Safety around the kitchen

Do you like this post?

The subsequent basic ideas that will assist to

preserve the safety aspects within the kitchen environment.

Knife Safety

The following will help you prevent being hurt when you work with your kitchen knives around the culinary domain.

Keep your knife sharp and then it will easily glide through what you are cutting with very little force involved. If the knife is dull, you will have to force it to do the cutting, and if you slip a little the force will make the knife glance off the item that you attempting to cut.

When you are using a knife, do not cut with the edge towards you or your fingers. If you slip, the blade keeps going toward you, and can easily get you. Pay attention to where the edge of your sharp blade is pointing, and make sure it does not get you if you happen to slip.
Don’t leave sharp knives loose in a drawer. Not only will banging around in a drawer ruin your knives, someone for sure will reach in the drawer and end up catching the blade, this in fact happened to me a number of years ago, as a result I almost lost the tip of my right hand middle finger.
If you are working with or handling a knife and it drops, stand back and allow it to fall, under no circumstances should you try to catch it. This may sound like common knowledge; however instincts will tell us to catch it.
When you need to was the knife do not put it in the dishwater with other items. Wash the knives separately, allow to dry and then place in the sanitiser solution. At the completion of the day remove from the sanitiser, wash and dry accordingly. Store in the appropriate manner.
In between usage of knives do not lay them down with the edge pointing up. It is hard to see the edge, and surely someone will put their hand down on it.

Fire and Hot Oil Safety in the Kitchen

The following is some important information that will help you prevent being hurt whilst working with fire and other hot items around the kitchen.

“The Fat is on the Fire, Beware…”

Most kitchen fires erupt because someone simply started heating fat or oil and forgot about it.

The oil gets hotter and hotter, smokes a bit, and then bursts into flame, and it makes great fuel!

A cardinal rule in the kitchen: when “The Fat is on the Fire”, PAY ATTENTION!

Deep Fryers

As well as being fire hazards from the oil, deep fryers have other dangerous traits.

One particular point to pay attention to is never put any liquid, apart from cooking oil, nearby the deep fryer. If liquid spills into the fryer it will simultaneously turn into steam and can frantically spray hot oil as a result.

In addition, be careful even when you add food to a deep fryer. If the oil is too hot or if there are pockets of liquid in the prepared food the hot oil can spray about.

Steam is Invisible and Very Dangerous

Steam is often thought of as the cloud of visible vapor that comes out from a saucepan. Well in actual fact this thought is not entirely correct! What we actually see is just the steam cloud that has cooled down to below the boiling point of water and is visible as a cloud of condensed water droplets.

Real, live, dangerous steam is water vapor that is above the boiling point of water. It is highly pressurized and moves rapidly, it is in fact almost invisible as it escapes its confinement.

Steam causes real nasty burns. Pay particularly attention when pressure cookers, steam pipes and boilers are involved.

As a small precautionary measure, always remember that steam will rise out of a boiling pot of water when you take off the cover. Be sure to remove the cover far side first to ensure that the rising steam doesn’t scald your hand.

Additional Burn Safety Tips To Remember:

If you take a hot pan or a cover from the fire and put it on a counter be sure to inform your fellow co-workers that it is hot.

Have the required fire extinguishers available and learn how to use them.

Get some professional training in this; the people that service your extinguishers can surely arrange the relevant training. Proper training is beneficial; with extinguisher training you will be able to stop a fire in its tracks.

Do not allow the pan handles on the stove stick out over the floor. Turn them to the side, but make sure their handles do not extend over adjacent burners.

First Aid

In a professional kitchen, personal should ideally be trained in first aid. It is imperative to instill a safe working environment.

Contact the relevant authorities to arrange a class or two, it is one of the most valuable things you can do for yourself and your colleagues.

It is essential to maintain a well equipped first aid kit in each individual kitchen within your establishment. It is equally important to have people around that can use the items within the first aid kit.

Many simple injuries can be treated with the use of the first aid kit; medical advice should be sought after as and when required.

Slips and Falls

Soapy water, grease and oils, and general food spillages are standard occurrences in kitchens all over the globe.

Here are a number of preventive measures to keep slips and falls to a minimum:

If you spill something on the floor, immediately clean it up. Keep a mop handy for this purpose
Do not leave any unnecessary items laying on the kitchen floor
Ensure that you wear the proper footwear when in the kitchen

Chemicals

In addition to the foodstuffs, there are a lot of chemicals in the kitchen compliment. Here are some that are pertinent to safety:

Drain cleaners, bleaches and strong acids can be dangerous. Never mix different types of these products, explosions or dangerous gasses may result. Make sure these are always used strictly according to the directions on the package. In addition make sure that the containers are properly sealed when not in use.
Carbon monoxide occurs when the burning of fuel is incomplete. Monoxide poisoning can result from improperly adjusted or poorly vented gas appliances. Volatiles, such as cleaning fluids, gasoline, kerosene and such are often flammable, can easily cause fires and explosions, and should never be stored in a kitchen.
Pesticides such as bug killers, roach poison and rodent bait should be considered dangerous. If you get them on your hands, wash them off. When you use them, make sure there is no uncovered food they can get into. Store carefully, and definitely not in the kitchen.

Safety Around the Kitchen Electricity

Keep an eye on all the electrical cords that you are using. Watch out for any breaks or cuts, or frayed areas. Repair any damaged cords as soon as possible.
Do not overload circuits by using multiple plugs and/ or extension cords. Get the plugs/ cords checked by a professional for load carrying capacity.
Do not use appliances near the sink or other water. If one falls in, it can electrocute anyone nearby.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Currently 0 comment - But what do you think?