In the United States, the restaurant industry has a troubling record when it comes to safety. Each year more than 100,000 kitchen workplace accidents take place causing serious injuries. In the last year, Ghost Kitchens have become increasingly popular with thousands of them popping up all over the country. A Ghost Kitchen also known as a shadow kitchen or virtual kitchen is a restaurant that contains all the necessary equipment for meal preparations but they don’t have a dining area for customers.
Ghost Kitchens primarily focus on fulfilling food orders through popular third-party food delivery apps like GrubHub, Uber Eats, DoorDash and sometimes they employ their team of delivery drivers. These virtual kitchens often referred to as dark kitchens prepare, cook and store food at commissary kitchens that rent to fulfill orders. This new trend in the restaurant industry has opened the door for more workplace accidents.
Ghost Kitchen – Workplace Injuries
As ghost kitchens are essentially restaurants, unsafe work conditions can create unnecessary hazards for employees. From sharp knives, boiling liquids, and falling pans there are numerous risk factors. Here are a few of the most common injuries that can occur in commercial kitchens:
Burn Injuries
Even the most experienced chef can experience a severe burn injury. Chefs and cooks are constantly working around boiling pans and open fires. Ghost kitchens often operate at a fast pace and the staff have to move even faster to keep up with the demand. This can cause an accident to occur. In some instances, kitchen staff who have sustained burn injuries have to take time off work to recover.
Sprains and Fractures
The Health and Safety Executive’s Injuries At Work report published in 2019 revealed that more than 25,000 trip and fall accidents in commercial kitchens were reported. Grease and water spills can make the floors slick causing trip and fall accidents to occur. Sprains and fractured bones are the most common injuries resulting from trip and fall accidents.
Explosion Injury
Cooking gas and fire explosions can cause serious injuries. Explosions can occur due to gas leaks and unattended cooking. Explosion injuries include; gas inhalation, severe burn injuries, and traumatic brain injuries.
Kitchen staff workers aren’t the only employees that are at risk of suffering a workplace injury. Ghost kitchens are delivery only restaurants. Our firm has taken on cases where the delivery driver was injured while picking up at location.
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Preventing Workplace Injuries In Delivery Only Restaurants
The Occupational Health and Safety Act requires that employers provide a safe and healthy working environment for employees. Employers can ensure the safety of their employees by:
- Training employees on proper safety methods
- Maintain hazardous equipment and machinery
- Set standards for properly cleaning up spills
- Set slip-resistant mats in the work areas
- Properly store and label chemicals
When they fail to do so this can cause serious injuries and even death. If you were injured in a Ghost Kitchen due to your employer’s negligence it’s important to seek help from an experienced injury attorney.
Seek Help From An Injury Attorney
If you were injured in a workplace kitchen accident you may be entitled to compensation under the Worker’s Compensation Act. Worker’s compensation cover’s injured or sick employee’s medical expenses and replaces lost wages for the time they are out of work recovering. Injured workers should immediately report any injuries that they sustained while on the job to their supervisor or manager. If you don’t follow the proper procedures for reporting workplace injuries you can be denied worker’s compensation benefits.
An injury attorney can help you submit a worker’s compensation claim. Contact us right away to schedule a free initial consultation to discuss the details of your claim. We understand that hiring the right workplace injury attorney can be a challenge. Therefore, during the initial consultation, you can present your case and we’ll let you know how we can best serve you.
If you’ve already hired a worker’s compensation attorney and you need a second opinion our experienced attorneys can be of assistance. Here at Normandie Law Firm our attorneys will meet with you and thoroughly discuss your case and provide an analysis of the efforts that have been made by your current lawyer. A second opinion from a qualified legal professional can help provide you with greater confidence regarding the legal action that has been taken on your worker’s compensation case.
The last thing you should have to worry about when you’re dealing with a workplace injury is how you are going to pay an attorney. Fortunately, our firm uses a contingency fee structure which means you don’t have to worry about any upfront costs. We are paid once we settle with your employer’s insurer.
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