Frankston pub operator pleads guilty to workplace safety breaches
A Frankston pub was fined after hot oil spilled over two workers.
The incident which occurred in 2021 at the Cheeky Squire has ended in the operator being fined $35,000 after two chefs were burned.
One worker suffered serious burns and had to undergo a skin graft and a two week stay in hospital.
The accident was caused by a chef who tripped over a box while transferring oil from deep fryers to a waste facility at the back of the restaurant’s kitchen.
She suffered minor burns to various parts of her body.
The spilled oil also hit a chef standing nearby, causing second degree burns to his legs and minor burns to his back.
WorkSafe was notified of the incident the following day.
Australian Leisure and Hospitality Group which operates the Cheeky Squire plead guilty in the Frankston Magistrates Court last week and was ordered to pay $4,409 in costs.
The pub was found guilty of failing to provide and maintain a safe working environment and failing to notify WorkSafe immediately after an incident.
The investigation found that use of pots to move hot oil was not usual practice. The pub, however, had been doing this for two months due to a portable filtration system that was not working.
The chef carrying the pot had only been employed for four weeks prior to the incident.
“This employer had an appropriate safe work procedure in place to control the safety risk but it wasn’t being followed because a crucial piece of equipment was broken,” WorkSafe executive director of Health and Safety Narelle Beer said.
“When part of a safe work system is no longer effective, it’s critically important that duty holders introduce further control measures to ensure their workers remain protected.”
Jonathan Jackson, 19th April 2023
