Archives - July 2016

Summertime brings the warm weather, and with that comes an increase in taking the kitchen outdoors by way of barbecues. Although fun, and tasty, barbeques present a very real fire risk and caution should be taken both whilst cooking and during the disposal after the event. Kent fire service has recently reported, an increase in …

In what can only be described as a flagrant breach of law, a site manager was sentenced to over 3 year’s jail time. On 24 January 2015 Tasadaq Ur-Rehman was working on a site in Leicester, when he fell through a skylight aperture in a first floor roof and sustained serious head injuries, which ultimately …

With the recent launch of the BHA Catering Guidance, many industry experts have hailed this definitive guide as invaluable to anyone working in the industry. The new Industry Guide to Good Hygiene Practice: Catering 2016 is the first update to the guidelines for 20 years. The much anticipated Catering Guide which is recognised by the …

SPL International Ltd, a home brewing kit manufacturer has been fined after an employee’s right hand was severed while cleaning a blending machine. The company was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following an incident on 21 October 2014. On the day of the incident the employee was asked by his supervisor to …

In a recent poll conducted by the FSA, it is apparent that misconceptions about frozen food are contributing to the seven million tonnes of waste thrown out by UK households every year. Of the 1,500 people it surveyed, 43% wrongly thought food could only be frozen on the day it was bought, suggesting confusion over …

It has now been announced that the recent E.coli outbreak has resulted in two deaths and affected over 150 people in the UK. The infection can cause bloody diarrhoea and abdominal pain. People usually notice symptoms three to four days after they have been infected, but symptoms can start any time between one and 14 days …

In the midst of a recent E.coli outbreak which infected more than 100 people in the UK, public health officials have indicated that contaminated salad leaves could have been the culprit. Symptoms such as mild diarrhoea to bloody diarrhoea with severe abdominal pain are all symptoms which can be suffered as a result of the …

Care homes have been in the news recently with two preventable fatalities occuring. The first case involves a care home based in Middlesex. The premise was fined £100,000 plus £50,000 costs for an incident occurring in 2011. An elderly resident of a Surrey home was receiving care from two employees of European Healthcare Group Plc. The resident died …

Whilst it is true that you are never very far away from a rodent,  the implication of a rodent infestation in your premises could have catastrophe consequences for all concerned. Shaafiek Christian, from the CSC Helpdesk looks at two recent cases in further detail. In the first case, The Good Fortune Restaurant in Portsmouth was …

The new Listeria Guidance recently published by the Food Standards Agency is aimed predominantly at health care and social care organisations. The Listeria Guidance has been complied with the intention to help businesses put steps in place to reduce the likelihood of Listeria monocytogenes in ready-to-eat foods and to complement good practice in the food industry. …