Food Service: What PPE Do Your Teams Need?

Hygiene rules, standards and health inspections are part of everyday life in the food service sector, a highly regulated industry designed to prevent any risk of food contamination and protect consumers. But what about the safety of the teams handling food? 

Covering all sectors, the Labour Code answers this question by defining the occupational health and safety standards that enable employees to work in good professional conditions.

Thus, as set out in Articles L4121-1 et seq., every employer must assess the risks present in the workplace in order to establish a prevention, information and training policy, and then implement the corresponding actions. Where the risks associated with workstation activities cannot be eliminated, individual preventive measures must be adopted. This is the context in which personal protective equipment (PPE) must be worn.

In this new post, we will explore the PPE needs in food service after defining the concept.

What is personal protective equipment?

According to the definition in the EU Regulation 2016/425 on personal protective equipment, “personal protective equipment (PPE) is:

1. equipment designed and manufactured to be worn or held by a person for protection against one or more risks to that person's health or safety;
2. an interchangeable component for equipment referred to in point (a) which is essential for the protective function of that equipment;
3. a connection system for equipment referred to in point (a) that is neither held nor worn by a person, that is designed to connect that equipment to an external device or to a secure anchorage point, that is not designed to be permanently fixed and that does not require fastening operations before use.

This regulation also classifies PPE into three categories, each covering specific risks, namely:

• Class I includes exclusively PPE protecting against minor risks that result only in superficial injuries to the worker.
• Class II includes PPE protecting workers against major risks that may result in serious injuries.
• Class III concerns PPE protecting workers against fatal risks or risks that may cause irreversible damage to the worker.

Food service PPE: for whom and why? 

As the hazards associated with front-of-house and kitchen activities differ, the PPE required for these roles should also be differentiated.

Food service PPE for kitchen staff

Cuts, burns, chemical risks, slips, falls or falling stored objects... Identifying the risks present in the kitchen highlights the equipment that chefs, cooks, dishwashers and other kitchen employees need.

• Kitchen trousers and jackets: to ensure cooks’ safety, professional kitchen garments must be resistant to heat and flames.
• Heat-resistant gloves: made from fabrics resistant to heat and flames, they allow objects to be handled while protecting against high temperatures of up to 350º C.
• Cut-resistant gloves: the various kitchen glove models specially designed to resist cuts are certified for food contact.
• Gloves for dishwashing or cleaning tasks.
• Safety glasses to protect against liquid splashes.
• Safety shoes: generally designed with a minimalist construction that avoids seams for superior hygiene, safety shoes for kitchen work must incorporate the following features to meet the requirements of the S3 standard:
• a 200-joule-resistant toe cap to protect feet from potential crushing hazards.
• a water-repellent upper to create a protective barrier against liquids.
• a slip-resistant sole, to move safely on slippery floors, and puncture-resistant protection to prevent penetration in the event of broken glass.

To suit every preference, Shoes For Crews has designed sneakers and kitchen clogs incorporating these features.

Food service PPE for front-of-house staff

Front-of-house service involves fewer hazards for your employees, but the risk of trips, slips or falls remains. In fact, these account for 31% of workplace accidents in this sector. In addition, as with kitchen work, front-of-house staff face prolonged standing. In light of these observations, as an employer, you must also provide work shoes for your servers, bartenders, section managers, head waiters, and so on.

When selecting a model, safety and comfort criteria must be considered. No toe cap will be necessary, but we recommend choosing a waterproof upper as well as puncture-resistant and slip-resistant soles.

Among the PPE required in food service, shoes therefore play an essential role. As a manufacturer of slip-resistant work shoes, we invite you to contact our team of Shoes For Crews experts, who will provide a proposal tailored to your company.