KUSU Societies Risk Assessment
Event/Activity description – Society meeting in a University teaching room with food and drink
What is the Hazard? / Who is at Risk? / Risk of harm being caused to the participants / List the measures already in place to reduce risk of harm / Is the risk adequately controlled, Yes/No? / If Yes, the activity can proceed.If No, then list the additional measures to be implemented to control the risk. (If no additional measures can be implemented then the activity cannot proceed). / Is risk adequately controlled Yes/No?
Low / Med / High
1) Fire.
Unlikely.
Serious or fatal injury possible in the event of a fire. / Students, staff, guests / X / - Fire alarm system in place (fire alarms, emergency exits, fire hoses and extinguishers, audio alarm)
- Event organization does not affect fire alarm system in place (access to all emergency exits, fire hoses and extinguishers kept clear) / Yes / Cont…
- Students provided with fire safety briefing to read at the start of meetings.
- Event staff will monitor the above safety precautions. / Yes
2) Slips, trips and falls.
Unlikely.
Minor injury likely. Serious injury unlikely. / Students, staff, guests / X / - Flooring in good condition.
- Any leads and cables taped down/cable protectors used.
- In the event of bad weather, organizers to monitor mud/water walked into the building to reduce slip hazard. / Yes / Cont…
- Event staff will monitor the above safety precautions. / Yes
3) Personal injury/illness. / Students, staff, guests / X / - University security equipped with first aid kits.
University security provide first aid cover.
- If required the emergency services can attend within 10 minutes. / Yes / Cont…
- Event staff will monitor the above safety precautions. / Yes
4) Violent behavior.
Serious injury possible.
Unlikely. / Students, staff, guests / X / - If required call University security:
02084176666 day
07831136082 evenings / Yes
5) Electrical risk.
Fire or electrocution. / Students, staff, guests / X / - All electrical equipment will be checked immediately before use.
- Cables will not cross pedestrian areas unless this is unavoidable. Cables will be covered by mats or taped down. / Yes / Cont…
- Event staff will monitor the above safety precautions. / Yes
6) Manual handling (unlikely).
Serious injury unlikely.
Minor injury possible. / Students, staff, guests / X / - Major movement of furniture etc to set up venue undertaken by KUSCO.
- Organizers will undertake occasional, minor lifting; move tables chairs etc. Tables, chairs are lightweight. / Yes / Cont…
- Post event cleaning undertaken by organizers.
- Event staff will monitor the above safety precautions. / Yes
7) Food poisoning.
Unlikely. / Students, staff, guests / X / - Food purchased will be stored as per the manufacturers’ instructions prior to preparation by organizers.
- Buffet area clean and suitable for use (tables covered, food on platters). / Yes / Cont…
-Kitchen used for food preparation.
-Precautions for ‘party food’ will be as per the Food Standards Agency Advice (copy below). / Yes
8) Food allergy (improbable).
Normally minor injury but serious injury or fatality possible. / Students, staff, guests / X / - Signage warning the food may contain nuts to be posted by organizers unless the organizers are certain the food provided is nut free. / Yes
9) Alcohol poisoning.
Very unlikely.
Possible serious injury. / Students, staff, guests / X / - Event budget must detail number of attendees and amount of alcohol to be purchased. Appropriate alcohol purchases will be approved by the Societies Coordinator before the event.
- Alcohol will not be served to customers who have drunk to excess. / Yes
Society Coordinator Signature: Date: Society Committee Signature: Date:
‘Party food’ (Food Standards Agency Advice)
If you're planning an event with food, some simple precautions can help it all go smoothly.
You may be dealing with large quantities of cooked and uncooked food competing for fridge, freezer and cooker space.
Make sure you plan your cooking and food storage carefully before you begin to avoid any safety risks.
Avoiding cross-contamination
Cross-contamination is when bacteria spread from uncooked foods, or from pets, hands, dirty cloths and so on, onto prepared food, and can cause food poisoning outbreaks.
A wide range of foods can cause food poisoning if not handled properly.
Meat and meat products, raw poultry, fish and shellfish, and occasionally raw eggs (in sauces, mousses and home-made ice creams), may contain food poisoning bacteria and have been identified as culprits when trouble has struck.
So, don't take chances with people's health. If you haven't got the facilities to cater safely for functions from home, don't do it at all!
Do
· wash dishes, worktops and cutlery with hot water and detergent.
· wash your hands in warm soapy water before touching food after you've come into contact with pets, dirty cloths or the dustbin, or after using the toilet. Wash hands frequently while preparing food, especially between handling raw and cooked foods.
· keep anyone who has or has recently had diarrhoea or vomiting out of the kitchen. Cover any cuts or grazes with a waterproof dressing.
· avoid using raw (unpasteurised) milk as it has not been heat-treated and may therefore contain harmful organisms.
· keep cold foods inside the fridge if you're not using them. Make sure you've got the capacity to keep food cool and safe.
· keep the fridge door closed as much as possible to avoid raising the temperature.
· cool cooked foods completely before putting them in the fridge.
· cook food thoroughly to kill harmful bacteria that cause food poisoning.
