The ACC has a recipe for containing rising hospitality industry injuries in the kitchen and bar.

Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) statistics show that numerous workers in the hospitality industry injured themselves with cuts and burns or stumbled, skidded, tripped and collided on the job last year. They mostly injured their backs followed closely by their fingers and hands, shoulders and knees.

There were just over 6,400 new claims from the industry in 2010 – figures which have been slowly increasing in recent years. All up, the cost of compensation for the hospitality sector is around $12 million annually.

“Working in hospitality can be dangerous,” says ACC injury prevention team manager Linda Murphy. “Not surprisingly, cuts and burns are two of the most common injuries sustained. Others include soft tissue injuries such as bruises and strains and fractures and injuries that develop gradually over time. That means workers need to stick to the rules when working with knives and hot things. But they also need to look after their backs, keep alert when working in crowded areas and avoid working for long periods in awkward postures.”

Murphy acknowledges hospitality is a fast-paced industry, and pressure can increase the risk of injury. “For this reason,” she says, “training in safe ways to carry out a job is really important, especially for employees who work with hot beverages, food and equipment.” She also advises not to let part-timers and casuals – of whom there are many in the hospitality industry – slip off the safety radar. This can happen “because they may only be on the job for short periods, it’s easy to overlook them. But it’s essential to give regular health and safety talks to point out the risks in your business.”

The costs of an injured worker, regardless of how long they’ve been working for you, are bigger than just the hassle of covering for them if they get hurt. “There’s also the time and cost of recruitment, interviewing and training, new uniforms and so on, plus the impact it could have on your future ACC levies,” says Murphy. But with the introduction of experience rating, you will be rewarded for having a good safety record with a discount on your ACC levies, or you could receive a loading if your safety record is not as good.

Experience rating and lower levies?

With the introduction of experience rating in April this year, employers will have more incentive to encourage workplace safety, and help employees return to work quickly and safely after injury. That’s because experience rating takes into account your ACC claims history when calculating your future levies. In a nutshell, what you pay will more accurately reflect your safety performance in the workplace.

Here’s how it works:

For a large business (work levy $10,000 or more) ACC will look at the number of work-related employee claims over the three-year experience period, and how long your employees received weekly compensation. Only workplace claims for moderate to serious injury (like those with associated medical and elective surgery costing $500 or more) and fatal injury claims will be taken into account.

ACC will then compare your performance with that of businesses in similar industries. If your performance is better, your levy will be lower, and vice versa. Levies could increase or decrease by up to 50 per cent.

If you have a smaller business (work levy less than $10,000) you will get a ‘no claims discount’ of 10 per cent if you had no weekly compensation or fatal injury claims over the experience period. However, with between one and 70 weekly compensation days paid, there will be no change to the levy and with more than 70 weekly compensation days paid or any fatal claims, there will be a 10 per cent loading.

Some businesses will be exempt from experience rating, and have their levies calculated as usual. These are businesses which have below minimum liable earnings (currently $26,520) or which haven’t been invoiced a levy for each year of the experience period.

Hazards to look out for:

Workers in the industry need to be vigilant about taking breaks, using correct techniques and reporting hazards. Hazards are potential dangers that could result in injury. Here are some tips to help workers keep safe on the job:

→ Knives

Make sure they’re sharpened properly – a sharp knife is much safer than a blunt one because you don’t need to put as much pressure on it to work. Also, make sure employees don’t leave knives in a sink because someone else could unknowingly put their hands in.

→ Clothes

A uniform is best, but make sure employees are aware of any loose clothing that could catch in machinery. Ideally, forearms should always be covered with sleeves rolled down to protect from burns for example. Closed-in shoes will help protect toes from sharp objects falling off benches.

→ Electricity

Make sure employees know to tell you about any frayed or damaged cords. Keep electrical equipment away from water or oil and turn it off and unplug it before cleaning.

→ Broken machinery

Remind staff to tell you if something’s not working properly – that way, you can fix it before it becomes a bigger hazard.

→ Obstacles

Clear the floor of items that could cause trips or knocks particularly matting that has come loose. Store items out of pathways, where people could trip over them.

→ Steam and burns

Ensure staff members lift lids off pots by opening away from them. Pot handles should not stick out over the stove.

→ Chemicals

Staff members need to wear gloves and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

→ Well-being

A tired worker makes mistakes or may take risks. You and your staff are responsible for ensuring adequate breaks are taken.

→ Running

No one should ever run anywhere in the establishment.

Under the Health and Safety in Employment Act 2002, employers must ensure a safe working environment but employees, too, are responsible for helping employers achieve this. For hospitality, this means, for example, ensuring staff are trained, supervised and provided with adequate protective gear. For employees it’s following the rules, wearing the correct clothing and alerting the boss to potential hazards.

To find out more about:

→ tips tailored to the hospitality industry, go to www.acc.co.nz/hospitality. The leaflet ‘How to avoid common injuries in the hospitality industry’ is a good place to start.

→ preventing and managing discomfort and pain and injury at work (especially avoiding injuries that develop gradually over time through poor posture and other factors) check out www.habitatwork.co.nz.

→ experience rating, go to www.acc.co.nz/for-business.

Top causes of accidents in hospitality industry: (Based on new claims during the 2009/2010 year)

→ Lifting, carrying, straining – 1905 new claims

→ Losing balance or personal control – 640 new claims

→ Slipping, skidding on foot – 634 new claims

→ Collision or knocked over by object – 620 new claims

Top injuries in hospitality industry: (Based on new claims during the 2009/2010 year)

→ Soft tissue injury, e.g., bruising, strain – 3817 new claims

→ Infected/non-infected cuts and grazes, puncture wound, sting – 1296 new claims

→ Burns (burn, corrosive injury, scald) – 451 claims

→ Fracture or dislocation – 203 new claims

Making wet floors safer
Now there is an anti-slip treatment that doesn’t rely on roughness for traction in the wet. Applications include areas where a “caution wet floor” sign has been the only option until now.

Treatment with Grip Guard non-slip leaves floors just as smooth and easy to clean as they were before. After treatment the floor might look just the same, but test results show slip resistance is often doubled, sometimes even tripled.

“One of the thrills of the job is amazing our customers. Even porcelain tiles look just as glossy and glam,” says John Black, owner of New Zealand’s first-licensed Grip Guard applicators, Andy Andersons Industrial Services.

“There’s no noise, dust or fumes, which has been great when we’ve worked in seven-day businesses like hospitals and hospitality,” says Black. “With no cure time the floor is safe and ready to walk or drive on as soon as we’re done. Our customers are even more amazed when we explain that it’s not a coating so it can’t wear off.”

For more details, call 0800 723 335 or visit www.safefloors.co.nz.

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