The Importance of Safety in an Industrial Kitchen
Restaurants and other food service establishments are fast-paced environments in which potential safety hazards can be just a forgotten stove or a stray plate away. Employees in commercial kitchens use different hazardous equipment, such as grills, deep fryers, or commercial ranges that can create severe burns. Like most other businesses, part-time or less experienced food service employees can also increase the likelihood of accidents or life-threatening injuries. In this article, we’ll discuss the importance of safety in an industrial kitchen, including how to promote and implement more safety in your industrial kitchen.
Safety in the Kitchen
Assured kitchen safety comes primarily from commercial kitchen equipment. However, many food service establishments reduced their workforce dramatically due to Covid-19, putting additional pressure on kitchen workforces and increasing the likelihood of injuries. Your workforce may experience an increased likelihood of burns, slips, falls, cuts, and mental health issues. Workplace illnesses and injuries cost various restaurant owners millions of dollars each year in productivity and revenue. As such, kitchen safety should continue to be a priority for restaurant owners and staff alike.
Because workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities can cost restaurant owners millions of dollars each year, proper kitchen safety implementation should be a top priority. Employers who effectively implement health and safety programs can expect to significantly decrease the number of illnesses and injuries, and decrease the associated costs of these. Associated costs can include medical expenses, workers’ compensation, and lost productivity. Employers may also find that changes to improve workplace health and safety result in substantial improvements to their productivity and profitability.
Increasing Safety in Your Commercial Restaurant Kitchen
Each food business has a responsibility to keep its kitchen and staff safe and healthy. There are also numerous benefits of proper kitchen safety, especially in commercial restaurant kitchens. In addition, many negative effects can arise from a lack of safety in a food business. Some of the top safety implementations to ensure and maintain in your commercial restaurant kitchen include training restaurant safety procedures, safely operating restaurant equipment, practicing restaurant fire safety, and preventing common restaurant injuries.
Train Restaurant Safety Procedures
To maintain safety in your commercial restaurant kitchen, staff members must uphold safety procedures. Your kitchen space is only as safe as the employee with the least amount of current safety training. Be sure to invest time in training your kitchen staff. Investing in safety training is one of the most effective ways to increase restaurant safety. You can also customize your training to the unique processes used in your restaurant kitchen. Consider encouraging your staff to acquire ServSafe certifications by learning basic sanitation and food safety practices, such as preventing cross-contamination and handling allergens.
Safely Operate Restaurant Equipment
Another key aspect of proper safety training is showing employees how to properly use the various types of kitchen equipment. Use all the pieces of kitchen equipment according to the equipment manufacturer’s instructions. Keep the electrical equipment away from wet areas, and check for cord damage regularly. If there are signs of damage, stop using the equipment immediately. To prevent appliance failure, have a professional regularly inspect your appliances and don’t try to repair broken equipment. Singer Safety has a range of quality safety products to keep your restaurant running safely and smoothly.
Practice Restaurant Fire Safety
Fire safety is an important aspect of any workplace. Several workplace fire hazards can cause severe structural damage and injuries. Make sure your kitchen staff members are attentive and alert when cooking. Some of the steps to prevent fires in your commercial kitchen include installing quality fire safety equipment and implementing fire safety procedures, including fire extinguishing, extinguisher use, and evacuation. Proper fire safety equipment includes multiple fire extinguishers throughout your restaurant, emergency exit signs and lights, appliances with fire suppression systems, fire extinguisher covers, and first aid and fire blankets.
Prevent Common Restaurant Injuries
There are common restaurant injuries you can prevent with restaurant safety rules. For punctures and lacerations, transport knives carefully and pay close attention when cutting. For burns, always use potholders or wear oven mitts. For strains and sprains, keep common items close by or at arm’s length. Educate on safe lifting techniques. For eye injuries, exercise caution when cleaning and wear protective safety glasses. When exercising increased caution during high-risk tasks, also consider installing some noise combatants, such as ceiling baffles, acoustic foams, and vinyl strip doors. Decreasing noise can increase focus and prevent injuries.
Ceiling Baffles
For economical and efficient noise combatting, ceiling baffles are a great addition to your kitchen. Noise can amplify in open spaces and spaces with high ceilings. Noise can amplify even more in industrial spaces where workers are engaged in various loud activities. Ceiling baffles eliminate reverberant noise. They also help with speech intelligibility and sound clarity. The ceiling baffles from Singer Safety come in a variety of sizes, styles, colors, and materials.
Acoustic Foams
For excellent noise absorption of mid-to-high noise frequencies, consider adding acoustic foams to your industrial kitchen spaces. Use them to line your equipment or machine surfaces, enclosures, walls, guards, and doors to effectively absorb the various noises of your restaurant operations. Acoustic foams can also provide a quieter, smoother environment for your restaurant guests. You can choose from standard, aluminized mylar, or convoluted foam.
Vinyl Strip Doors
Vinyl, PVC, and plastic strip doors can provide easy visibility and access to your restaurant spaces. These doors can also help with energy conservation, safety, and noise control. They work for a variety of applications, including in dock doorways, kitchen spaces, and as dividers in warehouse spaces. Vinyl strip doors maintain temperatures, increase sanitation, and add privacy while also being highly durable. You can choose standard kits or custom doors.
Implementing Important Safety in Your Industrial Kitchen
Safety in an industrial kitchen is important for decreasing various illnesses and injuries and preventing productivity and revenue losses. For the highest levels of safety, consider these top safety implementations from Singer Safety in your commercial restaurant today.
