Tools of the Trade
At Restaurant Expert Witness, we are in the business of safety. Businesses in the Restaurant, Bar, and Hospitality Industry have potential safety hazards that are unique to the industry. This fact makes it especially important for these establishments to know what it takes to implement best practices and industry standards for their business to keep guests, employees, vendors, and others safe. In this post you will find ten of our favorite safety tips from Howard Cannon’s new book, Restaurant OSHA Safety and Security, The Book of Restaurant Industry Standards & Best Practices ©2016.
- Recordkeeping:
We could cover so many subtopics under recordkeeping, but we will keep is short and simple in this post. Recordkeeping can help prevent a wealth of problems. Organized and well-kept records also allow the business to take note of safety trends and act accordingly. We could go on about recordkeeping, but we will let you learn more about the multitude of benefits from Mr. Cannon’s book.
- Don’t Ignore Close Calls:
If someone has an incident where they are almost injured or sick, do not wait for someone to become injured or sick before you act on the hazard. Take those close calls as an opportunity for preventative action. This not only protects everyone on the establishment’s property, but it also protects your business.
- Training:
Train your employees. This should be common sense, but sadly it’s an invaluable step that is often skipped for the sake of time and at the cost of safety. Employees should be adequately trained on all policies and procedures and every time those policies and procedures are changed or updated.
- Fire Safety:
Know the requirements for fire extinguishers and exits in your building and then adhere to them. Make sure that your employees are trained on how to use the fire extinguishers and the proper procedure for exiting in case of a fire.
- Communication:
Communication between management and employees is essential to a safely functioning restaurant. Use tools like communication logs to ensure that effective communication is always taking place in your restaurant.
- Educate:
Violence in the workplace can occur in many forms, but the key to prevention is education. Educate your employees on the different types of workplace violence and how to report workplace violence. Establishing a no tolerance policy for workplace violence is imperative to fostering a safe work environment.
- Safety Tools:
Utilize safety tools in your restaurant such as aprons, pot holders, gloves, goggles, etc., and make sure that your employees understand their responsibility to use the tools every time. Ensure that your employees are trained on how to properly use each tool.
- Routine Inspections:
Conduct routine inspections around your restaurant to look for potential safety hazards. Make note of any potential safety hazards and then do whatever needs to be done to prevent any injuries or illness.
- First Aid:
Always have a staff member on duty that is trained in basic first aid. Ensure that all staff members are aware of the location of the first aid kit and routinely check your first aid kit to make sure that it is adequately stocked.
- Meetings:
Conduct regular safety meetings among management and employees.
These are ten of our favorite safety tips, but these and many more can be found in Howard Cannon’s new book, Restaurant OSHA Safety and Security, The Book of Restaurant Industry Standards & Best Practices ©2016.
This Tools of the Trade post is brought to you by the team at Restaurant Expert Witness.To learn more about Restaurant Expert Witness, Howard Cannon, and the expert services he provides, please click here: Howard Cannon, Restaurant Expert Witness – Bio;
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