In early February, a longtime member of Swarthmore’s Dining staff was scalded by an industrial dishwasher in the Dining and Community Commons (DCC), The Phoenix has confirmed. Dining hall workers said that the injury sent the employee to a hospital in Philadelphia. Staff also said that, as of Feb. 15, college administrators had told them there were no updates on his condition and that admin had asked them to respect the employee’s privacy. This article will refer to the injured worker anonymously.
Dining staff members who worked closely with the injured employee told The Phoenix that morale has been quite low in the weeks following the incident. DCC employees, who requested anonymity, described their injured colleague as a “pillar” of the dining hall team, citing his leadership through chaotic shifts and his multiple decades of service. The injury, which staff called traumatic for those who were working that day, has left his close colleagues shaken.
The employee’s family has not responded to a request for comment…