Best Practices for Preventing Slip & Fall Accidents

To help restaurants prevent injuries and reduce liability, Cintas Corporation issued a list of best practices for reducing slip and fall accidents. According to data compiled by CNA, slip and fall accidents account for more than 21 percent of Worker’s Compensation Claims and 59 percent of general liability claim costs.

Research shows that the single most important factor in determining the slip resistance of a floor is how it’s cleaned and maintained – not the floor’s type, finish or cleaner.

Below are some tips to consider:

• Select the best floor material for the area
• Identify the right cleaner for the job
• Implement proper cleaning tools and supplies
• Follow manufacturer guidelines
• Develop a written protocol for floor maintenance
• Establish a floor cleaning schedule
• Train staff on floor cleaning protocol
• Follow up to ensure protocol is followed, and hold staff accountable

Slip and fall accidents are not wanted by any restaurant. Not only can they result in a worker or patron injury, they can create a public relations nightmare. Slips and falls can potentially cost a business thousands in settlement costs and legal fees.

For more information on preventing slips and falls in your restaurant visit Cintas Corporation’s website.

Top Four Restaurant Injuries

Cintas Corporation recently published a report of the top four restaurant injuries. From cuts and burns to slips and falls, restaurants can present numerous dangers to an often inexperienced workforce. The article cites that all too often, restaurants take a reactive approach to safety. However by identifying the top injuries, restaurants can make sure they have the proper products and programs in place to prevent and proactively deal with injury situations.

The top injuries include:

1. Lacerations and punctures
2. Burns
3. Sprains and strains
4. Eye injury

By implementing a first aid program, restaurants can help protect their workers and reduce expenses. Below are a few ideas that can help prepare foodservice operations for common injuries.

• Install and onsite first-aid cabinet and make sure it is easily accessible to employees
• Stock the cabinet with a wide selection of supplies to treat common foodservice injuries
• Ensure that the cabinet is restocked on a regular basis, by performing regular inventory checks
• Train and educate employees on proper use of the first-aid items and how to handle emergency situations
• Complement first aid initiatives with other safety programs

For more information and statistics on the most common types of restaurant injuries, read the full article published by Cintas Corporation.

Opening cans in your commercial kitchen should never be a struggle. The commercial manual can opener is quite a simple machine. Electric can openers perform the same function with effortless operation. The basic principle is the same: the knife punctures the metal, the gear then rotates the can, creating an even opening.

The knife on your industrial can opener is intentionally dull and rounded. The knife’s function is to fold the metal, not slice it, thereby providing a smooth rim edge. Regular use sharpens the knife and eventually creates a point. A sharp knife can result in metal shavings being deposited into your food. Avoid this by regularly replacing crucial parts. As a rule of thumb, can opener knives should be replaced every six months and can opener gears should be replaced annually. Serv-U carries replacement parts for many popular models.

The standard manual can opener for the foodservice industry is Edlund’s #1 model. The Edlund #1 commercial can opener has been improved with a new smoother action base design, long wearing spool and rust resistant arbor. Most importantly, the knife is tempered steel and reversible, reducing the need for frequent replacements. The Edlund #1 commercial can opener opens most can shapes and sizes.

If you are looking to save time and labor, consider investing and an Edlund electric can opener. The convenient countertop model slides cans into position for easy opening without lifting. A spring-loaded mechanism will even open dented cans. For convenience without giving up precious counter space, consider the portable electric can opener.

Remember to take into account calculations of opening rate per minute, recommended daily use and can size. Some models are also NSF rated. Save yourself time and energy by having a can opener that can get the job done!

Serving your customers thin shavings of smoked turkey breast and savory slices of roast beef is key to the success of your restaurant or delicatessen. Equally important is having the highest quality commercial food prep equipment well-maintained in your kitchen. Making the cut is not possible without a quality meat slicer and proper meat slicer maintenance.

