4 Steps to Reduce Fire Risk in Restaurant Kitchens
When it comes to operating a restaurant, safety needs to be a top priority, especially with the high risk of fire hazards. Simply being aware of how to best prevent fires for commercial kitchens can not only save a lot of time and money, but can save lives. Today we will go over some steps you can take to start reducing the risk of fire in your restaurant.
Step 1: Assess Your Building
Talk with your insurance provider or contact H&K Insurance and plan a safety assessment of your restaurant. This will give you the state of your building and can point out any potential fire risks that you may not have recognized yourself. Risk assessments can also be completed by third-party businesses and will provide valuable information on how to make your restaurant safer for everyone.
Step 2: Proper Equipment Use and Maintenance
This step can be easily overlooked but is a leading cause of fires in restaurants. According to Encore Fire Protection, 57% of fires in restaurants occur from the misuse of cooking equipment or malfunction. Ovens, stoves, deep fryers, and toasters are necessary for restaurants, but each has a fire risk involved that can cause thousands of dollars of damage if just one mistake is made. Proper maintenance of your equipment will bring peace of mind because you can be confident that the equipment will function as intended. Reviewing fire codes can also be helpful when reducing risk in your restaurant.
Step 3: Staff Training
Thorough staff training can reduce risk substantially. Here are a few things that are crucial for staff members to be trained on:
- Operating a fire extinguisher
- Not to throw water on grease fires
- Shutting off gas and equipment in case of emergency
- Storing flammable liquids
- Cleaning up grease
- Evacuation plan
These are just a few of the procedures that you will want to train your staff on to prevent any fires in your restaurant. Ignoring staff training is not worth the potential fire risk for your restaurant.
Step 4: Preventative Measures
You may want to consider installing an automatic fire-suppression system in your restaurant. These can quickly douse the flames while cutting off the heat source, which can save your restaurant from extensive damage. Also, having portable fire extinguishers located near equipment and making sure they are not expired can also be a great way to stay protected. Class K fire extinguishers should be used if your restaurant uses high-temperature fats and oils in their operation as these are designed to combat grease fires.
Only You Can Prevent Restaurant Fires
Ultimately, it is you and your staffs’ responsibility to prepare, plan, and train on preventing fires in your restaurant. By following these 4 steps, you can be confident that you will be safe from fire hazards.
We at H&K Insurance hope this information was helpful for you. For more information on fire risk for your restaurant or to improve your current insurance policy, contact us today! We look forward to hearing from you.
