Does your restaurant need a written health and safety policy? HSE's guidance says that if you have five or more employees, you must write your policy down, and regulation 3(6) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 says that where the employer employs five or more employees, the significant findings of the risk assessment must be recorded. Count every employee, including part-timers and weekend staff. HSE says slips and trips remain the single most common cause of major injury in UK workplaces, and the occupations most affected are kitchen assistants, chefs and waiting staff. Gas appliances must be maintained in a safe condition, gas work should only be carried out by a Gas Safe-registered engineer, and as a general rule HSE says annual inspections are a reasonable minimum frequency. Employers' liability insurance must cover you for at least £5 million, and GOV.UK says you can be fined £2,500 every day you are not properly insured. Great Britain. A summary of public law and official guidance, not legal advice.
What the film covers
- The slip, the burn and the lapsed certificate
- Restaurant health and safety law in Great Britain: who enforces it
- The three numbers that matter
- The general duty and the written health and safety policy
- Health and safety policy for a restaurant
- Health and safety risk assessment for a restaurant
- Can a restaurant use a template?
- Young workers
Questions the film answers
- Do I need a written health and safety policy for a restaurant with four staff? With five?
With five or more employees the policy must be written down; HSE's page says "If you have five or more employees, you must write your policy down." With four, writing is not required, but HSE says it is useful. HSE also says you must share the policy, and any changes to it, with your employees.
- Do I need a written risk assessment, and can I use a template?
Every employer must assess the risks. From five employees, the significant findings must be recorded under regulation 3(6). A template is a starting point only. HSE warns that copying an example and adding the company name would not satisfy the law, so walk the actual kitchen and write what you find.
- Who inspects my kitchen for health and safety, the council or HSE?
For a restaurant it is normally the local council. The Enforcing Authority Regulations 1998 give the local authority enforcement of premises whose main activity is catering services, so the visit usually comes from the council's environmental health team. Food hygiene inspections are a separate subject and are covered in the food hygiene rating guide.
- How often must the gas appliances be checked, and by whom?
By a Gas Safe-registered engineer. HSE's CAIS23 says annual inspections are a reasonable minimum frequency, and Hillingdon Council's guidance describes a valid annual Gas Safety certificate, the CP42. Regulation 35 sets the underlying duty: to keep appliances, pipework and flues in a safe condition.
- Does my second-hand oven need anything before it is installed?
HSE's CAIS23 says second-hand equipment with open or enclosed burners being installed should be fitted with flame supervision devices. Ventilation must be interlocked with the gas supply, and the sheet says manual bypasses to the interlock are not permitted. Ask the engineer to confirm both before the oven is used.
- Do I need a first aider, and how many?
You must have a stocked first aid kit, an appointed person, and information for employees. A trained first aider is a further step. HSE says there are no hard and fast rules on how many trained first aiders you need; it depends on the work and the location. A kitchen with fryers and knives may justify trained cover on each shift.