Food and cafeteria safety considerations

December 11, 2024
Employee Safety

There are few places in a school that carry as much risk as the cafeteria and kitchen area. From burns and cuts, to potential allergic reactions, to contamination possibilities, countless different incidents can occur in this part of your schools.

December is Worldwide Food Service Safety Month, and while this designation was founded by the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, it certainly applies to schools, too. It is a good time to look at the kitchen and cafeteria staff’s practices and determine whether changes need to be made.

Preventing foodborne infections

Like a restaurant, a school cafeteria has a lot of moving parts. To lower the risk of contaminating food:

Always sanitize surfaces where food is being prepared.
Scrub hands with soap and water for approximately 20 seconds after handling anything that could be contaminated, such as raw meat.
Always follow food manufacturers’ recommendations for storage temperature, environment and shelf life.
Make sure preparation surfaces are free of the chemicals used to disinfect them, before placing food on them.

Protecting children and staff from allergens

Not only do kitchen workers need to guard against foodborne illness, but they and other staff members also need to prevent cross-contamination of foods that could trigger an allergic reaction. They can do this by:

Labeling ingredients in each dish.
Offering meal substitutions for students with allergies.
Storing allergy-safe foods in a separate section of the kitchen or lunchroom.
Developing a seating plan to minimize food sharing among children.
Creating “safe food boxes,” which are reserved for children with allergies and contain pre-packaged, allergy-friendly foods.

Avoiding slips in the kitchen and cafeteria

Kitchens and cafeterias are prime locations for spills and, wherever there are spills, there is always the potential for slips. Here’s how to avoid them:

After scrubbing the floor or after a spill, immediately use a “Wet Floor” sign.
Ensure the kitchen is well-lit so workers can easily see hazards.
Require all kitchen staff members to wear slip-resistant footwear.
Install slip-resistant mats in areas where you commonly experience spills, or near sinks or dishwashing stations.
Make sure you have smooth, seamless transitions between different levels of flooring surfaces and slip-resistant mats.

Preventing burns and cuts

Kitchen workers, in particular, are at great risk of experiencing burns and cuts while on the job. To protect them from serious injury:

Always use personal protective equipment, including coverings for hair and eyes, forearm protection and aprons.
Use a cart when moving hot objects, including pots and pans.
When working with fryers, fill baskets no more than halfway.
When cutting items, always cut away from your body, rather than toward it.
Keep all your knives sharp—dull knives can slip on food and lead to injury.
Store your knives with the blades protected—not loose in a drawer.
Don’t leave a knife dangling over the edge of a cutting board or submerged in sink water.

Check out these additional risk control tips for cafeteria safety.