Back injuries have increased at a rapid rate among restaurant workers. | Photo: Shutterstock

The rise of delivery orders is having an unforeseen side effect on restaurant workers: an increase in back injuries.

This is according to an analysis of 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 increased at a rapid rate.

Company officials attribute the increase to the bending, lifting and straining that accompanied the emergence of what they call the delivery economy. Suddenly, employees who may have been carrying a few plates to a table are now lifting several orders at once and handing them to a delivery person.

Injuries still account for less than 1% of the claims AmTrust filed specifically for restaurant workers during the six-year period studied. But those claims typically generate by far the highest levels of compensation. The typical payment is usually between $60,000 and $85,000, compared to the typical payment of $1,798 for a cut, puncture or scrape, the most common reason for filing a claim.

AmTrust received just under 32,000 claims between 2018 and 2023. Burns were the next most common reason for claims, with 13,331.

Rounding out the top five reasons were strains, bruises and sprains, which generated net payouts of $10,672, $4,795 and $9,996 on average, respectively.

“In restaurant work, musculoskeletal disorders, whether back pain or barista wrist pain, are clearly the most expensive injuries to treat,” said Matt Zender, senior vice president of workers’ compensation product management at AmTrust, in a press release accompanying the statement. of the AmTrust Restaurant Risk Report 2024. “We encourage restaurant owners to train employees in best practices for lifting and placing objects and other tasks that can stress the muscles and spine.”

The company analyzed which parts of a restaurant employee’s body are most likely to suffer enough injuries to justify a compensation claim. Fingers were the most frequently damaged organs, typically resulting in a payout of $2,164. The hands were also vulnerable and demand a higher compensation of $3,733.

AmTrust is headquartered in New York City.

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Register here.