HHSRS Hazard 16 - Food Safety

Hazard 16 - Food Safety

This hazard covers threats of infection resulting from inadequacies in provision and facilities for the storage, preparation and cooking of food.

Sinks are used for the washing and preparation of food, for the washing-up of food preparation and cooking equipment and utensils, and for the washing-up of cutlery and crockery. Cracks, chips or other damage to the internal surface may prevent thorough cleansing and provide for harbourage of pathogenic and food spoiling organisms.

Worktops are used for the preparation of food, including rolling out pastry, supporting chopping boards for cutting raw and cooked food, and for the dishing-up of food from cooking utensils into serving bowls and onto plates. Cracks, chips or other damage to the surface may prevent cleansing and provide for harbourage of pathogens and food spoiling organisms. Electrical equipment such as kettles, food processors and microwave cookers will also be used on worktops.

Vulnerable Group: All ages

Defects & Justifications

• Food storage facilities - the absence of properly designed facilities of adequate size for the household.
• Impervious surfaces - lack of smooth, easily cleansed surfaces.
• Disrepair to storage facilities - or dampness to the facilities.
• Space for fridge and freezer - lack of appropriately sited space for a refrigerator and freezer.
• Power sockets - lack of sufficient power socket outlets.
• Sink provision - the absence of a kitchen sink, with a separate supply of cold drinking and hot water for each household.
• Drainer to sink - the absence of a drainer to each sink or the absence of a dual sink.
• Kitchen worktops - the lack of sufficient worktops with adjacent power sockets.
• Disrepair - to the sinks, drainers or worktops.
• Provision for cooking - the absence of cooking facilities, including an oven and hob.
• Size of cooking facilities - inadequately sized oven and/or hob having regard to the number and size of the (potential) household(s).
• Disrepair to cooking facilities - defects or disrepair to the oven and/or hob.
• Space for cooking facilities - the absence of sufficient space for the installation of an oven and/or hob.
• Kitchen floor - uneven, porous, damp, or otherwise defective surface to the floor of the kitchen area.
• Walls and ceilings - uneven, damp, or otherwise defective walls or ceiling surfaces.
• Impervious finishes - lack of such finishes adjacent to a cooker, sink, a drainer or a worktop.
• Defective seal - between a sink, a drainer, or a worktop and the adjacent wall surface.
• Kitchen lighting - inadequate or inappropriate natural or artificial lighting to the kitchen area.
• Ventilation - inappropriate or defective means of ventilation of the kitchen area.

Index of HHSRS Hazards