The boom in delivery orders is having an unforeseen side effect on restaurant workers: a rise in back injuries.
That’s according to an analysis of the 130,000 workers’ compensation claims filed with insurer AmTrust Financial Services between 2018 and 2023. The review revealed that back injuries among restaurant employees have been increasing at an accelerated rate.
Company officials attribute the surge to the bending, lifting and straining that’s accompanied the rise of what they call the delivery economy. Suddenly, employees who may have lugged a few plates to a table are now hefting multiple orders at a time and handing them to a delivery driver.
The injuries still account for less than 1% of the claims AmTrust fielded specifically from restaurant workers over the six-year stretch that was studied. But those claims typical draw the biggest compensation levels by far. The typical payout usually falls between $60,000 and $85,000, compared with the typical payout of $1,798 for a cut, puncture or scrape, the most common reason for a claim to be filed.
AmTrust fielded just under 32,000 requests for reimbursement between 2018 and 2023. Burns were the next most common reason for a claim, at 13,331.
Rounding out the top five reasons were strains, contusions and sprains, which netted payments of $10,672, $4,795 and $9,996 on average, respectively.
“In restaurant work, musculoskeletal disorders – whether that’s a bad back or sore ‘Barista Wrist’ – are clearly the most expensive injuries to treat,” Matt Zender, SVP of workers’ compensation product management for AmTrust, said in a press statement accompanying release of the 2024 AmTrust Restaurant Risk Report. “We encourage restaurant owners to train employees in best practices for lifting and setting down objects and other tasks that can stress muscles and the spine.”
The company looked at what parts of a restaurant employee’s body are most likely to be injured sufficiently to warrant a compensation claim. Fingers were the most common organs to be impaired, and typically bring a payout of $2,164. Hands were also vulnerable, and command the higher compensation of $3,733.
AmTrust is based in New York City.
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