Feeding the nation is a momentous task, and food health & safety is always a top priority for the food industry. We have seen injury reductions over the past 20 years, and the overall injury rate has fallen by more than 50% since 1990 and the introduction of the Recipe for Safety initiative.
However, the industry’s risks are still high, with 25% of all manufacturing injuries occurring in the food industry. Between 2000 and 2010, 77,000 food industry workers were injured, which demonstrates the size of health and safety in the food industry.
The top six causes of injury are related to:
- Manual handling
- Slips on food contaminated or wet floors
- Falls from height
- Being struck by a vehicle
- Falling objects or being struck by an object
- Packaging and food processing machinery
The top six causes of occupational ill-health include:
- Musculoskeletal injuries
- Noise
- Dermatitis
- Rhinitis
- Asthma
- Stress
Next, we will take a look at the food health & safety measures that should be in place.
Safety Measures
It is vital that food industry safety standards and measures are in place and that food businesses identify all possible dangers. Companies should introduce food health & safety protocols to prevent accidents.
Food health & safety protocols include training staff on using machinery and ensuring they only use machinery they are trained to use. It is also essential for workers to know what to do if something goes wrong because the right action can prevent permanent injuries and infection.
If your company has lone workers, it is good to provide them with a personal safety device with an SOS button. These are connected to an alarm receiving centre that will ensure incident management.
Essential food manufacturing and restaurant health and safety practices include ensuring spills are cleaned up straight away. You should also ensure lockout procedures are followed whenever maintenance takes place.
You can train on correct lifting techniques and encourage workers to store heaving food supplies at ground level or on the bottom shelf. Workers should use ladders, not chairs or boxers, to get materials from high shelves, remove grease, dirt, and rubbish to reduce the potential of fires, and report defective equipment immediately.
Workwear
For food health & safety, approved specialist clothing is crucial. Work can be dirty, so food processing clothing or uniforms of the best quality pay dividends.
Our workwear rental service will help you meet strict hygiene standards and help prevent cuts and skin dermatitis. Workwear should fit properly with close-fitting sleeves, in clean and good condition. Employees should wear goggles, gloves, aprons, and hearing protection where required.
Our hats are made to measure, and we can supply catering jackets, butcher jackets, baker shirts, and black catering trousers. All our workwear is hard wearing and meets food health & safety standards. Our rental workwear is comfortable with light and breathable materials.
Important food health & safety clothing choices include choosing footwear with non-slip soles and steel toecaps and using mesh gloves for cleaning meat slicers. Some people may be allergic (dermatitis or anaphylaxis) to natural latex gloves, and you can combat this issue by using our synthetic gloves.
For further advice or guidance, contact Lindstrom today.