# One careless mistake! Workplace safety



## nightcook (Nov 9, 2006)

Well here it is the busiest season of the year for us and the worst that could happen did. Our head chef was carrying a tray of food that she had prepped for a party that evening when she tripped over a bus tub (that we keep canned craw claws in) that the owner had taken out of the cooler and left it sitting on the floor. Chef comes around the corner, doesn't see the bus tub, trips and crashes to the floor. One careless act left our head chef with one sprained knee, one sprained wrist and one broken nose! Lucky it wasn't worst! When you don't take workplace safety seriously this is what can happen. I won't rant about what this does to an already understaffed kitchen -- because unlike my boss, I know all of you already know! 

Happy Holidays! Bill


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## free rider (May 23, 2006)

That's awful! It's so important to keep things where they are supposed to be in a fast-paced environment.

On another sad note, someone had one of those barbeque fire pits in their back yard and their toddler backed up, tripped and fell into it. Will survive, but badly burned.

Hope your Chef recovers quickly.


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## chrose (Nov 20, 2000)

I'm not sure I would qualify this as not taking workplace safety seriously (but that's being nitpickity) I classify it as laziness, unconcern for those around you, and and not thinking about what you are doing.
I had a situation where the Roto Rooter guy who had to make an emergency pumping of the grease trap left the lid on the floor (roughly 3' x 2') open while went out to his truck. 4:30 in the afternoon I was getting busier prepping for dinner and was at the dishwasher station looking up for pans when boom in I went. Gashed open my shin, bathed nicely in sewage, and I stunk. A few stitches and some antibiotics and I was sore. I had to sue Roto Rooter to get them to pay my doctor bills and lost time. They tried to blame it on me for not looking down! 

Send our regards to the Chef, we have been there!


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## the_seraphim (Dec 25, 2006)

ouch.... you shouldnt have to look down if it shouldnt be open...

kitchen layouts dont change for exactly that reason!


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## cakerookie (Sep 10, 2005)

The bakery I worked at they would not let me mop floors until everyone left they did not want to fall. Heck I mopped them and dang near fail myself a few times. I hope your chef is going to be OK.

Rgds Rook


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## headless chicken (Apr 28, 2003)

Recently my kitchens been getting a checklist of workplace safety protocols. Its not exactly fit for us since 1/3 of the questions keep refering to heavy machinery and our biggest mechanical item is a meat slicer. I think its something from the city, it might be worth looking into making or starting at your workplaces, build a checklist of things to check off on a monthly basis to make sure most foreseable accidents can be avoided.


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## starlord (Jul 14, 2006)

I will never forget the night I was working at a Big Boy in southern Indianapolis, when the manage told me to do a real good job of mopping the floor that night, as she had gotten word the Health Department was going to evaluate us the next day.

Normally, we used sudsing ammonia for most cleaning jobs involving grease, like the grease traps over the grills, etc. Well, we also had a product called BK Powder we put in the dishwasher to sanitize dishes. It seems the BK Powder is a dry chlorine bleach. (I can hear the snickers out there, so I know some of you are well ahead of me.)

Not knowing any better, I dumped about two cups of BK into the mop water, which I had just poured a bottle of Little Bo Peep ammonia in.
in a matter of literally a few minutes, the building stood there, totally devoid of one human occupant. They had to call the fire department to open all the doors and use huge fans to exchange the air in the building before anyone could get to the mop water and dispose of it. Only then did someone explain to me that had inadvertantly mixed up a deadly poison gas that could have killed someone. I took the brunt of the gas that was produced, as I was the closest to the pail. They gave me oxygen, and checked me over, and I was okay. Needless to say, I will never again mix ammonia and chlorine unless I am trying to create a weapon.


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## mikelombardy (Jan 9, 2007)

cooking is dangerous !:talk:


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