Fast Food Nation
THE FUTURE OF ORGANIC FOOD.
Fast Food and Worker Safety: Fast Food Chains do not provide worker health and safety
Thesis.
Although working in the food and beverage industry is generally safe, employees are most often exposed to hazards that threaten their safety and health. Employers must ensure that their workers are safe from any work-related injury that may jeopardize their health. There is evidence from Fast Food Nationby Eric Schlosser that some fast food companies expose their workers to dangerous working conditions which threat their safety and health. In this paper, we evaluate instances where the safety of workers in fast food companies are jeopardized, and how this affects their lives both at work and off duty. The paper also uses some established regulations such as OSHA to demonstrate why employers need to ensure the security of their workers. The research paper concludes by evaluating ways of ensuring worker safety in the industry.
Introduction.
According to statistics from the Department of Labor, about 8 million employees are working in the food and beverage serving companies. The food and beverage industry includes the fast food chains. Many of these workers are of ages sixteen to nineteen. Despite the fact that working in the general industry is generally safe, employees are most often exposed to hazard that threaten their safety and health (Frieden, 37). Fast-food companies are required by federal and state laws to have internal regulations to secure the safety and health of their workers. The managers and employees of the fast food chains are responsible for implementing the safety requirements (Frieden, 67). The safety of workers in most fast food companies does not fulfill the It has been established by the author and several other authorities in the fast food industry that most young people are hired by fast food firms than any other industry.
Violation of worker safety and health in some fast food chains
From Fast Food Nation, the author has explained instances where fast food companies put the safety of their workers at risk, especially those involved in meat-packing. The author describes how grueling and exploitative these jobs are. In meat packing and packaging companies such as McDonald’s, employees are exposed to sharp cutting equipment (Schlosser, 120). While many teenagers and young people are finding jobs in fast food companies, they are rarely provided with the right training, including worker safety.
Therefore, it is important to demonstrate why fast food companies need to provide safety to their employees, and especially the younger employees. In “The Most Dangerous Job” chapter of the Fast Food Nation, Schlosser describe the low-paying, injury-laden, exploitative, and grueling jobs of meat-packing workers who handle the cattle that is eventually turned into hamburgers (Schlosser, 201). The author observes and explains how for different reasons, the OSHA has been unable to enforce safety regulations required for the protection of the workers.
Despite the claims and instances explained by the author in the book, there have been instances where the safety and health of employees working in major fast food chains have been questioned. According to OSHA, more than 44,000 injuries have been sustained over a period of two years by teenage workers in fast food outlets, especially in restaurants (Crawford, Joanne O., et al. 97). In kitchens, most employees are exposed to grease and hot oil, some slipping and falling because of greasy floors.
Failure to use the right footwear or protective equipment, is usually connected to the thousands of accidents and injuries that face workers in restaurants, and other fast food outlets. Hot equipment causes many burns upon the skins, with the temperature of the substances determining how severe scorching the injuries may become. In most food places, sharp implements are used which causes loss of fingers, gashes, and deep cuts.
Sometime in 2014, McDonald’s workers in around nineteen United States cities were asking the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to conduct inspection of their workplaces. The workers alleged that they have been exposed to injuries because of lack of protective equipment and inadequate training (Crawford, Joanne O., et al. 117). The actions or demonstrations of 2014 is not the first time employees are expressing their displeasure in the manner in the working conditions at the burger giant. In the past, labor organizations and groups of employees have cited in legal cases how the conditions at the company expose the workers to risks.
Apart from the improvement of working conditions, the labor unions and employees have advocated for increase of wages. Despite OSHA pledging to conduct an extensive investigation to the matters and act accordingly, cases of worker safety and poor working environments continue to plague McDonald’s (Crawford, Joanne O., et al. 267). For instance, one worker from New Orleans recently cited lack of training and protective equipment for burns he suffered while in the process of filtering grease. Another worker from Philadelphia complained to have suffered serious burns when reaching for a cookie tray and was subsequently told to use mayonnaise by a manager to treat the burn.
