Claims increase expected as workers adapt to reimagined dining spaces
Reprints
Staff shortages in the restaurant sector could result in an uptick in claims going forward as reimagined restaurant footprints bring new hazards and the need for additional risk mitigation strategies, experts say.
As restaurants moved their services outside, it drastically changed how certain tasks, such as order taking, were done, said Cindy Smail, a senior vice president in the consulting solutions group of Marsh Advisory, based in Southfield, Michigan.
Multiple drive-thru lanes, controlling traffic and keeping employees safe in hot and cold weather all had to be worked through, she said.
“Normally, the standard restaurant injuries we see are slips, falls, cuts, burns. … Now the hazards are out in the parking lot, like being struck by a car, trips and falls but over a curb as opposed to on the wet floor of a restaurant,” Ms. Smail said.
While many restaurants added staff to enhance cleaning and sanitation in line with Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention guidelines, the shift to takeout and the introduction of shortened menus led many restaurants to reduce their staff to the bare minimum.
This meant that many senior employees changed to roles that were unfamiliar to them, said Matt Zender, Las Vegas-based senior vice president, workers’ comp strategy, at AmTrust Financial Services Inc.
“Now as we get to the back end of the pandemic, we’re seeing a separate set of issues as restaurants deal with staff shortages,” Mr. Zender said.
Restaurants have to determine whether they can operate with the same number of shifts as when they were fully staffed or whether they are a five-day-a-week operation as opposed to a seven-day-a-week operation, he said.
Read Next
-
Event cancellation coverage sees shakeup
The event cancellation insurance sector was hit hard by the pandemic, with billions of dollars in reported claims, and insurers have responded with dramatically higher rates and tighter capacity.
Related Stories
Most Read in Workers Comp
-
1. Zurich ordered to pay $80 million in suit over employee incentives
-
3. Marsh McLennan sees rate hikes slowing; reports revenue growth
-
4. Travelers sees rate hikes continue; Q1 profit up over 15%
-
5. DeSantis signs legislation prohibiting local workplace heat protections
-
6. AI not a ‘substitute,’ but can benefit insurance industry: Experts
