Incorporate these simple kitchen safety tips to improve the work environment for your kitchen staff. Store knives in a wooden block or in a drawer. Not all tips will work … Manual tasks ☐ Manual task hazards have been identified. Practice Proper Food Safety. Have you trained every employee in fire prevention? We begin our French cooking basics video series with this class on health and safety in the home kitchen. A Health & Safety consultant with specific catering and hospitality experience will help to identify the hazards in your kitchen and manage the risks. Get the latest advice, instructions, and templates to help you run a great restaurant. Begin meetings with a safety topic. m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m) Burns. The Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011 (Cth) require first aid facilities and equipment to be available and accessible to workers in the workplace. A good restaurant safety manual will contain all the possible hazards your restaurant may face; allowing you to customize it to your specific restaurant by deleting or adding content yourself. Test and tag your equipment regularly or at least do a visual inspection. So if you do have a Gordon Ramsey in your kitchen, we can help with that too. Flames and fuel in close proximity, hazardous cleaning chemicals, and sharp food prep equipment are only some of the potential dangers lurking in the kitchen. The Occupational Health and Safety Act aims to provide for the health and safety of persons at work or in connection with the activities of persons at work. ga('create', 'UA-41121927-1', 'thedetaildevils.com.au'); Subscribe now to get unlimited access to the best stories for free. Play our game and find out. This Food Safety and Hygiene course is ideal for teaching employees the right ways to work in an environment cooking and serving food. Commercial grade kitchen equipment, such as Hobart mixers, grinders, and slicers, are essential components of any commercial kitchen. Slips, trips, and falls. Subscribe now. For establishments serving food to the public, unhygienic or unsafe food can pose a further risk. 2. 1. Risk of: Cuts. Consult and involve people in the steps you’re taking to … Kitchen staff uniforms are designed to both designate rank and keep chefs clean and comfortable during service; they are often mandatory when working in a professional kitchen. While occupational health and safety training is important for workers across all industries, there are hospitality-specific hazards you should address with staff to ensure kitchen safety. Food-borne illness is one of the top reasons cited for missed work days. Warehouse safety and traffic management planning, Pricing, Customer Service & Security Policy, When carrying knives always keep the point down to the ground never in front of you, When moving hot foods in pots and pans tray always tell people. Kitchen safety should be a priority in your restaurant. Simply Genius Health & Safety Management System, Hospitality – Chemical Safety in the kitchen, Ignoring practical steps led to death of worker, Don't ignore bullying and harassment - 6 steps for better management, Mental Health of your workers - A joint responsibility. In addition to training with fire safety products, regular fire safety drills should be a part of any occupational health and safety plan for your staff. Simply Genius WHS - stop guessing... manage with confidence. Conducting a training day with the local fire authority is an effective way to ensure the safety of your kitchen staff. A proper ventilation system is not only essential for the safety and comfort of your employees, but it is also a legal requirement. Prevention is always better than any cure. We promise not to spam you, swear. Risk … They should also know how to manually initiate the fire suppression system, administer first aid to burns, and perform CPR. Think about your bullying procedures - are they in place? cuts and burns from preparing food. In the case of damaged property, block off the affected area until repairs can be made. Remember the workplace is your daily bread and you need it tomorrow. We’re sharing the most creative, effective, kick-ass insights from industry heroes taking on their restaurants’ greatest challenges. Sign up to get industry intel, advice, tools, and honest takes from real people tackling their restaurants’ greatest challenges. This template will help you create SOPs for your entire business, so you can create consistency and easily train employees. Fire safety should be at the forefront of all restaurant employees’ minds and should be taken very seriously. Keeping your staff well-prepared will reduce the potential amount of damage to property and protect both staff and customers. The humble office kitchen could be a real work danger that could make someone seriously unwell. From cuts in the kitchen to slips in the serving area, you’ll know a restaurant, bar or hotel can be a hazardous place to work – or visit – if the proper precautions aren’t taken. This creates un-safe working conditions for kitchen employees who are required to spend long periods over cook tops, putting them at risk for heat-related illness. 