Employers have the primary responsibility for protecting the safety and health of their workers. Employees are responsible for following the safe work practices of their employers.

• Be properly trained to prepare hot items. Understand how to use the equipment you will be required to operate safely.

• Use caution when preparing hot drinks or using machines that dispense hot liquids. Don't stick your hands into areas where hot coffee or hot liquids are dispensed.

• Do not remove coffee pot until coffee is through being dispensed.

• Use trays to carry hot plates.

• Use a waiter's cloth or hot pads or oven mitts to protect your arms or hands when carrying hot plates or trays. Be aware that plates under heat lamps are hot!

• Observe any safety procedures or wear any protective equipment (hot pads, mitts, aprons) provided for your use while preparing hot items.

• Do not reach over table candles while serving or removing food from tables. Do not carry lit candles because the wax can burn.

• Do not use wet towels to grab or hold hot items.

• Remember that items heated in a microwave continue to cook or heat after the the microwave turns off.

• Receive basic first aid training for the treatment of burns.

Employers have the primary responsibility for protecting the safety and health of their workers. Employees are responsible for following the safe work practices of their employers.

• Do not use a glass to scoop ice (it can break from the cold ice, causing cuts to the server and glass in the ice bin); use a metal or plastic ice scoop for placing ice in glasses.

• 

  Do not pick up broken glass with your hands; use a broom and a dustpan.

• Use cutting boards for safe cutting and chopping.

• Avoid talking with co-workers or customers while using a knife.

• Focus your attention on the cutting task while using a knife or other sharp utensil. Distractions increase your risk of getting cut.

• Learn to use a knife safely:
  • Cut in the direction away from your body.

  • Keep your fingers and thumbs out of the way of the cutting line.

• Place dirty knives in a designated container for cleaning, rather than storing in sinks. Wear heavy-duty gloves while cleaning sharp utensils.

 For more information, see the Food Preparation - Knives and Cuts.

Employers have the primary responsibility for protecting the safety and health of their workers. Employees are responsible for following the safe work practices of their employers.

Follow OSHA Standards including:

• Ensure employees use appropriate hand protection when hands are exposed to hazards such as cuts, lacerations, and thermal burns. Hand Protection Standard [1910.138(a)].

Consider implementing recommended safe work practices, including:

• Keep knives sharpened and in good condition; dull knives tend to slip and may cause injuries. Inform workers when knives are newly sharpened.

• Instruct employees on safe handling, use and storage of knives, including designating a location or container to store knives and other sharp equipment.

• Train employees to store knives with the blades all facing one direction.

Employers have the primary responsibility for protecting the safety and health of their workers. Employees are responsible for following the safe work practices of their employers.

• Wipe up any ice that falls on the floor around the ice maker immediately.

• Wipe up spills immediately.

• Clean or pick up any other items (such as food spills) from floors as soon as possible.

• Wear non-slip shoes, and avoid wearing sandals or open toe shoes, high heels, or shoes made out of canvas.

• Carry items only at a height that you can safely see over.

Employers have the primary responsibility for protecting the safety and health of their workers. Employees are responsible for following the safe work practices of their employers.

Follow OSHA Standards including

• Keep all places of employment clean and orderly and in a sanitary condition [1910.22(a)(1)].

• Keep floors clean and dry [1910.22(a)(2)].

• Provide warning signs for wet floor areas [1910.145(c)(2)].

Consider implementing recommended safe work practices, including:

• Keep passageways and walkways free of clutter and crowding.

• Decrease overcrowding by adding additional supply stations or carts with supplies at convenient locations.

• Provide adequate lighting, especially in serving and preparation areas.

• Provide non-slip matting in areas that tend to be wet.

• Alert workers to step-ups and step-downs by using hazard tape or other warning signs.

• Provide mirrors for blind corners.

• Provide windows on swinging doors so you can see if someone is coming out. Also provide two-way doors, one for only going in, and one for only coming out. Follow a set traffic pattern to avoid collisions (for example, enter on the right side, exit on the left).

 For more information see General Hazards - Slips/Trips/Falls.

