SUCCESSFUL RESTAURANT - WHY HEALTH & SAFETY AND FOOD HYGIENE & PREVENTING RISKS ARE HIGHLY IMPORTANT WHEN RUNNING A RESTAURANT
Food Hygiene (UK & USA)
The food hygiene regulations are highly effective in ensuring that within a hospitality industry, customers receive the well-prepared and non-hazardous meals. These regulations prevent the wrong use of kitchen equipment when preparing food for customers as well as preventing wrong packaging and delivery, food storage, preparation and serving. For example, the kitchen staff is trained to use different sets of knifes for different types of foods that include raw meat, salads or precooked foods in order to avoid contamination. Furthermore, the food ingredients and items must be stored appropriately at the right temperatures in order to avoid food poisoning. The food hygiene regulations will keep me safe as I will be touching the food while storing it in the cool room but I am using appropriate protective equipment such as gloves in order to avoid contamination of self and others.
Personal-Protective Equipment (PPE)
The personal protective equipment protects me from potential spillages on my uniform, as the apron guards my trousers from getting dirty while handling drinks or food. However the personal protective equipment protects other members of staff such as the kitchen chefs, who must wear steel tip boots in order to protect their toes from heavy objects. Their apron also protects them from having their under clothes slipped with various food substances. Furthermore and most importantly, the personal protective equipment policy protects my health when using cleaning substances and equipment, such as D10 or disinfectant. When using these substances, I am required to wear protective gloves and use appropriate blue roll.
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First Aid
The first aid is very beneficial in case of emergency of customers or staff. It is important that the first aid equipment is highly accessible in case of emergency in order to treat the injuries of others. Therefore the first aid is beneficial in case I cut myself with the knife when cutting fruits for the bar. The bar area has a first aid box which is very accessible in case of such an accident occurs. However the first aid is not only limited to the first aid box, it is important that the business has at least one person who is trained to deliver first aid assistance until the ambulance arrives, in case of emergency. For example, in case a customer collapses on the floor, the first aid expert can deliver CPR to the person in need in order to help him or her breather and stabilize until the ambulance arrives.
Moving and Lifting
It is important for the business to have a moving and lifting policy in accordance with the health and safety regulations as this can help avoid back pains, sprains or even muscle damage. This policy protects my and the rest of the staff as it clearly states that any lifting of heavy objects (such as boxes with alcohol bottles) is conducted in a safe manner. This manner includes lifting the heavy objects with the legs and the back straight while holding the object appropriately. This can help me avoid back sprains and injuries as well as keeping other members of staff safe when heavy lifting (if the policy is respected).
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Reporting Procedures
Whenever an accident occurs at work, it has to be recorded in the accident log book. This can act as proof that the accident took place as well as the full details regarding the accident such as the date and the time that the incident took place. This will help me in case of an investigation taking place as a result of a more severe accident at work (legal reasons). This is also applicable to the rest of the staff as well as the customer coming to our restaurant. The reporting procedure involves the signature of the manager which makes the recording valid for audit and legal purposes.
Frequent Breaks
It is important that employees take regular breaks in order to have the necessary resting periods between working hours. These breaks benefits me as it protects my health by physically resting my body; this can reduce physical exhaustion and fatigue. Regular breaks increase the performance levels of all employees as they fell well rested and focused when resuming the working tasks. For example an employee sitting in front of the computer for long hours at the office needs regular breaks away from the screen which can damage the eyes, and away from the sitting position which can cause back pains.
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POTENTIAL RISKS & PREVENTION METHODS
Food Poisoning (Highly Important!)
This can occur when food is not handled appropriately such as delivering, storing, preparing or serving foods. For example if the meat is not stored at -15* Celsius in order for it to stay frozen, it can cause bacteria to multiple in the meat which will lead to food poisoning of customers consuming the food.
This can be prevented by training the staff appropriately in order to know how to handle food appropriately and not contaminate self and others. The training programs can be undertaken online or with external training bodies. The members of staff must also respect and follow the guidelines of the training program.
Slips and Trips
The slips and trips can occur when members of staff are careless when handling liquids and results in spillage, or when equipment is left unattended in frequently used walkways. There are other numerous ways in which slips and trips can occur which involves the lack of appropriate equipment or the wrong use of equipment.
The prevention of this risk consist in the appropriate training of staff in order to know how to handle and store equipment appropriately. This will help avoid wrong placement of boxes or other items and equipment which can become a hazard for members of staff or customers passing by. Furthermore, the employees should be thought to use the right equipment such as special boots which help avoid slips.
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Burns and Cuts
Burns and cuts are the most common types of injuries at work place in the hospitality industry. Therefore one major potential risk is the use of equipment that can cause burns and cuts such as the coffee machine, the kitchen or bar knife, the microwave or oven, broken glass or plates etc.
In order to prevent these risks the members of staff must be trained on how to use the restaurant equipment, such as the coffee machine and knife, as well as knowing how to handle and dispense of broken glass or plates. Therefore the members of staff must act in accordance with the training provided.
Sprains and Strains
These mainly occur when members of staff don’t lift or carry heavy objects or equipment appropriately. It is common that at the work place the members of staff ignore important heavy lifting guidelines which are intended to make the process of lifting heavy loads much more safe and easy to proceed with.
Therefore, in order to prevent sprains and strains at work place the members of staff must follow the guidelines of heavy lifting, which states that heavy loads must be lifted with the legs and the back straight. Moreover when carrying the object, the member of staff must hold it appropriately, taking in consideration its size and shape.
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Electrical Risks
Having an electric shock at work does not commonly occur however, the main reason for the electric shocks at work is faulty wiring, electric circuits or sockets. In addition to this, it is also common for electric shocks to occur when electric cables or circuits are in direct contact with water. Therefore when members of staff or clients make contact with the faulty equipment, they are at risk of having an electric shock.
This risk can be prevented by regularly checking the equipment for faults as well as reporting immediately to the manager in case a piece of electrical equipment stops working. This can significantly reduce the risk of having electric shocks at work as the manager can examine the faulty equipment and unplug it. Furthermore, sockets should not be overloaded with numerous plugs as this can overload the socket leading to short-circuit.
Hazardous Substances
These substances involves substances that members of staff work directly with, or dust and bacteria. If these makes contact with the skin, eyes or breathed in, they can cause irritations, allergies, illness or even death. These can occur if the members of staff don’t use chemicals appropriately, or that the hygiene of the restaurant is very poor.
Therefore it is important that every substance is controlled by using the right PPE in order to avoid exposure to the skin or eyes. It is also important that hazardous substances are used away from foods and customers in order to avoid contamination and indirect exposure. This is why the members of staff must be trained on how to use these substances and how to control and conceal them.
