The one-day programme will provide guidance on fire risk management within the catering environment and outline the obligations required current legislation. The consequences of a fire in a restaurant environment can be severe particularly if impacting on an extract ductwork system as a result of the ignition of grease which has been allowed to build up over time.
FPA bosses decided to arrange the event, which takes place on Monday 11 December at its HQ in Gloucestershire, following the interest it received in a recent webinar it ran for insurers in support of new ductwork cleaning regulations for commercial kitchens. Insurers remain hugely influential in the fire suppression market when it comes to equipment and system specification.
The seminar in December will look at common hazards such as damaged fire doors, inaccessible extinguishers, covered detectors, human error, poor standards of housekeeping and lack of suitable staff training. It will also explore the main components of commercial ductwork systems and the importance of regular cleaning in helping to prevent fire spread, as well as highlight the role that automatic suppression systems can play in controlling a fire.
Additionally, the course will assess emerging technologies in managing fire risk in extract ductwork systems. The FPA says the course is applicable to all types of hospitality professionals, including kitchen staff, fire risk assessors, facilities managers, health and safety managers and catering contractors. Fires in commercial kitchens account for around 10% of overall fires in non-dwelling buildings, according to the latest government figures outlined below:
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