Accommodation and Food Services

This industry covers groups such as:

hotels and clubs
cafes and restaurants
takeaway food, including mobile food vans
music and entertainment.

Accommodation and food services is one of the industries identified as a national priority for prevention activities in the Australian Work Health and Safety Strategy.

Occupations in this industry include:

food preparation and customer service
cleaning and room service
security and crowd control
sound and lighting technicians.

Common hazards and injuries

Workers in this industry are likely to be injured at work due to:

body stressing caused by hazardous manual tasks
slips, trips and falls
mental stress
electric shock.

Common hazards that workers in this industry are exposed to include:

knives
lifting heaving objects
workplace bullying
fatigue
shiftwork
transporting cash
noise (for example, in concert venues).

There are usually lots of young workers in this industry. For many it is their first job, so you should think about the training and supervision they will need to do their job safely.

Some solutions

Good quality anti-fatigue and anti-slip flooring in your food preparation areas and behind bars will reduce the risk of falls, and make work more comfortable for your workers who stand for long periods.
It’s hard to avoid the use of knives in food preparation. In some circumstances, cut-resistant gloves can be used to add some protection.
Cleaners frequently suffer electric shocks from damaged cords on vacuum cleaners. Make sure you have a testing and tagging program, and encourage workers to promptly report any damage so it can be repaired.
Workers servicing accommodation areas frequently suffer muscular injuries from moving heavy furniture. Use a buddy system and set realistic servicing targets; a little extra time taken can pay off in reduced injuries.