WorkSafe issued improvement notices related to electricity issues to 160 Western Australian restaurants and cafés during a recent inspection program.
The issuance was part of a two-year proactive inspection program focusing on restaurant and café safety in Western Australia. A total of 225 workplaces across metropolitan and regional areas of WA were visited by WorkSafe inspectors as part of the program.
The inspection uncovered several areas of concern within the industry, including electricity issues. This covered testing, labelling and installation of residual current devices (RCDs), use of double adaptors, maintenance of switchboards and power points and condition of electrical cords.
Apart from electricity issues, the inspection also uncovered other issues. This led to WorkSafe issuing 1,364 improvement notices and nine prohibition notices. This included hazardous substances, emergency precautions, manual tasks, slips, trips and falls.
From 2009 to 2014, Western Australia restaurant and café employees suffered more than a thousand injuries that required them to take time off work, according to WorkSafe Acting Executive Director, Mr Joe Attard. This renders the restaurant and café sector as one with a high rate of lost time injuries.
“Of these, 190 were severe injuries that kept the employee off work for 60 days or more, a statistic that we felt warranted inspectors taking a closer look at the sector,” said Mr Attard.
WorkSafe will continue to monitor the safety statistics and seriously consider further inspection programs in related sectors within the Food Services industry.