Working in a commercial kitchen can be a dangerous space, especially if people are careless or if managers are careless about enforcing safety regulations. The most prevalent danger in a restaurant comes from potential fire hazards, which are usually located in the kitchen. Over 8,000 commercial kitchens have fires every year. It’s important that employees are trained and knowledgeable in how to both prevent fires and react should a fire break out (knowing how to service a fire extinguisher, for example). Looking at fire suppression systems for restaurants is a good way to start installing safety measures, particularly at specific types of installation, like kitchen hood fire suppression system installation.
What Safety Regulations Are Already In Place?
Safety regulations will change with the state, but a majority of the country requires non -UL 300 systems are removed and replaced when any cooking equipment gets changed, moved to a different area, or replaced, if the existing system isn’t maintainable. If you’re wondering what a UL-300 system is, it’s a system devised by Underwriters Laboratories, a safety consulting firm, which seeks to make commercial kitchens safer. Most kitchens are supposed to possess equipment that complies with the UL-300 system.
Commercial kitchens should also be inspected and serviced regularly-the time suggested is once every six months and it must be done by a qualified contractor. In addition to this, fire extinguishers should be available no more than 30 feet from cooking areas. This has been proven effective, as a study of 2,000 fires were successfully extinguished using portable fire extinguishers.
So What’s the Fuss?
If you’re thinking that fires in commercial kitchens are few and far between, you should probably think again. Fires in restaurants and dining establishments cause an annual average of $246 million in direct property damage. Almost 60% of fires started in restaurants involve cooking equipment and the fires that are non-confined are most likely to be found starting in cooking areas and kitchens (over 40%). The areas that are most likely to contribute to starting a non-confined restaurant building fire are the deep fryer (9%), stove ranges (7%) and a variety of kitchen and cooking equipment (5%).
If you’re a business owner and still not too concerned, consider this: the direct property damage costs per year for fires in restaurants or other dining establishments are about $246 million. You could lose thousands or even millions in property damage, as well as scare away customers.
What Are Measures to Take To Avoid Kitchen Fires?
Looking into kitchen hood fire suppression system installation is a great option. Kitchen hood fire suppression system installation is one of the most popular types of a commercial kitchen fire suppression system. These systems help detect and protect against potential fires. Be on the alert for unsafe practices by both managers and employees. Do routine maintenance, especially if you have a wood or charcoal burning oven. Remove ashes at least daily and keep them in metal containers that are at minimum 10 feet away from buildings or potentially flammable substances.
Investing in a kitchen fire suppression system is extremely important for the safety of employees and customers alike. Make the investment: you won’t regret it.
