Avoiding major slip-ups

Spills can happen at any time during the manufacturing, preparation and serving of food. Not only are spills a major slip hazard, they can contaminate food preparation surfaces and spread infectious germs to unsuspecting staff or customers. Personal injuries that spread blood or bodily fluids can also pose a health and safety risk to people.

Not all spills are equal, either. When it comes to cooking oil and grease, these stains need to be cleaned up properly to ensure the surface isn’t still slippery. Without the right products and not informing staff on the correct clean-up procedure, businesses can be liable for a personal injury claim.

For any spill situation, a rapid response is vital to protecting staff and customers from harm and the spread of infectious disease. That’s why any facility that handles food needs to have a spill management system tailored to its exact needs.

But what kind of products and methods can businesses use to manage hazardous spills? Let’s take a look at the different kind of food handling environments and the most effective way to manage spills.

Food preparation areas

Commercial kitchens are the most common kind of food preparation area. Depending on the type of venue, the kitchen may be separate from where the food is served or localised into one large room, such as a fish and chip shop.

Chefs, wait staff and kitchen hands are most at risk of a spill hazard. The most common types of spills include food being spilled from the countertop onto the floor, blood being spread onto the countertop or floor, and an employee or customer being sick on the floor.

Any spill in a food preparation area needs to be treated equally and removed as soon as possible. For this reason, all commercial kitchens should have cleaning equipment on-site to increase response times. General-purpose absorbent pads are a fast and effective way to remove isolated spills. These can be applied to any kind of spill and prevent the risk of slipping or contaminating the surface. Some absorbent pads may be able to speed up the cleaning process through bioremediation, which naturally alters the environment to remove infectious germs and other contaminants.

Transportation

Whether stock is delivered to a restaurant, supermarket or retail store, the contents need to be secured properly to prevent unwanted movement and spillage. Cold and hot products should also be stored at the correct temperature and kept separate from harmful materials to prevent contamination.

The risk of spillage and contamination can be severe. Not just for businesses ordering the stock, but for the transport companies that deliver the goods. If the food content is damaged or spills inside the trailer, cleaning up can cause operational delays and the offensive odour can linger for several weeks.

Extra precautions should be made to ensure stock is safely delivered to its destination. Furniture felt is an effective way to increase the friction of surfaces where stock is placed. Made from needle-punch synthetic fibre and measuring at a thickness of 450 gsm (grams per square metre), it can be used to absorb any kind of solid or liquid spill. Furniture felt can also be washed and re-used again and again. For maximum coverage of stock, industrial rags are a cost-effective way to aid with packing, surface protection and spill cleaning. Available in a range of fabrics, bag sizes and rolls, they’re a versatile solution for any transport-related spill.

Equipment and machinery

Cooking and cleaning machinery should be cleaned on a regular basis to keep it free of oil, grease and offensive odours. However, manual scrubbing and using store-bought cleaning products can be time-consuming for businesses. The latest ranges of hot spray wash machines and flub-based parts cleaning machines are specially designed to reduce downtime and ensure kitchen machinery meets industry standards.

Whether automated or a manual fluid-based machine, these stations are custom built to meet the specifications of any workplace. They require no special training and can effectively remove oil, grease and hydrocarbons from individual components of any size.

Spill management is an ongoing challenge for the Australian food industry. Due to the range of spill types and the circumstances where they can occur, it pays for business to invest the time and resources into their own spill management plan.

After all, what business can afford the cost of a major slip-up?

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Gino Santa Maria