First Aid survey reveals negligence in commercial kitchens

25-Jan-2012 - Last updated on 26-Apr-2021 at 15:05 GMT

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DayMark's survey revealed that 37 per cent don’t know where the First Aid Kit is kept, while 60 per cent have occasionally found vital contents missing

With more than two-thirds of chefs and kitchen staff incurring injury in the workplace at least once a month, current first aid provision in commercial kitchens needs tightening up according to a survey by food hygiene specialist DayMark.

Despite 15.5 per cent of chefs reporting that they cut or burn themselves at least once a week, the survey also revealed that 37 per cent don’t know where the First Aid Kit is kept, while 60 per cent have occasionally found vital contents of the Kits missing.

Greg Fitchett, sales director for DayMark UK, said: “We undertook this research because we wanted to find what chefs and kitchen workers think about first aid provision at work, how often incidents are occurring and what type of incident is most common. This will help us work with operators to advise them on first aid provision and the contents required in the kitchen First Aid Kit.

“What’s surprising is the patchy knowledge of the whereabouts of the First Aid Kit and who is responsible for maintaining it. It’s essential for managers to ensure that all kitchen workers know where the Kit is and that its contents are always up to date.

"We can see that people are worried about hurting themselves at work and that it is happening frequently, so it’s vital that the First Aid Kit resources are there, ready for use whenever an incident occurs.”

Whose responsibility is it?

Fifty-five per cent of chefs and kitchen staff report that they don’t know whose responsibility it is. The research also highlights that they often worry about accidents in the kitchen– 21 per cent reported that they worry about hurting themselves at work and 46 per cent said they sometimes worry about it. When asked if they would know what to do if someone got hurt, some 77 per cent report that they wouldn’t know or were unsure.

When it comes to more serious accidents at work, 15 per cent reported that they have experienced an injury that required further attention. Of those, most are cuts that require stitches and burns that require hospital attention. And of the burns, five or six were fat fryer-related. Eight out of 12 of the more serious incedents required hospital attention, four were knife-related and three required stitches.

A copy of the report can be obtained by 0800 783 7933.