B.C.’s piping hot coffee culture burns baristas

Being burned by a large carafe of freshly brewed, 180-degree coffee was the worst pain Tamara Stanners had ever felt.

“I’ve had three babies and so I know what pain is — but it was nothing like that,” Stanners said of the “fluke accident” that happened years ago at her coffee shop in Brackendale, B.C.

The searing liquid splashed down the front of her thighs, fused her skin to her jeans, and left her with second- and third-degree burns that took a month to heal.

In Vancouver, about 200 business licences have been issued to coffee shops, and countless more restaurants and other establishments that serve hot liquids.

According to WorkSafe B.C., eight claims were accepted in 2010 from baristas forced to miss work because of serious injuries.

In 2011, that number more than doubled to 20 claims.

The number dipped to 17 in 2012 and 16 in 2013, and then again spiked to 25 in 2014.

Those numbers don’t reflect the much larger group of baristas who likely suffer smaller scalds and burns and don’t file claims.

While it’s hard to put those numbers in context — WorkSafe B.C. doesn’t monitor barista employment levels — the risk and the expectations of safety remain the same.

“We expect all employers of baristas to provide the appropriate supervision, training and education to keep these workers safe and healthy while on the job,” said WorkSafe B.C. spokeswoman Trish Knight Chernecki.

Stanners, now a radio program director, was filling a commercial-sized carafe in 2004 when it tipped and spilled coffee down her legs. In her panic, Stanners tore her jeans off, only to cause further damage. She has regained feeling in her thighs, but is left with some scars and skin discoloration.

Neil Turner, 29, has never suffered anything major in his four years as a barista, but he knows it can happen easily. At a shop where he used to work, Turner was washing his hands when a co-worker absent-mindedly dumped a jug of boiling water into the same sink.

“Accidents happen when people are careless,” Turner said.

Turner said because most espresso machines have pre-programmed temperature setting, in most coffee shops there should never be a liquid so hot that it could cause severe injuries.

Erik Vogel, a director with the B.C. Burn Fund, fears there are baristas who suffer burns on the job, but feel pressure to return to work without adequately treating their injuries.