Food Preparation Worker Injuries

Food preparation workers in Pompano Beach can sustain injuries on the job, and most types of injuries are compensable through the Florida workers’ compensation system. Employees who perform food preparation work at restaurants, grocery stores or supermarkets, and in other establishments are exposed to a range of hazards that can result in anything from minor injuries to permanently debilitating injuries. In some devastating circumstances, food preparation workers can even sustain deadly injuries on the job. If you or somebody you love got hurt while doing food preparation work at a restaurant, store, or other business, it is important to get in touch with a Pompano Beach workers’ compensation attorney to find out more about filing a workers’ compensation claim. In the meantime, our firm can provide you with more information about a food preparation worker’s job duties and how they can lead to injuries at work.

Getting the Facts About Food Preparation Workers 

In South Florida, food preparation workers can be at risk of a wide range of injuries while receiving relatively low pay. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the median pay for a food preparation worker is less than $14 per hour, and the median annual pay for a full-time worker is less than $29,000. As the BLS explains, the job of a food preparation worker is to “help cooks and other kitchen staff by preparing ingredients for dishes.” This kind of preparation can involve a range of tasks that can include, for example:

• Cleaning working areas and cooking equipment, including kitchen knives;
• Weighing and measuring different types of ingredients;
• Handling scalding or boiling liquids, and pots and kettles holding these liquids;
• Removing foods from stovetops and ovens;
• Cutting various food products, including meats, seafood, vegetables, cheeses, and other ingredients;
• Stocking buffets at restaurants that have self-service areas or food buffets;
• Managing and cleaning food and kitchen equipment;
• Unloading food products and other kitchen supplies, which may be heavy; and
• Storing foods properly.

As the BLS emphasizes, in addition to being at risk of overuse or repetitive motion injuries, and traumatic back or neck injuries caused by heavy lifting or bending or twisting, food preparation workers can sustain debilitating injuries as a result of their required use of commercial kitchen equipment. Indeed, food preparation workers can suffer severe lacerations and traumatic amputations while using equipment like disposals, slicers, grinders, blenders, food processors, kitchen knives, and commercial dishwashers.

How to Seek Compensation After a Food Preparation Injury 

It is critical for food preparation workers who have been injured to know that they can be eligible for workers’ compensation regardless of whether they are a part-time worker, a seasonal worker, a minor, or an undocumented worker. To be clear, you are not excluded from eligibility for workers’ compensation benefits even if you are working in Florida as an undocumented worker.

In order to obtain workers’ compensation benefits, you will need to take the following steps:

• Report the injury to your employer as soon as possible, but no later than 30 days from the date of your injury;
• Get medical attention as soon as possible (emergency medical attention from the nearest available provider, and any follow-up treatment from an approved provider); and
• Seek assistance from a workers’ compensation lawyer.

Contact Our Pompano Beach Workers’ Compensation Attorneys

 If you were injured at work, an experienced Pompano Beach workers’ compensation lawyer at the Law Offices of David M. Benenfeld, P.A. can help you to seek the compensation you need.

Sources:

bls.gov/ooh/food-preparation-and-serving/food-preparation-workers.htm#tab-2

leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=0400-0499/0440/0440ContentsIndex.html