Hospitality is physically demanding. Changing kegs, carrying crates up cellar steps, lifting stockpots and hauling linen trolleys all cause back, shoulder and knee injuries. The Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 require employers to avoid hazardous lifting where reasonably practicable, assess what can't be avoided and reduce the risk. In practice that means keg lifts or ramps, trolleys, splitting deliveries into smaller loads, storing heavy items at waist height and asking suppliers to deliver to the right place.
Training matters, but it's the last line of defence rather than the first: a well-designed cellar beats a poster about bending your knees. Wet floors, narrow stairs and poor lighting make every lift riskier. Pregnant staff, young workers and anyone returning from injury need their own assessment. Recording near misses as well as injuries helps you spot which tasks are really hurting people.
What we ask on the show
- What's the heaviest job in a pub?
- Do cellar designs take staff safety seriously?
- How many hospitality careers end with a bad back?
- Is manual handling training worth anything?