How would you navigate a food borne disease outbreak?

Posted on | by Kevan

In the news this week:

A potential cholera outbreak left cruise ship guests in quarantine. What would you do if a food borne disease outbreak was associated with your premises?

For information and advice on the prevention of food borne diseases in your business, email us at: [email protected]

HSQC have over 40 years of experience as a leading international safety and quality management consultancy. Our team provide technical advice and laboratory and scientific support to businesses in the hospitality, food, leisure, tourism, and catering industries.

Full article from LBC News online here (27.02.24)

Hazards all around us…

Posted on | by Kevan

hazard analysisOne of our environmental health consultants was returning home and had to stop to snap this scene. Above the hedge is a gentleman undertaking some window cleaning activities on a domestic dwelling. On closer inspection he was standing on the conservatory roof with cleaning apparatus. Wow, so many questions!

Which potential health and safety hazards come to mind? Which controls should be in place to prevent a nasty accident?

If you need advice regarding the safety systems within your workplace, email us at: [email protected]

HSQC have over 40 years of experience as a leading international safety and quality management consultancy. Our team provide technical advice and laboratory and scientific support to businesses in the hospitality, food, leisure, tourism, and catering industries.

 

  • Possible hazards include:
  • Slip, trip & fall
  • Fall from height
  • Contractor safety
  • Lack of training or risk assessment
  • Potential Legionella from water spray
  • Controls include:
  • Use extension equipment from ground level
  • Work in pairs
  • Use appropriate working at height equipment such as mechanical lifts, fall arrest systems, towers

Did you spot them all?

Swedish water park fire

Posted on | by Kevan

fire safety hazard checksIn the news this week:

Video footage from a fire at Liseburg water park, showing how quickly the fire took hold.

For support with fire safety issues and inspections at your leisure facility, email us at: [email protected]

HSQC have over 40 years of experience as a leading international safety and quality management consultancy. Our team provide technical advice and laboratory and scientific support to businesses in the hospitality, food, leisure, tourism, and catering industries.

Full article from BBC News here (13.02.24)

Cancer risk from refrigerated potatoes?

Posted on | by Kevan

killer spudsIn the news this week:

Which food stuffs should not be refrigerated? The presence of acrylamide in certain food such as potatoes kept in the fridge and then cooked has been known about for some years. However, there is a growing trend amongst food inspectors to see whether food businesses know as much about its potential risks as they should.

For assistance with food safety and health and safety issues within your catering operation, email us at: [email protected]

HSQC have over 40 years of experience as a leading international safety and quality management consultancy. Our team provide technical advice and laboratory and scientific support to businesses in the hospitality, food, leisure, tourism, and catering industries.

Full article from Food Standards Agency here (26.04.22)

Full article from MSN.com here (16.02.24)

Is your fire safety regime up to date?

Posted on | by Kevan

fire safety checksIn the news this week:

A terrible fire took hold and destroyed an apartment block in Valencia. It was reported that fire alarms within the building did not work.

For assistance with fire safety issues within your business, email us at: [email protected]

HSQC have over 40 years of experience as a leading international safety and quality management consultancy. Our team provide technical advice and laboratory and scientific support to businesses in the hospitality, food, leisure, tourism, and catering industries.

Full article from The Guardian online here (23.02.24)

Harmless looking Care Home kitchen?

Posted on | by Kevan

Can you spot the hazards in this seemingly harmless scenario?

For assistance with personal hygiene, the dating and defrosting of food within your workplace, email us at: [email protected]

HSQC have over 40 years of experience as a leading international safety and quality management consultancy. Our team provide technical advice and laboratory and scientific support to businesses in the hospitality, food, leisure, tourism, and catering industries.

 

 

  • The hand-wash basin is blocked by food so cannot be used to wash hands!
  • Some of the milk defrosting in the sink is alongside unfrozen milk
  • The defrosted and frozen products were not dated once frozen, making order of usage unclear

Did you spot them all?

SERVO award goes to Crimson Team

Posted on | by Kevan

Congratulations to Federico Ciampi and the team at 100 Queen’s Gate, who were recently awarded this best performance trophy by Richard Hannay of HSQC.

Ask us now about how SERVO can help your team stay at the top of their game! For a personalised monthly subscription for your organisation contact: [email protected]

There are no apps to download and no surprise in-app purchases. There’s no extra software to download or hardware to be bought.

Once registered, your kitchen manager can upload all the due diligence information that you need to monitor daily, including:

• Food Receipt / Delivery Records
• Food Storage Temperature Records
• Temperature Probe Calibration Records
• Defrosting Records
• Breakage Logs
• Looking and Reheating Logs
• Food Display Temperature Records
• Blast Chiller Records
• Hot Holding Records
• Structural Fabric and Equipment Maintenance Logs

Can you spot the potential hazards?

Posted on | by Kevan

potential storage, handling and fire safety issuesHere’s another real world hazard spotting exercise. The staff in this busy café were unaware of the potential hazards on show!

For assistance with fire safety issues and correct manual handling and storage within your operation, email us at: [email protected]

HSQC have over 40 years of experience as a leading international safety and quality management consultancy. Our team provide technical advice and laboratory and scientific support to businesses in the hospitality, food, leisure, tourism, and catering industries.

 

 

  • Fire extinguisher holding a door open; it should be wall-mounted or in a plastic container
  • Drinks (classed as a food) are on the floor posing a contamination hazard
  • Items stored on the floor pose a manual handling hazard to the staff member who has to lift them
  • The door is not in good condition and should be redecorated or, at the very least, kept clean!

Did you spot them all?

Norovirus – minimise the risk as cases rise

Posted on | by Kevan

Norovirus is a stomach bug that can cause moderate to intense nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. You might also get a headache, high temperature and feel generally achy. Symptoms usually come on quickly and can be quite unpleasant…

“You can get it through having close contact with someone with norovirus, touching surfaces or objects that have the virus on them, then touching your mouth, and eating food that’s been prepared or handled by someone with norovirus.”

Researchers believe norovirus can survive on surfaces, such as kitchen tops and door handles, for up to two weeks.

To ensure Norovirus does not take hold at your location, email us at: [email protected]

HSQC have over 40 years of experience as a leading international safety and quality management consultancy. Our team provide technical advice and laboratory and scientific support to businesses in the hospitality, food, leisure, tourism, and catering industries.