Catering Health and Safety Tips For Business Owners

Health and safety is an essential issue for the hospitality industry. Providing proper sanitation in your catering business can be a vast subject to wrap your head around. Have a comprehensive policy on health and safety in food services and hospitality, demonstrating how Employers should address hazards and other issues.

When you are working through the labyrinth of the many laws and regulations governing the foodservice industry's essential health and safety rules, you should consider every aspect of how your establishment operates. This guide lists risks and liabilities all restaurants, food services, and hospitality businesses need to know about, along with health and safety arrangements that should be put into place. Due to staff having direct contact with food, and various types of hazards, ensuring high levels of health and safety standards is an absolute necessity when catering.

Food health & safety protocols involve training employees in the use of the equipment and making sure that only equipment they are trained in uses is used. Following hygiene laws is also a big part of health and safety in kitchens, but this is a task for the environmental health department. Food hygiene regulations aim to make sure anything consumed is safe and high-quality for customers. If you provide food products to customers, you need to follow food safety and hygiene regulations .

Under the Food Safety Act 1990 and General Food Law Regulation 178/2002, your responsibility is to make sure the food customers are eating is safe and of the quality that they expect. You should establish and implement a food safety management system to ensure the food you supply is safe for consumption. It is critical to have standards and measures for food industry safety and for food businesses to recognize any potential hazards.

From food safety and hygiene to checks, a good place to start looking for guidance is Gov.UK's Food Safety Hub and Food Standards Agency (FSA) Guidance for Businesses. In addition, the FSA offers many free online courses that will help you and any employees you have to understand different rules around food hygiene.

Not a legally required requirement in the UK, but a helpful way of ensuring that food safety is upheld is by having your staff take the food hygiene certification course. All employee food safety training may be in-place and informal, or it may form part of a structured scheme, but making sure that it is present and relevant for your business is a legal requirement. It is vital, then, to educate new employees about the rules governing safety and sanitation and arrange regular training for existing teams.

In addition to introducing the rules to your employees, you will need to ensure appropriate working stations are available to ensure health and safety regulations are followed. Remember that following the health and safety rules helps you avoid potential penalties, but it will ensure your guests' safety. In addition, doing so can give peace of mind, as it will guarantee your employees are aware of industry-relevant safety protocols.

So many provisions you need to put in place, whether for the protection of customers or your employees—ensuring your business operates as effectively as possible while not sacrificing your customers' and employees' safety- can seem like a significant endeavour requiring many considerations. One of the many is Occupational Health & Safety, which is designed to enhance how your company operates and is governed by very stringent legal regulations.

Health and safety regulations and stringent regulations must apply even when you are making a hot meal. Working around a fire involves high risks of burning, so workers should use protective gloves when preparing and transporting hot dishes safely. Working in a hot, poorly ventilated kitchen can result in dehydration or fainting, and some fumes can be directly dangerous to breathe.

Not only does a poorly cleaned kitchen impact your sanitation score, but cross-contamination and the spread of bacteria are far more likely in a messy prep area . You can have the cleanest kitchen in the world, but if employees do not take the food's health into their own hands -- literally -- the bacteria will keep spreading.

You should never let someone who has a disease that can contaminate food work in the area where food is handled. You should know about any uses of these allergens in the food you produce and disclose such uses to customers. See the food labelling section for more information about your requirements for notifying customers about any use of allergens in the food you serve customers. You must prepare for risks that might occur to customers when they are on your premises -- if, for instance, they get food poisoning or if they slip and fall on the wet floor.

Anywhere that prepares food and drinks for customers needs to ensure a safe working environment. For example, suppose you are running a cafe, restaurant, or food truck. It is the local authority's responsibility to conduct checks to make sure that the premises are safe and legally allowed for food handling and compliant with the Food Act.

Local authorities are responsible for implementing the Food Hygiene Act and licensed compliance officers are entitled to visit and inspect premises that are serving food - registered or otherwise - at any reasonable time, without needing to book an appointment: they usually arrive without notice. While they have the power to shut down businesses that are not compliant, inspectors are also allowed to give advice and guidance on food hygiene.

You must practice good food hygiene and health and safety practices at the beginning of the business and undertake regular training courses to ensure hygiene is at its best. Poor restaurant health and safety can result in sickness, lost customers, and ultimately, cause the business to close. Therefore investing in proper restaurant health and safety training may prove incredibly beneficial. From cuts in the kitchen to slips in the serving area, you know that a restaurant, bar, or hotel can be dangerous to work -- or to visit -- when proper safety measures are not taken. The HSE has published guidelines and templates for businesses carrying out their first risk assessments. Businesses carrying out their first risk assessments.

The Sign Shed has an extensive range of catering signs , including wash hands signs and kitchen safety signs, that can help you stay compliant.