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Yum cha restaurants in Chinatown will now have to train workers who push food carts to pass a "driving licence" under new regulations from Sydney City Council.
The move comes after a spate of accidents in which novice or careless trolley-pushers have crashed carts, injuring or making a mess of patrons and co-workers.
In one case last year, an elderly customer at a large yum cha restaurant was covered in plates of sticky black bean sauce after a trolley waitress lost her load while she was text messaging on her mobile phone.
In another incident in 2002, a yum cha trolley waiter lost control of a cart laden with steamed dumpling as she was trundling down a steep ramp between levels of a Chinatown restaurant. The dumpling cart ended up ploughing head on into an unattended trolley at the bottom.
"We've had quite a few complaints about some of these yum cha waiting staff," said Mr Frank Boles, head of the council's environmental health and safety division.
"It's either young, inexperienced students who take these jobs or someone just off the boat. In either case, they need to be properly trained."
Under plans to be announced later today, waiters and waitresses at the 24 restaurants within the council's recently enlarged boundaries offering a yum cha service will be required to attend an approved two-day course.
The workers will be instructed in trolley pushing techniques and learn about the occupational health and safety aspects of the work.
After completing the course, they will be required to carry a small "L" plate on their carts for six months before being granted full licences. Learners can only push a cart while accompanied by fully licensed waiting staff.
As a one off, the council will issue full licences to staff nominated by restaurant management who have a minimum of three years experience.
Mr Wan Xiao, manager of the Hungry Dragon restaurant in Chinatown, which runs a seven-day-a- week yum cha service, said although the new regulations would mean increased labour and training costs, he was confident the new measures would result in a lowering of his insurance premiums.
"Our public liability premiums have been going through the roof in recent years," he said. " I welcome this move because it will restore confidence in our service and allay the concerns of our customers."
The new measures will come into effect on April 1 next year.
[SMH]
