WorkSafe inspection program looks at commercial kitchen safety

This announcement is for: 
Employee / workerEmployer

WorkSafe will conduct a proactive inspection program to look at safety standards and issues in commercial kitchens in various WA workplaces.

The program will continue throughout the 2019/20 financial year, and will focus on kitchens located in a range of workplaces including cafés, food courts and accommodation premises in metropolitan and regional areas of the State.

WorkSafe Director Sally North said this part of the retail and service sector traditionally had issues with sharps (knives and other tools), hazardous substances, electrical equipment, guarding of equipment and manual task risk assessment and control.

“The most common types of injury in kitchens include cuts and muscular stress injuries, with a high proportion of the muscular stress injuries being long-term,” Ms North said.

“Long-term injuries bring with them all the direct and indirect costs of treatment and return to work plans, so it is definitely better to have a prevention plan in place.

“WorkSafe has an extensive schedule of proactive inspection programs concentrating on particular industries or activities aimed at providing employers and employees with information on how to make workplaces safer.”

During this program Inspectors from the Retail & Service Industries Team will be concentrating on the priority areas of manual tasks, electricity, slips, trips and falls, and use of hazardous substances.

In addition, Inspectors will look at safety issues related to new and young workers, maintenance of first aid facilities, fire precautions, emergency egress, burns protection, air temperature, guarding of meat slicers and provision of appropriate personal protective equipment.

Inspectors will conduct the inspections with the aid of a checklist to ensure consistency across all workplaces.

“The Retail & Services Team will inspect workplaces with a primary focus of raising awareness and providing information to employers and employees, but enforcement action will be taken if breaches of the laws are found,” Ms North said.

“These proactive inspection programs aim to help employers to comply with workplace safety laws, and we firmly believe that raising awareness is the best way in which to lessen the risk of work-related injury and illness.”

Further information on workplace safety and health and the checklist for this inspection program can be obtained by telephoning WorkSafe on 1300 307877 or on the website at www.worksafe.wa.gov.au.

Media contact: Caroline De Vaney 6251 2363 or 0408 927563 (media enquiries only)

caroline.devaney@dmirs.wa.gov.au

Follow @WorkSafeWA on Twitter

WorkSafe
Media release
16 Aug 2019

Last modified: