Posts Tagged ‘hospitality injuries’

It may surprise you to learn that hospitality is one of the most injury-prone professions in the United States (a list of other industries with an unexpected number of workplace injuries can be found here). The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that for every 100 full-time workers in hospitality 3.4 are injured or fall ill each year because of a workplace accident. Of those injured or ill, over half require time off work to recover.

The total number of workplaces injuries in hospitality is higher than in manufacturing, warehouses, and other industrial work.

Given there are several million people working in the hospitality industry, at hotels, restaurants, bars, and in tourism, the days off from a workplace injury amount to a lot of missed hours and uncovered shifts. What are the risks and hazards in the hospitality industry? Why does this industry experience a high number of workplace injuries each year?

Manual Handling or Pushing, Pulling, and Lifting

Throughout the hospitality industry employees are required to lift, push, and pull heavy inventory and objects. The result is that nearly 50% of all workplace injuries in the hotel industry, and similar numbers in bar and restaurant work come from manual handling.

When busing tables, you need to lift heavy bins of plates, cups, and silverware. Likewise, wait staff carries heavy trays from the kitchen to table many times a day. If you are working in housekeeping, you constantly life mattresses, push heavy cleaning carts and move furniture. Think bartenders have …

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