If you work as a catering assistant or a kitchen assistant, should you suffer an accident and are left injured as a result of employer negligence or negligence of a co worker, it may be possible to make an accident at work claim for compensation.
The UK has a large restaurant and hotel industry as well as kitchens supplying food to a large number of different public services such as prisons, hospitals and schools. As a result, thousands of catering assistant and kitchen staff are employed in these areas. In addition, tens of thousands of pubs, clubs, and fast food outlets employ thousands of kitchen staff who can be injured at work if full training has not been given by the employer or if health and safety rules are disobeyed.
The workplace kitchen is usually a stressful, fast moving environment. Kitchens are full of hazards such as hot pans, stoves, ovens and sharp implements such as knives, making kitchen accidents and injuries a high risk. Spillages are also common on the kitchen floor due to the speed of work causing slip hazards.
To help minimize accidents in the kitchen, kitchen and catering assistant staff should be fully qualified in the jobs that they are employed to do and they should be aware and follow all Health and Safety regulations. If an employer expects a member of the kitchen staff to use a piece of equipment they are not qualified/trained to use, or they have failed to train them in all Health and Safety regulations and they suffer an injury as a consequence, a catering assistant injury claim or injured kitchen worker accident claim may be made.
There are lots of ways in which kitchen accidents occur some of the most common are as a result of:
Burns in the kitchen or food counter areas
Being burnt in the kitchen at work or on the food counter area, are often due to hot objects or equipment left in the wrong place causing a hazard. Burns are also often caused as the result of a co worker accidentally spilling hot liquids on a colleague. However you may have sustained a burn injury in the kitchen as long as it was not your own fault, a claim for being burnt in the kitchen at work may be possible.
Electric shocks from faulty equipment in the kitchen, food counter or restaurant area
All equipment in the restaurant, kitchen, or food counter areas should be regularly inspected to make sure they are working correctly and are safe. If any member of staff working in these areas is injured as a result of dangerous faulty kitchen equipment, a claim for being injured by faulty kitchen equipment at work may be possible.
Cuts from kitchen equipment left in a dangerous place or position
When using knives or other dangerous kitchen equipment it should be stored in the correct safe place. If you have been cut due to a kitchen worker leaving equipment in a dangerous place, an injury claim for a knife accident in the work kitchen may be possible.
A Slip accident on the kitchen floor at work due to spillages
If the kitchen floor has been cleaned or if there has been a spillage on it, there should be a wet floor hazard sign put in place. If you have had an accident in the work kitchen due to a wet floor with no warnings signs in place, a slip accident in a kitchen at work claim could be possible.
The most common cause of injuries that result in a kitchen/catering assistant accident claim being made are bruises, cuts, burns, sprains and broken bones.
Following any type of accident where you have been injured at work as kitchen staff, you should report it to a manager or supervisor, record it into the accident book stating exactly what the cause was and then sign it. It is also advisable to take details of any co workers who witnessed the accident and the cause.
You have three years in order to make a kitchen assistant accident claim or catering assistant accident clam from the date of the accident. In order to make a claim your injuries will need to be diagnosed by a doctor and on medical records.
Call the Accident Advice Bureau today and discuss if you are able to claim for an accident at work in the kitchen. All advisors are fully trained and will advise you of the next step.
Remember all accepted accident at work kitchen injury claims are handled on a no win no fee basis with maximum compensation being awarded.
Call today on 0845 10 88 333 or click: Kitchen or catering assistant accident claim.
