U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS COMPENSATION AND WORKING CONDITIONS

Page 1

Beyond Bad Tipping: Workplace Hazards of Food and Beverage Servers, 2003-08

by Luis Felipe Martinez

Bureau of Labor Statistics

Originally Posted: March 30, 2011

Food and beverage servers face many hazards on the job. Nonfatal injuries and illnesses among these workers tend to result

directly from their normal job duties and include sprains, bruises, cuts, lacerations, overexertion, and heat burns. Fatal

injuries, by contrast, are generally the result of workplace violence. Men are more likely to incur fatal work injuries than their

share of employment; women are more likely to incur nonfatal injuries and illnesses.

The job market for food and beverage serving workers is expected to stay strong for the foreseeable future, so tracking

trends in nonfatal and fatal injuries and illnesses incurred on the job by these workers is important for both job seekers and

employers today. In 2008, there were 6,299,930 food and beverage serving workers (henceforth referred to as “food and

beverage servers”) employed in the United States, with this number expected to increase by 10 percent by 2018.1 Food and

beverage servers included 503,420 bartenders; 2,708,840 combined food preparation and serving workers; 527,530 counter

attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop workers; 2,371,750 waiters and waitresses; and 188,390

nonrestaurant food servers in 2008.2 This occupation attracts many workers in their teens and twenties who may have never

worked as food and beverage servers before.3 Food and beverage servers experience significant workplace hazards, as they

usually work long shifts (often consecutive lunch and dinner shifts), are frequently on their feet, and carry heavy trays of hot

food, breakable glassware, dishes, and utensils.

In the 6-year period from 2003 to 2008, 141 food and beverage servers were fatally injured on the job.4 There were 26,870

nonfatal injuries and illnesses involving days away from work to food and beverage servers in 2008 in private industry, a 29-

percent decrease from the 37,860 reported in 2003.5 In comparison, there were 1,078,140 nonfatal injuries and illnesses to

all occupations combined in 2008, down 18 percent from the 1,315,920 reported in 2003. Also, the incidence rate for nonfatal

occupational injuries and illnesses involving days away from work for food and beverage servers in 2008 was 70.6 cases per

10,000 full-time workers, compared with 113.3 for all workers combined.

The typical nonfatal injury or illness incurred by a food and beverage server is very different from the typical fatal injury

suffered by one of these workers. Most nonfatal injuries and illnesses occur when food and beverage servers are performing

their regular job duties, resulting in falls, overexertion, contact with dangerous equipment, and other incidents usually

considered accidents. By contrast, as table 1 shows, most fatal injuries are homicides, which result from crime, interpersonal

disputes, or other types of workplace violence.

Table 1. Fatal injuries to food and beverage servers by event or exposure, 2003-08

Event or exposure Number of fatal injuries

Total 141

Transportation incidents 8

Highway 3

Nonhighway 3

Assaults and violent acts 97

Homicides 88

Hitting, kicking, beating 5

Shooting 64

Stabbing 14

Assaults and violent acts by person(s), n.e.c 5
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS COMPENSATION AND WORKING CONDITIONS

Page 2

Event or exposure Number of fatal injuries

Suicide, self-inflicted injury 8

Falls 20

Fall to lower level 8

Fall down stairs or steps 3

Fall on same level 11

Fall to floor, walkway, or other surface 9

Exposure to harmful chemical or substance 14

Exposure to caustic, noxious, or allergenic substances 9

Ingestion of substance 6

Oxygen deficiency 4

Case And Worker Characteristics

Gender. In 2008, women accounted for 70 percent of employment among food and beverage workers, as well as 70 percent

of the nonfatal injuries and illnesses.6 In contrast, women made up 41 percent of food and beverage workers who were fatally

injured during the 2003-2008 period.

