Covid-19 Risk to Workers in Restaurants: Cramped Kitchens

Still, some workers, infectious disease experts, and local health officials say it can be difficult to avoid cramped and crowded kitchen conditions that can promote the transmission of the coronavirus.

Masks can slip, especially in warm environments, and become contaminated, while social distancing is often impractical, said Davidson Hamer, a professor at Boston University School of Public Health and School of Medicine.

“It only takes one person in that environment to spread the virus, and everyone is at risk,” he said.

Cooks and food preparers – more than 2 million according to 2019 federal data – are among the majority of the U.S. workforce who cannot do their jobs remotely. Fast food kitchens, which are generally smaller than those in full-service restaurants, have stayed open most of the year.

No comprehensive data is available showing whether restaurant workers are more likely to be infected with Covid-19 than other worker groups. Many local governments do not provide detailed information about workplace outbreaks, including the types of workers affected.

Some states and counties, including Oregon, Maryland, and Los Angeles County, have collectively recorded thousands of cases of coronavirus or likely infections among restaurant workers.

Data from Colorado shows that more than 1,000 restaurant workers may have become infected on the job this year as of the middle of this month. That’s three times the average number of potential worker infections per workplace across nearly 70 different job boards with cases tracked by the state.

Connecticut examined 21 clusters of Covid-19 tied to restaurants between July and the end of December. Lynn Sosa, a Connecticut deputy epidemiologist, said most of those outbreaks are likely related to the restaurant kitchen staff. Most such kitchens are not large and often not well ventilated, Dr. Sosa said.

According to the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, restaurants and bars accounted for one-tenth of the 47,357 coronavirus-related workplace complaints this year this year.

Restaurant kitchens vary widely in size and airflow, factors that affect the potential transmission of the virus, said Thomas Russo, chief of infectious disease at Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo. The risk increases when kitchen workers take off their mask or don’t wear one continuously, including cooks who have to taste food, said Dr. Russo.

Many restaurant drivers say they go to great lengths to protect their employees. According to Mike Grams, president and global chief operating officer of Taco Bell, a division of Yum Brands, Taco Bell has created a “quarterback” position to help coordinate service while executives focus on safety and cleanliness. Inc.

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The chain also dispenses production line workers into the kitchens and requires workers with Covid-19 symptoms to stay at home.

“I won’t say it’s perfect or it can’t be better,” said Mr. Grams.

McDonald’s Corp.

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and its US franchisees began conducting audits last month to ensure that restaurant managers and crew adhered to the company’s health and safety standards. Proposed changes to surgeries made earlier in the pandemic, with guidance from the Mayo Clinic hospital system, include erecting barriers at grill lines – where workers typically collect sandwiches side by side – and moving some workers to opposite sides of tables to space between them.

The company has advised operators to let their employees make a whole sandwich themselves, which is less efficient but safer, said Bill Garrett, senior vice president of operations at McDonald’s in the US. Previously, employees stood side by side at a table and one passed the sandwich to the next. Usually at least two people have put together a sandwich.

Recent OSHA complaints against Starbucks Corp.

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, Chick-fil-A Inc., Dunkin ‘Brands Group Inc. and McDonald’s included those of some employees who said colleagues tested positive for the virus, but managers were not communicating or addressing matters properly. The complaints often showed insufficient social distance.

Employees who believe they are working in unsafe working conditions can file a complaint with OSHA online or through a confidential phone number. Agency officials are investigating all allegations of safety and health violations within its jurisdiction, an OSHA spokesman said.

Chick-fil-A, McDonald’s, Starbucks and Dunkin ‘, now a division of Inspire Brands Inc., said that in the event of an employee’s positive test, notify employees who were in close contact with the person as soon as possible be asked. may need to be quarantined.

The companies say they are following government guidelines and have taken a variety of measures, including increasing social distance, adding panels to separate employees and customers, and keeping many dining areas closed.

Shonda Harris, a 46-year-old manager of a Taco Bell in Louisiana, died in July of contracting the virus, according to family members. Mrs. Harris also worked some shifts at a nearby Burger King, her husband, Michael Harris, said. He said he wasn’t sure how his wife contracted the virus, but said he feels the restaurants should have done more to protect workers.

Taco Bell was saddened by Ms. Harris’s death, said a Taco Bell spokeswoman, who added that the owners of the Taco Bell where Ms. Harris worked donated to her family and considered her a beloved employee.

Burger King, part of Restaurant Brands International Inc.,

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said health and safety of employees and customers are top priorities.

For many restaurants, it will likely continue to be a challenge to find employees and keep them healthy. Some workers concerned about catching the virus are refusing shifts, leading companies to increase pandemic-related bonuses and organize recruiting events.

“Some people don’t want to leave their homes,” said Jack Hartung, chief financial officer of Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. “Some people will pass on the hours. Maybe they ask for temporary leave.”

Starbucks, which postponed a number of happy hour promotions this month after some baristas complained they caused crowds in its stores, is increasing pay for its store associates in the US by at least 10%. It said the increase is designed to help retain and retain workers and is part of a multi-year commitment to increase wages. Meanwhile, Chipotle said it has given more than $ 40 million in pandemic-related assistance and bonuses.

At a Starbucks in San Bernardino County, California, at least four baristas typically make behind-the-counter drinks, said Jay Josef, a 28-year-old barista there. Stickers on the floor show employees where to stand to stay apart, but he said he ran into colleagues.

“It’s super difficult. We are all so close together, ”said Mr. Josef, who said he often makes 500 drinks per shift.

Kevin Johnson, CEO of Starbucks, said the company has paid employees who are quarantined at home and it analyzes local infection rates to determine the safe workforce. “We have no problem closing a store for this,” said Mr Johnson.

Ken Gonthier, 20, left a manager position at a McDonald’s in New Hampshire in April, in part because he was worried he might get infected with the coronavirus and spread it to his father. He now works in a call center from his new home in Nevada.

The owner of the New Hampshire McDonald’s said he requires employees to wear masks and has provided training on social distancing.

Mr. Gonthier said he is glad he is no longer in a closed room with so many people for hours on end. “People come in and realize that there is only so much they can do to be safe,” he said.

Write to Heather Haddon at [email protected] and Micah Maidenberg at [email protected]