Survey Of Fast Food Workers: Some Bosses Told Employees To Use Condiments As Medical Supplies

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Just rub some ketchup on that third-degree burn, maybe some butter-- that's what McDonald's workers say their supervisors tell them when they're scalded on the job.

A survey commissioned by an advocacy group found that four out of five fast food workers had been burned on the job.

As WCBS 880's Alex Silverman reported, some workers gathered to protest in Midtown and across the country Tuesday.

Protest organizers and former McDonald's employee Kendall Fells said he met a worker who slipped on a greasy floor and hit the grill.

"When she went to our manager and said 'Hey, I just burned my arm really bad,' he said 'Oh, just go put some mustard on it, you'll be okay,'" Fells said.

Believe or not, that same survey said a third of workers who were burned were also told to use condiments as medical supplies.

"It does almost sound like a joke right up until you're the person that gets burned," Fells said.

Workers in 19 cities have not filed federal complaints.

McDonald's said it is committed to safety, adding that complaints are part of the activists' strategy to target the brand and get attention.