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Restaurant Workers are Frequently at Risk for Vermont Workplace Injuries

When most people think of work accidents and injuries, they think of the catastrophic injuries that occur in the construction field, but work accidents in Vermont take place daily, even in your own neighborhood. For example, one trade frequently affected by workplace accidents is the restaurant industry.

Restaurant workers that include food servers, waiters, waitresses, busboys, food runners, cooks, and more typically suffer from two common injuries that include:

• Musculoskeletal injuries of the lower extremities: these injuries affect a restaurant worker's feet, ankles, and knees and typically occur from same level falls.
• Musculoskeletal injuries of the upper body: these injuries affect a server's neck, back, and arms and are typically from lifting, overexertion, repetitive motions, and more.

Research indicates that restaurant workers experience overexertion injuries that cause them to take time off of work to recover from muscle and joint injuries. These injuries can be caused from awkward lifting, overreaching, and carrying too many or too heavy of plates and other items.

How to Prevent Musculoskeletal Injuries

For employees who work in the kitchen, there are certain things that can be done to help prevent overexertion and other workplace injuries from occurring, such as:

• Place the stored items frequently used between the knuckle and shoulder height so that overreaching and awkward lifting may be prevented.
• Use smaller containers so the weight someone is lifting is lighter, which will prevent less lifting injuries.
• Kitchen staff members should not attempt to lift bags and items over their head.

There are tips that servers can use to prevent workplace accidents and injuries. These include:

• The serving staff should limit the amount of plates they carry.
• Servers should carry items as close to the body as possible.
• Waiters and waitresses shouldn't reach over to refill someone's glass. Instead, they should bring the glass as close as to them as possible before pouring.

Overexertion accidents are not the only workplace accidents that restaurant workers are affected by. In fact, musculoskeletal injuries to the lower body often occur from slip and fall accidents at work. When a beverage spills on the floor and isn't cleaned up properly or cautioned off, servers and other restaurant workers can slip and fall. These slip and fall accidents in Vermont can cause serious injuries such as broken arms, knee injuries, foot and ankle injuries, and more.

How a Vermont Work Accident Lawyer Can Help

If you have been injured on the job in Vermont as a server, cook, busboy, food runner, or restaurant staff member, you may have rights to compensation. For more information about your rights, and to discuss your potential case, please call a qualified Vermont workers' compensation attorney at the Law Office of Charles Powell at (877) 295-7773. You will receive a free, no-obligation legal consultation by simply calling today.