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Safety Checklist for a Food Establishment

Food establishments must keep their buildings as safe as possible to protect employees and customers. One main aspect of restaurant safety deals with food handling activities. There are many procedures a food establishment creates and follows to keep the place safe.

  1. Food Handling

    • To prevent people from getting a foodborne illness, there are procedures employees follow. Employees must wash hands thoroughly with hot water and soap before and after preparing foods, especially foods such as raw fish, meats and poultry. Surfaces that have come into contact with these foods must be sanitized after each use. Hot foods should be kept hot and cold foods kept cold. These types of foods should never be thawed on a counter or sink. The proper way to keep food safe is thawing in the refrigerator overnight. Part of food handling safety also means keeping the kitchen and appliances clean. Refrigerators should be cleaned at least once a week. Stoves, ovens, ranges and hoods should be cleaned thoroughly each day the restaurant is in operation.

    Floors and Dining Room

    • Floors that are wet should be labeled with "wet floor" signs, and all mats and rugs must be in a position where workers and customers will not trip over them. All exits in the restaurant should be labeled and easily viewable by all people in the restaurant to keep people safe in the event of evacuation. To keep customers safe, all tables and chairs in the dining room should be sturdy and in proper working order.

    Chemicals and Storage

    • Chemicals used for cleaning should never be near where food is being prepared or where it is stored. All chemicals should be stored away from the food in a separate area and should be labeled for each kind's particular use. All storage areas in a restaurant should contain organization and safe stacking techniques. Boxes should not be leaning or be placed on unstable shelving units. If boxes fall, employees could be injured. To keep the restaurant safe, boxes should be methodically stacked and stored.

    First Aid

    • The kitchen should be stocked with a first aid kit, and all employees should know where it is and have access to it. The restaurant should also have fire extinguishers in the kitchen for safety against fires. A restaurant should also maintain smoke detectors throughout the building, and some restaurants have sprinkler systems installed for an extra measure of safety.

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