Kitchen safety signs aid a busy kitchen in maintaining hygiene, preventing accidents, and in implementing new safety measures. 

In a professional kitchen, continuing communication of safety procedures to staff after initial training is crucial. Kitchen safety signs are a visual resource to help staff, already under the pressure of a busy, crowded kitchen, implement best practices. 

In a Covid-19 climate, safety signs can aid your employees in carrying out correct safety procedures and newly instated government guidelines, to allow for a fast and safe reopening. 

Its restaurant owners' responsibility to keep up to date on procedure and have the correct signs on hand to remind their employees during a hectic workday. Knowledgeable kitchen staff means a safe working environment.

The Importance of Kitchen Safety Signs

In the UK, 28.2 million working days were lost due to work-related injuries over 2018 and 2019, and in the catering industry, 84% of workers suffer work-related injuries at some point in their careers. 

Poorly executed risk assessments of kitchens by owners lead to failed inspections, closed restaurants, up to 6 months imprisonment in England and Wales, and in Scotland, up to a £10,000 fine.

If you know your hazards you can put in place appropriate controls. Kitchen safety signs are guideline reminders permanently in place long after initial training. A way of accident-proofing your kitchen, they ensure procedures are on display.

When correct health and safety are adhered to, you protect your kitchen staff, your customers, your restaurant, and yourself from physical, legal, and financial risk.

Safety Signs for a Professional Kitchen 

Hand washing and Cross-Contamination

Safety signs can be used to remind kitchen staff their hands should be washed after handling one type of food before moving onto the next. 

Covid-19 government advice is to wash hands with soap and warm water for a minimum of 20 seconds. All employees should be provided with regular breaks, have allocated break times, and a dedicated handwashing station which is signed for should be set up for employees. 

Laminated signs can be used to remind staff to avoid touching their face or hair while handling food, delegate allergen-free preparation areas, and instructions on the correct way, and duration of time to wash hands. 

As catering staff regularly work rota a great idea is to use a single laminated sign to designate break times for handwashing annotating on the sign who is on shift that day. 

If you decide to give this a try choose a lamination sheet with a gloss finish as these can be used with a dry-erase pen for writing staff names which can be cleaned off come next shift.

Cleanliness

Shared equipment and kitchen areas which have high foot traffic and touch rates should be cleaned and disinfected regularly.

Kitchen safety signs can be used to remind staff to clean their work surface after completing a task (handling different meats, slicing vegetables, etc.), to use colour-coded chopping boards for different ingredients, to sanitize kitchen tools and equipment between uses, and to wear hairnets and disposable gloves.
Signs may also be used to remind staff to wear face masks to prevent any droplets from the nose and mouth from contaminating food and staff, who may be unknowing carriers, from spreading the virus. 

Remember, some cleaning products can be hazardous if handled incorrectly causing skin problems such as dermatitis and eczema. Safety signs can be used to remind employees of the potentially harmful effects of some products when used negligently. 

Other good hygiene practices that may be signed for include the use of protective jackets preventing cross-contamination of food from clothes worn outside, and the use of waterproof, blue plasters to cover wounds. 

Accidents

Safety signs can be used to remind kitchen workers of safety procedures when using knives and sharp utensils, reminding staff to carry them pointed down to the ground. 

Other helpful signs to prevent accident and injury include precautions when draining fat fryers, fire exits, warning of fire risk, fire assembly points, flammable gas signs, and reminders to ensure cookers, grills, and ovens are turned off.

A common cause of accidents in the kitchen is over-crowding. Government guidance states where possible employees should keep a 2-meter distance. Safety signs reminding staff members to keep a reasonable distance where possible can be helpful or signs which clearly define the number of people allowed on the premises at any one time. 

To reduce cramped work conditions, and to help facilitate social distancing, ensure walkways are clear, empty boxes and containers removed as soon as possible, and dedicate work stations to help space staff evenly throughout the kitchen.

Outside of the Kitchen

Placing a bottle of hand sanitizer with the Maître d' at the entrance of your restaurant with a sign politely requesting its use by patrons is a simple way to demonstrate the hygiene standards of your restaurant. Putting up a notice informing patrons of safety measures you've implemented is also a personal touch.

Tailor Safety Signs to Your Needs

You know your restaurant, kitchen and staff best. Tailoring an approach to kitchen safety allows you to sign for the procedures your staff most need reminding of as well as writing personal notices for both your staff and diners.
Free, printable safety signs for professional kitchens can be found online as well as writing A4, personalized notices in a word processor. Laminating your notices increases their durability, protects against wear and allows them to be more easily cleaned. 

Safety signs will likely be exposed to a lot of physical stress and hung in a high traffic area so its best to choose laminating sheets with a gloss finish to provide the best protection with a thick rigidity of 150 to 250 microns.

For signs written and presented to patrons, matt has a higher-quality finish than gloss and can be purchased in 150 microns for more flexible signs up to 250 microns for greater longevity. Investing that extra time in your approach to safety signs not only allows for a better, fast-evolving approach to health and safety but is more cost-effective long term. 

Standardized kitchen safety signs range from 0.50p to 0.77p per sign when purchasing value bundle packs whereas printing and laminating your own comes in at an average cost of 0.22p per sign a saving of over 50% whilst customizing your signs to your needs.