When the most basic check to identify the hazard led to physical scarring
What happened?
An employee working for a famous hotel chain was instructed by a manager to empty and clean the commercial oil fryer in the kitchen. The member of staff picked up the filled container and was immediately burned from oil melting through the thin plastic container that had been provided for the job. The individual dropped the container onto the floor, slipped and fell into the hot oil, receiving second and third degree burns to their arms, legs and torso, covering approximately 10% of their body.
As a result, the employee is physically scarred and has not worked since, subsequently suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The member of staff had not been instructed or trained fully in how to empty the oil fryer in a safe manner. During the emptying, the member of staff was not wearing adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent burns and was given a plastic container to empty the oil into.
The investigation also found there was a possibility that the fryer had not been fully switched off from the previous evening’s use and therefore had not cooled down as expected and there was no working thermometer on the fryer to indicate how hot the oil was.
Legal Outcome
The local authority prosecuted the hotel and its parent organisation for failings under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, sections 2(1) and 3(1), following a breach in their legal duty of care towards a member of staff. Both companies pleaded guilty and were ordered to pay £16,830 in fines and costs.
What can we learn from what happened?
A lot of factors here, all combining to create the potential for the accident. As always, we look at the hazard first, and if the oil had not been hot then yes there may have still been an accident, maybe a slip, but the disfiguring burns would not have been the result. Given the potential for harm whenever hot oil is around, having systems to monitor or check the temperature is just basic, and the absence of these was the root cause.
Had the oil not been so hot, then then need for further controls, such as an appropriate method of transporting the oil and adequate PPE, would not have been so important. If the manager really did ask the member of staff to empty and clean the fryer in the knowledge that the oil was hot, then that is simply appalling.
Source of Information
SHP In-Court