2. Adjusting how food is prepared, cooked, and cleaned up may make the kitchen safer for people with seizures. In a kitchen you have your safety to take care of and your co-workers as well. Keep your mind on your work: People who let their attention wander are a hazard to themselves and others around them. Oftentimes, slips and falls in the kitchen are due to undisclosed hazards, like damaged floors or recently cleaned spills. This training focuses on restaurants – you will learn more about hazards that are common in restaurants and how to prevent getting hurt. The main cause of injury and illness in the hospitality industry is an unsafe work environment. Tender Management repetitive work like cleaning floors. (or Expression of Interest). The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is responsible for enforcing commercial catering health and safety regulations which can cover a wide ranging spectrum of businesses including pubs, hotels, restaurants, cafes, fast food outlets, bistros, contract caterers and others where food and drink is prepared and served for the general public. The guard prevents fingers and hands from accidentally slipping into the working mechanisms, which is vital in a fast-paced kitchen. Easy-to-read, question-and-answer fact sheets covering a wide range of workplace health and safety topics, from hazards to diseases to ergonomics to workplace promotion. Environments with sharp edges, chemicals or welding, for example, can weaken a harness. Copyright © The Detail Devils Pty Ltd 2012. Regularly inspect gear, … 3. Maralyn Kastel - Monday, November 01, 2010. Over 90% of all accidents are preventable, and three basic rules of kitchen safety, if enforced, will significantly reduce the likelihood of kitchen mishaps. handling glassware and broken glass. Floors become greasy and wet during service and fast-moving workers can potentially cause workers to slip. As a secondary measure, there are nozzles installed in the range hood’s ventilation system which spray a fire suppressant. Do you have appropriate fire extinguishers and a fire blanket? Yes you can shout hot, hot, hot, If oil or soap liquid spills on the floor it can cause a nasty slip, trip or fall accident. A kitchen doesn’t have to be a mammoth addition, it could simply include a fridge, microwave, a few cupboards for plates, mugs and cutlery, a kettle and a seating area. Workplace injury and illness cost restaurant owners millions of dollars annually in compensation and productivity. lifting heavy or awkward objects like kegs, sacks and slabs. MORE ABOUT > Download the free OSH Answers app (such as dishwashers, fryers, ovens, mixers, slicers, blast chillers, bain maries, lifts and dumb waiters etc.) Kitchen safety is essential if you don't want to have accidents or a fire. Always check equipment before leaving at nights. For sample Health and Safety plans, visit the WorksafeBC website. A safety training seminar will address such issues as correct heavy lifting techniques, proper food storage and handling, how to avoid repetitive stress injuries, and how to remove or avoid other potential hazards in the kitchen. A kitchen without adequate ventilation quickly becomes hot, smoky, and unbearable. Yes, I'd like a demo of Toast is required, Essential Restaurant Kitchen Equipment: The Ultimate Checklist, Back-of-House Staff Should Own Their Efficiency, Make Your Kitchen Prep System Work for You, Ciro Fodera Breaks Down the Front- and Back-of-House Divide. For hospitality workers, where hourly wages and casual employment contracts are the industry standard, a single missed day of work can not only cause undue financial stress, but can also affect the productivity of your kitchen. Failure to comply may result in the closure of your business. When spills occur, encourage staff to clean them up as soon as possible, use signage to indicate the hazard, and notify the rest of the staff to take care around the area. Common hazards and risks in hospitality. Ensure cleaning staff use signs to indicate slippery floors; they should be conspicuously positioned and in high-contrast colors. 1. Here are 10 easy-to-implement kitchen safety tips from other restaurant pros. Posters [PDF] These posters provide tips to prevent injuries in … There's so much happening in the world of health & safety. The best method for containing kitchen fires is a fire suppression system. What about first aid training and don’t forget the first aid refresher courses at least every two years. ga('send', 'pageview'); The purpose of a restaurant safety manual is to establish some basic policies and procedures for your restaurant that promote a safe and health workplace. A Menu for Protecting the Health and Safety of Restaurant Workers 1 Health and safety in restaurants In any workplace there are hazards that can cause injuries and illnesses to the people who work there. Make sure the knives are out of the reach of children. The material of the footwear should be heavy-duty and waterproof and the soles should be non-slip to prevent falls. Regular drills will familiarize staff with the correct procedures to reduce the spread of a fire, as well as the best route to take when evacuating the premises. He writes about his experiences to help those starting out and those trying to make it. Fire safety should be at the forefront of all restaurant employees’ minds … Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015 (HSWA), every business has a responsibility to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers, and that others are not put at risk by the work of the business (for example, customers, visitors, children and young people, or the general public). Rich has been in the industry for two decades helping run his family's restaurants in Washington, D.C. Slip-resistant mats and flooring provide necessary friction and traction for workers to continue a fast pace of service in the kitchen without worrying about incurring injuries. Getting information should be easygoing: It is invariably a good plan to cause a separate place … Get all the best stories for free. This way, you can ensure their work environment is sanitary, and reduce the risk of spreading food-borne illnesses to customers. How many times have you accidentally scalded yourself and what about those sharp knives, broken glass or plates that someone has left lying around? Remind employees to hook to the anchor point when working at height, and keep a close eye on how well personal protective equipment is holding up. Simply wearing close-toed footwear will prevent lacerations from falling knives, scalds, burns from hot water and oil, and chemical burns from cleaning products. 