People from all across New York work in bars and restaurants. These individuals work hard to provide an entertaining experience for those entering these establishments. This work comes at a cost. Restaurant workers face a variety of serious health hazards on the job.
As this blog has highlighted in the past, restaurant workers can be injured at work. Recently, this blog explained the risks to bartenders this holiday season.
It is important for restaurant workers to understand the risks that they face on the job. These risks, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, fall into three general categories.
First, restaurant workers face safety hazards on the job. The safety hazards include things that can cause immediate injuries and accidents. The safety hazards specifically include dangers from knives, hot surfaces and slippery floors. Injuries that can result from these safety hazards include broken bones, cuts, bruises and burns.
Secondly, workers face ergonomic hazards. These are injuries that occur as a result of repetitive tasks. Specifically, restaurant workers can suffer from repetitive injuries like sprains or strains after repetitive heavy lifting.
Finally, restaurant workers face other health hazards. These are things in the environment that can create conditions that make people sick. These are more varied and include injuries from chemicals, heat and excessive noise. Stress from working in a restaurant can also cause injuries to workers.
While there are steps that restaurant workers can take to avoid accidents and injuries on the job, the responsibility for a reasonably safe environment ultimately lays with the restaurant owners. Employers in New York are responsible for keeping employees safe. If an accident occurs on the job, workers may be entitled to compensation through the workers’ compensation program. While this blog post can only provide general information, an experienced attorney may be able to help workers in New York understand their workers’ compensation rights.