Appliances

Objects

Hazards

Possible Controls

Boiling water units

• Poorly placed boiling water units may increase chance of burns
  
• Poorly maintained units
  
• Boiling water supply is hot enough to scald

• Ensure adequate room and accessibility to unit to enable safe use
  
• Include as part of health and safety inspections
  
• Select units with safety devices built in that reduce the risk of scalding
  
• Ensure appropriate signage is displayed warning users of hot water / steam

Portable kitchen appliances

• Contact with exposed wiring or any internal part of a broken appliance which is connected to the power supply
  
• Immersing the body of an electrical appliance in water for cleaning purposes
  
• Failing to isolate an appliance from power supply before washing sharp blades or moving parts
  
• Fingers contact heated platens of sandwich maker whilst inserting or removing a sandwich
  
• Contact with the exterior surface of a kitchen appliance which has defective insulation

• Have kitchen appliances inspected on a regular basis, and if required tested, and record this information
  
• Remove from service any appliance which is identified for repair, and label it appropriately
  
• Ensure that instructions for use of any appliance are accessible to workers in a known location
  
• Place small signs near appliance power points as a reminder to workers to switch off power and disconnect from socket prior to cleaning after use
  
• Provide a teflon coated slice tool or lifter for placing and removing sandwiches
  
• Remove and replace any kitchen appliance where touching the exterior can cause a burn

Refrigerators

• Refrigerator temperature is consistently above the recommended temperature for safe food storage
  
• Food is left in refrigerator until mouldy or past its safe 'use by' date

• Periodically check that refrigerator temperature complies with requirements for safe storage and if required locate a thermometer in the fridge (e.g. milk should be stored at 4 degrees)
  
• Arrange for refrigerator to be periodically emptied and the inside washed and cleaned according to the manufacturers instructions

Microwave ovens

• Removing food from a microwave oven which is situated at or above eye level
  
• Spilt food left uncleaned in microwave
  
• Use of wrong type of food containers and covers
  
• Malfunction or misuse may cause leakage of radiation from microwave unit

• Consider selecting a microwave that meets Australian Standards
  
• Where possible, microwave ovens should be placed on a counter top where it is easy to see inside and load or unload contents
  
• Arrange for inside of microwave oven to be periodically washed and cleaned according to the manufacturer’s instructions
  
• Ensure users clean up spillages immediately
  
• Place sign on oven door listing those food container types and coverings which should not be used in the oven. (i.e. metal objects, foil)
  
• If the microwave appears damaged, it should not be used until a competent person has tested and checked that the leakage does not exceed the recommended limit

Stovetops / oven

• Hotplates accidentally left on after user has finished cooking and left the area
  
• Using pots and pans which are not suitable for the type of cooker hotplates or rings
  
• Grasping oven shelves which are hot enough to cause burning
• Removing oven trays with food on them at completion of heating

• Consider purchasing a cooker which has warning lights to alert users to a hot surface
  
• Provide pots and pans which are designed for use on the type of cooker hotplates / rings, and are the correct diameter for the hot plates
  
• Provide good quality oven mitts on a hook at side of oven where these can be kept for use
• Place sign on oven door or adjacent surface warning workers of risk of burning from oven surfaces and advisability of using oven mitts

Dishwashers

• Poor stacking of dishes / glasses (including overloading) resulting in breakages
  
• Machine overflows due to food debris left in dishwasher 

• Purchase dishes / glasses that are the appropriate size for dishwasher
• Ensure that care is taken by workers when loading large quantities of dishes (especially tall glasses), that these are stacked correctly and will not move or are struck during the washing cycle
  
• Encourage workers to rinse dishes of food residues before loading dishes into dishwasher

Knives, scissors

• Contact with sharp and serrated knives which have been left on worktops, placed in dishwasher or put away in drawers amongst other (non-sharp) cutlery
  
• Wrong choice of knife, or inappropriate method of cutting food, resulting in knife slipping and cutting the user

• Provide appropriate safe storage for very sharp knives used in food preparation (e.g. a knife block)
  
• Ensure that all workers know not to put these knives in drawers hidden amongst sundry cutlery
  
• Instruct workers not to put very sharp knives in the dishwasher, but to wash them carefully by hand avoiding contact with the blade