Cooking oil and grease can be risky business
One of the worst things to happen to any restaurant is a fire. Not surprisingly, cooking and cooking materials are the primary cause of nearly two-thirds of restaurant fires. Studies done by the U.S. Fire Administration show that grease and cooking oil are most often the culprit.
You have a sprinkler system and fire extinguishers, and you try to keep flammables away from flames. But to protect your investment and your people, better training and technology are key. Are you doing all you can to prevent fires in your kitchen?
Train your employees on proper oil and grease handling
Training employees on proper oil and grease handling reduces oversights that can lead to a fire.
Training tips for safer deep fryers:
- Store oil safely. Never store oil jugs on the floor near ignition sources or any gas or electric equipment.
- Maintain the right level of oil. Fryers can light up quickly when levels are too low or burn too hot, sparking a fire. Fryers that are too full are prone to foam over and splash onto burner flames.
- Turn the fryers off. Check fryers regularly to make sure they are off when not in use, during cleaning, or while draining. If the burner kicks on while an employee is draining oil, vapors can easily flame up and start a fire.
- Dry the fryer. An empty fryer should always be thoroughly dried. Deep cleaning usually leaves behind a small amount of water. When fresh oil is added and the fryer is turned on, the water left behind can shoot a stream of hot water, oil, and steam. If it hits an open flame or hot surface, it can quickly flare up.
Automate your cooking oil process
Automating the cooking oil process eliminates some of the most common mistakes that lead to fires.
An end-to-end cooking oil management system like our Total Oil Management automates the entire cooking process — making it cleaner, easier, and safer to add, filter, and dispose of cooking oil. With this technology, oil storage is no longer an issue, and oil spills and residue that could come into contact with hot surfaces or electrical units are eliminated.
Degrease your ventilation system
While your kitchens are cooking up food that your guests love, combustible grease is building up in your hoods and flues every day.
Our innovative AutoMist® automated system keeps your hoods and flues clean and safe all day, every day — eliminating the need for third-party hood cleanings and improving your risk management by stopping grease buildup before it starts.
With better training and technology, you can reduce the risk of fire in your restaurant. Prevention is key, and as they say, only YOU can prevent kitchen fires.
