Common Kitchen Hazards

Of all the microorganisms, bacteria are the greatest threat to food safety. Bacteria are single-celled, living organisms that can grow quickly at favorable temperatures. Some bacteria are useful.

8 Ways to Stay Safe in the Kitchen

1. Clean up quickly.
2. Test your smoke detector.
3. Know the fire extinguisher is the most important gadget in your kitchen.
4. Understand fire.
5. Be cautious of clothing and accessories.
6. Keep kids and pets at bay.
7. Know that steam is surprisingly dangerous.
8. Sanitize it!

• Manual handling. Carrying, lifting, pushing, and other manual handling manoeuvres can, if not done safely, seriously harm the body’s musculoskeletal system.
• Slips, trips, and falls.
• Improper storage.
• Fire and electrical hazards.

The 5 Most Dangerous Things in Your Home

1. Stairs. Over a million people (mostly children and the elderly) visit emergency rooms each year after injuries sustained by falling on stairs.
2. Bathtubs. When you’re looking at injuries and death in children, bathtubs are absolutely the most dangerous thing inside your home.
3. Pools.
4. Prescription Pills.
5. The Floor.

Stress-related Health Issues Directly, chefs may be prone to high blood pressure as a result of their working environments. Indirectly, chefs can develop health problems based on how they choose to unwind and relax between shifts or at the end of the working day.

The National Food Service Management Institute has a good list, including these basic tips:

1. Always use sharp knives.
2. Do not hold food in your hand while you cut it.
3. Always cut on the cutting board.
4. Always keep fingers on top of the blade in case it slips.
5. Keep knife handles free of grease or other slippery substances.

Kitchen Hazards to Watch out For

1. Slip and Fall. In an area with constant sink usage and cooking of liquids and oil, the floor is going to get slippery.
2. Burns.
3. Broken Glass.
4. Cuts.
5. Overloaded Circuits.
6. Loose Clothes and Hair.
7. Dirty Sponges.
8. Fire.

But never learning to cook is arguably more dangerous in the long run. People who never learn to cook are risking a diet that weighs them down (sometimes literally) with a higher risk of diabetes, metabolic syndrome, heart disease, and other chronic health problems.

What are the five steps to risk assessment?

1. Step 1: Identify hazards, i.e. anything that may cause harm.
2. Step 2: Decide who may be harmed, and how.
3. Step 3: Assess the risks and take action.
4. Step 4: Make a record of the findings.
5. Step 5: Review the risk assessment.

A hazard is something that can cause harm, e.g. electricity, chemicals, working up a ladder, noise, a keyboard, a bully at work, stress, etc. A risk is the chance, high or low, that any hazard will actually cause somebody harm. For example, working alone away from your office can be a hazard.

• Common types of safety hazards in the workplace are: • Slips, trips and falls.
• Slips, Trips and Falls. • Bad housekeeping and poor drainage can make floors and other walking surfaces wet.
• Fire and Explosions.
• Transportation and Vehicle-Related Accidents.
• Confined Spaces.

Six Steps to Control Workplace Hazards

1. Step 1: Design or re-organise to eliminate hazards.
2. Step 2: Substitute the hazard with something safer.
3. Step 3: Isolate the hazard from people.
4. Step 4: Use engineering controls.
5. Step 5: Use administrative controls.
6. Step 6: Use Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

10 Easy Workplace Safety Tips

1. Train employees well.
2. Reward employees for safe behavior.
3. Partner with occupational clinicians.
4. Use labels and signs.
5. Keep things clean.
6. Make sure employees have the right tools and have regular equipment inspections.
7. Encourage stretch breaks.
8. Implement safety protocols from the start.

The phrase “can’t rather than don’t” encompasses a universal safety principle. “Don’t” requires comprehensive vigilance, conformance to rules and regulations, and other forms of human intervention, such as inspections and preventive maintenance.

Business owners and employers are legally responsible for health and safety management. This means they need to make sure that employees, and anyone who visits their premises, are protected from anything that may cause harm, and control any risks to injury or health that could arise in the workplace.

OSHA has identified five different types of hazards that affect most workplaces. These are hazards that can be found in nearly every type of facility and should be addressed to keep workers from injury or health problems.

Basic Safety Rules

• STAY ALERT – and stay alive.
• WEAR THE RIGHT CLOTHES – work clothes should fit properly.
• USE THE RIGHT TOOLS – if you need a hammer, get a hammer.
• LEARN HOW TO LIFT – Lifting takes more than muscle; it is an art.
• DON’T BE A PRANKSTER – practical jokes and horseplay can be dangerous, especially around heavy machinery.