Restaurant workers can be at risk for cuts while performing clean-up tasks, such as cleaning up broken glass, handling sharp utensils (like knives), clearing tables, washing dishes, or cleaning restrooms. 

• Use any personal protective equipment your employer provides, including special gloves for clean-up duties.
  
  
• Use a broom and dustpan to clean up broken glass; do not use your hands.
  
  
• Let a falling knife fall. Do not try to catch it.
  
  
• Do not store knives and other sharp objects in sinks between periods of use. An unsuspecting person could reach in and get cut.
  
  
  • Clean the knife immediately after use or place it in a dishwasher or a container labeled "for knives only."
    
• Exposure to used needles is a growing concern, as customers with diabetes and other illnesses may need to give themselves medications while in the restaurant. You can protect yourself from this hazard by doing the following:
  
  
  • Wear provided personal protective equipment, especially heavy-duty gloves, while cleaning the bathroom.
    
    
  • Do not touch any needles or drug items. If you see these anywhere, report it to your supervisor.
    
    
  • Do not compress garbage bags with your body (for example, stepping on a bag to smash it down); sharp items inside may stick or cut you.
    
    
  • Report immediately to your supervisor if you think you have been stuck or cut by a needle or any object that you believe has human blood on it.
    
    

• Provide and require employees to use appropriate hand protection if they are exposed to hazards such as cuts, lacerations, or puncture injuries. Hand Protection Standard (29 CFR 1910.138(a)).
   
• Employees in restaurants are not generally considered to have exposure to human blood. If however, occupational exposure to human blood can be reasonably anticipated, then employers are required to comply with the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard.

Train all employees to respond to any situation where used needles are discovered by avoiding contact and calling their supervisor. Consider providing needle disposal containers in restaurant bathrooms as a customer service for those guests who self-administer injectable medications. This enables them to properly dispose of the device and protects employees from accidental needlesticks. Send any employee who sustains a needlestick or injury from a sharp that has human blood on it for emergency medical evaluation. Time is critical!

Needle container

• Selecting, Evaluating, and Using Sharps Disposal Containers. US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 97-111, (1998, January). NIOSH's safety performance criteria for selecting, evaluating, and using sharps disposal containers.
• OSHA's Revised Bloodborne Pathogens Standard. OSHA, (2001), 34 slides. Also available as a 1.46 MB PPT^*. A PowerPoint presentation on the revised Bloodborne Pathogens Standard.
• Frequently Asked Questions. OSHA.