Common Occupational Skills: Safety, Sanitation, Tools and Equipment
Know the tool, not just the name
Expect questions that give a task and ask for the correct piece of equipment or the correct knife term. Learn knife anatomy (tip, spine, heel, edge, bolster, tang, scales) and the difference between honing, which realigns a rolled edge, and sharpening, which grinds away metal to create a new edge. Know what a china cap, chinois, mandoline, bench scraper, hotel pan, bain-marie and convection oven are for, and know which metals react with acid (aluminium, carbon steel, copper) versus which are non-reactive (stainless, glass, enamel).
Chemical, fire and physical safety
WHMIS 2015/GHS pictograms and Safety Data Sheets must be understood, and chemicals stored below and away from food. Match extinguisher to fire class: A ordinary combustibles, B flammable liquids, C electrical, K cooking oils and fats. Water on a grease or electrical fire is the classic wrong answer; wet chemical (Class K) is correct for a deep fryer. Lifting: load close to the body, knees bent, no twisting. Burns: dry side towels only, pot handles turned inward, lids lifted away from the face.
Cleaning versus sanitizing
Cleaning removes soil; sanitizing reduces microorganisms to a safe level. You need both, in that order. Manual warewashing uses a three-compartment sink: wash, rinse, sanitize, then air-dry, never towel-dry. Know the concentrations: chlorine about 100 ppm, quaternary ammonium about 200 ppm, and test strips verify them.
Worked example: a fryer flare-up. The fuel is cooking oil, so this is a Class K fire: smother with the wet chemical extinguisher, shut off the gas, evacuate. Water spreads burning oil; a CO2 unit may splash grease.
Traps: confusing cleaning with sanitizing; calibrating a thermometer in boiling water when ice-point (0 °C/32 °F) is the standard method; over-strength sanitizer is itself a chemical hazard.