People who work in kitchens are more likely to be injured by slips, trips and falls than anything else. Here’s how to ensure that you and your team are wearing the correct catering clogs so that they can do their job as efficiently and safely as possible.
The topics we’ll cover are:
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Identify the Risks and Hazards
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Perform a Hazard Assessment
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Know Which Shoes are Right for Which Hazard
Identify the Risks and Hazards
The first thing you need to do is identify the hazards and the risks in your kitchen. The best way to start this is by taking a walk round and spotting the potential hazards that could cause your staff issues. Whilst walking round, you should think about the following questions:
- What equipment is used regularly and in what way?
- Which processes are carried out daily?
- Are the general working conditions suitable for your team?
After this, you should consider which hazards are presented to your team if you’re not wearing the correct catering clogs. Falling knives, easily spilled water, sauces and oil, and cleaning liquid could all pose a threat to you if you weren’t wearing the correct slip-resistant and durable footwear.
It’s a good idea to ask your chefs and kitchen staff about what they experience, danger-wise on a daily basis. This is purely to get another pair of eyes on the risk assessment as it can be easy to overlook potential hazards.
Perform a Hazard Assessment
Before you can start to combat the hazards that you’ve pointed out, you’re going to need to know the severity of them so you can properly safeguard against each one.
The easiest way to do this is by spending a typical working day assessing the impact they have on your staff members. You should do this every time new procedures, equipment or even staff members are introduced to the kitchen.
After noting down all the hazards in the kitchen, you should prioritise them and allocate them to who in the kitchen is most exposed to which hazard. For example, the chef working on the pass won’t be as exposed to hot cooking oils spilling from pans, therefore that hazard should be low on his or her priority list.
You should try and reduce the hazards to as minimum risk as possible. For example, the kitchen can prove to be a pretty hectic place at times and the last thing you need is a big puddle of mop water where a spill has just been cleaned up. This can prove to be as dangerous as the spill in the first place. So, why not try and introduce some dry cleaning methods, or save the wet cleaning methods for off-peak times when staff won’t be concentrating on getting the next dish out.
If you can’t totally eliminate or reduce the hazards, you’ll need to take further safety measures - like the introduction of the perfect catering clogs. Remember, by introducing the right footwear, your employer has to provide it and fully cover the costs too.
Know Which Shoes are Right for Which Hazard
Shoes For Crews (Europe) are absolute experts in providing legendary slip-resistant shoes that are designed to keep you safe. There are are various risks that come with working in a kitchen, so it’s important that you’re protected sufficiently. These include:
1. Liquid Hazards
Wet surfaces are one of the main causes of slips, trips and falls in the majority of workplaces - not to mention when it’s a hectic kitchen. Spilled water, sauces and oils all can make a surface instantly slippier. But so can the way you decide to clean these up so you must be careful.
We recommend the Zinc catering clogs - the slip-resistant sole will give you confidence that mouths will be fed on-time and you’ll stay on your feet.
2. Falling Objects
In a kitchen there are plenty of heavy objects hanging around, but often not plenty of space to store them. This could lead to storing them above head height and leaving the potential of them falling on top of you. Knives can also be easily dropped when chopping in a rush or accidentally knocking them on the floor.
We recommend the Radium catering clogs to protect you from falling objects. They will fully protect your feet and should be used in conjunction with a small step to easily reach overhead items and minimise risk.
3. Gruelling Long Hours
It’s no secret that chefs work ridiculously long and intense shifts regularly. And it’s no surprise that this can prove to harm your joints with awkward aches and pains. You’re going to need comfortable shoes to protect yourself and your team. If your staff are uncomfortable, morale and productivity levels will no doubt suffer.
We recommend the Triston II SB catering clogs. With extra-cushioning they are guaranteed to keep you comfortable and pain free on the busiest of shifts.
Be Sure Before You Buy
So that’s your chefs and kitchen team are accounted for, but what about front of house? They’re going to need to look the part and still be comfortable - and safe.