Nine out of 10 Miami restaurant workers do not have access to paid sick days and nearly 50 percent of these workers have gone to work sick.

These were among the key findings in a report released Wednesday by the Restaurant Opportunities Center of Miami and the Miami-Dade Coalition for Healthy Families and Workplaces.

Employees who came to work sick cited fear of retribution, feeling uncomfortable asking for time off and the lack of any system to find someone to replace them. But at the same time they are posing a public safety risk, cooking and serving food while sick.

The study was based on a survey of 200 restaurant workers in Miami. The Miami restaurant industry employs 72,700 workers and is the third largest industry in the Miami-Dade region. Only 8.8 percent of employees surveyed received full or partial health insurance coverage.

The release of the report is part of an effort by Restaurant Opportunities Center to urge employers to provide health insurance and paid sick days for its workers.