Hospitality
The hospitality industry records high numbers of workplace injuries. This page explains some of the risks hospitality workers are exposed to and how to stay safe.
The hospitality industry includes restaurants, cafes, caterers, clubs, pubs and hotels.
Many workers in hospitality are considered at risk workers, they may speak limited English or work part-time, late nights and weekends.
Top causes of injury
Manual handling
Manual handling injuries, such as sprains and strains, are one of the top harms in the NSW hospitality industry.
This video series demonstrates safe work procedures for room attendants who are at high risk of manual handling injuries.
Other harms include:
- lacerations and amputations from machinery and equipment
- electric shocks, eg when vacuuming wet carpets or cleaning ovens
- hearing damage due to a noisy workplace
- violence and aggression from people under the influence of drugs and alcohol
- mental illness related to stress and fatigue
- burns from hazardous chemicals or boiling liquids
- slips trips and falls, when working on kitchens and bars.
Safety videos
Watch the video to find out how to work safely with LPG appliances indoors.
Learn some tips on working safely with hot oil.
Common hazards
Each workplace is different. You need to know what the hazards are in your business to assess the risks they pose.
- noise
- machinery and equipment
- manual handling
- electricity
- chemicals
- bullying
- fatigue
- violence
Examples of injuries
Serious injuries have occurred in the hospitality industry. Identify the hazards in your workplace, get safe systems of work in place, and avoid incidents like these. Some examples of injuries include:
Arm crushed
A kitchen assistant in a large club had her arm crushed while preparing desserts in a large mixing machine with no guard or automatic off-switch.
Noticing a hair in the mixture, she leaned forward to remove it, slipped and had her arm crushed by the mixer’s revolving dough hook.
Electrocution
A 19 year-old part-time restaurant employee was electrocuted when he touched a live electrical cable while cleaning a clamshell grill.
The company was fined $120,000 and, according to the judgement, simple remedial steps would have prevented the accident.
Chemical burns
A worker was burnt in the face and permanently blinded in one eye while cleaning beer lines with chemicals.
The chemical was not properly diluted and personal protective equipment was not worn.
Headaches and hearing loss
Mary had headaches, felt irritable and experienced ringing in her ears after local bands played during her shifts as a part-time bar attendant in a local hotel.
Related information
Safety alerts
Read these safety alerts to learn how to avoid common hazards:
- Gases in cellars
- Cleaning beer lines
- Servicing refrigerant systems
- Cleaning solvents and thinners
- Burns in restaurant and kitchens
- Safe work around cellar door hatches in the hospitality industry
- Electrical safety
Guidance
- Managing work health and safety at events guide
- SafeWork blitz on food industry
- LPG cylinders should not be stored or used inside commercial kitchens
- Checklist for restaurants and commercial kitchens – use this checklist to identify potential health and safety problems in your kitchen, storeroom or food preparation areas. If you answer no to any question, you may need to make some changes.
- Guidelines for Safe Collaborative Robot Design and Implementation – Centre for Work Health and Safety
- How-to-guide: Design your own behavioural messaging campaign to improve food delivery worker work health and safety (PDF) – Centre for Work Health and Safety
We can help
We offer a range of services to help you improve safety in your workplace:
- Consultation @ work
- Webinars on work health and safety, return to work and injury management
- Rebates for small business
- Return to work programs
- Free advisory visits and workshops
Small business safety
Find out how to make safety the top priority in your business. It's easy to do with our WHS toolkit.