Age. Table 2 shows fatal injuries among private industry food and beverage servers by various age groups from 2003 to

2008, as well as nonfatal injuries and illnesses among these workers by age in 2008. In 2008, food and beverage servers

age 16 to 19 incurred 3,710 nonfatal injuries and illnesses, or 14 percent of all injuries and illnesses in this occupation. In

contrast, 16- to 19-year-olds incurred only 3 percent of injuries and illnesses in all occupations combined. Still, the proportion

of injuries and illnesses incurred by food and beverage servers in this age group (14 percent) was lower than their proportion

of employment (21 percent).7

Table 2. Fatal and nonfatal injuries and illnesses to food and beverage servers by age

Age

Number of

nonfatal injuries

and illnesses,

2008

Percentage of total

for food and

beverage servers,

nonfatal, 2008

Percentage of total

for all workers

combined, nonfatal,

2008

Fatal

injuries,

2003-08

Percentage of total

for food and

beverage servers,

fatal, 2003-08

Percentage of total

for all workers

combined, fatal,

2003-08

Total 26,870 100.0 100.0 141 100.0 100.0

16 to

19 3,710 14.0 3.0 15 11.0 2.0

20 to

24 3,830 14.0 10.0 24 17.0 7.0

25 to

34 5,330 20.0 22.0 28 20.0 18.0

35 to

44 4,730 18.0 23.0 30 21.0 22.0

45 to

54 5,160 19.0 24.0 20 14.0 24.0

55 to

64 2,820 10.0 13.0 14 10.0 16.0

65

and

over

780 3.0 3.0 9 6.0 10.0

Length of service. Over 17 percent of the total injuries and illnesses to food and beverage servers in 2008 occurred to

workers who had been with their current employer for less than 3 months. In contrast, for all workers, less than 11 percent of
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS COMPENSATION AND WORKING CONDITIONS

Page 3

injuries and illnesses occur to workers who have been with their employer for less than 3 months. Food and beverage

servers tend to receive little job training, which may contribute to the difference. Food and beverage servers also tend to have

less job tenure with their employers than other workers. In January 2008, the median years of tenure for food preparation and

serving related occupations was 2 years, compared with 4.1 years for all occupations combined.8

Median days away from work. Nonfatal injuries and illnesses among food and beverage servers tend to be less severe than

injuries and illnesses to other workers in private industry--the median days away from work for injured food and beverage

servers in 2008 was 6 days, compared with 8 days for all occupations combined.

Nonfatal Injuries And Illnesses

The nature of injury or illness describes what type of injury or illness was sustained.9 From 2003 to 2008, sprains and strains,

cuts and lacerations, and bruises and contusions were three of the four most frequently occurring injuries to food and

beverage servers. Because they frequently handle hot items, food and beverage servers commonly incur heat burns,

especially compared with other workers. In each year during the 2003-2008 period, heat burns accounted for less than 2

percent of injuries and illnesses to all private industry employees, but they ranged from 5 to 8 percent of all injuries and

illnesses to food and beverage servers. (See chart 1.) In addition, food and beverage servers had an incidence rate of 3.3

cases per 10,000 full-time workers for heat burns in 2008, which was higher than the incidence rate of 1.6 for all occupations

combined. However, the total number of heat burns involving days away from work for food and beverage servers fell from

2,550 in 2007 to 1,260 in 2008.

The part of body identifies the body part that was affected by the injury or illness. In the 5-year period from 2004 to 2008,

injuries and illnesses to the upper extremities, which include hands, fingers, arms, and wrists, accounted for the most injuries

and illnesses to food and beverage servers. In 2003, the trunk region and upper extremities of these workers were the two

parts of the body most frequently injured. The number of injuries and illnesses to upper extremities was 9,760 in 2008 and

11,560 in 2003, with the estimates from 2004 to 2007 falling in between these two numbers. (There were 12,160 trunk

injuries in 2003 as well.) More specifically, injuries to fingers among food and beverage servers increased relative to all

occupations combined. In 2008, less than 9 percent of injuries and illnesses involved fingers for all occupations, whereas
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS COMPENSATION AND WORKING CONDITIONS

Page 4

more than 17 percent of injuries and illnesses among food and beverage servers were to their fingers, a number that has

grown from 12 percent in 2003.

The event or exposure describes the circumstances of the injury or illness. Table 3 shows the numbers of injuries and

illnesses to food and beverage servers that involved days away from work by event or exposure in total private industry from

2003 to 2008. During this period, falls on the same level were the leading event or exposure for injuries and illnesses to food

and beverage servers. In 2008, these workers had an incidence rate of 18.6 cases per 10,000 full-time workers for falls on

same level, while the incidence rate for all workers combined was 16.6. For all private industry, falls on same level made up

less than 15 percent of total injuries and illnesses in 2008; however, the percentage was almost double that (over 26 percent)

for food and beverage servers, as shown in chart 2. In 2004, falls on the same level accounted for nearly a third of all injuries

and illnesses among food and beverage servers. Surprisingly, slips and trips, an event that would seem typical in a food and

beverage servers work environment, occur about as frequently as such injuries occur among all occupations combined. In

2008, slips and trips accounted for 4 percent of total nonfatal injuries and illnesses among food and beverage servers,

compared with 3 percent in all professions combined.

