Coshh Law And The Catering Sector

There are a large number of businesses which make up the food industry and these

include food producers, caterers, manufacturers, processors and distributors. It is one of the biggest business areas in the UK. This article will focus on the catering sector, which includes restaurants, pubs, hotels and take aways. The sector employs more than 1.2 million people.

A large portion of the public have frequent contact with food businesses, via going shopping, eating out or staying at hotels. Thus, employees need to protect the health and safety of their workers and the public. This responsibility includes the observation of CoSHH law which requires employers to control substances that are hazardous to health.

For staff employed in the catering business, certain dangers include:

Having wet hands for long periods of time can irritate the skin and cause dermatitis.

Certain food types and some cleaning product ingredients can cause skin allergies and asthma.

Cooking fumes can cause cancer due to some of the substances contained within the fumes.

Certain measures need to be taken to prevent ill health such as controlling exposure to hazardous substances.

Task based CoSHH risk assessments need to be carried out where needed. This will involve ensuring that all equipment is properly maintained and used. It will help an employer introduce safe systems of work for all activities. A member of staff will be nominated and given responsibility for health and safety and all staff will be made aware of hazards and given training in risk control procedures.

Further measures include:

Good working techniques should be adopted to avoid or minimise contact with harmful products.

Cleaning products should be stored safely to minimise leaks and spills.

The work place should have good ventilation.

Personal protective equipment (gloves, aprons, suitable footwear etc) should be readily accessible for certain jobs.

Suitable washing facilities should be provided. Skin cleanliness is crucial. Hands need to be thoroughly washed to remove any contamination and then dried well. Skin creams should also be used and they should be fragrance and nut oil free.

Cooking apparatus should be utilised with an extractor hood or canopy.

Great care must be taken when undertaking certain operations. Such as, draining hot oil from catering apparatus, diluting/mixing cleaning chemicals and disassembling/cleaning catering equipment like food slicers etc.

Staff must be given appropriate training in the use of hazardous equipment as well as the dangers in using chemicals containing hazardous substances.

by: Dale Allen

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