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New
Regulations Give Catering Operations Food For Thought
Fat
and grease build up in kitchen extraction systems is a major fire
risk. Thanks to the new Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005,
effective from October 2006, minimising that risk is well and truly
your responsibility.
Now
that the Fire Service no longer issues fire certificates for public
buildings, the burden is on a 'responsible person' in the
organisation to carry out a fire risk assessment. If adequate
precautions are not taken and there is a fire resulting in personal
injury or death because of it, that person could face charges of
corporate liability or even manslaughter.
"For
hotels, restaurants and anywhere else with a catering facility, the
new regulations have major implications," explains Ian Thompson,
general manager of Active Hygiene Services, the kitchen clean specialists.
"Fire
risk assessments for buildings with a catering operation must
include the grease extract ventilation system because although the
inside of the ducting itself is out of sight, it's where grease and
fat particles build up and they are a serious fire risk if not
removed regularly. One flash fire on the cooker is all it takes to
ignite the deposits and flames can spread rapidly through the ducting."
"What's
more, most insurers require that your kitchen ducting is cleaned
once or, perhaps, twice a year. If you don't comply with that, you
may well find that your insurance policy is invalid," adds Ian.
To
meet legal obligations, fat and grease removal must be carried out
by a competent independent contractor and include all the relevant
paperwork. Active Hygiene Services, for instance, offers a full
ventilation system management. This includes degreasing and
decarbonising the interior and exterior of canopies and trunking,
vent ducts, filters, drip trays, motor housings and fan blades;
cutting access panels if required and fitting overlap panels for
future maintenance; and providing all relevant documentation,
manuals, schematics, certificate and photographs.
For
more information, contact Active Hygiene Services on 0800 136913 or
visit www.activehygieneservices.co.uk. |
