Kitchens can be hazardous places to work. With so many activities taking place and so many people involved, it’s not surprising that there’s always a risk that an accident could occur.

Fortunately, kitchen accidents can be prevented if you take some simple precautions. Today, we’re going to talk about all aspects of kitchen safety so that you’ll always know the safe thing to do.

Session Objectives

The main objective of this session is to review kitchen safety rules and procedures designed to keep you safe on the job. By the time this session is over, you should be able to:

• Identify kitchen hazards;
• Follow safe work practices to prevent accidents;
• Prevent foodborne illness;
• Act effectively in an emergency; and
• Apply appropriate first aid for kitchen injuries.

Kitchen Hazards

Kitchens are workplaces in which a lot of different activities take place all at the same time—and that means a lot of potential hazards. Kitchen hazards include:

• Slips, trips, and falls;
• Cuts;
• Amputations;
• Burns;
• Musculoskeletal disorders, or MSDs, like backaches and other strains and pains;
• Electric shock from kitchen equipment;
• Fires;
• Food preparation by-products, such as scraps, sharp bones, and FOG (fats, oil or grease);
• Exposure to hazardous cleaning materials; and
• Foodborne disease/toxins.

Think about the hazards involved in the work you perform.

Accident Prevention

In order to prevent kitchen accidents, you need to take some general precautions. For example:

• Everyone needs to be familiar with the hazards of his or her job. If you don’t recognize job hazards, you can’t take proper precautions to avoid them.
• You also must follow safety rules and use safe work procedures. Never take shortcuts.
• Work exactly in the way you’ve been trained to do your job. Those procedures have been specially developed to protect you.
• Keep alert while you work. Pay attention to what you’re doing and avoid distractions. This isn’t easy with so much going on in a busy kitchen—so much hustle and bustle; so many people moving around all the time. But only by keeping focused on your work can you avoid hazards and accidents.
• Practice good housekeeping. This means keeping the kitchen as orderly as possible. It means putting things away after you use them and cleaning up after yourself. All these steps help prevent accidents.
• Always wear the proper safety equipment and keep it clean and in good repair.
• And be sure to report any safety problems to the kitchen supervisor right away. Hazard conditions that go uncorrected often lead to accidents.

Keep on Your Feet

We’ve just reviewed the general rules for preventing kitchen accidents. Now let’s start getting specific. We’ll start with a very common kitchen hazard—slips, trips, and falls. To prevent slips, trips, and falls in the kitchen:

• Wear shoes with nonslip soles; no sneakers or open toe shoes should be worn, and shoes should have smooth, nonabsorbent tops;
• Watch where you step;
• Clean up spills immediately—even if you didn’t spill it;
• Slide your feet on wet surfaces to give you better traction;
• Keep walkways clear of boxes of supplies, carts, and other obstructions; and
• Make sure you can see over any loads you carry.

Can you think of other ways you can prevent slips, trips, and falls in the kitchen. For example, keep low drawers shut so someone doesn’t trip over them.

Knives and Other Sharp Implements

Knives and other sharp or pointed kitchen implements such as cleavers, saws, box cutters, and scissors can cause cuts and punctures, and must be handled with caution.

• Always use the right knife or implement for the job. Using a large slicing knife for boning or paring, for example, could be dangerous. Using a knife instead of a scissors to open a food package could also be dangerous.
• A dull blade on a knife or cleaver could also be dangerous. So be sure to keep knives and other bladed implements sharp.
• Cut on a cutting board or other solid surface. That way, there’s less chance the knife will slip and cut you.
• Also keep knives and other sharp kitchen implements visible while in use. For example, don’t leave them soaking in a soapy sink or hidden under a towel on the counter. You or a coworker, not seeing the knife or implement, could accidentally grab the blade.
• Do not use your bare hands to clean knives and sharp implements. Dry knives with a towel, and put them away. If you leave them in a rack to dry, make sure the blade is pointing down.
• Finally, store knives and sharp implements properly in racks with the blades covered. In drawers, knives should be stored with handles pointing toward you when you open the drawer.

