Occupational health and safety risks in food service employees: The case of Kastamonu

Due to the nature of food services enterprises, workers are faced with many risk factors that may cause occupational accidents such as working with heavy loads, being in contact with hot and cold substances, using cutting tools. Occupational diseases occur as a result of long-term exposure to certain factors. In this study, it is aimed to investigate the relationship between occupational health and safety practices in food services and occupational accidents and occupational diseases. The research was carried out on 5 randomly selected kitchen workers in Kastamonu state institutions between March 2022 and October 2022. 120 volunteer participants were included in the study. In the study, first of all, kitchens were evaluated in terms of occupational health and safety by using the Checklist for Kitchens/Restaurants/Patisseries. Then, a questionnaire was applied to the participants by face-to-face interview technique. A questionnaire consisting of 27 questions was used to obtain general information, the ECRHS-II short form was used to evaluate the respiratory and allergic disease symptoms of the participants, the organizational stress scale was used to determine the stress level, the NMQ-E was used to determine the musculoskeletal system disorders, and the NOSQ for the detection of skin diseases. One-day food consumption records of individuals were taken with a 24-hour reminder method. 29 of the participants were cooks, 66 were waiters and 25 were dishwashers. 34.2% of the workers participating in the study are male and 65.8% are female. It was determined that the participants with more than 15 years of experience in the workload sub-parameter had a higher level of organizational stress compared to the participants with 1-5 years of professional experience. It has been determined that respiratory system disorders are more common in men compared to women. It has been determined that the hand and wrist pains of the cooks are more than the participants who work as a dishwashing profession. It has been determined that carbohydrate intake, fiber intake, vitamin B6 intake and magnesium intake in cooks are more inadequate compared to other occupations. Occupational accidents and occupational diseases in kitchens may be associated with occupations, gender and nutritional status of employees. It may be possible to prevent accidents and occupational diseases by taking occupational health and safety measures for risk factors in the field of food services.