Halloween brings plenty of things that are supposed to be scary.

Ghosts hanging from the ceiling. Giant spiders crawling across the walls. Jack-o'-lanterns grinning at customers from the front counter. Maybe even a restaurant employee who shows up for work wearing a costume that makes everyone wonder how they're possibly going to make it through an entire shift.

But the scariest things inside a restaurant this Halloween probably aren't part of the decorations.

They're the everyday hazards employees have walked past so many times that they barely notice them anymore.

A little grease on the floor. A box sitting in a walkway. A knife left where it shouldn't be. An unlabeled chemical bottle. A hot pan that nobody warned the next employee about.

None of those things looks particularly frightening.

Until somebody gets hurt.

Some Restaurant Hazards Are Hiding in Plain Sight

Restaurant employees become incredibly familiar with their surroundings. That's part of what makes them good at their jobs.

They know where everything is. They know how to move around one another in tight spaces. They know which refrigerator door sticks, where the extra pans are kept, and how to navigate a busy kitchen without stopping to think about every step.

But familiarity can also make hazards easier to overlook.

That box wasn't in the walkway yesterday, but after walking around it three times this morning, everyone has gotten used to it.

The small puddle near the dish area has been there for a few minutes, and everyone knows to step around it.

The electrical cord stretched across the floor is only going to be there temporarily.

Until someone forgets.

Restaurant hazards don't need to jump out from behind a door and yell, "Boo!"

Sometimes the most dangerous ones are the ones everyone has stopped seeing.

A Small Spill Can Become a Very Big Problem

A few drops of water or grease on a restaurant floor may not look particularly scary.

But put that spill in the path of an employee carrying a tray, a stack of dishes, a hot pan or a container of food, and suddenly that little hazard has the potential to become a serious injury.

The same thing can happen with a curled floor mat, a broom left in the wrong place, a box in a walkway or something dropped on the floor during a rush.

The safest response isn't to assume everyone else will notice it.

See the hazard. Correct the hazard.

And if you can't correct it yourself, make sure the right person knows about it.

Knives, Slicers and Sharp Equipment Don't Need Halloween Costumes

There isn't anything mysterious about a restaurant knife.

Everyone knows it's sharp.

But cuts can happen when employees are rushing, using the wrong knife for a task, trying to catch a falling knife, reaching into an area where they can't see what they're touching or using equipment without the proper protection.

The same is true for slicers and other sharp equipment.

Knowing something can hurt you isn't always enough.

Employees need to know how to work around it safely, and that knowledge needs to stay fresh.

The Fryer May Be Scarier Than the Giant Spider on the Wall

A plastic spider hanging over the dining room isn't going to hurt anybody.

Hot oil can.

So can steam, boiling liquids, hot pans, ovens, grills and heated surfaces that restaurant employees work around every day.

Burn hazards are so normal in restaurants that it's easy to start treating them as simply part of the job.

They're part of the restaurant environment.

Getting burned doesn't have to be.

Using the proper PPE, communicating when something is hot, handling hot liquids carefully and following safe procedures around fryers and other equipment can help prevent a routine task from turning into a painful injury.

Don't Let Halloween Decorations Create New Hazards

Halloween decorations can make a restaurant fun for employees and customers, but they shouldn't create hazards of their own.

Keep decorations away from open flames and hot equipment. Don't overload electrical outlets or extension cords. Make sure decorations aren't blocking exits, exit signs, fire extinguishers, walkways or other emergency equipment.

Watch for cords or decorations that could create trip hazards, and don't let seasonal displays interfere with an employee's ability to see where they're walking.

The goal is to make the restaurant look spooky.

Not make it dangerous.

Chemicals Can Be Frightening When Nobody Knows What's in the Bottle

Restaurant cleaning chemicals don't always look dangerous either.

That's why proper labeling, storage, Safety Data Sheets and employee training matter.

An employee should never have to guess what's inside a secondary container or wonder what PPE is needed before using a chemical.

And chemicals should never be mixed simply because someone thinks combining two cleaners might work better.

When employees know what they're using, how to use it safely and where to find information about it, chemical safety becomes much less mysterious.

Don't Forget What's Behind the Back Door

Not every restaurant hazard is sitting on the kitchen floor.

Back doors, delivery areas, parking lots and closing procedures deserve attention too.

Employees should know their restaurant's procedures for back-door security, deliveries, robbery prevention and leaving the restaurant safely after closing.

A restaurant may feel familiar because employees spend so much time there.

That doesn't mean employees should stop paying attention to what's happening around them.

The Scariest Hazard May Be the One Nobody Reports

There's one thing all these hazards have in common.

Somebody usually sees them.

An employee notices the spill. Someone sees the box in the walkway. Somebody realizes the exit is partially blocked. An employee spots the unlabeled chemical container.

That's the moment that matters.

Restaurant employee safety isn't only about recognizing hazards. It's about doing something when you recognize one.

Clean it up when you can do so safely. Move the obstruction. Correct the problem. Tell your manager. Warn another employee.

Don't assume somebody else will take care of it.

This Halloween, Look for What's Hiding in Plain Sight

Go ahead and hang the ghosts.

Put out the pumpkins.

Let the giant spider scare a few customers.

But while everyone is looking at the Halloween decorations, take another look around the restaurant.

What's sitting in the walkway?

What's on the floor?

What's blocking an exit?

What's too close to a flame?

What's improperly stored?

What has everybody gotten so used to seeing that nobody notices it anymore?

Because the scariest thing hiding in your restaurant this Halloween might not actually be hiding at all.

It might be right in front of you.

Keep Restaurant Employee Safety Training Moving All Year Long

Restaurant hazards don't disappear when the Halloween decorations come down.

That's why REST was built around ongoing, restaurant-specific employee safety training that fits into the way restaurants actually operate.

Employees receive training on the hazards they encounter in restaurant work, along with quizzes, certificates and ongoing reinforcement. Managers get the tools they need to keep employee safety training organized and documented without having to build a program from scratch.

Because preventing injuries isn't a Halloween activity.

It's an all-year job.

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