Prevent Amputations And Equipment Injuries

Some pieces of kitchen equipment have dangerous moving parts that can cause cuts, crush or mangle hands and fingers, or result in amputations. For example, slicers, food processors, blenders, grinders, choppers, and mixers can all be hazardous.

• When working with any kitchen machinery with hazardous moving parts, be sure any equipment guards are in place and working properly.
• Never remove or disable a machine guard.
• Report missing or inoperative guards, and don’t use the equipment until guards are replaced or repaired.
• Know where both your hands are all the time you are working with kitchen equipment with hazardous moving parts. That way the hand you’re not using to work the equipment will not accidentally be placed in danger.
• Also, turn off and unplug kitchen equipment before cleaning or clearing food jams. An unexpected start-up could cause a serious injury.

Think about the safety precautions you need to take when working with kitchen machines to prevent amputations and other serious injuries.

Prevent Electrical Fires and Shocks

Kitchen machines can be hazardous in another way, too. Because this equipment is powered by electricity, there is the danger of electrical fires and shocks unless proper precautions are taken.

• Don’t touch anything electrical—equipment, outlets, or switches— with wet hands or while standing on a wet floor. You could become an electrical conductor and get a bad shock.
• Inspect electrical equipment, including cords and plugs before use to make sure it’s all in good condition and safe to use.
• Report any damaged equipment and don’t use it until it’s been properly repaired. Damaged equipment could cause a shock or start a fire.
• Don’t overload circuits. This could start an electrical fire.
• Don’t remove the grounding plug from electrical cords, and make sure all equipment in use is grounded.
• Finally, fires can also start if FOG or dirt build up on electrical equipment. So be sure to keep kitchen equipment clean.

Take Steps to Prevent Other Fires, Too

Electrical fires aren’t the only kinds of fires that can start in a kitchen. Ranges, grills, ovens, and other heat- and flame-producing equipment can also cause fires.

• Don’t leave flammable or combustible materials near hot surfaces or open flames. For example, don’t leave towels, potholders, plastic foodwrap, or cardboard or paper food packaging near the range or grill. These items could easily catch fire.
• Clean grease traps frequently to prevent grease fires.
• And be attentive when frying on the range or using deep fat fryers. Don’t let the oil get too hot. Oil fires can start very quickly and burn fiercely when the oil gets too hot. If burning oil spills, the fire can spread.
• And finally, keep the proper class of fire extinguisher handy and make sure you know how to use it.

Do you know the proper method for using a fire extinguisher to put out a kitchen fire? Everyone who works in the kitchen should know how to use a fire extinguisher effectively to put out kitchen fires.

Kitchen Safety Review: Match Game

Let’s test your knowledge of kitchen hazards now with a match game. Find the hazard in the left-hand column that matches one of the pictures in the right-hand column.

Here are the correct matches.

How did you do? Did you get all the matches right?

Kitchen Safety Review

Now it’s time to ask yourself if you understand the information about kitchen safety presented so far. For example, do you understand what we’ve said about:

• Kitchen hazards?
• Accident prevention strategies?
• Preventing slips, trips, and falls?
• Working safely with knives, other sharp implements, and kitchen equipment?
• Preventing electric shocks? and
• Preventing kitchen fires?

Let’s continue to the next slide and talk about burn hazards.

Watch Out For Burn Hazards

One of the most common hazards of working in a kitchen is burns. There are many burn hazards you have to watch out for. For example:

• Hot surfaces;
• Flames;
• FOG (fats, oils and grease)
• Hot water;
• Steam; and
• Cooking foods.

Have you ever been burned on the job? Which kitchen hazard caused the burn? Think about what you learned from that experience about preventing burns.

Take Precautions To Prevent Burns

There are many simple precautions you can take to prevent burns.

• For example, use potholders and oven mitts to protect your hands when you handle hot pots, pans, and dishes.
• Check steaming containers carefully, using the cover to protect your face from steam burns.
• Be very careful around hot surfaces and open flames. Grills, ranges, and ovens are all areas where you can easily get burned if you’re not careful.
• When frying in a pan or with a deep fat fryer, place food carefully into the hot oil so that it doesn’t splash and burn you.
• Hot food can burn, too, of course. So you always want to handle hot food carefully while it’s cooking and when serving it. Also take precautions to avoid spilling hot liquids. Be careful when stirring or moving pots with hot liquids.
• And, when carrying hot food containers, watch your step and warn coworkers in your path that you’re carrying something hot.

