Activity C – Teamwork activity

Task 1: Creating a SMART goal (teamwork)

It may seem unbelievable, but restaurants are among the

riskiest industries to work at. According to a report published by the
University of South Australia in December 2012 ("Australian
Workplace Barometer"), restaurants and cafes are one of the three
high-risk industries when it comes to workplace safety and worker
health. Not only that work areas in restaurants present numerous
health and safety hazards to the staff, but the fact that restaurant
personnel work very closely with the public adds to the difficult
challenge restaurant owners and managers face in planning and
following thorough strategies to prevent workplace injuries and
ensure good health to both employees and customers

Restaurants are one of the fastest growing industries in Australia,

employing more and more workers per year. With a large number of
employees working at irregular work hours, it is often difficult for
restaurants to address issues related to the health and security of
their employees. That is why restaurants have a high ratio of injuries
per 1,000 persons (slightly above the national average of 12).
In most cases, chefs, kitchen assistants and waiting staff are the most
affected personnel in restaurants. Unhealthy working conditions,
inappropriate clothes and carelessness towards cleaning are major
contributors in accidents and fatal incidents. By ensuring simple
health and safety standards, restaurants can significantly reduce the
risk of any accident or unfortunate incident in the establishment,
especially in the kitchen.
In a recent research conducted by WA (Western Australia), the
restaurant industry reported unfavorable outcomes and psychosocial
safety climate (PSC) levels alarmingly below the benchmark set in
2009-10. This should serve as a warning sign for restaurants to
ensure better health and safety precautions. In fact, the outcome of
the research was so alarming that the report asked for government
level intervention to ensure health and safety in restaurants.
COMMON TYPES OF INJURIES IN RESTAURANTS
According to "Work Related Injuries Experienced by Young Workers
in Australia" (2010), some of the most common types of injuries in
restaurants are as follows:
← Burns (49%)
← Cuts/open wounds (21%)
← Sprains/Strains (14%)
 ← Other injuries (16%)
HOW TO ENSURE BETTER HEALTH AND SAFETY STANDARDS IN
RESTAURANTS
Few simple things can help reduce the number of injuries in
restaurants. Restaurant owners and managers must encourage their
employees to wear proper footwear, maintain good housekeeping
arrangements and clean up spills without delay.
Health and safety consultants also advise restaurant workers to
observe the following precautions to avoid injuries or accidents:
← Don't use hands to handle food products, especially
in the kitchen (use utensils instead);
← Avoid unnecessary contact with cleaning products
and use a dishwasher instead of using your hands;
← Use gloves when handling substances that may
cause dermatitis. After removing your gloves, make sure to
moisturize your hands;
← Make sure that your hands' surface skin is not itchy
or dry while working;
← While handling heavy objects around, make sure to
divide the size into smaller manageable loads, carry material
that you can handle, and keep heavy and frequently used
kitchen equipments within easy reach.
WHAT RESTAURANTS NEED TO DO?
Due to the risky nature of work associated with restaurants, owners
and managers of restaurant establishments need to exert more effort
to improve their employees' safety and health.
They can start with some of the tips below to increase workplace
safety and health in their establishments:
← Create a fire emergency plan that includes
documented fire risk assessments and regular fire drills.
← Maintain installations and electrical appliances.
← Train employees to handle equipment.
← Provide appropriate tools and safe work wear.
← Educate employees on how to properly use work
wear.
By ensuring better health and safety standards, restaurants can
provide better working conditions to their employees and can reduce
the number of incidents.

SMART Goal
Improve delivery service by decreasing the amount of time customers
have to wait for delivery. We can measure progress by our time
quotes and customer call backs to check satisfaction
Put the deliveries under the counter’s server number as soon as we
take the call, as soon as the food comes up, use one of our counter
people to take the delivery. This concept is realistic in that by
decreasing the wait time, more customers will want to order
the process will start immediately, and will take about two weeks to
train our staff. The customer end is going to take two months to show
a sizable difference

S provide more growth and learning opportunities to each employee

M give feedback to each employee at least 2 times per month
A manager expected to provide the feedback
R improves company-wide communication and feedback culture
T provided before the end of the next quarter

S have customers complete satisfaction rating surveys at start and

again after the 2 quarters
M Increase customer satisfaction by x% over the next 2 quarters
A customer service team to analyze and report improvements every 2
weeks
R Become well-known as a company for our focus on customer
satisfaction
T the following 2 quarters