A new survey by the UK and Ireland trade union Unite has found that over two thirds of chefs believe long working hours are negatively impacting their health.
Of the 269 London chefs surveyed, 44% said they worked between 48 and 60 hours a week, with 14% working 60 hours-plus. 79% said they had had an accident or a near miss at work due to fatigue, while 51% said they suffered from depression from being overworked.
To cope, 29% admitted to using alcohol to get them through a shift, while 56% said they take painkillers or other stimulants (41%).
While this is just a snapshot survey of a small population of chefs in a hyper-competitive food city, we suspect these kinds of figures are hardly an anomaly.
Members of Unite recently held a candle-lit vigil to remember chefs around the world who have been injured or died at work, including Benoit Violier from the three Michelin star Restaurant de l'Hôtel de Ville in Lausanne, Switzerland, who commited suicide in 2016, andNathan Laity, a senior sous chef at the Tate Modern in London who died from blood poisoning from untreated tonsilitis after working 27, 14 hour days in a row.
Concerns around the physical and mental wellbeing of chefs is something we've adressed regularly on Fine Dining Lovers: writer Kat Kinsman recently touched on her experiences of working with chefs with mental health issues at the MAD5 food symposium in Copenhagen, while chef Daniel Patterson has previously opened up about his battles with depression.
Via Munchies
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