Youth Worker Restaurant Safety

Restaurants and other eating and drinking businesses employ 11.6 million people in the United States. Nearly 30% of these employees are under 20 years of age. Many young workers' first work experience is in the restaurant industry. OSHA is providing this eTool to help young workers in the restaurant industry be safe and healthy on the job.

This eTool* describes common hazards and potential safety solutions for teen workers and employers in the restaurant industry.

*eTools are illustrated, interactive web-based training tools on occupational safety and health topics. As indicated in the disclaimer, eTools do not create new standard or regulation, and create no new legal obligations. eTools are advisory in nature, informational in content, and are intended to assist employers in providing a safe and healthful workplace through effective prevention programs adapted to the needs of each place of employment.

Not all of the guidance contained in this e-Tool may be appropriate or practical for every foodservice establishment operator, particularly small facilities. Example employer approaches are provided for many of the preventive measures listed in the e-Tool. These examples should not be regarded as minimum standards. Nor should the examples provided be considered an inclusive list of all potential approaches to achieving the goal of the preventive measure. Employers should consider the goal of the preventive measure, assess whether the goal is relevant to their operation, and if it is, design an approach that is both efficient and effective to accomplish the goal under their current conditions.


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