We generally do not consider fast food restaurant employment the most high-risk job around, reserving that title for positions such as fork-lift operators or construction workers. However, a recent report by the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety asserts that teens injured on the job are far more likely to be working at a fast food establishment than in any other setting.

According to the institute’s findings, almost 45,000 injuries to teenagers in the restaurant industry were treated at hospital emergency rooms over a two-year period, with fast food employees comprising the bulk of this number. It was also reported that teens with restaurant jobs were six times more likely to suffer a burn-related injury while on the clock, with over half of these burns being related to hot grease. Other common injuries teens in the restaurant industry face include:

Lacerations, cuts, and similar injuries related to cooking and food preparation, more likely to affect male workers

Concussions, sprains, and strains encountered during such tasks as cashiering and waiting or busing tables, more likely to affect female employees

Slip-and-fall injuries from slick, greasy floors

The committee responsible for the report recommended that employers take several additional measures in terms of both training and environmental preparedness (for example, slip-resistant floor materials, better grips on tongs or spatulas, etc.) to curb the prevalence of such incidents.

Contact Us 

If you or someone you know has been affected by an injury sustained while working in a restaurant and you believe the employer may be in some way liable, contact the Chicago job injury lawyers at the law offices of Friedman & Bonebrake, P.C., by calling 312-466-8200 today.