Staffing issues due to stress?

Posted on | by Kevan

In the news this week:

April is stress awareness month.  The Health and Safety Executive has launched a campaign to tackle stress in the workplace. Read through the five steps in the full article below to see if your business is complying.

Mental health is costing the UK economy a lot of money with staff being off work.

If you need any support with stress at work HSQC can assist with this vital topic, just 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 HSE here (02.04.22)

Unexpected visitor to A&E

Posted on | by Kevan

Pest control for hospitalsIn the news this week:

Rats and cockroaches have been identified inside English hospitals.

Do you have pests in your hospital setting? There are many potential hygiene issues.  What happens if these pests enter kitchen or food preparation areas of the hospital?

For support with cost effective solutions to deal with your infestation, email us at: [email protected]
HSQC can help to prevent pests entering your buildings and assist you in developing a pest management strategy for the hospital trust.

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 here (09.04.24)

electric fly killer best usage

Insectocutor queries

Posted on | by Kevan

insectocutor fly killerRegular queries come up during audit visits relating to the proper usage of electric flying insect killers.

Do they work?
Where should they be placed?
How often should they be cleaned?
Should they be kept on at all times, even through a cost of living crisis?
What is the best way to prevent flying insects from entering food premises?

If you need any pest control advice regarding the 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.

 

 

 

  • The short answers:
  • An insectocutor does help with the prevention of flying pests in food premises. It is normally a requirement of a food safety management system to provide one as pro-active pest control.
  • They are best placed in a dark area so the Ultra Violet light attracts flying insects. They should NOT go above a work surface, this could end up with flying insects in food items meaning foreign body contamination.
  • The unit in the larger picture clearly shows dead flies inside it. This now needs cleaning. For the UV bulbs to be continuously working it is vital to liaise with your pest control contractor regarding the cleaning and maintenance of the bulbs.
  • Yes, the unit must be kept on at all times to attract flying insects into the UV light. Always use compatible UV bulbs. We have seen units where the UV bulbs have been replaced with normal light bulbs! These will not attract flying insects.
  • The best way to prevent flying insects entering food premises is having screens on all openable windows and doors.

Did you get them all?

Can you believe it’s not…?

Posted on | by Kevan

In the news this week:

There is an ongoing discussion about food labelling in the UK: when is it misleading, and are new proposals draconian? Are you confident about the correct labelling of milk, cheese and dairy products in your business?

HSQC can support your operation and offer advice on appropriate food labelling, just 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 (24.02.24)

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

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.

 

Allergic to alcohol?

Posted on | by Kevan

Alcohol can negatively affect us in a number of ways, including over-indulgence, reactions to sulphites or histamines contained in your drink, increasing the likelihood of reactions caused by existing allergies, and triggering the symptoms of asthma…

For support with allergen management 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.

 

Are you a kitchen hazard spotter?

Posted on | by Kevan

probe thermometer in working kitchen
A recent real world example of a food handler in a takeaway restaurant kitchen. There are at least 3 potential hazards on show here (see the end of this article)!

For support in implementing the use of probe thermometers correctly, and of documenting your calibration records, 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 probe thermometer is broken, so this kitchen cannot guarantee that their food is safe
  • It has not been cleaned recently
  • The food handler has decorated nail extensions and varnish which could potentially contaminate food being prepared
Tablet showing Servo dashboard

Get your personalised quotation for Safety Management with SERVO!

Posted on | by Kevan

Ask us for your personalised monthly subscription, email now.

 

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

 

All records are logged and available for access and download in your own Document Library. Over time you and your team can monitor progress with the Reports Dashboard, viewing the Metrics and Action Tracker history following ongoing reviews.