Employers have the primary responsibility for protecting the safety and health of their workers. Employees are responsible for following the safe work practices of their employers.

• Avoid awkward postures if you must carry trays, plates, or beverages. Serving with awkward postures such as unsupported elbow and finger postures can increase your risk for injury.

• Limit the number of plates or items you will carry, realizing that carrying more than a couple items puts excessive strain on your arms and back and may lead to injury.

• Use both hands to carry items such as coffee pots or water jugs and carry them with your elbows close into your body.

• Move the glass or cup to you, when pouring, rather than overreaching with a heavy coffee pot or water jug to fill a glass.

• 

  Carry plates with your elbows close into your body to lessen the strain on your arms and back. Avoid bending at the wrist or extending upward at the fingers. Your shoulder, arms, and hands should be in a neutral position rather than bent at the wrist or extended upward at the fingers.

• Balance the tray on both your arm and hand.

• Alternate carrying tasks from hand to hand.

• Balance the load evenly, placing heavier items in the center of the tray.

• Make sure trays are serviceable and clean and dry and without defect before using.

• 

  Stand by the person you are serving if possible, rather than reaching across tables and over people. In booths, pass the plates along, requesting that the people sitting closest to the edge of the booth assist you in passing the plates.

• Get help to move tables and chairs, rather than lifting alone.

Employers have the primary responsibility for protecting the safety and health of their workers. Employees are responsible for following the safe work practices of their employers.

• If space permits, provide serving carts to carry food, rather than requiring workers to carry heavy trays overhead.

• If space permits, provide workers with a server's station close to the serving area. This will decrease the distance that items need to be carried.

 For more information, see Clean-up - Strains and Sprains.

Employers have the primary responsibility for protecting the safety and health of their workers. Employees are responsible for following the safe work practices of their employers.

• Keep the cash register closed when not in use.

• Keep cash register in line of sight of other employees.

• Do not count cash in front of customers.

• Help establish and follow lock-up procedures such as all employees should leave the workplace at the same time.

• Know how to report and log incidents of threats or violence.

• Use the safety plan when dealing with unsatisfied customers, robbery, or theft.

• Keep the back doors locked unless you are receiving a delivery.

Employers have the primary responsibility for protecting the safety and health of their workers. Employees are responsible for following the safe work practices of their employers.

• Follow the child labor laws that forbids young workers (younger than 16 years old) from working after 7 p.m. except from June 1st through Labor Day, when evening hours are extended to 9 p.m. Do not leave young workers alone at night to lockup.

  • State Child Labor Laws may even be more stringent

  For more information see Resources - Child Labor Laws.

Follow OSHA's Standards including:

• Provide for exit route doors from the inside of a building at all times without keys, tools, or special knowledge. A device such as a panic bar that locks only from the outside is permitted on exit discharge doors. See OSHA Design and Construction Standard requirements for exit routes [1910.36(d)].

Consider implementing recommended safe work practices, including:

• Design and implement a violence prevention program, specific for your establishment. The plan should indicate how employees should notify local law enforcement agencies in case of an emergency.

• Contact your local Police Department for safety tips.

• Train employees to follow the safety plan when dealing with unsatisfied customers, or an emergency such as a robbery or theft.

• Instruct employees in reporting and logging incidents of threats or violence.

• Post signs saying, "No more than $30 in cash register at all times." Limit available cash on hand to discourage theft.

• 

  Install a panic button under the counter to quickly notify the police in case of a robbery.

• Increase workplace security by installing video surveillance, extra lighting around dimly lit areas (such as trash dumpsters and parking lots), alarm systems, door detectors, or bullet-resistant barriers where appropriate.

• Install height markers to help employees identify the height of suspects.

• Use the "buddy system" when jobs require employees to be outside after dark. Also, provide an escort for anyone who has a shift that ends late and must walk through a dark parking lot to their vehicle.

• Assess staffing needs at high-risk areas and times.

• Install drop safes to limit the amount of cash on hand.

• Keep the back doors locked and set regular times for deliveries. Use panic bars on exit doors so they can be locked but employees can safety exit if they need to.