April 28 was International Workers Memorial Day. This is held to pay respect to those that have lost their lives at work, or who have been injured or made ill by unsafe workplaces. We should spare a thought for those them all, and also remember that from farm to table, the journey our food makes is far from risk free for those that make it happen.
Farming can be especially dangerous. We often think of the countryside as being a rural idle, but the truth is that working in food production can be particularly hazardous. There are plenty of risks down on the farm, from machinery to chemicals. Part of the thinking behind the ‘fair trade’ movement is to try to ensure safer and better working conditions for the goods being traded.
The catering industry also is not free of risk. Although it does not see fatal accidents on the scale that farming or construction do, for instance, there are plenty of injuries. Anyone who has worked in a commercial kitchen will have heard some horror stories from the old hands.
A kitchen is a hazardous environment, especially combined with the pressure of having to work fast and work long hours. There is heat, sharp knives and equipment, to say nothing of slip, trip and carrying hazards, as solicitors who specialize in cases dealing with accidents at work would attest to.. Even if you re just in your kitchen at home it is important to put safety first.
