Comprehensive Fast Food Workers' Compensation Safety Program
The fast food industry places a lot of emphasis on training workers as it regards containing workers compensation costs. However, in addition, your fast food franchise should also consider how some operational and cultural components influence worker injuries.
In a survey from the National Council on Occupational Safety and Health, surveyed workers who were burned indicated that causal factors such as staffing and emphasis on quickness influenced the reason for the burn injury. The same surveyed workers also indicated that the severity of the burn was increased due to the failure to have an accessible first aid kit or a managers attempt to treat it using improper methods.
Although there are no simple answers with regard to how to deal with under staffing or an employee’s understanding of performance factors, here are some questions which may help when evaluating how to improve these issues.
Could I add safety metrics to the list of metrics used to evaluate each store and or employee?
Does my safety incentive program reward improvement in addition to standard safety achievements like no losses or no injuries?
Have I seen an increase in either worker injury or customer complaints since changing my staffing?
With regard to first aid, it is worthwhile to have a number of store or shift managers certified in first aid measures such as simple burn, laceration, or bruising treatment. Also, you should check with your workers’ compensation carrier as many carriers are starting to offer access to a nurse to triage and walk managers through treating those simple or more importantly, making that key determination as to whether it is simple or needing professional medical treatment. It is mandatory that employees know and have access to a first aid kit within your store. It should be a checklist item just like fire extinguisher.
