Hygiene and Safety in the kitchen
Kitchen Design Ergonomics:
- Ensure that the sink and hob are fairly close together and not separated by a door or walkway,
- Plan the kitchen so regularly used items are in easy reach, not at high level,
- Oven heights are adjusted so as to work where you are most comfortable,
- Worktop heights should be set to the most regular user, standard height is 910mm to top of worktop, which is fine if you are 5ft-10inches or over, but could require to be lowered if you are shorter,
Working Practices:
- When cooking - keep all pan handles to the side, not protruding forward,
- Always boil water or oil on the burners at the rear of the hob,
- Never stand containers of hot water or oil at the front of the worktop,
- Keep all knives and dangerous objects in use at the rear of the worktop whilst cooking,
Fire:
- Ensure your kitchen is equipped with fire fighting equipment,
- Gas hobs should have a flame failure device which cuts off the gas supply if the flame accidentally goes out,
- Store matches and lighters out of the reach of children.
- Ensure smoke detectors are fitted and batteries are checked to be alive and in date,
Cleaning Bacteria:
- Dishwashers clean at a very high temperature and can elliminate bacteria, often left when washing up manually in the sink,
- Tea-towel and hand towels should be cleaned regularly as they can contain bacteria left by poor hygiene,
- Never mix raw un-cooked chicken with cooked food, always clean the worktops thoroughly after any use with raw food,
- Check all worktop joints/brackets and any other possible dirt traps that they are clean and free of food residue,
- Always check that fridges and freezers are cleaned, ensure any spillage is cleaned immediately,
- Regularly check sell by dates of food, particularly in the refrigerator with cooked foods, eggs and dairy products,
- Always use the extractor when cooking, it will not only reduce odours, but keep the kitchen free from steam and grease,
Sharp Objects:
- Knives and sharp objects should be stored where inaccessible to children, knife holders can be fixed to the rear walls out of reach,
- If dangerous items are difficult to store safely, fix kitchen cabinet door child locks, these are available at children's stores such as Mothercare,
Electrical:
- Always unplug electrical appliances when not in use such as kettles, electric knives, food proccesser and grills,
- Keep all electric cables as short as possible, to prevent children accidentally pulling on any flex which might be on view,
Hot Appliances:
- Ensure that all care is taken to prevent children accidentally burning themselves, a good quality oven will have triple glazing on the door along with a cooling system, this is essential with the combination of low ovens and children,
- Try and keep children away from hot hobs, good education can teach them that hobs can be very dangerous,
Storage:
- Heavy items such as electrical gadgets, large pans and casserole dishes, should be stacked in the lower base units where they are easy to lift,
- Light items such as packets and glasses should be stored in the wall units,
- Crockery is often difficult to store in cupboards, try and stack in pull-out pan drawers. Accessories are sold to hold crockery and stop items moving when drawers are opened and closed,
Solvents & Cleaners:
- Always keep chemicals away from children, either lock away or store at high level,
- Never mix different chemical or cleaning fluids, mixing can cause chemical reactions that can generate toxic fumes and/or explode,
- Never put bleaches or solvent cleaners in other bottles than supplied by the manufacturer, remember it isn't just the fluid can burn, some are very poisonous.
Flooring:
- If possible, choose non-slip floor materials, laminate floors although they are easy to clean and look good, can be extremely slippery even when dry,
- Always wipe up spills immediately,
- If you find it tiring to stand for long periods, remember hard floors such as ceramic can be really uncomfortable, compared to timber or thick vinyl,
Please contact us to discuss your requirements...