Serv-U offers a great selection of commercial food prep equipment from top industry brands including Berkel meat slicers and Hobart meat slicers. Refer to this Restaurant Guru blog for guidance in selecting a slicer.

Just like any equipment in your commercial kitchen, meat slicers require proper care and maintenance. Meats are perishable foods that easily breed many forms of bacteria. Small pieces of meat can easily collect between the blade and the slicing machine of a meat slicer. If left for a period of time, microorganisms will grow in and around the meat particles, posing a health risk.

Follow your machine's instructions on how to operate the meat slicer. Protect your hands from injury by wearing gloves that resist cutting. During active use of a meat slicer, the machine must be cleaned at least every four hours, and after each use if the machine is used only on occasion. Do not leave a great deal of time between meat slicing without sanitizing your slicer.

Pay special attention to cleaning the entire surface area of the meat slicer, as well as underneath it and the entire counter that it rests on. Some parts of the meat slicer may have to be disassembled for proper cleaning. Clean all of the meat slicer parts, including the handles, sides and underneath, with very warm or hot water and a food-grade detergent and rinse the machine well.

When storing your commercial meat slicer, be sure to lock the blade! The food prep equipment may also be stored disassembled, as long as the blade is protected and secured. Cover the commercial meat slicer to protect it from airborne dust in your kitchen and store in a safe and dry place away from the high-traffic areas.

Dirty ice has become a big problem. At one time it might have been acceptable to believe that bacteria couldn’t survive the frigid temperatures of your ice merchandiser, but cold won’t kill all germs. It’s important to follow food safety protocol with ice in your restaurant. After all, ice is food! Some guidelines from the National Restaurant Association’s ServSafe guide will help keep your ice cuber square with the health inspector.

Ice that will be consumed or used to chill food must be made from drinking water.  Ice used to chill food or beverages should never be used as an ingredient. Transporting ice is an important task. Ice transport equipment varies greatly in size and scope. There are small, ice buckets that are typically used in bars for chilling beer, wine or champagne. These come in a variety of different styles to match the theme of your décor. There are also larger, 6 gallon ice transport buckets, which have both a swinging top handle and a side handle, allowing you to easily carry the ice, but never forcing you to touch it with your hands.

Lastly, there are 125 lb. and 200 lb. wheeled ice transports, which are constructed without any metal to ensure that there is no contamination from rust or corrosion. They feature self-storing lids that allow for greater access to ice bin contents while preventing contamination.

Use a clean, sanitized container and ice scoop to transfer ice from an ice machine to other containers. Ice scoops protect against ice-borne illnesses and, when placed on a visible ice merchandiser, show the public that you and your business are dedicated to proper sanitation. Commercial-dishwasher-safe ice scoops come in 6 ounce,  16 ounce, 32 ounce, 64 ounce, and 85 ounce varieties. Plastic and aluminum varieties are available.  Scoops should be stored outside of the ice machine in a sanitary, protected location. Ice scoop holders, mounted near the ice machine, are the best way to ensure that everyone follows sanitary ice scoop storage procedures.

There are many things to consider when selecting a slicer. Performance, consistency, construction and reliability all weigh heavily in the selection process of this important piece of kitchen equipment. 

When considering performance, one true test of a slicer is its ability to slice tough products.  Cheese is actually considered to be a tough product.  The knife motor needs to be powerful enough so that it will not slow or get bogged down when the blade makes contact with the cheese.  There are two types of drive systems on the market today, gear drive and belt drive.  With a gear driven knife motor the gears lock into one another resulting in a direct transference of power.  The gears provide more torque when slicing the product and will not slip, stretch, break or stall under heavy loads. Belt driven slicers are known for easy maintenance and hassle-free cleaning.  

Another aspect of performance is the consistency and precision of the cut. All slicers can create thick slices but only a high quality slicer can create slices so thin they are nearly transparent.  Why is that important to your food preparation process?  Thin slices enhance the taste and tenderness of the meat. Also, for sandwich operations, thin slices fold more, which create an appearance of a much larger amount of meat. 

