We’ve all been to McDonald’s and enjoyed a Big Mac and fries, and we all know what a Big Mac tastes like.
That’s because McDonald’s is the leading worldwide food service retailer with more than 36,000 local restaurants serving approximately 69 million people in more than 100 countries each day, and around 1.9 million people work for McDonald’s.
But that is only one side of the story — what about the unhealthy work conditions for those millions of employees?
These unhealthy conditions exist because the food service industry doesn’t make their employees a priority when they are faced with rigorous work conditions.
On March 16, an article in USA Today said there were 28 burn complaints filed by McDonald’s employees in 19 cities.
Did you ever think ketchup could be used to treat burns and other wounds? I know I didn’t think so. But the management at McDonald’s seems to think otherwise.
According to USA Today, all too often, management would use the phrase “just put some mustard on it,” as a first aid solution. And when it comes to the working conditions at McDonald’s, they are about as helpful as a dead iPhone with no charger.
It is shocking to me that food industry workers are treated with no sense of respect. How can they value their self-worth when they are consistently belittled?
Food service workers in the fast-food industry are not given adequate resources to use when they are injured on the job, and their injuries are not taken seriously by any means.
According to the Occupational Safety & Health Act, employers are required to provide a safe and healthful workplace. But empty first aid kits are all too familiar to many service employees.
Food service workers, especially in the fast food industry, deserve the same respect as any individual with a different job. And the often times young, inexperienced employees are seen as disposable and unimportant to many fast food companies.
I know that I would definitely have a problem with being treated as something disposable, and I’m not the only one either.
But as OSHA states, there are specific rules and regulations that employers must use to protect their employees from any hazardous situations.
OSHA posters that describe the employer’s responsibilities to their employees should be displayed behind the counter in all fast food restaurants. Some of these responsibilities include keeping accurate records of work-related injuries and even performing tests on the air to check for mold.
But using condiments to treat burns sure doesn’t sound like a provision of OSHA.
Nevertheless, the amount of injuries that go undocumented in the fast food work industry are far too many.
About 79 percent of fast-food workers in the U.S. have been burned on the job over the past year, many more than once, according to a survey conducted by Hart Research Associates.
The survey also noted that 36 percent of workers report that first aid kits are missing, inaccessible or empty.
Although these conditions demonstrate a rather unsettling future for employees in the fast food service industry, there are still some options available that allow these employees to have a voice.
Some of the most beneficial ways are filing a complaint with OSHA or asking OSHA to inspect their workplace.
But as food service workers continue to struggle daily with the unsettling conditions in the workplace, management is standing by calmly without any concerns.
So the next time you walk into a fast food restaurant with a long line ahead to order yourself a Big Mac, before getting angry that they only gave you two ketchup packets, just remember that they may have been using it as burn cream.
Jen Blate is a 24-year-old sociology junior from Miami, Florida. Jen can be reached on Twitter @Jblate_TDR.