Guide

Risk assessment in a restaurant or café

A kitchen is a small production plant in safety terms: heat, knives, oil, gas, slipping and time pressure all at once.

Confirm the hazard class first

The depth of the assessment and the renewal interval follow from the workplace's hazard class. The class depends on the activity code and is not guessed; read it from the hazard class query tool on this site.

Burns and scalds

Fryers, hobs, ovens and steam; combined with fast movement in a busy service, burns become the highest risk of the day. When and at what temperature the oil is changed is the root cause of most burns.

Cuts and machines

Knives, slicers, mincers and blenders. A machine with its guard removed is dangerous not because it is faster but because it becomes a habit.

Floors and traffic

Greasy and wet floors, narrow passages, hot vessels being carried, and service flowing both ways. Floor material and footwear are controls here, not comfort preferences.

Gas and fire

Bottled or piped gas, grease build-up in the extraction filter and the service date of the suppression system are assessed together. A kitchen fire is considered together with evacuation of the building.

Working pattern

Long periods standing, night shifts and the pace at peak hours increase loss of attention and musculoskeletal load; these are written as separate lines.

In Optifora

The risk assessment module gives this setting's hazard list as a starting point; you correct it with what you see on site, score it, and tie the control to a task with an owner. When the renewal date approaches, the reminder arrives on its own.

  1. Set the class and scopeConfirm the hazard class from the activity code and write down the areas to be assessed.
  2. Walk the siteWalk every area at the hour the work is done; ask the workers what they struggle with.
  3. Record the hazardsRecord every hazard you see, with its location and the number of people affected.
  4. ScoreScore with the method you chose; write down diverging views with their reasoning.
  5. Tie controls to tasksGive every control an owner and a date; re-score the residual risk once it is in place.
  6. Put renewal in the calendarEnter the interval the class requires; if there is an accident or a change, renew without waiting.

Manage this in Optifora

Optifora is not a single program but a compliance platform assembled from modules. The catalogue states which module is ready today and which is on the roadmap.

See what Optifora is