How do I avoid slipping, getting burned, or cut on a serving shift?

What to check

A quick pre-shift check, built from OSHA’s serving-area advice (illustrative):

• Shoes: non-slip, closed toe. Not sandals, heels, or canvas.
• Ice well: ice scoop in place, not a glass. Floor under the ice machine dry.
• Trays: clean, dry, not cracked.
• Hot plates: know where the cloths or pads are before the first ticket.
• Broken glass: know where the broom and dustpan are.
• Candles: plan to clear around them, not reach over them.

Not tax or legal advice. OSHA’s eTool is guidance; your restaurant’s safety rules and training come first.

Plain English

OSHA, the federal workplace safety agency, publishes an eTool on restaurant safety. It was written for young workers, but its serving-area hazards are the ones every server faces. OSHA says eTools are advisory and create no new legal obligations; where it cites an OSHA standard, that part is a rule for the employer.

Slips, trips, and falls

OSHA lists the risks: ice that falls near ice bins and melts into puddles, busy and crowded areas, slippery or uneven floors, carrying dishes around blind corners or on stairs, and single doors in and out of the kitchen. Its advice for workers:

• Wipe up ice around the ice maker immediately.
• Wipe up spills immediately, and pick up food or anything else on the floor as soon as you can.
• Wear non-slip shoes. Avoid sandals, open-toe shoes, high heels, and canvas shoes.
• Carry items only at a height you can safely see over.

For employers, the eTool cites OSHA standards on keeping workplaces clean and orderly, keeping floors clean and dry, and posting warning signs for wet floors. It also suggests non-slip mats, mirrors at blind corners, windows in kitchen doors, and separate in and out doors.

Burns

OSHA points to hot drinks and the machines that make them, hot plates and plates from under heat lamps, and candles on tables. Its advice:

• Use trays to carry hot plates, and a waiter’s cloth, hot pad, or mitt to protect your hands and arms.
• Don’t use a wet towel to hold something hot.
• Don’t reach over table candles, and don’t carry lit candles.
• Keep your hands out of where coffee or hot liquid dispenses, and don’t pull the pot until it’s done.
• Remember microwaved food keeps heating after the microwave stops.
• Get basic first-aid training for burns.

Cuts

• Don’t scoop ice with a glass. It can break in the cold ice, cut you, and leave glass in the ice bin. Use a metal or plastic scoop.
• Don’t pick up broken glass with your hands. Use a broom and dustpan.
• If you cut bread or anything else, use a cutting board, cut away from your body, keep your fingers out of the line of the blade, and don’t chat while you cut.
• Put dirty knives in the designated container, not loose in a sink.

Your rights if the floor isn’t safe

OSHA says workers have the right to working conditions that don’t pose a risk of serious harm, to training about hazards in a language they understand, and to file a complaint asking OSHA to inspect. You’re also protected from retaliation for raising a safety concern or reporting an injury. If you’re retaliated against, OSHA says to file a complaint as soon as possible, and no later than 30 days. You can reach OSHA at 1-800-321-6742.