Preventing Kitchen Accidents

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PREVENTING KITCHEN ACCIDENTS INCLUDING FIRE & ELECTRICAL SAFETY

FOOD PREPARATION AND SERVICE HAS MANY POTENTIAL DANGERS:
Kitchen accidents can be caused by:
• Creating unsafe conditions
• Ignoring hazards (picking up broken glass, not using safety devices)
• Not paying attention
• Unsafe practices

Types of accidents include:

PREVENTING INJURIES FROM MACHINES AND EQUIPMENT:
• Make sure you understand how equipment works before you use it.
• Use all guards and safety devices on equipment. Keep slicer set on zero (blade closed) when not in use.
• Do not touch or remove food from any kind of equipment while it is running, not even with a spoon or spatula.
• Unplug electric equipment before disassembling or cleaning.
• Make sure the switch is off before plugging in equipment.
• Do not touch or handle electric equipment, including switches, if your hands are wet or if you are standing in water.
• Wear properly fitting clothing and tuck in apron strings to avoid getting them caught in machinery.
• Use equipment only for the purpose intended.
• Stack pots and other equipment properly on pot racks so that they are stable and not likely to fall.
• Use extreme caution when opening cooking equipment - steam needs to escape.

EVALUATE YOUR OPERATION:

POSSIBLE FIRE HAZARDS & HOW PROBLEMS CAN BE PREVENTED:
SMOKING
• Know where you can smoke.
• Use large, deep, non-tip ashtrays.
• Empty the ashtray into a metal container.
• Do not flick ashes into wastebaskets, beauty bark or the floor.

FAULTY or IMPROPERLY USED EQUIPMENT
• Check electrical cords to make sure they are not cracked or split.
• Check electrical outlets to make sure they are intact.
• Turn off equipment when not in use - double check at the end of the day.
• Minimize or eliminate the use of extension cords.
• Never run extension cords under carpets or where they may be stepped on.
• Never plug extension cords together.
• Before cleaning electrical equipment, make sure it is unplugged.
• If in doubt, ask someone in your operation responsible for electrical safety to check the equipment.
• Check the dryer lint screen between each load. Remove lint as needed.

CLUTTER or IMPROPERLY STORED FLAMMABLE MATERIALS
• Do not clutter exits or stairways with empty boxes or paper.
• Know where to store any flammable materials.

WHAT TO DO IF THERE IS A FIRE:
Sound the alarm
• Notify all co-workers.
• Leave the area.
• Make sure emergenct has been called.

Evacuate
• Go to the assigned meeting place.
• Do not go back in the building until those in charge say it is safe.

Think “RACE”
• RESCUE anyone threatened by fire.
• ACTIVATE the ALARM.
• CONFINE the fire by closing doors to slow the spread of smoke and flame.
• EXTINGUISH the fire, but only if it is small and you know how to operate the fire extinguisher.

EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW:
• Two exits from the building.
• The location of fire alarms.
• How to use the fire alarm.
• Exact address of your location.
• The assigned meeting place (if you evacuate).

TYPES OF FIRE EXTINGUISHERS:

The “K” type extinguisher is a new extinguisher. Vegetable-based frying oils cook at a higher temperature than animal fats. Once a fire starts in a deep fat fryer using a vegetable fat, it cannot be extinguished by traditional range hoods or by using a Class B extinguisher.

When using a fire extinguisher, remember to keep your back to the exit and the fire in front of you.

There are 4 basic steps to using a fire extinguisher:
• PULL – Pull the safety pin by grabbing the ring and twisting.
• AIM – Aim the hose at the base of the fire.
• SQUEEZE – Squeeze the handle.
• SWEEP – Sweep the hose from side to side while discharging the extinguisher.
• GET OUT – If the fire gets bigger, close the door to slow the spread of heat and smoke and evacuate.

LIST KEY INFORMATION FOR YOUR OPERATION:

SAMPLE OPERATION INSPECTION: