Remember: Child Labor Laws do not permit employees younger than 18 to work with or repair, adjust, or clean power-driven machinery like meat slicers and bakery mixers.

Employee exposure to kitchen equipment such as slicers, dicers, choppers, mincers, microwaves, mixers, and the possible hazards associated with their use.
 

• Get trained in their use.
• Wear any personal protective equipment provided by your employer.
• Use any machine guarding provided.
• Always ask for help if you are not sure how to do something.
• Be aware that age restrictions exist for workers under the age of 18 from using or cleaning certain equipment.
• Follow the manufacturer's instructions for machine use and cleaning.

• Always use push sticks or tamps to feed or remove food from these types of machines.
  • Do not use your hands to feed smaller pieces of meat through slicers.
• Make sure you are using any machine guarding that is provided to prevent access to cutter blades. Do not bypass safety guards.
• Do not open up or put your hands into an operating machine to stir contents or guide food.
• Turn off and unplug the machine before disassembling and cleaning.
  
  

• Do not attempt to remove items (for example, a spoon that falls into the mixture) from dough while the machine is mixing.
• Do not open up the lids of processors to stir contents while food is processing.
• Make sure the processor is off before opening the lid or adding items.
• Turn off and unplug machinery before cleaning or removing a blockage.
• Use any machine guards provided.
• Do not wear loose clothing or jewelry that could become caught in machinery.

• Make sure the microwave is located at approximately waist level and within easy reach, to provide for ease in the lifting of hot foods.
• Follow manufacturer's instructions for operating microwave ovens.
• Cover foods cooked in microwaves to avoid splattering.
• Use caution when opening tightly covered containers. Open containers away from your face because they may be under pressure and could be extremely hot.
• Use appropriate personal protective equipment such as hot pads when removing foods from microwave.
• Make sure door seals are in good condition and free from food or grease buildup.
• Do not use a microwave if it has a door that is damaged or doesn't lock properly. Damaged ovens may emit harmful radiation.
• Do not microwave metals, foil, or whole eggs.
• Keep the interior of the microwave clean to avoid splattering and popping.
• If you notice any sparking inside the microwave, immediately turn off the microwave, unplug it, report it to the supervisor, and do not use it.
• Be advised that microwaves may interfere with the workings of pacemakers.
• Be aware that food cooked in the microwave can remain hot long after the microwave turns off.
  
  

• Do not open the door while the steamer is on, shut off the steam, and then wait a couple of minutes before releasing the pressure and opening.
• Clear the area around the steamer before opening.
• Open the steamer door by standing to the side, keeping the door between you and the open steamer.
• Use oven mitts to remove hot trays from the steamer.
• Place hot, dripping steamer trays on a cart to transport. If trays are carried by hand, they will drip on floors and create a slip hazard.
• If a steamer is stacked, remove the tray from the top steamer first, then the lower one, to prevent burns from rising steam.
   

• Shut off the steam supply and wait for the pressure to equalize before opening the lid of the pressure cooker.
  
• Stand to the side and open the pressure cooker away from yourself, keeping the open lid between you and the pressure cooker.
   

• Do not place hot coffee makers close to the edge of counters where people passing by may come in contact with them.
  
• Check to make sure the coffee filter is in place before making any coffee.
  
• Do not remove the filter before the coffee has stopped dripping.
  
• Never stick your fingers into the chamber of a coffee grinder to get beans to drop into the grinder; tapping on the outside of the container will encourage beans to drop into grinder.

Follow OSHA Standards including:

• Follow OSHA's Machine Guarding Standard [1910.212]: All machines need to be properly guarded. 
  
   

• The FLSA forbids young workers (younger than 18 years old) from operating, setting up, adjusting, cleaning, oiling, or repairing power-driven food slicers, grinders, choppers, cutters, and bakery mixers and other power-driven bakery machines. It is considered hazardous work. Individual state child labor laws may have more stringent requirements.

• Labeling equipment that young workers are not allowed to operate.