The catering and hospitality industry is vast, employing around 1.96 million people in the UK. While catering and hospitality may not be considered as high risk compared to industries like construction, work within accommodation and food service accounts for a statistically significant rate of workplace injuries.
Source: HSE
Common accidents and injuries in the catering and hospitality industry include:
– Burns and scalds from contact with hot surfaces and liquids.
– Dermatitis from being exposed to harmful chemicals, such as cleaning chemicals.
– Cuts from knives.
Certain areas like kitchens, storage rooms and places which might have slippery surfaces such as behind the bar can cause the most problems.
Accidents and injuries in this industry can cause difficulty working, and may result in a long period off work. On average, an injured person in the UK takes nine days off work, and someone with a musculoskeletal disorder takes 17.5 days off. A serious accident may mean that the affected person is unable to work at all, having long-term negative financial implications for them and their family.
Because of these hazards, employers have a duty to keep a close eye on health and safety to ensure that their employees are not harmed. The regulations for this industry are lengthy. If an employer fails to comply with health and safety laws, and an employee is injured, a personal injury claim could be made against them.
Due to the size of this industry, wages and nature of employment may vary wildly. Not all workers are employed on a long-term contract, many are agency workers or are on zero hour contracts. This may cause people to worry about whether they are eligible to make a personal injury claim. However, personal injury claims are not reserved for people on long-term contracts, we have had many successful case studies for workers on zero hour contracts.
Employees may also be concerned that if they work for a very small company, the business may be unable to afford a compensation payout and therefore there is no point in pursuing a claim. All companies need to have insurance for people who work on or visit their business premises and therefore, claims are essentially made against the insurer. Businesses of all sizes have the same responsibility to protect their employees.
If you would like to speak with someone about claiming for your personal injury, you can call us between the hours of 8 am – 9 pm on this number 0114 267 8780. Alternatively, you can fill in our claims form and a solicitor will be sure to contact you on the same day
If we think we will be able to help you, we can arrange an immediate home visit, on a no win-no fee basis.
