then you could catch your other items and cause a larger fire." Emergency procedures need to be in place. Employees should participate in fire drills and be reminded to keep fire exits clear. Employers in restaurant and food service need to keep their workers safe because many are facing a labour shortage, says Keis. "If you are already down a couple cooks in the kitchen and then one of them slips and falls and is off work for two or three weeks... Loss-time is a big cost when you're already short," she says. "So keeping people safe, they're getting that message loud and clear." Ultimately, many kitchens require a shift in thinking if they truly want to see improvements in health and safety, says Jones. "It's all about getting their product out to the customer and sometimes shortcuts are taken. If you take the time to think about what you're doing about food safety, it will… save somebody from actually getting sick, or worse, dying," he says. "The culture is coming along but they still need fre- quent inspections and people in the safety industry to make them aware."

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