Recognize MSD Hazards

Musculoskeletal disorders, or MSDs, are another safety concern in the kitchen. The nature of many kitchen tasks can lead to a variety of MSDs.

• Repetitive motions such as rapid hand and wrist movements from frequent cutting, chopping, or scooping may lead to musculoskeletal disorders such as tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome, and tenosynovitis.
• Frequent elevated extended reaches for supplies or heavy containers can cause back and shoulder injury resulting in muscle strain, bursitis, tendonitis, and rotator cuff injuries.
• Lifting heavy pots and pans, cartons of food and supplies, and other heavy objects can result in back injuries and other muscle strains.
• In addition, awkward postures such as bending over a counter to work and standing for long periods can also lead to muscle strain and pain.

Minimize the Risk of MSDs

Here are some simple steps you can take to minimize the risk of MSDs.

• Keep elbows close to your body while performing repetitive tasks. This will help prevent arm and shoulder strain and pain. Also arrange your work so that you can keep your head facing forward and avoid turning your head a lot to prevent neck strain. In addition, keep your wrists straight rather than bent when you perform repetitive tasks. This helps prevent wrist and hand strain that could lead to carpal tunnel syndrome.
• Whenever possible, use mechanical aids for chopping, dicing, or mixing foods—for example, food processors and mixers.
• Reposition implements and supplies so that you can avoid reaching and awkward postures while working.
• Take frequent minibreaks when performing tasks that involve repetitive motions and give tense muscles a minute or so to relax. If possible, alternate tasks that involve repetitive motions with other tasks to give your muscles a break.
• When standing for long periods, shift weight from foot to foot from time to time. Or place one foot on a small box, and then switch feet from time to time to relieve back stress.
• Finally, stretch out your back, shoulders, arms, and hands during work breaks.

Safe Lifting

Perhaps the best way to prevent back injuries and other muscle strains is to lift safely. When you lift, be sure to follow these key steps:

• Face the load with feet shoulder-width apart;
• Keep heels down and turn feet slightly out;
• Squat by bending at the hips and knees;
• Use leg and stomach muscles to power the lift;
• Maintain your back’s natural curves as you lift by keeping your head up; and
• Remember never to push your muscles beyond their limit— don’t overstretch!

Think about your lifting technique. Is it safe or are you risking a back injury the way you lift?

Handle Food Carefully to Prevent Contamination

Foodborne illness is another kitchen safety issue we need to discuss. Foodborne illnesses like salmonella, e. coli, and botulism can make people who eat tainted food very sick. Some foodborne illnesses can kill those who eat contaminated food. To prevent contamination, you need to handle food carefully.

• Change gloves or wash hands when you:

– Handle different raw foods,

– Handle raw and cooked foods, or

– Become contaminated by touching an unclean surface or item.

• Make sure pots, pans, dishes, and utensils are clean before you handle any food items with them.
• To prevent cross-contamination, clean work surfaces like cutting boards and counter tops that have been in contact with one kind of food—for example, poultry— before working with another food— for example, vegetables.

Prepare Food Properly to Prevent Foodborne Illness

You also must be careful to prepare foods properly to prevent foodborne illness. For example:

• Cook foods that need to be cooked thoroughly to kill bacteria. Use a thermometer to assure foods are properly cooked.
• Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold until ready to serve. Hot foods should be held at 140 degrees Fahrenheit before serving. Cold foods should be held at 40 degrees Fahrenheit before serving.
• Keep frozen food frozen until ready to be cooked or thawed for cooking. Then defrost them in the refrigerator or microwave— never leave it out to defrost. Cook foods that are defrosted in the microwave immediately after thawing, and don’t refreeze thawed food.
• Reheat already cooked foods to at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Finally, don’t use any food that looks or smells bad or that comes from a container that leaks, bulges, or spurts liquid when you open it.

Think about all the precautions that you need to take to prevent foodborne illness.

