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Cooking Risk Assessment

Home > Learn > Important Information for Teachers > Cooking Risk Assessment

You will be given a talk on health and safety before starting all our activities and teachers and accompanying adults are responsible for the children at all times. Please let us know before your visit if any of the children you are bringing have any allergies or disabilities.

Hazard	Who could be harmed	Risk level	Precautions and control measures
Tripping, falling and slipping	Staff and visitors	Medium	1. Floor to be dry and cleaned of food and other matter likely to cause slipping. 2. Cooking area access only to children engaged in the activity and who are under strict supervision. 3. Running, jumping and pushing to be strictly prohibited. 4. Wheelchairs and people who are restricted movement to be carefully poistioned. 5. Table heights to be appropriate to pupil height. 6. Pupils never to sit, stand or kneel on chairs or stools.
Food contamination caused by clothing	Staff and visitors	Low	1. All participants to wear a clean apron reserved solely for food preparation. 2. PVC - coated aprons cleaned with hot, soapy water before and after use. 3. Aprons put on only in the cooking area and removed when leaving it for any purpose. 4. Long sleeves to be rolled up, and scarves and other accessories (except for religious head scarf) to be removed.
Food contamination caused by hair, nail polish, rings and bacteria on hands.	Staff and visitors	Low	1. Long / medium length hair to fastened back using bands and clips; and wisps to be secured away from face. 2. Prior to food handling, hands to be washed (at hand wash, if available), using hot water and soap and dried with paper towels.
Food contamination caused by cuts, sores, boils and dressings.	Staff and visitors	Low to medium	1. Blue plasters used to cover cuts and sores. 2. More extensive existing injuries must be covered with vinyl or latex (platsers or gloves).
Food contamination caused by bacteria spread by illness	Staff and visitors	Low to medium	1. No participant feeling sick or unwell to be permitted to enter the cooking area. 2. No participant suffering or recently recovered from sickness, diarrhoea to be permitted to enter the cooking area.
Food contamination caused by bacteria from equipment and / or surfaces	Staff and visitors	Low and medium	1. Surfaces to be wiped with a disposable cloth reatined solely for the purpose. 2. No outdoor / indoor clothing, bags, brief cases, files, books or boxes to be placed on cooking surface. 3. Cooked raw ingredients to be kept separated, both in storage and in preparation. 4. Equipment to be hot washed to remove all food particles and thouroughly dried before storage. 5. Chopping boards and especially plastic bowls to be scrubbed with hot water, detergent and air dried. 6. Food, cleaning agents and cloths including tea towels never to be stored with equipment.
Food contamination caused by bacterial growth during incorrect storage of food.	Staff and visitors	Low to medium	1. All foods to be covered to prevent cross contamination. 2. Dry goods to be stored in sealed containers and in a clean, dry designated area well away form cleaing agents, paints, stationary and other potential contaminators.
Food contamination contracted through soil or other growing medium.	Staff and visitors	Low to medium	1. Cooking aprons never to be worn when picking or harvesting produce. 2, Hands to be washed thouroughl after picking, harvesting and washing produce. 3. Soil and other growing media to be removed by washing prior to food preparation. 4. Open wounds to be covered prior to handling soil covered produce.
Food contamination contracted through waste on table, in bins or on the floor.	Staff and visitors	Low to medium	1. Waste bins to be lined, full bags to be tied and sealed and dispoed of promtly. 2. Food waste bins to be washed and disinfected immediately after emptying. 3. Accidental spillages of food to be wiped, swept or vacuumed, and the floor washed before and after (never during) cooking activites. 4. Bags and outdoor clothing never to be placed on work surfaces.
Reactions to food, allergic or intolerance	Staff and visitors	Medium to high	1. All adults, children and visitors to provide detailed information on any known or suspected allergies or intolerance to food stuffs or cleaning agenst. 2. Alternative foodstuffs may be available for any pupils with food allergies or intolerances. In some cases, it may be deemed necessary to exclued certain ingredients from the recipes or, in extreme cases, to exclude the participant from the cooking activity.
Dangers from heat, fire and electrical hazards	Staff and visitors	Low to medium	1. Flammable materials not to be stored or situated close to cookers. 2. Cooker or hob and over to ebe operated only by adult in charge. 3. Emergency evacuation procedured to be in place and understood by all participants. 4. Emergency exits to be kept clear or obstruction - free at all times. 5. A fire blanket and suitable fire extinguishers to be available at all times. 6. Electrical equipment must be certified for safe use by an authorised person or body.
Burns from ovens, equipment liquids or food stuffs	Staff and visitors	Low to medium	1. Oven gloves to be used to carry hot food pans / tins. 2. Pan handles turned inwards but not over hot hobs. 3. Adults only to carry, stir and serve hot liquids. 4. Hot food and liquids never to be unattended and always placed out of reach. 5. Children to be kept well away from cookers and ovens.
Cuts from knives and other equipment inluding graters	Staff and visitors	Medium	1. All sharp knives and other sharp equipment (eg. skewers) to be locked in an appropriate place when not in use. 2. Knives to be counted out and in. Sharp knives never to be left out during set up preparation, in readiness for lesson or after use. 3. Appropriate type and size of knives to be selected for age of children. 4. Bridge and claw safe cutting techniques to be taught and supervised. 5. Pupils with certain behavioural difficulties to be precluded from using knives. Advice from specialist or head teacher to be sought in doubtful cases. 6. Pupils to be supervised at all times during all cooking activities.
Cuts or injury from electrical processors and blenders including hand blenders	Staff and visitors	Medium	1. Pupils never to be permitted to handle or operate this type of equipment. 2. Equipment to be used only by competant adults and only following perusal of appliance instruction handbook.
Choking on small pieces of food or inhalation of small ingredients	Chiefly children	Medium	1. Tasting sessions of small pieces of fruit or other small ingredients to be conducted in a cal, unhurried manner and supervised. 2. Pupils to be encouraged to follow adult guidance on tasting and eating slow. 3. Pupils never to eat foods from cupped hand with head thrown back. 4. Pupils to taste and eat food only at the invitation of the adult in charge.