Restaurant Kitchen Safety Tips

Commercial Entrance MatsThings move fast in the restaurant business and working in the kitchen area is certainly not as easy as many workers make it look. You’re often working under a lot of pressure and it’s vital that you don’t make mistakes. Giving someone the wrong order can hurt business but making a mistake when handling, preparing or cooking the food can result in serious complications.

This is why restaurants require strict guidelines, exceptional management and dedicated workers. When you have good employees, you need to take care of them because you can’t keep your business afloat without them. Making sure your employees have a safe work environment is the first step and there are several ways to accomplish that goal.

Restaurant Kitchen Safety Tips for Preventing Burns and Cuts

Burns and cuts are two dangers employees encounter when working in commercial kitchens. Employees handle knives and equipment with sharp edges that pose a risk for cuts and there are many hot surfaces such as ovens and deep fryers that can cause serious burns. The fast-paced environment makes it difficult to concentrate on safety at times. You get in a rush and accidents happen.

It’s easy for anyone to get distracted or even careless in this type of environment when the pressure is on but it’s even easier for someone with little experience. Since many restaurants employ teenagers and young adults, the risk of someone getting cut or burned increases because they’re not used to the hectic environment.

Restaurant kitchen safety tips include providing your employees with the proper equipment and tools to do the job safely. You also want to make sure everyone is properly trained before allowing them to work in the kitchen, especially during rush hours. Make it a point to let all employees know that safety comes first, even if it means getting a little behind on orders.

Use Kitchen Floor Mats

If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant kitchen, you know how greasy and slick the floors can be. There is no way to keep the food, grease and other debris off the floor. This creates a dangerous work environment but you can’t stop and clean the floors, especially during a rush. To keep your employees from slipping and sliding around, use good quality floor mats.

The Ring Mat heavy-duty drainage floor mat is a great option for kitchens where grease is a problem. The thick design is durable and the anti-fatigue properties provide extra comfort for employees, which make it easier for them to concentrate on their job. Here at Floor Mat Systems we have a large inventory of commercial floor mats designed to help create a safer environment throughout your facility.

Encourage Teamwork

Employees handle a lot of heavy items in the kitchen especially when moving the stock around. Encourage them to work together and help one another with the heavy items and it will help protect them against back strains and other injuries caused from lifting something heavy. Make sure all workers go through a training session on proper lifting techniques, as well.

Keeping your kitchen area safe is top priority. Provide proper equipment, floor mats and training for your employees to help keep them safe but have an accident action plan in place, too. This way, if something does happen, everyone will know what to do.

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