Commercial Kitchen

Inspecting a commercial kitchen at a restaurant is like an inspection all unto itself.  Take your time.  Pick your time, don't try and schedule a restaurant inspection during busy food prep times.  Ask the policyholder the best times.  These are some of the hazards we are evaluating in a cookline and in the restaurant itself:

1. Fire: Cooking areas are susceptible to fires, which can be caused by a variety of reasons, such as overheated equipment, grease build-up, or electrical issues.  

2. Burns: Restaurant employees who work in the cooking area are at risk of suffering burns from hot surfaces, liquids, or flames.

3. Slip and falls: Cooking areas are often wet and slippery, which can lead to slip and fall accidents for employees.

4. Food poisoning: Restaurants can face insurance claims if customers become sick due to foodborne illnesses caused by improper food handling, preparation, or storage.

5. Equipment breakdown: Restaurant equipment, such as ovens, fryers, and refrigerators, can malfunction and cause damage to property or injuries to employees.

6. Theft: Restaurants are at risk of theft, especially during busy periods when employees may not be able to keep an eye on all areas of the cooking area.

7. Water damage: Cooking areas may suffer water damage due to leaks from pipes, sprinkler systems, or fire suppression systems.

8. Liability claims: Restaurants can face liability claims if customers or employees are injured due to the restaurant's negligence, such as improper training, failure to maintain equipment, or inadequate safety protocols.

5 Critical Facts and Stats on Restaurant Fires

1. According to the NFPA, approximately 61% of all restaurant fires between 2010 and 2014 were caused by cooking – with cooking equipment or materials being the most frequent items initially ignited and therefore the cause of the fire. This makes up three out of five fires and 38% of direct property damage.

It makes sense that cooking equipment results in the most number of fires and property damage for eating and drinking establishments since it is a constant source of heat and fuel throughout the day. A major factor to also consider is why these fires aren’t properly contained or how they spread to the point of resulting in direct property damage. This leads us to our next important fact.

2. Approximately 22% of these fires were a result of failure to clean, 14% electrical failure or malfunction, 12% mechanical failure or malfunction and 8% unattended equipment.

If cooking appliances are not cleaned and maintained at regular intervals, excessive grease can build on surrounding surfaces. These collections of grease buildup exist very close to the cooking surfaces, and if not removed can present a dangerous fire hazard. As well, failure to properly clean your commercial kitchen and associated vents and ductwork can cause large amounts of liquid grease to accumulate and has been directly related to the leading cause of eating establishment structure fires. This truly details the importance of keeping your commercial kitchen clean and maintained.

3. Deep fryers were involved in one of five fires (21%), ranges or cooktops in 14% of fires, cooking grills in 6%, and ovens or rotisserie ovens in 5%.

Deep fryers deal with hot oil and grease more than any other piece of cooking equipment. This statistic illustrates how grease and vaporized oils are powerful fire igniters and fuel sources for uncontained fires. Proper maintenance and cleaning of deep fryers are essential to proper operation and to prevent misuse that could lead to a fire. 

4. These fires resulted in direct property damage of $165 million annually.

Excluding the potential lives and injuries affected as a result of the fire, your property and livelihood are at stake. The more neglected and grease laden your kitchen is, the more likely the fire can spread to other parts of the building, or worse, to a building nearby. According to national averages, flame damages often remain contained to the building of origin where the fire started, but not the object that caught fire. This means that oftentimes other cooking equipment or property not directly involved in the fire become damaged. The cost of replacing equipment or restoring structural damage far exceeds the cost of regular equipment and vent hood cleaning.

5. In eating or drinking establishments, direct property damage per reported fire was 75% lower when wet pipe sprinklers were present, compared to fires with no automatic extinguishing equipment present.

Outside of required services, current codes, or “grandfathered” buildings, it is important to note how important it is to have fire preventative services/equipment in place. It is a direct factor in saving property as well as lives.

