The hospitality industry offers consumers nice places to visit for food, drinks and other services. This sector also provides jobs for people across the state of California.
Chefs are tasked with preparing food for paying guests. This work is rewarding but can also be very demanding, and there are a number of safety risks. Outlined below are some of the more common injuries that chefs suffer at work.
Severe burns
Kitchens are synonymous with heat. Stoves, fryers, pans of boiling water and grills all reach extremely high temperatures. A splash from the fryer or pan that gets knocked over can result in serious burns to anyone who is nearby. This equipment also has the potential to cause dangerous fires that get out of hand.
Cuts and lacerations
Something else that we associate with kitchen and chefs is knives. Chefs’ knives are especially sharp because they need to cut through meat and other products every single day. One slip of the hand is all it takes to cause a severe laceration. Not only can the wound itself be painful, but there is also a risk of further complications such as tendon damage, infections or injuries to the nerves.
Slips, trips and falls
During busy periods, commercial kitchens are fast-paced environments. There is also a heavy presence of cooking oils, cleaning products, spills and many other trip and fall hazards. Slips and falls on wet floors or trips in cluttered kitchens are relatively common and the resulting injuries can be serious.
If you have been injured on the job, it’s important that you look for some financial relief while you are recovering. Seeking legal guidance on the matter will give you a better indication of your options.