 Relevant
Legislation
This HSE information sheet brings together the main
health and safety laws that apply to catering as at January 2006:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/cais11.pdf
Much health and safety legislation will not apply to caterers because of the limited nature of catering risks. This information sheet identifies the key things that apply so caterers can focus on these items specifically. It does not cover fire safety, food hygiene or employment law.
A summary of all legislation relevant to food safety can be found at:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/foi/internalops/fod/oc/500-599/520_18.pdf
Risk Assessments
The General Hygiene Regulations require food businesses to assess their
food safety risks using the principles of Hazard Analysis and Critical
Control Points (HACCP). Some of the product-specific hygiene regulations
also contain requirements for formal risk assessments. Food businesses
therefore need to carry out this type of risk assessment on the same processes,
ingredients, products, equipment and workplaces as for the assessment of
health and safety risks. If you are looking for any help with your risk
assessment, please contact McCormack Benson Health and Safety Consultants.
Health and Safety signs in the catering industry
There are a number of
health and safety signs commonly in use in the catering industry; the most
common can be found on this fact sheet:
ttp://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/cais16.pdf
MBHS can
supply any required signage from our online
shop at http://www.mb-hs.safetychannel.com/
Food Business Inspections
Under the Food Safety Act 1990, Environmental
Health Officers are tasked with inspecting food businesses according to
the Food Standards Agency Code of practice – full copy of the English
Code is available at http://www.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/codeofpracticeeng.pdf
Following each inspection the business is assigned a risk rating, which will be used to determine the frequency of future programmed inspections. These will typically take place between 6 months and 3 years; although some very low risk premises may not be part of the inspection programme but be assigned to an Alternative Enforcement Strategy (AES).
In exceptional circumstances, Environmental Health Officers can order the business to cease trading and take the matter to Court, but naturally they will try wherever possible to encourage safe food handling practice and compliance with the legislation.
Scores on the Doors
It is very important that all food businesses obey the law and supply
food that is safe to eat. Now, as a result of a new pilot project, customers
in certain areas can see how well a food business has done on its last
inspection. The pilot scheme is called ‘Scores on the Doors’ and
is run by The Food Standards Agency (FSA) in conjunction with local authorities
and with the involvement of consumer organisations and industry.
Under
this scheme, each food outlet may display inspection information on the
door or window, supported by information on the website http://www.scoresonthedoors.org.uk/.
A number of pilot projects have been set up across the UK to test how well
Scores on the Doors works in practice, and the evaluation of the schemes
is well underway.
The FSA will be making a recommendation about a national scheme at
its Board meeting in March 2008. So, if you want to ensure you achieve
a maximum score of 5 stars, contact
MBHS now to discuss your health
and hygiene business needs.
Slips, Trips and Falls
Slips and trips risks are especially important
in the food industry because:
- they occur four times more often than the
industry average and are the main reason for the relatively high overall
injury rate in the food industry
- they are the largest cause of serious
injury (32%) in the industry, with a high rate in all sectors
- the potential
losses could be significant, including costs (estimated at £22 million
annually to employers in food, drink and tobacco)
- loss of key staff
- liability (compensation, legal costs, insurance
premiums and enforcement action) and individual suffering and disability
For
more information on slips and trips, please go to http://www.mb-hs.com/slips-trips-falls.htm
A
guidance fact sheet regarding slips and trips in the food industry can
be found at http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/fis06.pdf
In February and March 2008, the HSE is running a slips, trips and falls campaign called ‘Shattered Lives’ based on the fact that these accidents in the workplace really can shatter lives.
Slips and Trips news coverage
An Environmental Health Officer (EHO) from
South Derbyshire District Council has prosecuted a restaurant proprietor
after tripping hazards were found during a routine visit and again on an
enforcement re-visit.
An initial inspection by a local authority resulted in the service
of an Improvement Notice for tripping hazards in a restaurant storage area.
The notice was subsequently complied with and the proprietor was given
advice at that time about ensuring that the premises were kept free from
such hazards. A subsequent visit undertaken by the EHO again revealed tripping
hazards. Although no tripping accidents had occurred, the prosecution was
taken after the previous advice was apparently ignored.
A prosecution for
the tripping hazards was taken alongside various food hygiene offences.
The case was heard by a District Judge who said that, ‘the safety
of employees is imperative’. He said the tripping hazards, particularly
a trailing cable, were ‘an accident waiting to happen’. The
proprietor was fined £1,000 for this offence, compared to fines of £500
for non-compliance with Food Safety Improvement Notices and £250
for the food hygiene offences, showing the significance that the Judge
gave to the tripping hazard.
Related Pages:
Health
and Safety Consultants for the Catering Industry and Restaurants.
Please contact
us to discuss your requirements.
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