Occupational Health and Safety in Hospitality
Occupational Health and Safety in Hospitality tests risk assessment, the hierarchy of control, fire safety, manual handling, and chemical safety in kitchens, laundries and back corridors.
Risk assessment
Five steps: identify the hazards; decide who may be harmed and how; evaluate the risk and set controls; record and implement; review and update. Score risk as likelihood x severity (each 1-5): 1-4 low, 5-9 medium, 10-16 high, 20-25 critical.
Hierarchy of control
Eliminate the hazard, substitute it, apply engineering controls (guards, ventilation, drainage, extraction), then administrative controls (training, rotation, signage, procedures), and use PPE last, not first.
Fire safety
Fire needs fuel, oxygen and heat. Classes: A solids, B flammable liquids, C gases, D metals, F cooking oils. Water is for class A only; foam for B; CO2 for electrical and B; wet chemical for F. Use PASS: Pull, Aim, Squeeze, Sweep. Keep exits clear, never prop fire doors, and know the assembly point.
Worked example
A dishwashing floor is wet at the pass. Likelihood of a slip is 4 and severity of injury is 3, so risk = 12, high. Controls: squeegee and mop every 30 minutes, drainage mat, wet-floor signs, non-slip shoes, staff briefing. After controls, likelihood falls to 2 and risk to 6, medium. The risk is reduced and monitored, not eliminated, so it stays on the register with a review date.
Traps
Throwing water on a fat or chip-pan fire; grabbing the nearest extinguisher without checking the class; storing chemicals in drinking bottles; lifting with the back instead of the knees; blocking exits with deliveries; failing to report a near miss, which is free information about a real hazard.