In a restaurant, the food is always top-of-mind, but what about the safety and well-being of your staff?
After all, you can’t prepare or serve the food without staff. Preventing accidents and injuries and maintaining a healthy working environment is essential to a productive, safe foodservice environment.
We talked with our experts at Envoy Solutions and developed the top kitchen safety rules for every foodservice business.
Employee Training
Employee turnover in the foodservice industry is notoriously high. With new employees in-and-out of the kitchen on a monthly or even weekly basis, efficient and effective employee safety training is essential.
You should properly train kitchen staff and managers on all safety procedures, including the use of equipment, kitchen hygiene, emergency protocols, and safety prevention. We will get into more details in just a moment. Consider building training into the onboarding process for new hires to enable managers to train new employees in these protocols quickly.
For example, while it may be second nature to seasoned chefs, safe knife handling is not common knowledge, especially for new kitchen hires. Train employees in safe knife handling techniques and provide knife storage solutions to prevent accidents.
Kitchen Hygiene
Practicing food safety in the kitchen is the easiest way to ensure you serve your customers safe, healthy, and tasty food. In addition, proper kitchen hygiene can keep your staff safe, too. Be sure your management team is implementing correct food handling procedures, storage guidelines, and temperature controls to prevent foodborne illness:
- Promote good hygiene practices among staff, such as handwashing, to prevent cross-contamination and the spread of germs.
- Cook food to the right internal temperature and use a food thermometer to check.
- Refrigerate perishable foods within two hours.
Start improving your kitchen hygiene today and request a food safety consultation with one of our experts!
Equipment Safety
The kitchen equipment is where the food magic really happens. Baking, frying, blending, and chilling: there’s a piece of equipment for everything. And while it is important to train your employees on how to use equipment properly, it’s imperative to frequently inspect and maintain all kitchen equipment to ensure they are in safe working condition.
Add these steps to your routine to ensure that your equipment is working safely and efficiently:
- Regularly inspect all electrical equipment and cords for damage.
- Keep cords away from heat sources and water, and ensure outlets are not overloaded.
- Ensure adequate ventilation to remove heat, steam, and fumes from the kitchen and to maintain good indoor air quality.
- Conduct routine inspections to identify potential hazards and address them promptly.
- Schedule regular maintenance checks for equipment to prevent unexpected breakdowns or accidents.
Prevention
Prevention is the final key to kitchen safety. Accidents can happen, but prevention is the best remedy. Keep you and your team safe with these simple steps:
- Require staff to wear appropriate PPE, such as non-slip footwear, cut-resistant gloves, and aprons to protect against burns, cuts, and other hazards.
- Keep floors clean, dry, and free from clutter. Use non-slip mats in areas prone to spills, and immediately clean up any spills or messes.
- Keep fully stocked first aid kits easily accessible in the kitchen.
- Display clear and visible safety signage throughout the kitchen to remind employees of safety protocols.
Food safety is everyone’s business, and it must be a priority in every kitchen. With proper training, education, and prevention, cooking safely is easy. Click here to learn more about improving food safety in your operation.
Ready to optimize your kitchen for safety? Contact Envoy Solutions today, and our industry experts will find the right solutions to keep your kitchen safe and productive.
