According to fire statistics between April 2015 to March 2016, cooking appliances were the source of ignition in 50 per cent of accidental dwelling fires.
With commercial premises, this comes from a failure to remove combustible grease deposits from the cooking extract ductwork by a good regular clean.
The examples are numerous, just last in Droylsden, a massive fire originated from the local Chinese takeaway.
Take the case where firefighters in Marsh were faced with the blaze at a curry house after the deep fat fryer set alight.
Fires ruin businesses. Fires ruin lives.
Here’s what you need to know about proper duct cleaning.
Commercial Kitchen Cleaning: What Does The Law Say?
With the possible fire risk that grease builds up in an extraction, keeping your ventilation systems clean is a necessity. The best practice for this is in the TR19 guidelines set out by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA).
Under UK law, failure to do will find your business under scrutiny from the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 require employers to provide suitable ventilation in enclosed environments like kitchens where fumes, heat and vapour can spell disaster. Canopies over cooking appliances can remove these fumes and send them out to a safe location. Though, all that ventilation builds grease overtime which presents a fire risk.
Without going into insurance (which also plays a significant part), willingly allowing grease build up to the point of combustion is a major infraction of the Health & Safety At Work Act (1974). The older the grease, the lower the ignition point to set off a kitchen fire, hence why regular cleaning is so necessary.
Now, how long you use the kitchen in a day-to-day routine determines how often you need a good clean. We’ve come up with an example for you.
How often should ducts be cleaned?
You should also take into consideration the type of use, i.e. heavy frying will increase the frequency; those used in fast food and takeaways.
Low levels reduce the need for a clean; take for instance school kitchens and bakeries which generally fry less food.
The table below serves as a good rule of thumb.
It’s not only good practice to get them cleaned to avoid a fire risk, but, the build-up of grease can also lead to foul odours or more troubling, an invitation for rodents.
Here’s how we can help you.
Commercial Kitchen & Duct Cleaning Service
Our service adheres to the TR19 cleaning of ventilation system guidelines, which sets out the UK and EU standards ensuring your systems meet the required criteria.
If you’re busy cooking for extended hours throughout the day, that’s fine.
What time do you finish?
Whenever you’re business is available for cleaning, be it overnight or in the day time. Our workers will clean the ducts, leaving them spic and span.
With a nationwide service, we can react to when you need us, better still if you want to see the work in action, the tools we use come equipped with a camera, so you can see the proof in the pudding how we’ve nailed the job.
Get in touch for an instant quote today.
