Can your restaurant afford a €3.8 million fine?

A case study undertaken by the HSA has found that the average annual cost of workplace injuries to Irish  business lies at around €52,000, and can rise up to and above €3.8 million per case. This figure excludes productivity losses in most cases.

The restaurant industry employs over 64,000 people in Ireland. With so many new and temporary staff due to seasonal shifts in demand maintaining consistent and efficient health and safety training can be a struggle. But this is also the reason why having such systems in place is so important. Businesses can often pay too little attention on the potential risks associated with manual handling in workplace not typically associated with physical demanding tasks. This can result in staff being insufficiently trained and at risk. It only takes one poorly handled box to cause a serious industry so despite there being a less obvious physical demand in this line of work the lack of training can put your workers and your business at greater risk.

Bar staff, floor staff, kitchen staff and just about every other member of your team may encounter a situation in which they will be required to move some form of heavy or awkward object at some point. From crates of delivery to large quantities of heavy kitchen wear, pots and pans placed in low cupboards and even administrative materials.

The Health and Safety Authority have suggested that approximately one third of all reported work-related incidents are caused by improper manual handling. Stress or strain to the back and neck are particularly frequent. In a study carried out by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) work-related injuries were reported to have affected 47,000 workers on average in Ireland between 2001 and 2012. An additional 48,000 people suffered from a work-related illness the report shows.

With the economy on the rise and more and more people reentering the workforce particularly in the hospitality and restaurant industries it is important that training standards are maintained and that all new and existing employees are kept up to date with protocols and current legislation. As stated by the HSE the cost of insufficient training can severely affect your company’s reputation and bottom line while fully trained and qualified staff can save lives.

Any upskilling and health and safety training can be provided to every member of staff at an cost and time effective way with a  training provider and a robust LMS to keep track of training records. For more information on how you can provide a safer environment for all your staff contact Olive Safety here.