Table 3. Nonfatal injuries and illnesses to food and beverage servers involving days away from work by event or

exposure, private industry, 2003-08

Event or exposure: 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Contact with object and equipment 10,080 9,450 10,220 9,040 9,920 8,920

Struck by object 4,710 4,880 5,160 4,980 5,000 5,050

Struck against object 3,690 2,990 3,460 2,620 3,170 2,560

Caught in object, equipment, or material 1,280 990 1,010 1,140 950 990

Note: Dashes indicate no injuries or illnesses of this type reported.
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS COMPENSATION AND WORKING CONDITIONS

Page 5

Event or exposure: 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Fall to lower level 920 900 600 670 890 590

Fall on same level 11,110 11,020 8,930 8,510 8,430 7,070

Slips and trips 1,830 1,230 1,460 1,770 1,820 1,190

Overexertion 6,290 4,540 4,210 4,200 3,800 4,260

Overexertion in lifting 4,310 2,970 2,770 2,790 2,680 3,090

Repetitive motion 1,130 810 600 520 740 350

Exposure to harmful substance 3,710 2,780 2,440 2,580 3,470 1,820

Transportation accidents 150 140 20 100 320 200

Fires and explosions - - - 40 - - Assaults and violent acts 160 240 120 120 300 390

by person 160 240 120 110 260 390

by other - - - 20 40 - All other 2,480 2,550 2,700 2,020 1,580 2,040

Note: Dashes indicate no injuries or illnesses of this type reported.

While nature, part of body, source, and event or exposure can help paint a picture of how food and beverage servers typically

are injured, it is also important to look at combinations of these characteristics to investigate how they interact to create an

injury or illness.10 Food and beverage servers typically work at a very fast pace and experience nonfatal injuries and illnesses

that are unique to this occupation. In 2008, sprains and strains and cuts and lacerations were the two most prevalent natures

for food and beverage servers, so further examining these will give a more in-depth view of nonfatal injuries and illnesses in

this occupation. Two examples, common for food and beverage servers, help to describe the inherent job risks to these

workers. In 2008, there were 1,910 injuries and illnesses among food and beverage servers in which the nature was sprains

or strains, the part of body was the trunk, the source was containers, and the event was overexertion (1,440 were

overexertion in lifting). Straining or spraining the trunk region of the body while trying to lift a heavy container is a typical

manner in which food and beverage servers are injured. Another typical injury or illness situation among food and beverage

servers involves cutting themselves while handling sharp and dangerous utensils, such as knives. In 2008, these workers

incurred 1,090 injuries and illnesses for which the nature was cuts or lacerations, the part of the body was a finger or

fingernail, the source was knives, and the event was struck by slipping handheld object. Food and beverage servers often are

cut on their fingers or fingernails by knives, which is a relatively uncommon injury in most other occupations.

Fatal Injuries

There were 141 fatal work-related injuries to food and beverage servers from 2003 to 2008, of which 59 percent occurred

among men. This percentage is roughly twice mens share of employment in this occupation but still a smaller proportion

than mens share of all fatal work injuries.11 A look at detailed occupations shows that 42 fatal injuries occurred among

bartenders during the 2003-2008 period, 59 occurred among fast food and counter workers, 36 occurred among waiters and

waitresses, and 4 occurred among nonrestaurant food servers. Out of all the fatal injuries to food and beverage servers,

about 59 percent were to white workers, 18 percent were to Hispanic or Latino workers, and 13 percent were to black

workers.

