Restaurant Burn Prevention: Burns and Scalds in Restaurants
Burns and scalds are serious restaurant hazards.
Hot coffee, boiling water, steam, cooking oil, heated equipment, hot food, and other surfaces can injure restaurant employees and customers.
Good restaurant burn prevention requires more than telling employees to “be careful.”
Restaurants need training, procedures, proper equipment, hazard awareness, and active management.
Common Restaurant Burn Hazards
Restaurant employees work around heat throughout their shifts.
Depending on their job, employees may encounter:
- Hot coffee and tea
- Boiling water
- Steam
- Fryers and hot oil
- Ovens and grills
- Heated plates
- Coffee and espresso equipment
- Hot pots and pans
- Cooking equipment
- Hot food and beverages
OSHA recognizes burns and scalds as hazards for restaurant employees working with hot food, beverages, equipment, and steam.
That makes restaurant burn prevention an important part of employee safety.
Restaurant Burn Prevention Starts With Training
Employees should understand the hazards associated with their jobs before they are expected to perform them.
Training may include safe equipment operation, hot-food handling, appropriate personal protective equipment, housekeeping, spill response, and procedures for working around hot liquids and steam.
Employees should also understand the restaurant’s own safety policies and procedures.
Training should not be a one-time event.
Managers should reinforce safe practices and address unsafe conditions when they observe them.
Restaurant Burn Prevention Practices
Depending on the operation, equipment, and task, restaurant burn prevention practices may include:
- Establishing written safety procedures
- Training employees to recognize burn and scald hazards
- Training employees to operate equipment safely
- Providing safety information employees can understand
- Assessing work areas for potential hazards
- Maintaining adequate workspace around hot equipment
- Keeping floors clean and dry
- Cleaning spills promptly
- Using appropriate personal protective equipment
- Using dry oven mitts or potholders when appropriate
- Wearing appropriate slip-resistant footwear
- Avoiding open-toed footwear around hot liquids
- Avoiding overfilled pots and pans
- Asking for assistance when moving heavy containers of hot liquid
- Keeping pot handles away from stove fronts and burners
- Using caution around coffee makers and hot-liquid dispensers
- Keeping hands away from dispensing areas
- Allowing coffee equipment to complete its dispensing cycle before removing the pot
- Carrying hot items in a controlled manner
- Using trays when appropriate
- Opening steaming containers away from the face
- Avoiding standing directly over steam
- Inspecting and maintaining restaurant equipment
- Following manufacturer instructions
- Using appropriate PPE correctly
- Providing employees with basic burn first-aid training
The appropriate procedure depends on the particular restaurant task and equipment involved.
Slips, Falls and Restaurant Burns
A slippery restaurant floor can create more than a fall hazard.
An employee carrying hot food or liquid who slips may spill that material onto themselves, another employee, or a customer.
Employees can also fall toward hot equipment or cooking surfaces.
For that reason, good housekeeping is part of restaurant burn prevention.
Floors should be kept as clean and dry as practical. Spills should be addressed promptly, and employees should use appropriate footwear for the work environment.
Coffee, Tea and Hot Beverage Safety
Coffee and tea create their own burn hazards.
OSHA advises employees to use caution when preparing hot drinks or operating machines that dispense hot liquids.
Employees should understand how to operate the equipment safely.
They should also follow the restaurant’s procedures for preparing, carrying, and serving hot beverages.
For drive-thru service, the preparation and handoff of the beverage can also become important.
A cup of hot coffee doesn’t become safe simply because someone put a lid on it.
The lid needs to be secure.
Steam Can Cause Serious Burns
Steam deserves particular attention.
Employees should avoid standing directly above steaming equipment or containers.
When opening a container containing steam, the lid should be opened in a manner that directs steam away from the employee’s face and body.
Employees working with steamers, ovens, pasta boilers, and similar equipment should receive training on the specific equipment they use.
What Should Restaurants Do When a Burn Happens?
Prevention comes first.
However, restaurants should also have procedures for responding when an employee or customer suffers a burn.
Employees should know how to obtain emergency assistance and should receive appropriate first-aid training for their responsibilities.
For a serious burn or other medical emergency, call 911.
Basic Burn First Aid
Current first-aid guidance generally recommends:
- Stop contact with the source of the burn.
- Remove clothing or jewelry near the burn when it is safe to do so and when it is not stuck to the skin.
- Cool a thermal burn with clean, cool running water.
- Do not apply ice directly to a burn.
- Do not break blisters.
- Cover the burn loosely with a clean dressing when appropriate.
- Watch for changes in the person’s condition.
- Seek emergency medical assistance for serious burns.
Large or severe burns require special care. Cooling a large area can contribute to hypothermia, so employees should follow current first-aid guidance and instructions from emergency medical personnel.
Restaurant employees should not attempt to diagnose the severity of an injury beyond the scope of their training.
Management’s Role in Restaurant Burn Prevention
Safety procedures only work when they are implemented.
Restaurant management should evaluate hazards, establish procedures, train employees, maintain equipment, provide appropriate protective equipment, and monitor the operation.
OSHA states that employers have primary responsibility for protecting the safety and health of their workers. OSHA also identifies training, PPE, safe equipment practices, and hazard assessment as important measures for restaurant employees exposed to burn hazards.
Restaurant burn prevention is not one procedure.
It is a system.
Got a Coffee Burn Case?
Burn and scald litigation can involve much more than the temperature of a beverage.
A restaurant expert witness may examine:
- Employee training
- Restaurant policies and procedures
- Coffee and beverage equipment
- Cup and lid systems
- Hot beverage preparation
- Drive-thru handoffs
- PPE and safety practices
- Equipment maintenance
- Management oversight
- Applicable OSHA requirements
- Restaurant industry standards
The important question is not simply whether something was hot.
The question is what happened, why it happened, and what the restaurant was doing before it happened.
Restaurant Expert Witness – Howard Cannon provides restaurant industry analysis, expert opinions, reports, testimony, and litigation support involving restaurant burns and scalds.
Got a coffee burn case? Call 800.300.5764.