Health & safety that fits a working kitchen.
Burns, cuts, slips, heavy deliveries and cleaning chemicals are part of every food business. We put the paperwork the law requires in place, and make it practical enough that it changes how people work.
- Who we work with
- Kitchens, food producers, warehouses
- Written policy required
- Once you employ 5 or more people
- Typical project
- 1 to 3 weeks, at a fixed price
What we do
The legal essentials, set up for the way a food business works.
Policy and risk assessment
- Health & safety policy
- A policy statement, organisation and arrangements that fit your size. It must be written down once you have five or more employees.
- General risk assessments
- Your significant hazards and controls, covering kitchens, stores, front of house, deliveries and offices.
- People at particular risk
- Risk assessments for young workers, new and expectant mothers, lone working and night work.
- Contractors and visitors
- Checks and sign-in arrangements for maintenance contractors, pest control and delivery drivers.
Hazards in food businesses
- COSHH
- Assessments for cleaning chemicals, sanitisers, oven cleaners and dusts such as flour, with safety data sheets organised.
- Manual handling
- Assessments for deliveries, sacks, stock rotation and heavy pans, plus practical training.
- Slips, trips and burns
- Floors, spills, footwear, hot oil and steam: the most common kitchen injuries and how to prevent them.
- Work equipment
- Slicers, mixers and other machinery: guarding, safe use, training and inspection records.
Fire and emergencies
- Fire safety arrangements
- Evacuation plans, fire drills, alarm and extinguisher checks, and the records that show they happen.
- Kitchen extraction and gas
- Making sure duct cleaning, gas safety checks and interlocks are scheduled and recorded.
- First aid
- A first aid needs assessment, the right number of trained first aiders and a stocked kit, including blue plasters.
Accidents and records
- Accident reporting
- An accident book, investigation forms and a simple process for learning from near misses.
- RIDDOR
- Clear guidance on which injuries, diseases and dangerous occurrences must be reported, and how.
- Training and toolbox talks
- Induction training and fifteen-minute talks on one topic, run during a quiet shift.
- Annual review
- A yearly walk-round and review so your assessments stay current.
When food businesses usually call us
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Someone has been injured at work.
We help you investigate, decide whether it must be reported under RIDDOR, and put controls in place so it doesn't happen again.
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A council or HSE inspector has visited.
We work through what they found and help you respond to any letter or notice.
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You have taken on your fifth employee.
Your policy and risk assessments now need to be written down. We get them done quickly.
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Your insurer or a customer has asked for your documents.
We get a policy, risk assessments and COSHH assessments in place that you can send with confidence.
Who enforces health & safety for you?
Restaurants, cafés, shops and most warehouses are inspected by the environmental health team at your local council, often by the same team that inspects food hygiene.
Factories and food manufacturing sites are inspected by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The law is the same, but HSE inspections tend to focus on machinery, manual handling and workplace transport.
Questions
Something else? Ask us directly.
We are a small team. Do we really need all this?
Every employer must assess risks and have arrangements for health and safety. With fewer than five employees, some of it doesn't have to be written down, but you still have to do it. We keep it proportionate to your size.
Can you do our fire risk assessment?
We can review your fire safety arrangements and records, and put evacuation plans, drills and checks in place. For premises where a specialist fire risk assessor is the better choice, we will say so and help you act on their findings.
Can you do food safety and health & safety together?
Yes. Many small food businesses need both, and it is simpler and cheaper to have one person who knows your site. See our restaurant and catering service.
Is the training certified?
Yes. Every attendee gets a certificate, and you get a training record for your files.
Want your health & safety sorted?
Tell us about your site and how many people you employ. The first call is free.