Exploring Burns in the Restaurant Industry – What Louisiana Restaurant and Kitchen Employees Need to Know
No one can deny that New Orleans is a Mecca for outstanding Creole and Cajun cuisine. With both new and established local restaurants and bars featuring the spices and flavors of Louisiana, New Orleans takes the cake for its offerings of gumbo, jambalaya, red beans and rice, and other Bourbon Street and French Quarter staples. However, while there is no doubt that Louisiana, and New Orleans in particular, is home to some of the best food America has to offer, its kitchens may present certain serious health hazards to restaurant and kitchen workers. One such serious danger that Louisiana workers in the restaurant and hospitality industry must face virtually every day when they are in the kitchen is the exposure to extreme heat leading to potential burn injuries. But what are burn injuries and how serious can they be? To help Louisiana workers better identify burn hazards and burn types, we answer those questions here.
Types of Burns in Restaurant and Kitchen Work
Simply put, a burn injury is one that is “caused by heat, friction, electricity, radiation, or chemicals”. In addition, burn injuries include scalding injuries, which are burns that are caused by the skin or body coming into contact with extremely hot liquids or steam. Burns are classified into different types of burns, based on severity of the burn injury. A first degree burn is a burn that “causes redness and swelling in the outermost layers of the skin”, while a second degree burn is one that “involves redness, swelling, and blistering” and where “damage may extend to deeper layers of the skin.” The most severe type of burn is the third degree burn. A third degree burn “destroys the entire depth of the skin”. It can also damage fat, muscle, organs, or bone beneath the skin. Significant scarring is common, and death can occur in the most severe cases”.
Burn Hazards in the Restaurant Workplace
Kitchen workplaces are, unfortunately, chock-full of burn hazards. Some of the most common burn hazards in kitchen workplaces include slip and fall accidents, burns that are caused by carrying full or overly-full containers of hot liquids, cooking with hot oils or liquids, using pressurized cooking equipment, being exposed to steam, and operating and cleaning deep fat fryers. In order to protect workers from burn hazards, restaurant and kitchen employers should always make sure that kitchens are safe and that workers adhere to safety rules and regulations.
Legal Help for Injured Workers in Louisiana
If you were injured in a workplace accident in Louisiana and you are seeking legal help, contact the experienced Louisiana workers’ compensation lawyers at Lunsford Baskin & Priebe, PLLC. The experienced Louisiana workers’ compensation lawyers at Lunsford Baskin & Priebe, PLLC offer a free and confidential consultation to learn about your workplace injury and to see if they can help fight to get you workers’ compensation benefits due to you. Contact the experienced Louisiana workers’ compensation lawyers at Lunsford Baskin & Priebe today and speak to an experienced lawyer about your case for free.
