Really!, how much will that cost me?

Some years back I received a call from someone who asked, "do you do Risk Assessments"?, "I have looked on the internet and found your details and it says you do risk assessments so can I get some done"!...no real 'hello, this is me', just a desperate sounding need for risk assessments.

We managed to progress past the initial questions and got to how I may be able to help. I required some background as to the type of premises, scale of the operation etc., and the person was extremely forthcoming so much so the following was disclosed (and without any apparent breathes in between)...

A member of staff working at the 'diner' had slipped while moving through the kitchen and some cooking utensils had been disturbed in the process so the young person had required to take some time off and the owner had therefore taken a fresh view of the business safety controls and considered the need to establish some improvements. So far I am keen to get the business, and, the 'diner' struck a cord as I had not up to that time undertaken many assessments within the Catering world so another string to the bow and all that comes with that. I did however start to get a sense of urgency form the caller, mainly steered toward 'how soon could you get these written up'?. I explained that I would need to visit the location in order to provide a more suitable assessment baseline and would make myself available over the coming days, however, once again there was some evident frustration from the caller as to why this would be needed..."is this you trying to squeeze more money from me"?, "don't you have a set of risk assessments prepared for diners and cafes"?...my reply was obvious...I hoped, "no"! was my response.

Not wanting this potential customer to hang up and never call again, I remained as diplomatic as I could and without trying any form of patronising, despite recognising that they needed help in recognising their responsibilities, attempted to explain the legal requirements under which businesses are expected to prepare and undertake assessments i.e. (Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999) being quoted as a start.

"yes, yes, yes, I have been made aware of all that hence why I am calling you so can you help me"?...Yes I can was my answer and agreement was reached for me to pay a visit to the premises which was not going to be a problem for me. However, and for my own piece of mind and with what was now a growing supporting consideration for my new client of what was quickly becoming apparent I felt the need to ask the following questions;

How is the employee?, and are they back to work yet? (Answer) - No they will be off for some time while the burns heal.
Have the staff received any form of training relating to their roles while working for the business? (Answer) - The cooking team have Food Hygiene Certification but the servers are only required to convey dishes to and from the customer tables when directed...(that will be a no then).
Has the business remained open since the incident? (Answer) - Yes!, I can't afford to close the diner as we are always very busy.
What flooring was/is in place at the time of the incident? (Answer) - Rustic style square terracotta tiles, and these are still in place.
Were/are staff provided with Personal Protective Equipment, and was this being worn at the time of the incident? (Answer) - The cooks have aprons and hair nets but the injured party was wearing court style heeled shoes when she slipped and caught the handle of a saucepan with heated oil

Based upon the above answers being disclosed I strongly recommended the floor area around the cooking appliances be immediately reviewed and protected with anti-slip rubber matting due to the potential presence of spilled water and oil based cooking materials, and, a communicated control of the non-chef staff presence to areas behind the servery be introduced going forward.

The disappointing and damning question came immediately..."Really!, how much will that cost me"?

Realising that the caller was not remotely receptive to addressing what had happened and the quite minor costs of fitting matting prior to my confirmation of taking the job I indicated my reluctance to take the enquiry any further. In closing the following was disclosed...

Outcome:

The injury had been sustained several weeks prior to my receiving a call from the Diner owner. The local authority Council had established an interest in the event and were planning to visit the diner the day after I had received the call. The local authorities had been made aware of the injury by the injured parties Father who was trying to understand how his daughter had been injured while seemingly been in school at that time.

For any businesses out there who are required to undertake risk assessments, staff training or simply don't know what they need to do to remain compliant please pick up the phone or send an email and ask the question...all enquiries are free and there are some great supporting businesses out there with inexpensive solutions to achieving your business compliance and I have used these many times with great success.

Stay safe everyone

'Safety is never an accident'

http://www.protectorint.com/