Kent State University at Geauga has won another Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Grant for nearly $73,000. Designed to keep local food-service workers safe, participants will gain an increased awareness of potential job hazards and workplace injuries in the restaurant sector.
This grant provides funding for Kent State Geauga to develop new instructor-led training materials and implement a two-hour training program in Restaurant Worker Hazards.
Participants will learn how to mitigate and control hazards through proper handling procedures and using personal protective equipment. These trainings will be made available to underserved workers at small food-service businesses including restaurants, food-retail shops, caterers, and food trucks. The training will be offered at no cost to the worker or employer.
Since restaurant workers are exposed to sharp objects, slippery surfaces, hot grills, and oil fryers, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics has identified their major workplace hazards as cuts, lacerations, slips, falls, burns, and scalds.
Kent State Geauga anticipates serving at least 50 workers in and around Geauga County with this high-quality, worker-centered training program. The training—which will be offered in both English and Spanish in late Spring 2025—will be customized for adult workers and the youth workforce. Youth workers suffer a disproportionate amount of injuries on their first jobs, which tend to be in restaurants. Data also reveals that 19% of restaurant and food service workers speak Spanish at home.
Lance Williams, Director of Operations and Special Projects at Kent State Geauga, co-wrote the OSHA grant with Dr. Erin Bailey, Associate Professor of Biological Sciences; and Dr. Sanhita Gupta, Professor of Biological Sciences.
This grant project is the most recent in a series of worker-safety training programs delivered by Kent State Geauga to keep underserved workers safe on the job. Since 2022, previous trainings have addressed chemical/health hazards, workplace violence prevention, and occupational health hazards faced by women.
Dr. Bailey notes, “This new training program will utilize some of those safety topics mentioned previously, but it will also focus on hazards in restaurants and other food service operations. This training program will target both adult and youth workers (16-24); the latter of whom often work part-time in this sector and often miss out on opportunities to receive OSHA-approved training opportunities. We hope to bridge that gap.”
Nearly one-third of U.S. restaurant and food industry workers are 20 years of age or younger, Dr. Gupta explains. “For many of them, working in restaurants is their first job. Data indicates that young workers are more likely to be injured than other workers in the food service industry.
“Safety training in restaurants and food service, particularly for youth workers, has not been offered in our county previously. With proper training, youth workers can avoid getting injured at work.”
Dr. Gupta adds, “Trips, slips, and falls from slippery floors, muscle tears and strains from overexertion and lifting, burns from hot liquids and steam, and cuts and lacerations from knives are common hazards faced by restaurant workers. It is possible to avoid such injuries.”
While owners and managers are encouraged to promote safety, workers can be made aware of the hazards and ways to prevent injuries. Training sessions will be offered at the Geauga Campus in Burton and Twinsburg Academic Center, as well as at employer sites within an hour’s drive from each campus. Remote training options will also be made available.
Prior to the initial training in Spring 2025, Kent State Geauga will distribute flyers and advertisements to local food-service businesses. Interested employers and workers can call 440-834-4187 for more information and to register for training sessions.
Dr. Gupta says that, while the training will address safety concerns of food service workers and reduce chances of workplace injuries, it will also benefit businesses by increasing productivity and reducing costs from worker's compensation claims.
“This training fulfills a part of our mission,” says Williams. “As an education partner to businesses in Geauga County, we help fill gaps in workforce training and education.
“This grant allows us to not only contribute to the local workforce but also help impact worker safety that collectively contributes to the economic development of the region,” adds Kent State Geauga Dean Dr. Angela Spalsbury.
“We are proud to work with Geauga Growth Partnership (GGP) and look forward to working with other organizations in the region who will help us identify and recruit workers in need of this training.”