Back to Basics: Grease is the word...

While the economic downturn brings with it traditional doom and gloom, the desire to cutback on expenditure in your business might cause you more danger than you bargained for.

A recession might well force catering establishments to cut back on the frequency of cleaning and maintenance regimes and on employing external contractors to clean its kitchen ducts. And this could lead to major safety concerns.

Almost a quarter of 24,000 accidental fires per year in commercial properties are attributed to cooking and extraction systems.

Businesses need to pay closer attention to maintaining their catering extraction systems, since claims arising from fires caused by poorly maintained kitchen ducting cross insurance companies' desks every month.

Firms run the risk of prosecution following a fire where the premises owner has not complied with the law.

Out of sight, out of mind?

Often, businesses don't give enough consideration to cleaning their kitchen extracting systems effectively, perhaps because some ducting is of great length, sometimes inaccessible and routed between internal walls.

It's simply not enough to be in 'out of sight, out of mind' mode, especially now the onus is on those deemed a 'responsible person' to ensure regular cleaning of kitchen ducts.

When deposits of grease build up in extraction ducting, there is potential for these to become ignited and spread fire rapidly throughout the entire ducting system.

Because extraction ducts often run through a building to reach either a roof or are channelled to an external wall to extract fumes, this can invariably result in the entire property being put at risk of fire.

The consequence of a fire occurring in the extraction ducting can be devastating, not only to the property and the lives of occupants and firefighters, but to a business's bottom line. Business interruption costs are likely to have a significant impact, as an out of action kitchen is catastrophic to a restaurant or licensed premises.

In our opinion, businesses failing to clean their extraction systems could be doing so for a number of reasons. Ignorance and cost are chiefly responsible; the latter even more so given the current economic climate.

The insurance industry is trying to raise awareness among publicans of the dangers of not paying attention to grease and oil build-up in the kitchen extract ductwork of catering premises.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order makes it a legal requirement for the 'responsible person' to carry out fire risk assessments and take necessary steps to reduce any potential fire hazards.

The frequency and scale of kitchen duct fires has led the Insurers' Fire Research Strategy Scheme (InFiReS), and the Building Services Research and Industry Association (BSRIA), to publish Recommendations for Fire Risk Assessment of Catering Extract Ventilation, a guidance document aimed at helping those 'responsible people' to assess fire hazards in a catering kitchen and take suitable precautions

Many insurance policies contain specific conditions relating to regimes of kitchen extraction cleaning and if

a fire occurs within the extraction system and can be shown to be associated with inadequate cleaning, it could jeopardise a claim for loss or damage.

Assessing the risksThe 'responsible person' must consider that differing cooking styles create different grease residues.

For example, oriental cooking creates a thick syrup-like grease that becomes strongly affixed to metal surfaces and is highly resistant to scraping or ordinary cleaning chemicals. Equally, meat cooked with solid fuel creates a lot of grease and becomes the heavy black carbon attached to metal surfaces as the cooking process is repeated.

Oil and fat is generally safe at temperatures below 200ÞC, but beyond that flammable vapours are present which spontaneously ignite at between 310ÞC and 360ÞC.

In assessing risk, one has to consider ignition hazards. These include:

• cooking equipment left unattended or not switched off after use

• poor maintenance

• flames, sparks or hot gases from cooking which can ignite combustible deposits inside extract ducts

• overheated oils

• overheating caused by hardened grease when restarting seasonal or part-time catering establishments

• faulty thermostats

• the use of burning paper to light Tandoori ovens or absence of safety shut-off devices in appliances.

The ducting equipment itself presents additional risk factors, such as the design of the extract ventilation, including length of ducts, fan types and the number of access panels.

The ducting may be unsuitable for the kitchen environment or have insufficient access for inspection and cleaning. Cleaning contracts for the ducting may cover only hoods and visible areas, such as those within arms' reach. Even paper napkins and other waste can be inadvertently left in cooker hoods or inside the extract ducting - all of which is potentially combustible.

There are different types of grease filter that can be used to reduce the amount of grease passing into ductwork, so awareness of the pros and cons of mesh, baffle, cartridge, water wash and cold mist systems is essential. To minimise grease build-up, ductwork should reach the atmosphere by the shortest, most direct route. Staff training

Staff expertise and training is crucial in minimising the risk of fire and should include:

• understanding the risks of grease in the ductwork

• knowing how to use commercial cleaning chemicals

• knowing how to isolate the extractor fan

• familiarity with cleaning method and frequency for grease filters

• switching off appliances individually rather than at the mains

• reporting of faulty controls and sensors; fighting of cooking fires and understanding fire detection and extinguisher systems

• safe handling of oils, fats and cooking appliances.

Keeping records of training and maintenance is essential. Should there be a fire or accident, all these records may provide the only defence against criminal prosecution.

Finally, when employing professional cleaning contractors, be aware that some can literally 'cut corners'. Bends and corners of ducts often trap grease and are hard to access so can be all too easy to ignore.

A good contractor will always ensure a thorough, deep clean is carried out.

Allister Smith is a property risk manager for Norwich Union​