Restaurant fined $62K after worker falls into vat of hot water

A Chili’s branch in Florida has been fined more than US$62,000 for a 2018 workplace accident that left an employee scalded. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) imposed the penalty on Brinker Florida, owner of the Chili’s store, after a worker fell from a platform and into a vat of hot water used for cooking. The hot bath, also called a ‘rethermalizer’, was meant for immersing and thawing out frozen or chilled food packages. The nearby platform used by the staff, meanwhile, lacked any safety rail to prevent falls, the Miami Herald reported.