Conditions causing burn injuries in foodservice workers

Minor occupational burn injuries are common among foodservice workers. Risk factors and interventions to prevent these injuries, however, have not been well elucidated. The goal of this study was to determine the workplace conditions that put foodservice workers at risk for such burn injuries. A chart review of patients who presented to an ambulatory clinic located in a large metropolitan airport in the US with burns from handling food was conducted. This was followed by workplace visits of multiple food vendors and aircraft. The majority of burn injuries identified were scald injuries to the hands and upper extremities, and occurred primarily while handling coffee and from splashes of cooking oil. Contact burn injuries were also common, involving the use of hot equipment or incidental contact with nearby equipment. Mechanisms of injury and root causes were explored. Measures for preventing these painful, potentially disfiguring and time-losing occupational injuries are suggested.