Restaurant Worker Injuries In Florida
Restaurant workers in the Tampa area are exposed to a wide range of hazards on the job. From risks of slips and falls for servers delivering food and drinks to tables to serious laceration and amputation injuries for kitchen workers, restaurants are more dangerous than you might think for employees. In addition, restaurants with bars can put bartenders at risk of injury in assaults or other acts of violence perpetrated by intoxicated customers. Many restaurant workers are also responsible for certain cleaning tasks, which can result in their exposure to hazardous chemicals and other substances that can cause harm in the immediate exposure or over the long term. It is important for Tampa Bay area restaurant workers to know that they can be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits when they get hurt at work. Our Tampa workers’ compensation lawyers can tell you more about restaurant worker tasks and common injuries, and how to begin the process of seeking financial compensation.
Tasks of Restaurant Workers in Florida
In the Tampa area, restaurant workers include chefs and sous chefs, food preparers, servers, hosts, cleaners, bartenders, and more. With the wide range of jobs at restaurants, workers are exposed to a wide range of injury risks. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) cites the following common duties of these types of restaurant workers collectively, which help to show the various ways in which restaurant workers can be exposed to injury risks:
- Greeting, interacting with, and answering questions from restaurant patrons;
- Taking orders from customers for food and drinks;
- Preparing drinks for customers;
- Preparing food for customers;
- Serving food and drinks to customers;
- Taking payments from customers;
- Cleaning restaurant areas, including tables where customers have dined and kitchen areas;
- Stocking food and goods in kitchens and supply areas; and
- Delivering food to customers who have ordered take-out food and delivery.
Common Injuries Affecting Tampa Restaurant Workers
What are some of the most common types of workplace injuries affecting restaurant employees? The following are some of the more frequently cited injuries for food servers, chefs and food preparation workers, bartenders, hosts, cleaners, and delivery drivers:
- Slip and fall injuries;
- Trip and fall injuries;
- Cuts and lacerations;
- Burn injuries;
- Traumatic amputation injuries;
- Assaults;
- Hazardous exposure injuries; and
- Motor vehicle accident injuries.
How to Seek Compensation After a Restaurant Work Injury
What should you do in order to seek workers’ compensation benefits after a restaurant work injury? First, Florida workers’ compensation law requires you to report your injury to your employer within 30 days from the date of the injury. You must also see a doctor for treatment as soon as possible. Unless you suffer an injury that is an emergency, you will be required to see a provider who has been approved by your employer or the insurer.
Contact Our Tampa Workers’ Compensation Attorneys
If you were injured while working in a restaurant, you may be eligible to obtain workers’ compensation benefits. Depending upon the circumstances surrounding your injury, it is also possible that a third party is liable for your injuries, which means you could potentially be able to file a lawsuit. To determine your options, you should get in touch with a Tampa workers’ compensation lawyer at the Franco Law Firm as soon as possible.
Sources:
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/food-preparation-and-serving/food-and-beverage-serving-and-related-workers.htm#tab-2
http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0400-0499/0440/0440ContentsIndex.html
