Health and Safety In Your Commercial Kitchen – Advice and Guidance from Duct Work Cleaning Company Ingot Services

During the course of our kitchen and duct work cleaning business, at Ingot Services we work closely with many commercial kitchens, and are often asked for advice on health and safety within them. So, as well as our kitchen and duct work cleaning, we are keen to help our customers by creating guidance on related issues.

Having a direct impact on the general public, as well as your workforce, health and safety within commercial kitchens is an important factor of day to day routine. From accidents, illness and fire, the risks within a commercial kitchen can result in minor injury right through to being fatal, and it is for this reason that health and safety laws are so stringent.

From Regulation (EC) No. 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs and the Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2006 (as amended) and their equivalents in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as well as the Food Safety Act 1990 and the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 – these laws are there to protect not just your customers and your workforce, but also your own business interests.

Here are just some of the risks that can occur in a commercial kitchen, and how to help avoid them:

Equipment

Your kitchen equipment will range from knifes through to electrical appliances, such as food mixers, coffee machines and the like. Training for your workforce for safe use of all equipment is critical –as is ensuring you keep well maintained records of this. Protective equipment is also vital, and assessing risk together with your workforce will ensure that any special requirements are catered for.

Knives are a particular risk and it is wise to keep them well sharpened and to always cut on a stable surface using the blade that is suitable for the food you are cutting. They should always be handled carefully, especially when washing up and carried with the blade pointing down.

When it comes to your electrical equipment, regular servicing and inspection, including PAT testing every 1 – 5 years by a qualified electrical engineer, are essential. 

Slips and trips

Every year in the hospitality industry there are hundreds of injuries resulting from slips and trips. Once again, assessing the risk within your commercial kitchen provides the essential starting point for managing slips and trips – this will include checking the condition of the floor and repairing any damaged areas, as well as ensuring procedures and training are in place for cleaning and appropriate footwear, as well as for occurrences such as food spillages, water leaks and storage to ensure no trip hazards are left scattered around. 

Harmful substances

The cleaning chemicals used in commercial kitchens are often much stronger than their domestic equivalent, and are certainly needed in much larger quantities. Ensuring that your workforce is fully trained in using these is essential under Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002 (COSHH) as are evaluating the risk and putting a clear plan of action into place for controlling their use. Suitable protective clothing such as goggles and rubber gloves should be at hand and manufacturer’s guidelines for use should always be adhered to. 

Gas

From carbon monoxide poisoning to fire, gas equipment poses a big risk and should be treating with care. Your gas equipment should always be installed, moved or maintained by a properly qualified, recognised CORGI engineer, as required by the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 (GSIUR). Training for your staff is once again vital, as is a daily inspection to ensure that there is no damaged pipework and that flame supervision devices are working correctly. 

Ventilation

Providing safe clean air for your workforce, as well as removing odours and steam from the cooking process, your ventilation will also help to prevent creation and build-up of carbon monoxide. As such, regular duct work cleaning is essential. In fact, it is a requirement by law to have your duct work cleaning carried out by professionals regularly, and this will also go a long way to preventing fire caused by the accumulation of grease and grime within the ducts themselves.

Ingot Services – Duct Work Cleaning and More

At Ingot Services, as well as providing services such as your equipment, deep kitchen and duct work cleaning, using our day to day knowledge and professional qualifications as a base we make it our business to support our customers and the industry in their continuing success. 

Find out about commercial kitchen safety, duct work cleaning  and more with Ingot Services.