Work Safely With Cleaning Products

• Cleaning and disinfecting materials are another kitchen hazard you have to be concerned about. Some cleaning products used in the kitchen to clean floors, counters, and other surfaces may contain chemicals that can cause skin, eye, and nose irritation. Daily contact with detergents might cause dermatitis. Other products, such as oven, grill, and drain cleaners can be caustic and cause skin burns and eye irritation.
• To prevent injuries when using kitchen cleaning products, always read the directions and cautions on the label. If there is a safety data sheet, or SDS, available for the product, check that for safety and health information, too.
• Wear appropriate personal protective equipment, PPE, when performing cleaning tasks. PPE might include gloves, goggles, and a splash apron, and
• Report any problems such as skin or eye irritation to the kitchen supervisor and apply appropriate first aid. We’ll talk more about kitchen first aid in a few minutes.

Be Prepared for Emergencies

Now let’s talk briefly about responding to workplace emergencies such as fires.

• Make sure you know where fire alarms and extinguishers are located,
• Also know a safe evacuation route from your work area. You want to be able to get out of the building quickly, so your route should be the most direct one to an emergency exit,
• When evacuating, walk quickly, but don’t run,
• Help others evacuate if you can do so safely,
• Once outside the building, go directly to your designated assembly area, and stay there, and
• Don’t reenter the building after an evacuation until you are told to do so.

Are you familiar with our emergency plan and evacuation procedures? All kitchen employees should be.

Know First Aid For Kitchen Injuries

You should also know basic first aid for common kitchen injuries. With all cuts, blisters, scrapes, etc., be sure to keep potential bloodborne pathogens away from food. Know the location of first-aid kits.

• For cuts, wash the area with soap and water, disinfect, and bandage.
• For first- and second-degree burns, soak the burned area under cold running water and then cover loosely with a damp sterile dressing.
• For electric shock, first kill the power to the equipment or electrical source before touching a person who is still in contact with electric current or you could be hurt, too. Then check to make sure the person is breathing. If the person is not breathing and has no pulse, have someone call for emergency medical assistance and administer CPR until help arrives.
• For falls, don’t move the person if you suspect broken bones or if the person complains of bad back or neck pain. Keep the victim comfortable until emergency medical help arrives. If the person is not badly hurt and can move comfortably on his or her own, help the person up and have him or her sit down until feeling OK.
• And, for any serious injury, such as deep cuts with heavy bleeding, serious burns or burns to the face or those covering a large part of the body, and for serious electrical shocks and fall injuries, call 911 immediately.

Kitchen Safety Review: True or False?

Here’s a quick true/false quiz to check your knowledge of the information presented in the previous slides. You decide whether the statements on the screen are true or false. Let’s begin.

• True or false—Keep elbows in close to the body and wrists straight when performing repetitive tasks like chopping. – The correct answer is true. This helps prevent MSDs.
• True or false—Bend at the waist to lift objects and use arm and back muscles to power the lift. – The correct answer is false. Safe lifting technique is to bend at the knees, squat down, and power the lift with your leg muscles.
• True or false—To prevent foodborne illness, you only have to wash hands before you start working. – The correct answer is false. You should also wash hands (or change gloves) each time you handle a different raw food, between handling raw and cooked foods, and after touching unclean surfaces or items.
• True or false—Always read labels on cleaning products. – The correct answer is true. Some cleaning products contain hazardous chemicals that could irritate skin or eyes.

How did you do? Did you get all the answers right?

Kitchen Safety Review

Let’s take a little time now to make sure you understand all the information presented in the previous slides. Do you understand:

• How to prevent burns?
• How to minimize the risk of MSDs?
• Safe lifting technique?
• How to prevent foodborne illness?
• Working safely with cleaning products?
• Emergency response? and
• Basic first aid for kitchen injuries?

Your safety on the job depends on understanding all this information.

Now let’s conclude the session with some key points to remember.

Key Points to Remember

Here are the main points to remember from this session on kitchen safety:

• Working in the kitchen exposes you to many hazards.
• By recognizing potential hazards and taking simple safety precautions, you can prevent accidents and injuries.
• And finally, all kitchen employees should know how to respond effectively in an emergency.

This concludes the Kitchen Safety training session.