With profit margins thin, fickle customers, and strict government over sight we thought instead of dog piling on the industry we would try and offer some insightful information as it relates to a high cost component for restaurants, employee injuries. Food and beverage workers, most commonly bartenders and waiters/waitresses, face significant workplace hazards. They typically work long shifts, are usually on their feet constantly, and they carry large trays of hot food with breakable objects. This is not the greatest combination if you are trying to avoid injuries and keep costs at bay. Sprains, cuts, and bruises are three of the most frequent injuries in the food and beverage industry. The other injury of note is heat burns which are more prominent for servers than most other occupations.
- 141 food and beverage servers were fatally injured on the job
- In 2008 there were 26,870 nonfatal injuries and illnesses involving days away from work in private industry
- This was a 29-percent decrease from the 37,860 reported in 2003.
- Nonfatal injuries and illnesses for all occupations combined in 2008 was down 18 percent from 2003.
**Note that this is the most recent data available due to the time it takes to collect and analyze
Most nonfatal injuries and illnesses occur when food and beverage servers are performing their regular job duties but most fatal injuries are homicides, which result from crime, disputes, and workplace violence. Men are more likely to have fatal work injuries while women are more likely to incur nonfatal injuries and illnesses. When these injuries and even fatalities occur the business owner can be held liable. Workers compensation insurance can come to the rescue.
If you are an employer within this industry please take the proper precautions to keep you and your employees safe. We would be very pleased to offer you our Workplace Safety Guide designed specifically for small to mid sized restaurants. Further if you are getting stung by high Workers comp insurance costs, contact one of our Risk Advisors to see what steps we can take to drive down your costs. If you have questions or want advice on proper precautions contact one of our experts at Metropolitan Risk Advisory.