Preventing Slips and Trips in Your Commercial Kitchen
Kitchens are high-risk areas where slips, trips and falls are commonplace. Bustling with people and full of hot items, it’s no surprise that accidents in these settings can be rife. This is why it pays to have a good understanding of these environments and the ways that you, as an employer, can reduce them. In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to consider.
Why Are Slips Common in Kitchens?
If you consider the working set-up in a kitchen, it’s easy to identify why slipping is so common in kitchens. The risk of contaminations on floor surfaces is high due to oils, fats and other food-based residues. Equally, there is a high moisture count in kitchens. You use water to wash dishes, wipe down surfaces and prepare meals. Splashes and spills are unavoidable - especially in particularly busy kitchens.
To combat this, many catering environments have rigorous cleaning schedules in place. Happening all throughout the day, they are designed to reduce hazards but can also increase a separate risk. Mopping and using chemicals on the floors also raise the risk of slipping, creating an unsteady floor that is particularly dangerous.
What Are the Individual Hazards?
To manage risk in your working environment, it is important to undertake a risk assessment. This is a structured review of your premises that analyses the risk level of slipping, tripping and other accidents. It will help you to better understand where the chance of accidents is the highest and what measures you can put in place to reduce or eliminate these. As each risk assessment is carried out in a unique environment, so too are the results unique. However, there are common hazards in commercial kitchens to be aware of:
Slipping because of spills, splashes and soils.
Slipping because of the use of cleaning chemicals.
Tripping due to uneven flooring (badly fitted mats or flooring options).
Collision due to fast-moving employees.
Non-slip resistant shoes.
Slipping due to food dropped on the floor.
Tripping on uneven or multiple-level floors.
What Does the Law Say?
Information about safety at work can be found laid out in the Health and Safety at Work act 1974. In this regulation, it sets out the responsibility of the employer to take reasonable action to minimise the risk to health and safety for their employees, visitors and the public. To do this, the employer must identify these risks and put in measures to reduce them - such as changing the housekeeping set up or having new flooring installed. The same goes for commercial kitchens. It is your responsibility to make sure that all workers, from the catering team through to the hospitality team, are provided with a safe, secure working environment.
Alongside this, the Workplace Regulations 1992 (Health, Safety and Welfare) highlights the importance of ensuring that floors are maintained and free from obstacles.
How to Manage Slips and Trips
So, how do you manage the risk of slips and trips in a commercial kitchen?
Perform a Risk Assessment
As we mentioned above, a risk assessment gives a clearer picture of the hazards and risks in a working environment. It is both an essential and a legal requirement. There is no specific structure that this should take. All you need to do is make sure that the information you gather is recorded and filed safely for future use.
Review Housekeeping
Many hazards in commercial kitchens are due to poor housekeeping. Make sure that pots and pans are tidied away promptly and surfaces are kept clear. Have a cleaning routine that allows for spills and splashes to be addressed immediately. Make sure there are dedicated spaces to store waste or rubbish, preventing it from becoming a tripping hazard.
Check the Flooring
Make sure that the floor in your commercial kitchen is properly maintained. Any loose mats or wires should be secured down and covered. Avoid multiple levels, if possible, and try to use anti-slip solutions as much as possible.
Plan in Advance
Put a maintenance programme into action as soon as possible. Preparing is the best way to reduce the risk of injury in the long run. Have a good understanding of how long you expect the flooring to last and how your business may change over the years.
Things to Remember
Your risk assessment will help to identify the main issues you need to address in your workplace. However, remember that:
The majority of slipping-related injuries in these environments are caused by wet floors.
A significant proportion of them is caused by bad housekeeping.
Simple changes can significantly reduce the risk.
Kitchens are fast-paced environments and, this in itself presents a unique hazard.
Staff turnover in these environments is high - appropriate and thorough training is a preventative measure.
How Quantick Safety Systems Can Help
We have been manufacturing, supplying and providing advice on anti-slip solutions for commercial businesses for over 20 years. During this time, we have worked with companies in numerous environments and including those in the catering industry. Many of our products are designed for these environments, with anti-slip coverings that are also water and weather-resistant. They interject themselves into everyday working life - subtly working to provide a more stable flooring that reduces the chance of slipping.
Our anti-slip tape, for example, can be used to identify different working stations. Not only will this reduce cross-contamination of food, but it will also visually remind people to work and maintain their own settings. Floor coverings can be used if your existing flooring is worn, poor-quality or beyond repair. They are also ideal when setting up temporary or semi-permanent catering environments, allowing you to continue maintaining safety. These surfaces reduce the risk of slipping, even when covered in substances like oil and grease. They are ideally suited to high-traffic settings and can be manufactured to suit your dimensions.
Many of our products can be browsed and purchased on our website. However, if you have any questions or would like to speak to a member of our team, please do get in contact with us here today.