Every restaurant needs shelves, but have you taken a look at them lately? Unsafe shelving can be dangerous for workers. That’s not the only danger shelves have though. A shelf that hasn’t been cleaned in a while could be a health hazard. In this two part series, we’re going to give you a rundown on safe shelving.
Is your restaurant shelving level?
If your shelving isn’t level, it might be indicative of a host of other problems. The seals holding the shelves up could be wearing out, or the feet could be out of adjustment. Too much weight on a shelf could also cause them to go out of alignment.
Standing shelves should sit firmly and evenly on the ground, and there should never be any bowing in the middle from weight. This can compromise safety.
Are you stacking too high?
In the interests of efficiency, we’ll often try to stack things up way too high. That’s a disaster waiting to happen. What gets stacked high will eventually have to come down.
Even if it is stacked safely at a high level, do you have the safety equipment to get it back down? Could your shorter coworkers get something off the stack safely without falling? Better to keep everything in reach and get rid of excess inventory. Or just get more shelves or stepladders.
Once it’s been determined that the restaurant shelving is structurally sound, the next thing to do is take a look at is how dirty they are. A dirty shelf can be a host for lots of vermin!