IN SUMMARY, it’s important to have your kitchen equipment and exhaust system regularly inspected to ensure you are up to current fire safety codes. By sticking to a routine maintenance schedule both for your cooking equipment and for your hood, vents, and ductwork, you are keeping your employees, patrons, building, and community safe.

Source: NFPA Research – Structure Fires in Eating and Drinking Establishments.

Deep Fat Fryers

The normal temperature range for food service frying is 325 to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. As the cooking oil temperature increases, so does the risk of an accidental grease fire, which can lead to substantial damage and possibly

serious injuries. Deep fat fryers should be equipped with a high temperature shut-off device, which will disengage the

fuel if the cooking oil exceeds 475 degrees Fahrenheit.  Is there 16” of clearance or an 12” high combustible baffle

barrier provided between fryers and adjacent cooking surfaces that can produce a flame?

Fire Extinguishing System

The inspection of fire extinguishing systems, also known as fire-suppression systems, is typically outside of the scope of work for a commercial inspection. Regardless, noting their presence is always recommended.  The entire space under the hood should be served by some form of fire-suppression system. This is typically achieved by drop-down tubes from the top of the hood. Never attempt to activate the system.  The inspection is truly just visual only and an inventory of the components present in the system, as well as visible defects.

Some basic fire extinguishing inspection questions and items include:

• Is the fire system clean?

• Are the nozzles positioned properly?

• Are the nozzles accessible?

• If the fire extinguishing system nozzles are located in the plenum or opening of the ducts, check for nozzle protective caps. If the caps are missing, they need to be replaced.

• Are piping and tubing continuous (no breaks or missing parts)?

• Check the fire extinguishing system tag for the last date inspected. This is typically located on the manual pull station.

• Check the location of the manual release for the fire extinguishing system for any obstructions.

Commercial Cooking Defects

Install Hood and Duct

Cooking equipment which generates smoke or grease-laden vapors should be equipped with an exhaust system including a hood, duct system, grease removal devices and an automatic extinguishing system so as to minimize potential for loss from fire.  

Install APD

A listed automatic fire extinguishing system should be provided to protect the hood, duct work and cooking surfaces to help control or extinguish fires.  

Extend Hood and Duct

The exhaust hood should be of sufficient size and configured to provide for the capture and removal of all grease laden vapors generated by your cooking equipment.  

Install and Maintain Baffles

Approved noncombustible baffle filters should be provided for the exhaust hood.  They should be regularly cleaned and be in place at all times when the exhaust system is operating to control grease buildup. 

Hood and Duct Construction

To provide adequate strength and control grease leakage, ducts should be constructed and supported by carbon steel of not less than 16-gauge or stainless steel not less than 18-gauge with all connections being liquid tight.  

Exhaust Termination to Exterior

Exhaust ducts should terminate at least 40 inches from the roof surface with the direction of exhaust away from the roof, unless a residue pan having a minimum of a one-inch lip on all edges is provided and regularly cleaned to prevent grease accumulation. 

Proper Baffle Type

Approved noncombustible baffle filters should be provided for the exhaust hood.  They should be regularly cleaned and be in place at all times when the exhaust system is operating to control grease buildup. 

APD Manual Activation

Your automatic extinguishing system should be provided with a manual actuation switch which is accessible to the exit path from your cooking area.  

APD Automatic Fuel Shutoff

An automatic fuel shutoff device should be provided for your automatic extinguishing system to turn off all sources of fuel for your cooking devices in the event of the system actuating.  

Baffle Cleaning

So as to minimize potential for fire damage, baffles in hood and duct system should be cleaned on a weekly basis to reduce any buildup of grease on interior surfaces and to reduce fire hazard. 

Fryer Clearance to Flame

There should be at least 16 inches of horizontal clearance between deep fat fryers and surface flames from adjacent cooking equipment or a stainless steel baffle at least 8” high should be installed between the fryer and flame source to reduce the possibility of fire. 

Broiler Clearance

There should be at least four foot of clearance between the hood filters and your charcoal broiler to reduce the potential of fire.  

