No matter how careful you and your employees are, your business may still experience an unforeseen injury to a customer on your property, from a meal you prepared or possibly an employee who has imbibed a little too much. You may also experience a robbery. This section describes some common and not so common hazards found in restaurants which may cause your business a financial loss.

Consider each hazard and determine if you have reduced your potential to loss by implementing safe operating practices and providing appropriate training to your employees.

The principal hazard in most restaurants is fire. A restaurant fire has the potential of a total loss to the building and contents, significant business income loss, and injury or loss of life. Common causes of a restaurant fire include:

• Grease buildup leading to kitchen fires
• Inadequate or infrequent cleaning of hoods, ducts, filters, deep fat fryers and fans
• Absence of automatic and manual fuel cutoff valves
• Improperly extinguished cigarettes and candles
• Inadequate wiring or other electrical defects
• Overheated motors in refrigeration and air conditioning units

• IBHS Institute For Business & Home Safety
  http://www.ibhs.org
• CPSC Consumer Products Safety Commission
  http://www.cpsc.gov/
• DOT Department of Transportation
  http://www.dot.gov/
• EPA Environmental Protection Agency
  http://www.epa.gov/
• FDA Food & Drug Administration
  http://www.fda.gov/
• FEDERAL REGISTER
  http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html
• Federal & State LAWS
  http://www.firstgov.gov/Topics/Reference_Shelf.shtml#Laws
• FEDWORLD
  http://www.fedworld.gov/
• NIOSH & CDC National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health, and Centers for Disease Control
  http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/homepage.html
• OSHA STATS & BLS Occupational Safety & Health Administration, and Bureau of Labor Statistics
  http://www.osha.gov/oshstats/
• OSHA & DOL Occupational Safety & Health Administration, and Department of Labor
  http://www.osha.gov/
• AIHA American Industrial Hygienist Association
  http://www.aiha.org/
• ANSI American National Standards Institute
  http://www.ansi.org/
• ASSE American Society of Safety Engineers
  http://www.asse.org/
• INTERNATIONAL Risk Management
  http://www.occuphealth.fi/e/
• NFPA National Fire Protection Association
  http://www.nfpa.org/
• NSC National Safety Council
  http://www.nsc.org/
• OSHWEB OS&H Resources on the Net
  http://oshweb.me.tut.fi/index.html
• RIMS Risk & Insurance Management Society
  http://www.rims.org/
• SAFETY ONLINE
  http://www.safetyonline.com/
• MSDS
  http://www.hazard.com/msds/

This comprehensive guide will help you understand many important insurance and business terms. While the interpretations may differ slightly from one carrier to another, the glossary provides common, non-technical definitions for the most common terms.

The glossary is not intended to be all-inclusive, nor does it provide the specific policy, legal and contractual definitions. In fact, the terms and definitions are subject to change due to legal decisions and may in fact change without notice. You should always refer to the terms and conditions in your actual policy when you have specific coverage questions. In fact, simply reading a policy or glossary of terms in not a substitute for professional advice.

For ease of reference, glossary terms and acronyms are listed alphabetically.

"Foodborne illness in the United States is a major cause of personal distress, preventable death, and avoidable economic burden. In 1994, the Council for Agricultural Science and Technology estimated 6.5 to 33 million people become ill from microorganisms in food, resulting in as many as 9,000 needless deaths every year.... The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have consistently stated that where reported foodborne outbreaks were caused by mishandling of food, most of the time the mishandling occurred within the retail segment of the food industry . . . where ready-to-eat food is prepared and provided to the public for consumption."

Visit the sites shown below for information and tips for food safety:

• Parlay.com has a Food Service Safety Guide that will provide you with a host of information concerning keeping food and food workers safe. This guide illustrates how to prevent contamination, maintain clean work habits and avoid common mishaps such as cuts and burns, fires, back injuries, slips and falls. Seven copy-ready safety reminder posters are included. Please use coupon ID code #3010 if you wish to purchase the guide from the link noted below:
  http://http://www.parlay.com/merchant.ihtml?pid=85&lastcatid=12&step=4
• NSF International, founded in 1944 as the National Sanitation Foundation, is known for the development of standards, product testing and certification services in the areas of public health safety and protection of the environment. The NSF Mark is placed on millions of consumer, commercial and industrial products annually and is trusted by users, regulators and manufacturers alike.
  http://www.nsf.org
• FoodSafety.gov is a gateway Web site that provides links to selected government food safety-related information. Not every government web site is listed. When more than one government web site provides similar information, links will be provided to only one or two of those sites. A steering committee consisting of individuals with different backgrounds reviews all potential sites for inclusion on the FoodSafety.gov web site.
  http://www.foodsafety.gov