8 Working across borders – A handbook for the franchise industry Managing health and safety in food retail. Health and safety in a workplace kitchen is just as important as the rest of the workplace, but this area is often overlooked because we all know how to be safe in a kitchen – don’t we and it's just housekeeping? Oftentimes, though, footwear choice is overlooked, and can be responsible for numerous injuries in the kitchen. Generally, a small business can state its health and safety policy and describe its program in a few pages. Restaurant and kitchen safety tips [PDF] This quick handout is a great overview of common kitchen hazards and includes ways to address them. When you start thinking about your kitchen risk assessment, firstly take a walk … Entanglement. Make sure to include workplace safety and health in your business plan and integrate it into all facets of the business. Why you need to remember the obvious in consultation with employees. Staff should both know the location of fire extinguishers and blankets, as well as how to operate them. Join the fun. Kitchen safety is essential if you don't want to have accidents or a fire. Fire and Evacuation Drills. Kitchens often have numerous slip, trip, and fall risks created by human error, … Write a policy that emphasizes the importance you place on workplace safety and health. The most effective way to do this is by conducting a designated occupational health and safety training day. The goal of this course is to alert employees to the hazards presented by germs in the kitchen and how they can keep everyone safe from them. It outlines what you must do to protect the health, safety and welfare of workers and other people in a place of work. Put as much energy into your commitment to safety and health as you put into any other important part of your business. (i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o), Changes in legislation and requirements, changes in best practice, changes in ... you name it. Common hazards in the workplace 2. To keep staff safe in the kitchen, train them in the use the proper cleaning techniques with proper products. Yes, I’d like a demo of Toast, a restaurant technology platform. Wash Your Hands. Each year in Australia there are about four million cases of gastroenteritis due to food poisoning which occurred at home or work, according to Clare Collins, a professor of nutrition and dietetics at the University of Newcastle. To keep kitchen staff safe, encourage them to wear closed-toed footwear at all times. 2.2 – Chemicals. Ensure you install the correct ventilation system for your kitchen and clean it often to keep the system functioning optimally. Have you ever seen someone with burns from a kitchen fire? Employees who are unhappy about the levels of workplace hygiene can complain if they believe the standards of cleanliness are poor enough to constitute a health risk. The industry covers people working in commercial kitchens, hotels, restaurants, cafes, fast food outlets, pubs and clubs and those … The tips on this page are examples of ways to make cooking and eating safer. When there are several employees in the kitchen at any one time, like during busy service, it pays to have adequate signage drawing attention to potential hazards so as to prevent injury and keep the kitchen safe. Health and safety in a workplace kitchen is just as important as the rest of the workplace, but this area is often overlooked because we all know how to be safe in a kitchen – don’t we and it's just housekeeping? Rules for Kitchen Safety and Health Be Aware of Kitchen Safety Hazards. Identifying hazards. Machines and Equipment. Follow these kitchen safety tips to keep your employees safe and business booming. The most common type of fire in the commercial kitchen is a grease fire. Kitchen safety game Do you have what it takes to defeat the champ? Whether it be a small coffee shop or a large fast food franchise, the commercial kitchen is a dangerous place to work; fortunately, maintaining a safe kitchen is pretty easy to do. (function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){ 4. Common issues which can increase the likelihood of accidents occurring include a failure to properly assess the risks of the kitchen environment, poor communication and a lack of allocated responsibility for ensuring health and safety policies in the kitchen are implemented. If you have any questions or concerns when it comes to workplace issues, from HR to Health and Safety, then we have qualified consultants on hand to assist you 24/7. Kitchen safety should be a top priority for all restaurant people. The legislation applies to all industries, but compliance is absolutely crucial in the food processing industry, where workers are exposed to any number of health hazards. Prevention is the key in any kitchen whether small or big, professional or home. It also puts legal obligations, or duties, on you and your workers. The system connects both to the range hood and the gas line, and, when tripped, will cut of the fuel source for the fire. A kitchen is a dangerous place to begin with, but you can make it safer by following a few simple rules. In a working environment a mitten or kitchen towel left on the stove will catch fire just as easily as in a home. For businesses that prepare food or have a commercial kitchen, different regulations apply depending on State and industry. Unfortunately, common water sprinklers won't do a very good job of suppressing them. 2014/10/27 … The workplace culture at Capo is one of collaboration, communication, and, above all, respect. Another essential safety product to prevent falls in the kitchen is a non-slip mat. Talk to workers and provide information. 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