Federal officials are investigating charges that McDonald's managers pushed unconventional treatments on employees suffering burns and other injuries on the job — including the use of mustard and mayonnaise instead of medicinal creams — because of allegedly faulty equipment.
BBC News reports the Occupational Safety and Health Administration launched the investigation after more than two dozen employees in 19 cities said they suffered injuries due to workplace hazards.
In some cases, workers claimed they were told by their supervisors to treat burns with condiments.
A McDonald's spokeswoman told BBC News the company, which operates 14,000 U.S. restaurants, would review the allegations.
The company could face fines of up to $70,000 for each violation.
A recent survey of 1,426 fast-food workers, conducted for the U.S. National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, found nearly four out of five had suffered burns in the past year — a third of whom said managers had urged them to treat their injuries with mustard, mayonnaise, butter, or ketchup.
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