While working in the kitchens of a restaurant chain, a 17-year-old boy tripped, slipped and consequently immersed his left hand into a fryer unit full of hot oil, causing severe burns to his arm, parts of the chest and neck.
On the day of the accident, he was socialising outside the restaurant when one of the restaurant supervisors approached and pressurised him to work earlier than his normal shift, as the restaurant was busy. The boy wanted to go home to collect his chef’s jacket but was told there was no time. Instead, he was given a normal short-sleeved shirt and another member of staff’s greasy pair of shoes, which were ill fitting. The front soles were badly worn and damaged.
The kitchen floor was contaminated with grease and staff had placed cardboard sheets on the floor to absorb it, which was common practice at the restaurant. He tripped on cardboard, and as he tried to regain balance he slipped and plunged his left arm into the fryer unit, which was located at the end of the cooking line.
The underlying problem of the greasy floor had not been dealt with. Putting down cardboard only introduced another tripping hazard, which was made worse by the unsuitable footwear.
Source:
HSE - CAIS6 - Preventing slips and trips in kitchens and food service