You should also consider the construction of a slicer.  It will affect the ease of sanitation of the slicer. Aluminum is a popular material in economy and compact slicers. Stainless steel is the premium choice for its resistance to the corrosion and pitting caused by many acidic foods.

There are many questions you should ask yourself when making a decision on which slicer to purchase.  What types of product you will be slicing? How many hours will the slicer be used per day? What safety features are important to you? How much do you have budgeted for the slicer? You should also look at the out of warranty costs to maintain and use the unit. Taking everything into consideration will help you make an informed choice that will result in your complete satisfaction. Call a Serv-U sales representative for more information.

Since childhood we have been warned, “Wash your hands before dinner!” The importance of this age-old advice is magnified for professional foodhandlers. Although handwashing may seem obvious and straightforward, it is often done improperly. Any food safety training program should include the following handwashing tips from the National Restaurant Association.

-Run water that is at least 100 degrees Farenheit. Use water as hot as you can comfortably stand.

-Use an adequate amount of hand soap. Soap dispensers should be well stocked. Employees should aim for a quarter-sized amount of liquid soap.

-Vigorously scrub hands and arms for 10 to 15 seconds. Clean under fingernails and between fingers. Apply lots of friction.

-Rinse thoroughly under running water.

-Dry hands and arms with a single-use paper towel or warm-air hand dryer. Use paper towel to turn off the faucet. When in a restroom, use paper towel to open the door.

-Enforce the rule of no bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat foods and the practice of hand washing by hanging up signs to remind your employees.  

The entire process should take about 20 seconds. Employees should wash their hands before starting each shift and after using the restroom, handling raw meat or chemicals that might affect the safety of food, bussing tables, and touching clothing or aprons. Remember that handwashing is the most critical aspect of personal hygiene and should never be taken for granted!

Food safety is the one of the top priorities in the food service industry. Nothing can destroy a restaurant faster than food borne illness as a result of poor food safety techniques. Here at Serv-U, we strive to not only supply our customers with top quality restaurant equipment, bar supplies, restaurant supplies, and bar equipment, but we also recognize the importance of sharing food industry information. Today we present the eleven rules for improving food safety in your restaurant. You’ve seen them before, but they are well worth repeating:

1. Educate all employees in the technique of proper hand washing. Provide a soft nailbrush to clean fingertips and instill the importance of washing hands for twenty seconds. Keep track of your employees’ hand washing techniques and encourage proper hand washing practices.
2. Require strict personal hygiene practices. Every employee should have a clean uniform and proper hair covers. Items such as jewelry and false nails should not be worn in the work area and any crew member that is ill should be removed from any task that would require them to handle foods.
3. Encourage a policy of not using bare hands when in contact with prepared food. Instead invest in restaurant supplies that will promote this policy; such as disposable gloves, clean utensils or paper wraps to handle all ready-to-eat foods.
4. Obtain food and restaurant supplies from reputable approved sources. Food should be inspected for spoilage and temperatures should be checked during all stages of preparation. This includes when food is received from the supplier, is placed in cold storage and is being prepared on the prep tables. If there is any question that food or restaurant supplies have been contaminated, properly dispose of them immediately.
5. Identify all potentially hazardous foods on your menu and keep them as cold as possible during storage and preparation. An internal food temperature ranging from 35 to 38°F is optimal; never higher than 41°F. Keep frozen food at a temperature of 0°F. Safely thaw foods a day in advance under refrigeration.
6. To prevent cross-contamination observe time & temperature guidelines when storing and handling prepared food. Label prepared foods with product, preparation date and time, and optimal temperature.
7. Keep foods out of the danger zone (41° to 140°F). Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold! Teach all restaurant employees to use temperature charts and a stem thermometer. Check food temperature in two places -- the thickest portion and the center. Sanitize the thermometer stem before and after each use with the proper restaurant supplies such as an alcohol swab.
8. Cook and heat-process food to above recommended minimum temperatures (usually 145°F, 155°F or165°F depending on the food). Memorize your minimum cooking temperatures. Post a chart in an easy to locate place for all your restaurant employees.
9. Rapidly chill hot food to below 41°F within 4-6 hours! Techniques to reduce cooling time include using an ice bath or shallow pans, cutting or reducing food, stirring food and keeping food uncovered. Be sure to check local regulations.
10. Reheat food to 165°F + within 2 hours and hold at this temperature for 15 seconds. Hold hot foods at 140°F.
11. Avoid cross-contamination of raw and ready-to-eat foods by hands, utensils and restaurant equipment. Wash, rinse and sanitize all food that comes in contact with restaurant equipment. Keep raw products separate from ready-to-eat foods.