Although the fatal injuries of many occupations directly result from the employees work activities, most fatal injuries that

occur among food and beverage servers are the result of workplace violence. (See table 1.) Out of the 141 fatal injuries that

occurred from 2003 to 2008, 97 were homicides, of which 64 were shootings and 14 were stabbings. There also were 8

cases of suicide or self-inflicted wounds. Still, some fatal injuries are directly related to the food and beverage servers job

duties. For example, 20 fatal injuries that occurred during the period were the result of falls and 14 were the result of

exposure to harmful substances or environments.12 The secondary source of the majority of these fatal injuries--defined as

the object, substance, or person that generated the source of injury or illness or that contributed to the event or exposure--is
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS COMPENSATION AND WORKING CONDITIONS

Page 6

of great interest because it describes the fatal work risk.13 In 27 of the fatal injuries, the secondary source was a robber; in 7

instances, it was a relative of the fatally injured worker; in 10 instances, it was a coworker or former coworker of the fatally

injured worker; and in 3 instances, it was a motorized highway vehicle.

Conclusion

There are many workplace hazards for food and beverage servers, and many of these workers are young and have minimal

work experience. However, nonfatal injuries and illnesses tend to arise from a completely different set of circumstances than

fatal injuries. Most fatal injuries are homicides and thus are a result of workplace violence. Most nonfatal injuries are a result

of job duties and typically result in sprains, bruises, cuts, lacerations, and an overrepresentation of heat burns. Also, food and

beverage servers have to be especially careful when lifting heavy containers and handling sharp knives. Thus, data show

that food and beverage servers are injured in different ways than other occupations. They are also nonfatally injured in very

different ways than they are fatally injured. Men are more likely to incur fatal work injuries than their share of employment;

women are more likely to incur nonfatal injuries and illnesses.

Luis Felipe Martinez

Economist, Division of Safety and Health Statistics, Office of Safety, Health, and Working Conditions, Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Telephone: (202) 691-6189; E-mail: Martinez.Luis@bls.gov. End Notes

1 Employment projections for 2018 are from the National Employment Matrix, available at http://data.bls.gov/oep/nioem/empiohm.jsp.

2 Employment statistics by occupation are from the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) program, “May 2008 National Occupational

Employment and Wage Estimates, United States,” available at http://www.bls.gov/oes/2008/may/oes_nat.htm#(1).

3 Information about the work environment and typical work duties for food and beverage servers is from the Occupational Outlook Handbook, “Food and Beverage Serving and Related Workers,” available at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos162.htm.

4 Fatal injury data are from the BLS Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI), available at http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcfoi1.htm.

5 All data on nonfatal incidents involving days away from work are from the BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), available

at http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshcdnew.htm.

6 Data on employment by gender are from the BLS Current Population Survey (CPS), “Employed persons by detailed occupation, sex, race,

and Hispanic or Latino ethnicity, 2008,” table 11, annual averages, 2008, available at ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/special.requests/lf/aa2008/aat11.txt.

7 Data on employment by age are from the BLS Current Population Survey (CPS), “Employed persons by detailed occupation, sex, and age,”

table 15, annual averages, 2008, available at ftp://ftp.bls.gov/pub/special.requests/lf/aa2008/aat15.txt.

8 Data on median years of tenure are from the BLS Current Population Survey (CPS), “Median years of tenure with current employer for

employed wage and salary workers by occupation, selected years, 2000-10,” table 6, available at http://www.bls.gov/news.release/

tenure.t06.htm.

9 Case characteristics are categorized and defined in the coding system from the Occupational Injury and Illness Classification Manual, available at http://www.bls.gov/iif/oshoiics.htm.

10 The source identifies what directly caused the injury or illness.

11 During the 2003-08 period, about 93 percent of all fatal occupational injuries occurred to men.

12 These injuries include exposure to a caustic, noxious, or allergenic substance, or to an oxygen deficiency.

13 The secondary source is not always reported.

Data for Chart 1. Percentage of total injuries and illnesses resulting from heat burns, 2003-08

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Servers 7.6 6.2 6.2 7.0 8.2 4.7

All occupations 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.5 1.5 1.4
U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS COMPENSATION AND WORKING CONDITIONS

Page 7

Data for Chart 2. Percentage of total Injuries and illnesses resulting from falls on same level, for servers compared

with all occupations combined, 2003-08

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008

Servers 29 33 29 29 27 26

All occupations 13 13 14 13 14 15

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | Division of Information and Marketing Services, PSB Suite 2850, 2 Massachusetts Avenue, NE Washington, DC

20212-0001 | www.bls.gov/OPUB | Telephone: 1-202-691-5200 | Contact Us