Occupational Health and Safety in a Kitchen environment

Occupational Health and Safety

Each piece of equipment will have a different procedure to operate it and may have very important specific safety instructions.

Look at the manual for the equipment or ask your supervisor for specific details. However there are some general safety instructions when cleaning equipment:

      Make sure the power is turned off and the plug disconnected from the power point J- Make sure the pilot light of any gas equipment is turned off

      Use protective clothing such as gloves and goggles if the chemical or equipment requires such precautions

      Ensure ventilation is adequate to disperse any fumes

      Use the correct chemical

      Don't mix different chemicals

      If you are unsure how to use a chemical or clean a specific piece of equipment ASK!

      Read the MSDS

Removing excess chemical

After cleaning equipment ensure that you have rinsed the chemical off completely before you use the equipment to prepare or cook food.Many food contamination incidents have occurred when chemicals have not been properly rinsed off the equipment before food use.

Knives                                                                                                                                                                                          NEVER put dirty knives into a washing sink, detergent and suds will hide the knife. A person putting their hands in the sink may cut themselves on a sharp knife.

Floors                                                                                                                                                                                              When mopping floors they become wet and it is easy for an unsuspecting person to slip and injure themselves on a slippery floor. When mopping the floor ensure other workers in the area know that the floor is wet and place "Slippery when wet" signs out where people can see them.

Remember always COMMUNICATE THE HAZARD!

Sharp items

When disassembling equipment such as slicers be careful with sharp blades, the can and will cause severe injury if handled in an inappropriate way.

Remove electrical plug before disassembling electrical equipment

Electrical items

Always remove the electrical plug from the wall socket BEFORE cleaning an electrical item.

Water and electricity do not mix well and it may become very dangerous causing electrocution and possibly death.

Also if the item is accidentally turned on it may start to operate and may cause serious injury.