KFC fined £46,000 after worker falls in deep fryer
Twenty-year-old suffers third-degree burns after slipping on ladder while cleaning above cookers
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Your support makes all the difference.A KFC franchise has been ordered to pay a young worker £46,000 after he fell into a deep fryer and suffered third-degree burns.
The 20-year-old had to have a skin graft after he slipped into the hot fryer while carrying out his usual morning cleaning duties in November 2016, according to SafeWork NSW, the workplace health and safety regulator for New South Wales, Australia.
He was using a ladder to clean a ventilation and air conditioning system directly above the deep fryers at a branch of the fast food chain in Coffs Harbour.
The fryers were switched on and heating up oil as he worked above – which was the usual method used, according to the watchdog.
But on the day of the incident there was reportedly an electrical blackout and, as the worker tried to climb down from the ladder, his leg slipped into the hot cooking oil and he suffered third-degree burns.
The man is said to have had mobility issues since the incident and had to have a skin graft.
QSR Pty Ltd, the franchisee of the KFC restaurant, was ordered to pay the worker $60,000 (£46,000) at the District Court of New South Wales on 22 March.
The court found the franchisees had failed to adequately implement safe work procedures for the staff member, including training, according to the Work Health and Safety Act of 2011, News.com.au reported.
It ruled the cookers should have been closed and switched off during the cleaning, with the lids locked.
QSR pleaded guilty to failing to provide training for its workers, and therefore exposing them to risk.
The judgment noted the company “demonstrated remorse and contrition” and had taken steps to fix the problems that caused the injury.
Tony Williams, executive director for SafeWork operations, said the incident was an example of the vulnerability of young and inexperienced people in the workplace and how vital it is that employers equip young workers with the right training and resources, supported by adequate levels of supervision and monitoring.
He said: “The incident occurred at a workplace with a number of young and vulnerable workers who have limited work experience and may not understand the risks of what they are doing or know how to protect themselves from injury.
“By law, managers or supervisors of young workers have a legal obligation to protect young workers from incidents such as this which are entirely preventable.”
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