Health and safety in catering - what is it and what does it involve?
Who is affected by BHB in catering? In catering, health and safety does not only affect the employees of the premises, but also the customers who use the premises. Opening a catering establishment involves fulfilling all the obligations concerning health and safety regulations, such as training employees, preparing instructions, describing the premises (for example, creating and marking an emergency exit) and, of course, sending employees for specialised examinations.
Health and safety in catering
In this article, we have prepared basic information on how to comply with health and safety rules and standards, while all the exact information should be provided by the health and safety officer. One of the most important factors is the building and, more specifically, its technical condition. Everything matters - from ventilation, the condition of equipment and working tools, to lighting, a work-friendly temperature (for example, during severe frost or heat) and having a first aid kit, and a fire extinguisher.
Sanitary and epidemiological booklet - a must in catering
When hiring any, new employee, it is imperative to carry out health and safety training with them to avoid dangerous and risky situations. Health and safety in catering is extremely strict, because when serving food to guests, we must ensure that everything is in order. Every employee should have a sanitary-epidemiological booklet, which is obtained after the relevant tests have been carried out. The sanitary-epidemiological tests are designed to detect possible pathogens, such as mycobacteria. An employee, in the event of any illness, absolutely must report this to his or her employer in order to avoid bacteria and viruses in the dishes served. Outerwear, wearing non-slip shoes and removing jewellery from the body and covering the hair are also important aspects.
Sanitary requirements in the kitchen
The kitchen, as well as the rest of the premises, should be kept in absolute order. After each day's work, the kitchen should be thoroughly cleaned, with adapted chemicals that comply with sanitary requirements. The same applies to all kinds of kitchen utensils, such as pots, pans, heatproof dishes and the like. Food should be stored under appropriate conditions and temperatures, so it is important that fridges, refrigerators and freezers are equipped with a thermometer. It is imperative to observe the expiry date that is written on the specific packaging so that out-of-date food is not served to guests.
Taking care of and keeping the kitchen clean is a very important aspect. Tidying up should be done after every working day, using the right products. HorecaParts not only sells spare parts for catering equipment, but also sells professional catering chemicals. All the products we offer comply with the requirements imposed by the sanitary authorities and are safe and easy to use on a daily basis. These products are great for dealing with all kinds of dirt, such as old grease, proteins, dried-on stains and are able to dissolve leftovers and food residues.
