Slip Slidin' Safety

Oklahoma City, OK - July 8th 2005- Safety is a big issue with today's workforce. There is an abundance of information available on the prevention of accidents in your restaurant and with lawsuits on the rise in our country; the last thing you want to do is slip and fall your way into court. We have gathered a slew of safety information so that you will not only be aware of how to prevent injuries in your restaurant but you will also know how to train your employees on prevention. According to Scott Shirley, who's been a Farmers Insurance agent since 1988 and is one of the top commercial producers in the state of Arizona who specializes in restaurant insurance, "The key to preventing accidents is to train your employees." He also stated, "Farmers offers a tailored restaurant package with rewards for running a safe restaurant. Our website has information on how to train your employees and how to prevent loss within your establishment at http://www.onerestaurantplace.com/risk/lp_resthazards.php. Farmers also has a loss control service that will come out to your business and make suggestions on what you need to change for safety issues. For example, they will check to make sure you have no-stick pads by the dishwasher, magnetic racks for knives so they are put away and not lying on the counters, they will look at your sidewalk and general areas to make sure there are no uneven cracks; anything that needs to be changed or fixed they will give you guidance in how to improve it for the safety of your restaurant.Doug Wohletz, Risk Manager for Sonic Drive-In , stated that in their corporate stores, slip-resistant footwear is a big prevention tool. In fact, it's mandatory for all their employees. He said, "There are guidelines for what types of shoes they can wear, either Shoes for Crews or Wal-Mart brand slip-resistant shoes are required. The thing I like about Shoes for Crews though, is they have a large selection and their base model is only around $25. Either way the are going to have to buy a pair of shoes and these things are pretty durable." When asked about how they 'sell' the idea of slip-resistant footwear to their employees, Doug stated that it was mandatory so there is no 'selling' involved. Plus Shoes for Crews allows them to pay within 30 days so they were able to setup a payroll deduction system to automatically deduct over two bi-weekly pay periods so the employees are wearing the shoes and working, but have two paychecks in order to pay for them. Shoes for Crews is the manufacturer of the top rated slip-resistant shoes and boots for men and women in the workplace. Mary T. Lance, Sr VP of Sales for Shoes for Crews stated, "Workers wearing our shoes rarely, if ever, slip on greasy and/or wet floors-the places where most accidents happen. Currently, Shoes for Crews protects more than 100,000 food service, hospitality, grocery, healthcare and industrial work places from slip and fall accidents in the U.S., Canada and Europe." Shoes for Crews also invented the guarantee against slipping and falling injuries. If your company has an account with Shoes for Crews and an employee slips or falls while wearing their shoe, they will reimburse your company up to $5,000 per incident. Mary stated, "We provide a quality product at a great price that is going to reduce slips and falls. We invented the warranty in 1998 to show that we stand behind our product." Shoes for Crews doesn't just sell shoes, they offer an array of products to meet your QSR or Fast Casual restaurant needs for prevention of accidents. They also offer overshoes, slip-resistant floor mats, anti-fatigue floor mats, cut resistant gloves, flame resistant gloves and flame resistant aprons. Along with the payroll deduction programs, they offer electronic billing, voucher programs and easy ordering via a toll-free number or website at www.shoesforcrews.com. Along with Sonic, Jack in the Box also has a mandatory slip-resistant shoe program. Jack in the Box buys the overshoe and requires that their employees must be in it or slip-resistant shoes along with giving them the option of purchasing their own footwear. . Mary stated. "98% of their people are in our footwear. Using the overshoe has been the catalyst to get the employees into the shoes. With a voluntary program you may only get 40% of your employees to participate and you still have all that exposure to possible accidents so you're not really gaining as much as you'd like." Besides shoes and mats, 'wet floor' signs are also an important factor in preventing accidents for not only your employees but for your customers who are sometimes the first to bring forth a law suit against your company. "According to a Safeway Stores accident prevention study conducted several years ago, facilities using safety cones saw a 68% reduction in slip-and-fall accidents," said Fran Newton with Testech Inc., National Sales Manager, a safety floor cones and floor signs manufacturer. "In areas where there is a good deal of traffic, the 3 foot high cones are more noticed because people need to walk around them." Another outlet for wholesale safety supplies for your restaurant is Instawares Restaurant Supply. They provide food service supplies and safety equipment at wholesale prices. "Of the 400+ safety products we offer, we've seen a high demand from quick service restaurants for anti-fatigue mats, chip resistant glassware, multi-lingual safety signs, and safety cones with messages such as 'caution' and 'wet floor,'" said Bill Hayes, President & CEO of Instawares Restaurant Supply. Russ Kendzior agrees with Scott that prevention is the key to running a safe establishment. Russ, runs a non-profit organization called the National Floor Safety Institute, (www.nfsi.org). He is also an expert witness in many slip and fall lawsuits in the restaurant industry. According to Russ, "You have to be willing to invest in safety by training your staff that prevention is the key. Slips and falls are the number one cause of injuries to both employees and guests in the QSR and Fast Casual industry and a better trained worker makes a better worker." Russ added that up to 85% of slip and fall accidents could be avoided if you follow his advice and do the following four things: 1. Have your floors audited for slip resistance on a quarterly basis. There are professionals who do that for a living. 2. Floor coverings and floor care products should be NFSI (National Floor Safety Institute) certified for safety. He suggests you look for the seal of certification or ask your vendor if it's NFSI approved. Most cleaners leave a film behind that will become very slippery when wet. 3. Slip-resistant footwear should be mandatory! 4. Train and educate your employees. Teach them how to prevent slips and falls; this should be part of their orientation. Train them how to maintain the floors and demonstrate the prevention by following procedures yourself. Safety concerns are on the rise in 2005 and listing as one of the highest concerns of restaurant owners. With more than 12 million workers employed in the restaurant industry the risk is high. As the leading employment sector in the United States, the safety requirements may soon become mandatory for the restaurant environment. Good for us, that there are some creative companies out there watching our backs. You can find more information specifically on how to prevent injuries and accidents to your teen employees on OSHA's website at http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/youth/restaurant/index.html.