Opening a new restaurant can be a very stressful process. Some of the things you need to make your restaurant venture successful are great employees, reliable equipment and well-planned marketing campaigns. Making sure your employees receive proper training can help you avoid problems along the way.
Every year, nearly 6,000 restaurant building fires occur in the United States. Many of these fires get out of control due to the absence of fire safety equipment. Having a functional fire suppression system and a Class K fire extinguisher can do wonders when trying to put out kitchen fires. You also need to make sure your team members know how to use these tools in the event of a fire.
Below are some tips for providing restaurant employees with fire safety training.
The Importance of Clean Hood Filters
When cooking food in a commercial kitchen, lots of greases and cooking oils will be used. As a restaurant owner, you need to make sure you have a large enough commercial hood to cover the cooking appliances used in your kitchen. This hood will need to feature a fire suppression system to mitigate the risks posed by cooking fires.
The average restaurant hoods will have a series of metal filters in them. These filters will become coated in grease over time. If these filters are not cleaned regularly, they can catch on fire and damage your commercial kitchen. Teaching your employees how to clean these filters can help you prevent kitchen fires. If your team isn’t comfortable doing this work, then hiring professionals to come in and clean your hood filters is important.
Make Sure Employees Know How To Use a Fire Extinguisher
A functional fire extinguisher is the first line of defense when a kitchen fire occurs. Commercial kitchens are usually equipped with Class K fire extinguishers. These extinguishers have a specially designed chemical designed to put out cooking fires.
Unless your employees know how to use one of these extinguishers, it will be useless if a fire breaks out. This is why proving employees with hands-on fire extinguisher training is important. Working with fire protection professionals is the best way to provide adequate training to your employees.
Relay The Importance of Removing Trash For The Kitchen
Avoiding commercial kitchen fires is something most restaurant owners are passionate about. If you want to accomplish this goal, then keeping trash out of your kitchen is vital. Paper and cardboard trash can catch on fire if it is exposed to the heat from your cooking appliances. This is why making sure trash is removed from your commercial kitchen quickly is important. Relaying the importance of removing trash from a commercial kitchen can help you keep your employees and restaurant safe. If you notice trash is allowed to pile up in your commercial kitchen, reprimanding your employees will be necessary.
If you want to keep your employees and restaurant safe, then you need to implement the tips covered in this article.