‘Unsafe at work.’ Dick’s Drive-In workers file COVID safety complaints, WA officials say
Employees exposed to COVID-19 were pressured to work and social distancing rules were largely ignored at a popular Washington hamburger chain, according to complaints filed with the state.
Employees at Dick’s Drive-In locations also said there was a lack of access to hot water, hand washing was not always enforced, and refrigerators were contaminated with mold, according to the complaints filed with the Department of Labor & Industries.
“Dick’s Drive-In has a well-established reputation as a beloved community institution and a great place to work, but conditions in these stores right now simply don’t align with this history,” a news release from Working Washington said. “Workers know the company can do better, but managers have consistently failed to address these issues.”
The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News, nor did the Department of Labor and Industries.
‘Unsafe at work’
“Dick’s has routinely failed to follow Washington [s]tate emergency proclamations and rules related to COVID-19, which has made me feel unsafe at work and scared that my coworkers or I will contract the virus,” one employee wrote in a complaint.
Management at two Dick’s Drive-In locations in Seattle violated several COVID-19 health and safety protocols, according the complaints made by workers, including:
- Pressuring employees to work while waiting on COVID-19 test results — “And on multiple occasions during the pandemic, managers have come into work even though they were visibly sick.”
Frequently ignoring social distancing requirements — “We are constantly working in close quarters and bumping into each other.”
No enforcement of face covering requirements for customers or employees — “Although we can ask customers to leave, this usually only serves to make the customers combative and more likely to yell and stay at the window without their mask until they are served. Management and security do not do enough to assist us when we face customers like this.”
Failure to ensure sanitization procedures aren’t followed and often wouldn’t allow workers to sanitize high-touch surfaces — “When we are asked to sanitize, we are supposed to use rags that sit in a bleach and water solution that is not regularly replaced and often becomes diluted.”
No COVID-19 specific training for employees — “There was no additional training on the signs or symptoms of the virus, how to prevent the spread at work, or prevent the spread at work, or preventative measures Dick’s was taking to keep us safe.”
Refusing to permit employees to wear gloves while serving customers — “When I asked if I could wear gloves because it would make me feel safer, my manager told me that this was not allowed.”
General safety violations named by workers include:
No frequent hand-washing requirements — “There are usually multiple people huddled around [the only] sink trying to wash their hands at the same time. Throughout the rest of the shift, people do not regularly wash their hands because they are too busy working or because management looks the other way.”
Lack of access to hot water — “The restaurant runs out of hot water regularly. Even though management is aware of this long-standing problem, they have yet to fix it.”
Slippery floors in the kitchen, work area and drive-thru windows — “My coworkers and I slip and fall frequently, sometimes smacking against the counters or accidentally burning ourselves on hot surfaces.”
Inadequate and inaccessible first aid kit — “Although my coworkers and I regularly get burned at work, there is no burn cream in the first aid kit, so we have to buy our own.”
Electrical equipment placed in water at one location — “I do not feel safe because I have to stand in the same pool of water where [an electrical heater] sits. I have also repeatedly hurt myself bumping into this heater because it is positioned so close to the register.”
Exposure to biohazards — “I have been exposed to mildew and mold in multiple areas where I work. I have also had to clean mold off of appliances and handle moldy foods. And my coworkers and I have had to clean up used needles in the bathroom without protective equipment or safety guidance.”
Dick’s has seven locations across the Seattle area, plus one that is in the works in Bellevue, according to The Seattle Times. The company also has a food truck that delivers Dick’s to areas that lack one of the drive-ins, including Bellingham plus cities in Snohomish and King counties.
This story was originally published March 10, 2021 at 2:24 PM with the headline "‘Unsafe at work.’ Dick’s Drive-In workers file COVID safety complaints, WA officials say."