Restaurant Worker Suffers Serious Injuries After Unsafe Handling of Heavy Materials

Case Overview

This case involves an individual who fell down a flight of stairs and suffered a serious hip injury. At the time of the incident in question, the individual was using a hand truck to transport a large load of baking flower. At one point, the worker was required to transport the materials up a short flight of stairs in the basement of the restaurant where he worked. When he was halfway up the stairs he suddenly lost control of the load and fell, suffering a hip fracture in the process.

Questions to the Restaurant expert and their responses

Please describe your material handling experience, specifically in the food service industry.

As the son of an Executive Chef, I grew up in the restaurant industry starting in the back of the house with purchasing, receiving, inventory and storeroom management. Over the years, I have opened and operated more than seventy restaurants, nine hotels and six country clubs. This includes the setting up of food and beverage storerooms, maintaining par stocks, issue & requisition, vendor selection, and management.

What is the proper way to transport goods, around stairs?

Without knowing more about the specifics circumstance related to this matter I am not sure why the Plaintiff was using a hand truck to take the flower up the stairs. There are no industry standards related to the movement of food products from one location to another. It does seem that the restaurant has some responsibility to ensure that the employee has been taught how to move heavy boxes/sacks of potatoes from one location to another.

About the expert

This expert is a full-time foodservice consultant and a Profession Member of the Foodservice Consultants Society International (FCSI) as well as a Foodservice Management Professional (FMP) accredited through the Educational Foundation of the National Restaurant Association. Heis accepted as an industry expert in foodservice operations and industry standards & practices, and has written for numerous industry publications and is a frequent guest lecturer, seminar presenter, panelist, and judge.

E-035811

Specialties:

Restaurant