If you would like to learn more about how Serv-U can help you improve your restaurants food safety techniques, please call us at 1-800-797-3788 or chat with us online by clicking the “live chat” icon in the upper left hand corner of each page.

 Running an efficient kitchen is key to achieving high profits for your foodservice operation. Figuring out the equation for peak efficiency saves you considerable amounts of money by producing less waste and providing your customers with consistent results. Certain kitchen equipment can make all of your profit goals add up. One of the simplest ways to create a more efficient kitchen is investing in quality slicers and prep machines.

Portion control tools are crucial to efficiency, and the function of a commercial slicer. Ordering from Serv-U guarantees a wide variety of models to choose from including manual and automatic varieties. When using a manual model, the operator must move the food carriage back and forth to slice the product. Some incorporate a gravity feed design for convenience. Automatic slicers move the carriage with an electric motor, saving the operator time and labor. You also have the option of turning off the automatic function and slicing manually, making the slicer one of the most versatile pieces of food preparation equipment on the market.

Slashing the labor costs involved in food preparation is another part of the equation for efficiency. Certain food preparation machines are designed to target the tasks that take the most time and energy such as fry cutting, onion slicing, lettuce chopping, tomato dicing and citrus wedging. These machines guarantee consistent results. Using a meat or cheese cutting machine in a deli or sandwich shop cuts down on waste and saves time.

Finally, completing the equation for efficiency has implicit safety benefits. When machines are properly cleaned and sanitized you ensure a pure product. Employee morale is boosted by decreasing prep work and safety concerns. Contact the knowledgeable sales representatives at Serv-U for more tips on creating an efficient kitchen.

Infants and restaurants don’t always mix, but by making your restaurant baby-friendly, you can please parents and their little ones. Having appropriate seating for the children visiting your establishment is crucial. In today’s economic environment, many families are less inclined to foot the bill for a babysitter, but you can still encourage customers to dine out. Increase your profits by being accommodating to patrons who are parents.

Whether it is a high chair, infant carrier stands, or booster seat, making your youngest customers comfortable will put parents at ease. Keeping the kids happy in their seats also has an added benefit—preventing them from roaming around the restaurant. Parents and other diners are sure to enjoy their visit more if children stay in their seats. Proper seating also benefits the wait staff, by allowing them to service a table more efficiently.

Without the availability of youth seating, parents are forced to place car seats on the floor which can block access to the table or aisle areas. One unsafe solution seen in some restaurants is placing infant carriers in overturned high chairs—this places your youngest customers in great danger! Instead, consider purchasing an infant carrier stand. Parents can place their infant seat on the secure base, rather than risking a wobbly high chair or cluttering the floor. The possibility of customers and staff tripping is eliminated.

Beyond efficiency and customer satisfaction, appropriate child seating also has the advantage of making the environment safer. Children are protected when strapped into suitable chairs, rather than balanced on adult seats.

Investing in a range of child seating will pay off when your customers come to recognize your restaurant as a kid-friendly environment. Families are sure to frequent any location that has a seat at the table for their toddler.