There have been complaints about lack of training and poor protective equipment in most of the cases. Other workers have complained about slipping on a greasy floor and catching their arms on hot grill. According Brittney Berry from one of the outlets in Chicago, after falling and twisting her wrist on a grease floor, she was not provided with medical treatment but rather the manager told her to put mustard on the arm. In 2013 for instance, OSHA received more than 9000 complains which explains how fast food industries are putting the health and safety of their workers in jeopardy and greater risk.
Importance of worker safety and recommendations for fast food companies
. It is important for companies not only in the fast food industry to ensure that safety is provided to their employees, especially those working in high-risk jobs such as meat packing. The significance of safety in the workplace is not only valuable to the employee, but also to the fast food companies (Laberge, Marie, and Elise Ledoux, 45). The worker safety and health programs create productive work environments. For employees, when the fast food environment is safe and healthy, they are motivated to work harder and achieve greater results. Proper management of the safety programs show commitment to health and safety by the executives and hence in turn creates a great culture of safety where all employees feel comfortable.
In high-risk areas such as meat packing and kitchens, the floors should be made of non-slippery tiles or content that would limit the amount of slipperiness. Most importantly, the fast food chains should provide their staff with protective footwear that eliminates chances of falling down (Laberge, Marie, and Elise Ledoux, 145). There have been cases of high employee turnover in fast food companies. Providing employee safety and health ensures retention of existing staff. Unsafe environments make employees feel unwanted or unappreciated.
For instance, some fast food outlets provide inadequate training about handling or operating of machinery, and therefore expose their younger staff to danger.
When workers feel exposed to such, they feel less loyal to the company and hence they may leave. Proper training should therefore be provided to ensure employees are retained and turnover is brought down. Thirdly, worker health and safety should be important in terms of company finances. Fast food outlets such as McDonald’s have run into serious financial challenges because of being sued by employees following workplace hazards resulting into injury.
The OSHA provides that all employers in the United States should follow specific rules and regulations in creating safer workplaces. In the event that these rules are not effectively followed, companies can suffer a great deal of fines for regulation failures. Additionally, employees who successfully petition for payment of fines following injuries at work could cost such employers huge sums of money. Keeping the workplace healthier and safer helps in avoiding settlement payments and lawsuits. More importantly, keeping healthy workers healthy pays off by avoiding high premiums of higher insurance that the employers subside.
Fourth, investing in a safe and healthy workplace translates into company productivity. Healthy workers who feel comfortable and safe in their working environment are more productive than employees who become injured in the workplace (Laberge, Marie, and Elise Ledoux, 245). Ensuring that hazards and possible sources of accidents are fixed helps in keeping the staff working at their best and improving the productivity of the company.
Lastly, company reputation is important. Fast food outlets such as McDonald’s have been branded the reputation of negligence because of the many complains and worker accidents reported in its kitchens and meat packing (Sinelnikov, Sergey, Joy Inouye, and Kerper, 126). When worker’s safety is not guaranteed, the general consider such outlets are negligent and hence given the unprofessionalism tag. Therefore creating safer environments especially for the younger employees is important for company reputation.
Conclusion
Employers in the fast food industry must ensure that their workers are safe from any work-related injury that may jeopardize their health. Fast-food companies are required by federal and state laws to have internal regulations to secure the safety and health of their workers. The managers and employees of the fast food chains are responsible for implementing the safety requirements (Frieden, 67). The safety of workers in most fast food companies does not fulfill the It has been established by the author and several other authorities in the fast food industry that most young people are hired by fast food firms than any other industry
Works Cited.
Crawford, Joanne O., et al. “The health safety and health promotion needs of younger workers.” Occupational Medicine 60.3 (2010): 184-192.
Frieden, Thomas R. “Government’s role in protecting health and safety.” New England Journal of Medicine 368.20 (2013): 1857-1859.
Laberge, Marie, and Elise Ledoux. “Occupational health and safety issues affecting young workers: A literature review.” Work 39.3 (2011): 215-232.
Schlosser, Eric. Fast food nation: The dark side of the all-American meal. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012.
Sinelnikov, Sergey, Joy Inouye, and Sarah Kerper. “Using leading indicators to measure occupational health and safety performance.” Safety science 72 (2015): 240-248.
