Canadian Occupational Safety

JUNE/JULY 2017 19 JUNE/JULY 2017 JUNE/JULY 2017 Sous-vide cooking, a method where vacuum-sealed foods are submerged in a water bath on low temperatures for long periods of time, is a current food trend. According to Restaurant Canada's Canadian Chef Survey, sous-vide cooking is the fourth hottest food trend for 2017. Often used for cooking meat, the fi nished product is wonderful and very tender, but it certainly poses some health concerns, says Dennis Green, director of industry training at go2HR, a human resources association for Brit- ish Columbia's tourism and hospi- tality sector. "During the cooking process, it's holding foods for a longer period of time than you normally would in the danger zone. They do get to the point where they are pasteurized at the end of the cooking process," says Green, who is also a Red Seal chef. "There's a lot that goes into doing that technique properly — making sure you're handling food, preparing it properly and maintaining the right temperature and getting food to the correct tem- perature before it's being served." If not done properly, bacteria, espe- cially the kind that form spores, can multiply in the warm, oxygen-defi - cient vacuum packs. From restaurants and catering to cafeterias and dining halls, food ser- vice workers are often eating the food they prepare, so they can be subjected to the same illnesses or reactions as their customers. There is a trend in food service towards foraging and using wild foods, which can pose risks as well. Restaurant Canada's survey of 560 chefs across the country ranked locally sourced food as the number 5 trend for this year. Government regulations require food comes from an approved source and there is documentation on its traceability, says Green. "People will watch a show and see chefs out there picking mushrooms in the forest and every once in a while people will do that without under- standing what they're harvesting and do themselves some damage," he says. "People shouldn't be serving anything unless they know exactly what it is and where it comes from." Whenever new food is experi- mented with, there is always the risk for unanticipated allergic reactions. Individuals may not know they are allergic to something if Sous-vide cooking, a method where Sous-vide cooking, a method where vacuum-sealed foods are submerged vacuum-sealed foods are submerged in a water bath on low temperatures in a water bath on low temperatures for long periods of time, is a current for long periods of time, is a current food trend. According to Restaurant food trend. According to Restaurant Canada's Canada's Canadian Chef Survey sous-vide cooking is the fourth sous-vide cooking is the fourth hottest food trend for 2017. hottest food trend for 2017. Often used for cooking meat, the fi nished product is meat, the fi nished product is wonderful and very tender, wonderful and very tender, but it certainly poses some health concerns, says Dennis Green, says Dennis Green, director of industry training at go2HR, a human resources association for Brit- association for Brit- ish Columbia's tourism and hospi- tality sector. "During the cooking process, it's holding foods for a longer period of time than you normally would in the danger zone. They do get to the They do get to the point where they are point where they are pasteurized at the end pasteurized at the end pasteurized at the end of the cooking process," of the cooking process," says Green, who is also says Green, who is also a Red Seal chef. "There's a Red Seal chef. "There's a lot that goes into doing a lot that goes into doing a lot that goes into doing that technique properly — that technique properly — that technique properly — making sure you're handling making sure you're handling making sure you're handling food, preparing it properly and food, preparing it properly and food, preparing it properly and maintaining the right temperature maintaining the right temperature maintaining the right temperature and getting food to the correct tem- and getting food to the correct tem- and getting food to the correct tem- and getting food to the correct tem- perature before it's being served." perature before it's being served." perature before it's being served." If not done properly, bacteria, espe- If not done properly, bacteria, espe- If not done properly, bacteria, espe- cially the kind that form spores, can cially the kind that form spores, can cially the kind that form spores, can cially the kind that form spores, can multiply in the warm, oxygen-defi - multiply in the warm, oxygen-defi - multiply in the warm, oxygen-defi - multiply in the warm, oxygen-defi - cient vacuum packs. cient vacuum packs. cient vacuum packs. From restaurants and catering to From restaurants and catering to From restaurants and catering to cafeterias and dining halls, food ser- cafeterias and dining halls, food ser- cafeterias and dining halls, food ser- cafeterias and dining halls, food ser- vice workers are often eating the food vice workers are often eating the food vice workers are often eating the food vice workers are often eating the food they prepare, so they can be subjected they prepare, so they can be subjected they prepare, so they can be subjected to the same illnesses or reactions as to the same illnesses or reactions as to the same illnesses or reactions as their customers. they have never tried it before. "Whenever you try anything new, try it in moderation, ask questions about it fi rst. Try a little tiny bit of something in case your body doesn't know how to deal with it," says Clare Waddell, youth education consultant at the Workers Compensation Board of PEI, noting this advice is especially useful for young workers who lack experience. Delta Hotels Halifax takes aller- gies very seriously, according to Sean Doucet, director of operations. Doucet was the executive chef for the restau- rants and banquet facilities at the two Delta hotels in Halifax before taking on his current role. "Any time somebody has a specifi c allergy, we take that opportunity to train our staff on what that allergy is. We used to have a staff member that worked in the kitchen with an anaphylactic allergy to peanuts. We ensured all nuts were kept separate and in sealed containers and when we needed to use them, they were secured to one area in the kitchen," he says. PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY Kitchens are often fast-paced, stress- ful environments where people work long, unusual hours, and this can cer- tainly take a toll on an individual's mental health. In November, a group of Edmonton chefs got together for the fi rst Food for Thoughts