Fryer High Limit Control

To reduce the potential of grease fires, deep fat fryers should be equipped with separate high-limit controls which will shut off fuel or energy when the fat temperature reaches 475 degrees Fahrenheit, one inch below the surface.  

Missing Baffle

The baffles in the hood over the cooking area were noted to be missing and should be re-installed immediately to reduce the build-up of grease in the exhaust system and reduce the fire hazard.

Hood and Duct Cleaning

The hood and ductwork over the cooking area should be cleaned by a qualified contractor every six months to reduce the accumulation of grease and thereby reduce the fire hazard.

Extend APD Coverage

The automatic extinguishing system should be extended to cover the [ Specify Area(s) ].  This will help to provide a greater measure of protection for all cooking surfaces in the event of a fire.

APD Servicing

The automatic extinguishing system protecting the hood, ductwork and cooking surfaces should be serviced by a qualified extinguisher service company on a semi-annual basis. This will help insure it is proper operation in the event of a fire. 

K Class Fire Extinguisher

A K class rated fire extinguisher should be provided for the commercial cooking area and should be within 30 feet travel distance from the kitchen. This will improve private protection.

Clearances

A clearance of at least 18” between exhaust ducts, from the cooking operation and combustible building materials, should be maintained in order to reduce the fire hazard.

Vapor Proof Light Fixtures

Install protective vapor globes on light fixtures located in the kitchen hood, and clean them regularly. This will help reduce the fire hazard.

Non-Standard Wiring

An electrical contractor should replace the non-standard wiring and electrical equipment in the hood and duct system with approved wiring and equipment. This will reduce the fire hazard.

Fire Extinguisher Use

A placard, obtainable from your extinguisher service company, shall be conspicuously placed near the kitchen fire extinguisher stating  that the fire suppression system shall be activated prior to using the fire extinguisher. 

Caps on APD Nozzles

Caps on fire suppression system nozzles were noted to be missing or not in place.  Nozzles should be cleaned by a qualified service company and caps should be reinstalled to help ensure proper operation in the event of a fire.

UL 300 Compliance

The automatic fire extinguishing system is not currently in compliance with the UL 300 guidelines and should be upgraded to this standard to improve the fire protection by an approved servicing company.

UL 300 Confirmation

The automatic fire extinguishing system is possibly UL 300 compliant. Compliance could not be determined on site. Paper work should be provided from (name of servicing company) that the unit is UL 300 compliant.

Food Handling Gloves and Hairnets

Disposable plastic gloves and hairnets should be used by all employees involved in food handling operations, to reduce the likelihood of contaminating the foodstuffs.

Refrigerator Temperature

The operating temperature for the refrigerator should be set at between 38 degrees and 40 degrees Fahrenheit to properly store the refrigerated foodstuffs and to protect against product liability hazard.

Dishwasher Operating Temperature

The operating temperature for the hot water servicing the dish washing facility final rinse should be raised to between 190 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit to properly sanitize the dishes and to reduce the product liability hazard. This hot water source should be separate from the public restroom hot water sources, which should not exceed 125 degrees Fahrenheit.

Food Off Floor

Food should be stored at least 6" off the floor to reduce the chance of infestation by pest or vermin.

Cough Guards

We suggest that the insured provide cough guards over salad bars to reduce the product liability hazard.

Compressors

Compressors should be cleaned and installed with individual electrical protection to reduce the fire hazard.

Wall Protection

Approved, non-combustible wall protection should be installed behind cooking equipment to reduce the fire hazard.

Tri-Class in Kitchen

The Tri-Class fire extinguisher should be removed from the kitchen area to reduce the risk of its use during a kitchen fire

K Class Location

The K Class extinguisher in the kitchen area should be properly mounted, accessible and located within 30 feet travel distance from the kitchen. This will reduce the fire hazard.

Food Warming

Cooked foods should be kept at a temperature of at least 140 degrees to improve public protection and reduce health hazard.