Restaurant Supervisor Safety Training: Evaluating a Small Business Training Intervention

Abstract

SYNOPSISObjective. We developed and assessed a program designed to help small business owners/managers conduct short training sessions with their employees, involve employees in identifying and addressing workplace hazards, and make workplace changes (including physical and work practice changes) to improve workplace safety.Methods. During 2006, in partnership with a major workers' compensation insurance carrier and a restaurant trade association, university-based trainers conducted workshops for more than 200 restaurant and food service owners/managers. Workshop participants completed posttests to assess their knowledge, attitudes, and intentions to implement health and safety changes. On-site follow-up interviews with 10 participants were conducted three to six months after the training to assess the extent to which program components were used and worksite changes were made.Results. Post-training assessments demonstrated that attendees increased their understanding and commitment to health and safety, and felt prepared to provide health and safety training to their employees. Follow-up interviews indicated that participants incorporated core program concepts into their training and supervision practices. Participants conducted training, discussed workplace hazards and solutions with employees, and made changes in the workplace and work practices to improve workers' health and safety.Conclusions. This program demonstrated that owners of small businesses can adopt a philosophy of employee involvement in their health and safety programs if provided with simple, easy-to-use materials and a training demonstration. Attending a workshop where they can interact with other owners/ managers of small restaurants was also a key to the program's success. The restaurant and food service industry in California employs one million workers, largely low-paid, vulnerable workers, including many immigrant and young workers. Ninety percent of these businesses have fewer than 50 employees (half have fewer than 10 employees) 1 and often lack the health and safety information and resources typically available to larger businesses. 2,3 In addition, the fast-paced nature of restaurant and food service work and the tight profit margins for many small restaurants pose challenges for integrating effective health and safety training.In Research has indicated that work culture issues, including management's commitment to and employees' engagement in health and safety, may be more important than training per se in actually preventing injuries.4-6 Yet, previously developed educational tools on restaurant health and safety did not provide employers with specific activities to support this approach. 7-9The focus of the Small Business Restaurant Supervisor Safety Training program was to encourage restaurant owners/managers to train their employees in a way that actively engages them in identifying hazards as well as solutions, and demonstrates management's commitment to making the workplace changes that are identified (including physical and wo...

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