fund- raiser, an initiative designed to raise awareness of mental health issues in kitchens. They also expressed concern about the rampant drug and alcohol abuse throughout the industry. "We struggle as an industry with a lack of oversight and accountability," chef Cory Rakowski said at the event, as reported by the Edmonton Journal. "We accept that not being paid over- time is the norm. We accept (that) abuse, emotional, mental, is the norm. These are things we are OK with, in the name of passion… We are taught how to fi x a broken Hollandaise, but we're not taught how to cope with the pres- sure, the lack of self-worth." Most restaurants, unless they are big chains or a part of hotels, do not offer benefi ts for workers, so prescription drugs or counselling services to help with mental heath issues are not an option for most. As with many male-dominated industries, sexual harassment is an area of concern in kitchens. In 2014, pastry chef Kate Burnham fi led a human rights complaint against three senior chefs at Weslodge, a Toronto restaurant. Burnham said she was ver- bally harassed and routinely had her breasts and crotch grabbed. She also said her boss would take her aside and show her photos of his penis. In an attempt to end sexism and harassment in restaurants, the gov- ernment of Ontario announced a $1.7-million investment over the next three years to train bartenders, servers and others in the hospitality sector to identify and intervene in instances of sexual violence and harassment. If any workers at Delta Hali- fax are experiencing any of type of harassment, violence or threatening behaviour, management wants to hear about it right away so it can take action, says Doucet. "I have been around for a while and I remember working in kitchens years ago when there were a lot of Europe- ans with short tempers and frying pans would come fl ying across the kitchen. That stuff is not acceptable. It wasn't acceptable back then but it kind of got overlooked, and in today's day and age, it's not acceptable at all," he says. Unruly customers can also be a con- cern, specifi cally at bars where lots of alcohol is being consumed. Staff should know how to properly diffuse the situ- ation and be trained on warning signs. "Workers (should know) what to watch for, so if there is an escalating situation, they can catch it in the early stages, whether it be body language or knowing how many drinks were served to that particular person and knowing what the procedure is," says Waddell, adding young workers, spe- cifi cally, should understand they don't need to handle this type of situation by themselves. When discussing the restaurant and food service industry, it's important to give due consideration to young work- ers because they make up a substantial portion of the industry's workforce. One in fi ve young people aged 15 to 24 are employed in Canada's restau- rant industry, according to Restaurants Canada. Nearly one-quarter (22 per cent) of Canadians got their fi rst job in the restaurant business — the high- est of any industry. "This is where they get their fi rst indoctrination into workplace safety, so it's really important that employers take that seriously and give them a good ori- entation, good education," says Arlene Keis, CEO of go2HR. In B.C., more than one-third (36 per cent) of all workers' compensation claims in the restaurant and dining sector from 2011-15 involved young workers, according to data supplied by go2HR. Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations were hurt the most — they accounted for 32 per cent of all claims within the industry. New and young workers, according to go2HR, often occupy these jobs. Young workers must understand they have the right to speak up if they don't feel safe on the job. A good idea is to pair them with a mentor or buddy so they may feel more comfort- able asking questions. "We have raised them to be respect- ful and to not asked questions. If Grandma asks them to take out the garbage, just to do it. It's a double- edged sword: we have raised them to not rock the boat and be respectful and to obey their elders and now we are sending them out on their own and now we want them to speak up and question everything and ask for reasons," says Waddell. As this may be their fi rst job, young workers might need reminders about the importance of personal hygiene in the restaurant and food service indus- try, says Jones. When prepping food, there should be no jewelry or chewing gum and hairnets must be worn. Hand washing is extremely important and any time a worker touches any body part (such as the face or hair) she needs to wash her hands, says Jones. COMMON INJURIES While new food trends can cause emerging risks for workers, all food service employees still face a myriad of other hazards. Cuts are the most common type of injury within the industry, according to go2HR. Proper knife handling skills train- ing is important for the culinary team, says Doucet. Knife handles get broken down by grease and fat, but cooks often don't want to take their favourite knife out of service so they wrap it in duct tape and try to keep using it for much too long, says Sellick. Workers wielding knives need to be reminded to slow down and not get distracted. "If somebody comes in and you are in the middle of cutting something, the best thing to do is to stop what you're doing, have the conversation and then continue," says Green. Workers need to know how to prop- erly maintain and use slicers, grinders and saws, and understand the impor- tance of keeping them sharp. Dishwashers are at a particular risk for cuts because they may be reaching into the sink and grabbing an item that could cut them, says Jones. Cuts can also happen when items are broken — a common occurrence in a kitchen environment. "We have a broken glass bin in the kitchen so if any of the servers, or anyone at all, breaks a plate, breaks a glass, they know how to handle it, they know where to put that glass so it doesn't go into a garbage can and then cuts the bag and somebody gets hurt by trying to push the garbage down," says Doucet. All cuts pose a biohazard, so proper fi rst aid is necessary before prepping food again, adds Jones. There should always be at least one person per shift with fi rst-aid training. Another hazard that comes to mind in kitchens is the risk of burns. "It's not uncommon for the kids in the schools to tell me 'Oh yeah, lots of burns.' Just sort of matter-of-factly, not proudly," says Waddell, who works directly with young workers. "(They say) 'Yeah, when you work in a kitchen, you always have lots of burns on your

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