Restaurant drive thru scalds and burns from hot beverages have become a problem of epidemic proportions.
The Burn Foundation states that the food service industry experiences the highest number of burns of any employment sector — listing job positions of cooks, food handlers, drive-thru and kitchen workers and wait staff as being among the top 50 occupations most at risk for on-the-job burn injury.
Just generally, scald burns are quite common in restaurants. They occur when skin comes into contact with hot liquids or steam and can result in third-degree burns almost instantaneously. Scalds with hot oil are generally more severe than those with hot water because oil heats to a much higher temperature than water and oil is thicker so it is harder to remove from the skin and can remain on the skin for much longer periods of time.
But of all the burns that occur in our industry, there’s one that comes across the desk of our forensic analysis team that has become much more common: hot coffee and hot tea burns.
Specifically, hot coffee and hot tea burns in drive-thrus.
Many people have no idea how serious of a problem this has become in the restaurant industry, let alone the causes behind it or the industry standards that restaurant ownership, management, and employee-level personnel are supposed to know when they get into the hot beverage business.
These cases are extremely personal to those who are harmed (hot beverage burns in drive-thrus often result in serious injuries to people’s private parts) and are highly complex when navigating through the lawsuits that result from them.
Restaurant Expert Witness has studied these cases for nearly 40 years, and there are many things that present a recognizable hazard to the customer when receiving a hot beverage, but there are several factors that start with the basic Culture and management system of a restaurant where the root of the problem lies.
Hazards and Conditions Which Cause Scalds and Burns
Some of the hazards and dangerous conditions that exist in restaurants that can result in burns and scalds include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Restaurant management has not enforced safety policies, practices and procedures.
- Employers and management have not trained restaurant employees on safety policies, practices and procedures.
- Employees ignore the safety rules, policies, practices and procedures.
- Employees take short cuts when in a hurry.
- Employers do not provide enough time to complete a task safely.
- Employees become too comfortable and familiar with their job and take unnecessary risks.
- Employers are ill, fatigued or under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.
- Slips, trips and falls are common events leading to burns for restaurant employees. We have a book on slip and falls in restaurants as well.
- Restaurant managers and employees fail to recognize the hazards present when serving hot beverages in the first place.
Restaurant Expert Witness provides expert analysis of QSR operational protocols and front-of-house safety standards in thermal injury litigation – along with litigation support for a host of other incidents that take place in restaurants and bars.
Our lead expert, Howard Cannon, is an expert in hot coffee and tea burns, scald injury risk management, food and beverage standard or care, restaurant training, hot beverage to-go cups, hot beverage lid integrity and safety, restaurant OSHA, restaurant emergency action plans, & hot beverage, restaurant, and drive thru industry standards and standards of care.
Want to learn more about Restaurant Expert Witness, Howard Cannon, and the expert services we provide? Do you have a personal injury case that occurred at a restaurant or bar? Want to know more about Restaurant Risk Assessment? The highly sought after expertise of Restaurant Expert Witness could be the factor that secures a victory in your case.
Call us at 800.300.5764 today for a FREE No Obligation Initial Consultation!
Or, to find out more about Howard Cannon and what makes him an expert in the restaurant and bar industry, watch a video here or explore our website here!