If you work in a restaurant, bar, café, or catering kitchen, you know the environment can be intense.
Things move fast. There’s constant pressure to keep up, stay tough, and avoid slowing down the team – all because when someone orders food, the stopwatch starts ticking.
So when painful accidents happen (like burns, cuts, and falls) combined with a “push through the pain” culture, many food-service workers don’t report their injuries – or don’t report them until they’ve gotten really bad. They keep going through the pain, hoping it will get better on its own.
But the truth is that the food-service industry has some of the highest injury rates in Florida. And many of these injuries are serious enough to require medical care, time off work, and workers’ compensation benefits. When injuries go unreported, workers suffer the most.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), as reported by Bon Secours Mercy Health, 31% of reported injuries in food service establishments resulted in days away from work. This highlights the significant impact workplace injuries have on productivity and operational efficiency.
Additionally, it is estimated that the foodservice industry spends more than $2 billion each year on workplace injuries, with costs rising by 10% annually
Below are some of the most common injuries in restaurants and why they deserve attention.
Burns and Scalds: One of the Most Serious Kitchen Hazards
Burns are one of the leading injuries in the food industry, and they tend to be more severe than people think. Kitchens are full of hot surfaces, boiling liquids, deep fryers, steam, and ovens that never cool down. When you’re moving quickly, it only takes a split second to get burned.
Many workers push through these injuries because they don’t want to seem weak or “slow down the line.” A lot of restaurant staff have heard phrases like “you’re fine,” “walk it off,” or “that’s just part of the job.” But serious burns aren’t something you can shake off. They may blister, become infected, and affect your ability to move comfortably.
Burn injuries often lead to multiple doctor visits, time off work, and in some cases, long-term scarring. These injuries are absolutely covered by workers’ compensation – even if the accident was your own mistake or no one else saw it happen.
Slips, Trips, and Falls: A Major Cause of Long-Term Injuries
Slippery floors are part of daily life in the food-service world. Water, grease, spilled drinks, food scraps, and fast-moving foot traffic all create dangerous conditions. And unlike a small cut or bruise, a slip-and-fall injury can take you out of work for weeks or even months.
These injuries often cause:
- Back injuries
- Sprained or torn ligaments
- Fractures
- Head injuries
- Herniated discs
These are not minor setbacks. Many workers who fall in a kitchen or behind a bar need physical therapy, imaging tests, injections, or even surgery. The recovery process can be long, painful, and financially stressful, especially as many of these food service employees are working in lower wage positions. Getting workers’ compensation benefits can be a lifeline.
What makes slip-and-fall injuries even more common is the restaurant mentality of pushing through anything. People get up, laugh it off, or keep working because they’re worried about losing shifts or being judged by coworkers. But ignoring a fall can turn a manageable injury into a long-term medical problem.
Cuts, Lacerations, and Punctures
Cuts happen constantly in food service. Everyone handles knives, slicers, open cans, boxes, and tools that can cause injuries. Most workers don’t report these injuries because they’re so common and because the pressure to “work through it” is strong.
While many cuts are minor, others can be deep and potentially disfiguring. They can also lead to infection. When you’re washing dishes, prepping food, or handling raw meat, bacteria can easily enter a wound. Workers’ compensation covers these injuries too, even when they seem small at first.
Muscle Strains and Sprains
Long hours on your feet, heavy lifting, carrying trays, bending, reaching, and repetitive motions all take a toll on your body. Strains and sprains can develop suddenly or slowly over time. These injuries often go unreported because people think soreness is just part of the job.
But when pain continues day after day or makes it hard to move, it’s a sign of a real injury – not just fatigue. Workers’ comp covers these types of overuse injuries as well.
Why So Many Restaurant Injuries Go Unreported
Restaurant culture can be tough. There’s pride in being able to push through stress, long shifts, heat, and pain. Many workers fear being replaced, losing hours, or being seen as weak. Others worry their employer might retaliate or say the injury isn’t serious.
But workers’ compensation exists to protect you – not your employer. You have the right to medical care and wage benefits if you’re hurt on the job, no matter how busy the shift was or who was watching, or whether you’re a full-time employee or a part-time one. You don’t need to “prove toughness” to qualify for benefits. And you don’t have to risk your health to keep your job.
If You’ve Been Hurt at Work, You Have Options
If you’ve suffered a burn, fall, strain, or cut while working in food service, you should report the injury to your employer and get medical treatment. These injuries are common, but they are also real – and they can become worse if ignored.
A Florida workers’ compensation lawyer can help protect your rights, especially if your employer pressures you not to file a claim or treats your injury like it’s not a big deal. You deserve care, time to heal, and the benefits the law provides.
If you have questions about a work injury, you don’t have to face it alone. Help is available.
The Law Offices of Adam Baron, P.A., have represented hurt workers and accident victims for over 30 years. We understand how frustrating and challenging this time can be, and we know how to help you through it. Our Florida work injury attorneys are aggressive when it comes to obtaining compensation and justice on behalf of our clients. We help injured workers all across Florida, including Ft. Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Miami, Coral Springs, Delray Beach, and many other areas.
If you were injured or became sick while working, we can help. Call Adam Baron at 954-247-HURT now for a Free, No-Obligation Case Review.