· thaw meat and poultry completely before cooking, either in the fridge or by micro waving.
· take proper care with leftovers. Throw away any food scraps and any perishable food that has been standing at room temperature for more than a couple of hours. Store other leftovers in clean, covered containers in the fridge and eat within 48 hours.
Don’t
· use dirty cloths. Keep plenty of clean ones handy and change tea towels and hand towels frequently.
· forget to take extra care if babies, toddlers, pregnant women, older people or anyone who is ill are attending the function.
· serve pate and soft ripened cheeses like Brie, Camembert and blue-vein types, to pregnant women and anyone with low resistance to infection.
· allow raw meat or defrosting food to drip on cooked or prepared foods. Keep these items at the bottom of the fridge and protect the salad tray.
· fill the fridge with wines, beers and soft drinks. While these may taste better cold, they do not need to be refrigerated. If space is short, keep them in separate ice buckets or cold water so that you can keep available fridge space for perishable items.
· overload your fridge. Its efficiency will suffer if the cooling air circulating inside cannot flow freely. Use a fridge thermometer to check its temperature.
· reheat cooked food more than once. Make sure it is piping hot throughout.
· be tempted to cut the cooking time just because people are waiting to eat, especially when micro waving.
Keeping Food Safe (Food Standards Agency Guidance)
Ensuring good hygiene in your kitchen can prevent food poisoning. Hygiene isn't just about cleaning - it refers to a number of things you can do to stop harmful bacteria reaching your plate
These are the main steps to keep food safe:
· follow good personal hygiene
· cook foods thoroughly
· keep foods at the right temperature
· prevent cross-contamination
keep the kitchen clean
Cooking
Proper cooking kills bacteria such as salmonella and campylobacter. It's important to cook food right through, especially meat. If you eat or serve undercooked food you are risking food poisoning.
If meat is properly cooked the centre of the meat shouldn't be pink and the juices should run clear when tested with a skewer. When using a skewer, make sure it is clean each time you use it. To be an effective test, the skewer should pierce the middle of the meat or the centre of the thickest part, which on a whole chicken would generally be the breast or thigh.
If you are cooking a ready-prepared meal, always make sure the food is piping hot all the way through before serving. Don't assume that the instructions on the packaging will be sufficient, because ovens vary. If you are cooking a frozen ready-prepared meal, follow the instructions for cooking from frozen, or make sure it is completely thawed before cooking. Always make sure the food is piping hot all the way through.
When reheating food you also need to ensure it's piping hot all the way through and don't reheat it more than once.
Handwashing
Washing your hands before and during food preparation is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of food poisoning bacteria.
A survey by the Food and Drink Federation, published during National Food Safety Week 2001, found that:
· 26% of men and 17% of women said they do not always wash their hands before preparing food
· 31% of men and 17% of women said they do not regularly wash their hands after using the toilet
If you don't wash your hands before food preparation, your hands could be covered in dirt and bacteria from the toilet, the bin or from many other sources inside and outside the home. These could then be transferred onto food and cause food poisoning.
It's also very important to wash your hands after handling raw foods because you could spread bacteria from them to other foods (cross-contamination).
Make sure you wash hands thoroughly, using warm water and a liquid soap. Work up a good lather and make sure you wash your wrists, hands, fingers, thumbs, fingernails, and in between the fingers. Rinse the soap off your hands with clean water.
It's also important to dry your hands thoroughly because bacteria spread more easily if your hands are damp. Dry your hands on a clean hand towel, not on a tea towel or your apron.
And remember:
· don't handle food when you are ill with stomach problems, such as diarrhoea or vomiting
don't touch food if you have sores or cuts, unless they are covered with a waterproof dressing
Storing
It's important to store food carefully, to stop it going off or becoming contaminated.
There are three main things to remember:
· keep food at the right temperature
· observe "Use by" dates
· separate raw and ready-to-eat foods
You need to keep certain foods at the right temperature to prevent bacteria growing or toxins forming. Always look at the label on the packaging. If it says that the food needs to be refrigerated, make sure you keep it in the fridge.
If food that needs to be chilled is left standing at room temperature, food poisoning bacteria can grow and multiply to dangerous levels. Cooked leftovers should be cooled quickly and then put in the fridge within 1-2 hours. Putting food in shallow containers and dividing it into smaller amounts will speed up the cooling process.
Store raw meat in sealable containers at the bottom of the fridge, so it can't touch or drip onto ready-to-eat food.
Don't overload your fridge because this will hinder the circulation of cool air and might mean the food is not kept cold enough.
Cross-contamination
Cross-contamination is the transfer of bacteria from foods (usually raw) to other foods. The bacteria can be transferred directly when one food touches (or drips onto) another, or indirectly, for example from hands, equipment, work surfaces, or knives and other utensils. Cross-contamination is one of the major causes of food poisoning.
To prevent cross-contamination:
· always wash your hands thoroughly after touching raw food
· keep raw and ready-to-eat foods separate
· use different chopping boards/work surfaces for raw food and ready-to-eat food
· clean knives and other utensils thoroughly after use with raw food
· store raw meat in sealable containers at the bottom of the fridge, so it can't drip onto other foods