A 16-year-old girl was employed at a fast food outlet to cook fries at a frying range. She slipped on water leaking from an ice-making machine and instinctively put out her hand to break her fall. Unfortunately, her hand went into the deep fat fryer, which contained oil at a temperature of 182o C. and she sustained severe burns to her left hand and forearm.
Although the company had a policy to mop up all spillages, it was common practice to leave spillages at busy times and cover them with a sheet of cardboard, which itself can create a tripping hazard.
Every employee needs to make sure that health and safety is the top priority at all times. In this case, serving customers was given priority over slip control. The employee should have notified a manager and then made sure the spill was mopped up immediately.