How a risk assessment can save lives

Sometimes running a business can seem like a minefield, not sure what step to take next, not even sure if taking a step is a good idea! Owning a business, employing staff and dealing with the public comes with the requirement to do many things to ensure the safety of your staff and clients. If your commercial kitchen is based from Byron Bay to Tweed or Gold Coast to Brisbane you are in the lucky situation of being able to contact Grease Busters to join your team in overseeing your kitchen equipment cleaning maintenance.

Our team have many years of experience working in some of the greasiest places that most people just wouldn’t want to go! I suppose it takes all sorts to make up the world, and our team is available 24/7 to clear out the greasiest of greasy places for you – and all our work is certified and guaranteed.

Workplace Health and Safety is a Government Department set up to assist business with what is required to have in place to make your premises as safe as humanly possible. It is a proven fact that each year commercial kitchen fires cause millions of dollars in damage and threaten lives. Fires can start in the deep fryers, ovens and grills. But over and above all these things the kitchens exhaust canopy and ductwork, assisted by airflow, are the culprits that can turn a minor incident into a major fire. A risk assessment of your kitchen and its equipment is a vital piece of your duty of care and workplace health and safety requirements.

At Grease Busters we want to make sure that you business can stand up to any inspection and that you can gain and maintain good workplace practices. Negligence in the workplace and poor workplace practices can cause accidents and/or injury to staff and clients which when they happen can sometimes lead to large legal costs and investigations that take up your time, sometimes, for many months and could end up with legal charges and fines against you in serious circumstances..

It makes good sense and is a legal requirement to instigate and maintain safe work practices in your commercial kitchen. Having a risk assessment done on your kitchen ensures that you are aware of what is needing attention in your workplace.

The list of Fire-related hazards in commercial kitchens is quite extensive and includes:

• flames, sparks and hot gases from food preparation, which can ignite residue in exhaust ducts
• food preparation equipment left without supervision during operation
• failure to switch off equipment, especially at the end of activity
• overheated oils that can lead to spontaneous combustion
• food preparation equipment based on solid fuels
• gas blowtorches used for browning some foods
• poorly operating thermostats or a lack of thermostat or fault-detecting equipment
• faulty or overheating electrical equipment
• metal exhaust flues that conduct heat and ignite nearby material or debris
• ovens without igniters/pilot lights (lit with burning pieces of paper).

If you are concerned that your kitchen exhaust ventilation system does not meet current standards or represents a fire risk, you should contact Grease Busters today.

The single most important thing you can do to keep your systems safe is to regularly inspect and keep the canopy and ductwork systems clean. Make sure you are correctly insured and call our team to discuss any safety hazards or compliance issues in your kitchen, air and grease filtration systems.

Call Grease Busters now, 0414714948 for an inspection and obligation free quote.