Fire Hazards
Workers are exposed to fire hazards in restaurants from heat-producing equipment such as burners, ovens, and grills due to:
- working around open flames
- un-emptied grease traps (possible grease fires)
- dirty ducts (possible flue fires)
- improper storage of flammable items
- faulty or frayed electrical cords
- poor housekeeping
Possible Solutions
There are many possible solutions to prevent fires in a restaurant:
- Never carry or move oil containers when oil is hot or on fire.
- Empty grease traps frequently. Do not let them overflow.
- Understand the fire safety procedures in your restaurant, including how to call for help.
- NOTE: If you are working in a commercial kitchen, make sure you know the location and how to manually activate the cooking appliance fire suppression system.
- Do not store flammable items near heat-producing equipment or open flames.
- If you catch fire, STOP, DROP, and ROLL.
Employer Solutions
A fire is the most common type of emergency for which restaurants must plan for. A critical decision when planning is whether or not employees should fight a small fire with a portable fire extinguisher or simply evacuate.
NOTE: You should only use portable fire extinguishers if your employer has provided the proper training. Also, use them once you sound an alarm, summoned the fire department, and activated the fixed fire suppression system.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
4-4. If you catch fire, what is the first thing you should do?
You forgot to answer the question!