Ensuring the health and safety of your employees is vital for any Foodservice establishment. Not only do you have to make sure that your commercial kitchen is operated safely and hazard-free, but you also need to have a maintenance and repair team or company that abide by the relevant OSHA rules and regulations.

Who is OSHA?

The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) creates rules and regulations dedicated to protecting employees from hazards and workplace injuries. OSHA continually updates and clarifies standards, training, and inspection requirements.

Repair and Maintenance Teams

Foodservice business owners need to be aware of and compliant with the latest relevant OSHA rules and regulations to protect employees from hazards. When using your own repair and maintenance team or hiring an outside foodservice repair and maintenance company, make sure that they are OSHA compliant and strictly adhere to their rules and regulations.

Main OSHA Foodservice Compliancy Areas

Food Handling & Preparation

Employees should thoroughly wash their hands and food prep utensils with warm water and soap before food handling and preparing.

Food Preparation Surfaces

Employees should thoroughly clean surfaces in prep areas to prevent the growth and spread of bacteria. Employees should wear disposable latex gloves to protect against foodborne illnesses.

Floor Safety

Always make sure floors are clean and dry with adequate drainage, especially near bars and sinks. The addition of rubber floor mats and raised platforms helps as well. Also, ensure that there aren’t holes or uneven areas in your carpet and no loose tiles or objects that workers could slip or trip on.

Kitchen Temperatures and Safety

OSHA recommends that employers set thermostats between 68 degrees and 78 degrees Fahrenheit. OSHA also provides guidance on “Working in Outdoor and Indoor Heat Environments,” and suggests that employers: provide workers with breaks, water and rest. Be sure to train new workers on how to determine if someone is dehydrated or suffering from heat exhaustion and make sure all your employees know how to administer first aid to those in need.

Are you OSHA Compliant when Working with Ladders?

Whether you are using your own team or an outside repair and maintenance company to perform work with ladders, everything they do must be OSHA compliant. Employers, workers or the maintenance company you choose must ensure that their ladder selection and use abide by all relevant OSHA/safety rules and regulations.

Below outlines a few of OSHA’s Ladder compliance requirements, click here for OSHA’s complete list:

  • Ladder rungs, steps, and cleats are parallel, level, and uniformly spaced when the ladder is in position for use; 1910.23(b)(9)
  • Stepstools have a minimum clear width of 10.5 inches (26.7 cm); 1910.23(b)(5)
  • Wooden ladders are not coated with any material that may obscure structural defects; 1910.23(b)(6)
  • Metal ladders are made with corrosion-resistant material or protected against corrosion; 1910.23(b)(7)
  • Ladder surfaces are free of puncture and laceration hazards; 1910.23(b)(8)
  • Ladders are used only for the purposes for which they were designed; 1910.23(b)(9)
  • Ladders are inspected before initial use in each work shift, and more frequently as necessary, to identify any visible defects that could cause employee injury; 1910.23(b)(10)

Here is a link to a helpful OSHA website that has answers to current “Fixed Ladder” questions:
https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2021-09-10

Finding the Right Foodservice Preventative Maintenance & Repair Company

Being aware of and compliant with the latest OSHA rules and regulations to protect employees from hazards should be a high priority when selecting the right Foodservice preventative maintenance and repair company. Also, how much experience the company has maintaining customer’s commercial kitchen equipment safely and in accordance with factory specifications is very important. Choosing a company that has qualified and certified technicians who are equipped to make on-the-spot repairs will help your commercial kitchen run safely and efficiently.

At PRO-TEK

For over 40 years, PRO-TEK has served some of the toughest and most active food service production facilities in the region. We employ only certified and trained technicians, and we are a service agent for many top commercial kitchen equipment manufacturers. PRO-TEK is OSHA compliant for the safety of our workers and yours.

Before setting up ladders in your foodservice commercial kitchen, we comply with all relevant OSHA/safety rules and regulations. We thoroughly train our workers using ladders on how to recognize hazards. Before starting the project, they select the proper ladder to use based on weight capacity and the height needed. Then they calculate the proper pitch of extension ladders and identify how to secure and stabilize the ladder. They always Identify how to maintain a safe position when using their ladders. Following these guidelines and all OSHA safety requirements set PRO-TEK apart from the rest.

Find out about PRO-TEK’s preventative commercial kitchen equipment maintenance programs or visit www.protekny.com PRO-TEK’s licensed technicians serve the Long Island, New York City, The Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island, Westchester, New Jersey (NJ) and Southern Connecticut (CT) areas. Call us today at (866) 773-7717 for a Free No-Obligation Consultation or Contact us via our Contact form.

Disclaimer: Keep in mind that all information in this article is for general information purposes only and not as legal or regulatory advice. This article does not constitute legal or other professional advice, and no attorney-client or other relationship is created hereby. Do not consider the above to be a substitute for obtaining legal advice from a qualified attorney licensed in your state or for obtaining regulatory advice regarding local or other regulatory requirements that apply to your facility. Significant local variances may apply to your facility, and requirements may change over time. This article is current as of its publication date and will not be updated for changes in law or regulations.

*Note: Some excerpts were taken from: https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.23