Kitchen exhaust cleaning vital for reducing risk this summer

Annual kitchen exhaust cleaning must be completed for insurance validity and compliance with AS/NZS 1851. The run up to Christmas is the perfect time to reduce your risk of kitchen fires. To ensure your cleaning contractors are meeting the correct standards and performing safely, see if you’re experiencing the following signs.

A hint of grease in the air?

If you walk past a restaurant and you detect a hint of burning oil or grease in the air, this is a sign that the kitchen is overheating. Fires in commercial kitchens are not uncommon. In fact, many commercial kitchen fires will involve the kitchen exhaust hood or ductwork. These types of fires can spread upwards through the ducts and throughout the building. This has the potential to create major incidents not only in the kitchen or restaurant, but also in adjoining floors and buildings.

“Frequent compliance inspections ensure that your kitchen hood exhaust systems are cleaned or replaced in accordance with the correct standards to prevent these risks”, says Jason Mittenzwei, Operations Manager of Airgene. “The cleanliness of a canopy can be deceiving – it’s the areas that you can’t see that can cause the most damage.”

Uncomfortable staff and customers?

Not only does a smelly kitchen deter customers from visiting the restaurant, but heat that builds up in the kitchen can cause staff to perspire and feel just as uncomfortable in their own workplace.

The kitchen exhaust hood and duct work systems play an important role in filtering the kitchen air from serious gases that are produced during cooking. This causes discomfort and creates an unhealthy working environment as well as an unsafe restaurant.

These signs are only the first steps in identifying commercial kitchen risks. The complexity of Australian regulations and standards can make it difficult to make sure you have safeguarded your equipment, building, staff and customers.

Airgene technicians specialise in premium kitchen compliance cleaning and checks that are carried out according to AS/NZS 1851 and AIRAH best practice guidelines.

Kitchen exhaust cleaning schedule

Check whether your cleaning contractors are fulfilling their obligations:

If you think your club, food court or facility could be at risk, contact Airgene on 1300 728 310.