Grubs Up
Winter 2011
News and views for Chiltern’s food businesses
Do you know
where your
food comes
from?
B
uckinghamshire Trading Standards are
asking businesses to contact them if they
are offered food and the person selling it
is unable to offer proper information about who
they are.
There has been an increase recently of
counterfeit spirits, especially vodka and whisky,
being sold by people who are usually unwilling
to be identified. This is concerning as with
vodka in particular the counterfeit versions can
cause blindness and at worst death.
Legitimate businesses will be helping
themselves by reporting any instances of being
offered such items to Trading Standards as we
can try to trace the people involved especially
if you can provide things like vehicle registration
numbers or a good description of the people.
By selling dodgy food the people are unfairly
undercutting legitimate businesses who put
safeguards in place to ensure the food they sell
is safe and of good quality.
Food businesses must be able to show where
they have bought food from and so by buying
from unknown sources you are potentially
putting your customers and your reputations
at risk as well as opening yourselves up to legal
issues because you don’t know where the food
came from.
Please contact us on 0845 3708090 or via our
website www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc
Healthier options for customers
Buckinghamshire Trading Standards are
looking at ways to support the government’s
responsibility deal with regard to healthier
options for consumers when eating out.
We are considering developing a scheme that
will offer restaurants, pubs and similar businesses
the chance to work with us to offer consumers
a good choice of healthy options when eating
out.
Before the scheme is launched we will be
approaching businesses to find out what you
think and what ideas you have about how it
can work best.
The scheme has been operating in other parts
of the south east and businesses have found
it to offer good marketing opportunities as
well as contributing to the health of the local
community.
If you are interested please contact us and we
can discuss with you what we are doing.
Please contact us on 0845 3708090 or via our
website www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc.
Work related Dermatitis
W
ork-related dermatitis (also known as
eczema) can cause serious problems.
Many people live with pain and
discomfort because of it and have had to give
up work. It also results in millions of pounds
being paid out to victims in compensation.
However, by taking a sensible, positive
approach to looking after health and safety,
you could prevent work-related dermatitis and
the associated problems in your workplace.
The main causes of contact
dermatitis in catering
The things that cause work related dermatitis
in catering businesses are a lot of contact
with water, soaps and cleaning products (ie
washing-up, washing food, hand washing),
and even contact with some foods can cause
‘allergic’ dermatitis. Many people working in
the food and hospitality industry are affected
by work related dermatitis it is one of the main
causes of ill health for catering staff (chefs,
cooks and catering assistants). The number of
new cases per year is twice the average of all
other industries.
What can be done?
Preventing dermatitis is simple and cheap.
Provide training for staff so they can look
for signs of dermatitis and prevent further
problems. Get your staff to examine their skin
for signs of dermatitis, monitor sickness for signs
of skin complaints. This can be a very quick and
simple process.
Prevention
There are a number of questions that can be
asked to help prevent the problem.
Can the material causing the problem be
substituted?
Can personal protective equipment, eg gloves,
be provided?
Consider providing an appropriate moisturising
cream to help replace the moisture removed
by hand washing, etc.
There is plenty of information available on the
Hse website www.hse.gov.uk/skin/professional/
catertoolbox.htm
New Chiltern
Environmental Health Website
Y
ou can now visit our new and improved website at www.chiltern.gov.uk/environmentalhealth to
find useful information for your business, and how the Environmental Health team can help you.
The sections of the website relevant to your business include information on the following areas:
Food Safety and Hygiene:
Health and Safety:
• Starting a new food business
• Food premises registration
• Food hygiene inspections
• Scores on the Doors
• Safer Food Better Business
• Food hygiene training
• Information for Childminders
• Starting up a business
• Health and safety inspections
• Training courses
• Accidents at work
• Asbestos in commercial buildings
In another improvement to our online services, you will find that during your next inspection you
will be asked for your email address. This will enable us to contact you with information updates
relevant to your business and communicate inspection reports to you more quickly.
For more information visit www.chiltern.gov.uk/environmentalhealth.
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Gas pipes
and LPG
cylinder stores
Using Liquid Petroleum Gas
safely in your business
Propane and Butane
Propane and butane are the liquefied
petroleum gases most commonly found
commercially. For differing applications LPG
is available in either bulk storage pressure
vessels which can be situated above ground
or underground, or, as most commonly seen,
in gas cylinders / bottles. LPG is flammable and
heavier than air, so if it collects in a low lying
area, such as a drain, cellar or basement, it
could ignite, resulting in a fire or explosion.
Pipes carrying dangerous substances such as
flammable gas should be labelled, eg:
DANGER Natural Gas
Main gas isolation valves should be similarly
labelled and their ‘on’ and ‘off’ positions should
also be indicated. LPG cylinder stores should
have the following signs:
No Highly flammable LPG
No smoking
naked lights Underground pipe work
The legal responsibility for the pipe work is with
the catering business and not the gas supplier.
Buried metallic pipe work can be subject to
corrosion and ideally should be replaced with
a material such as polyethylene, alternatively
the underground pipe work can be subject to
regular inspection by a competent person and
properly maintained and suitable records kept.
Although the tank is the responsibility of the
gas supplier it is not their responsibility to ensure
combustible materials such as fencing and
foliage is kept at the correct distance from the
tank, this is your responsibility.
Mobile catering
Vehicles using gas fired cooking appliances,
such as fish and chip vans or travelling
barbecues, usually use LPG. Appliances and
any pilot lights should not be lit while the
vehicle is in motion. This increases the chance
of the flame going out and some vehicles
have exploded due to this. There are some
exceptions to this such as specialised vehicles
for ‘meals on wheels’ which have special
safeguards installed.
Fixed Cylinder installations
One or more cylinders in a fixed position must
be located in a safe place and have all the
necessary safety devices to protect the hoses,
pipe work and appliances attached to them.
Make sure the cylinders are properly secured
and kept upright;
Cylinders not in fixed positions
Cylinders should be in a well ventilated area
and away form occupied buildings which may
have a source of ignition.
Whether the cylinders are fixed or not they
should not have combustible material such as
rubbish near them, or a source of ignition such
as naked flames. Ensure they are guarded from
vehicles and the cylinder, hose and point of use
is protected from tamper or damage.
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Introducing the national ‘Food Hygiene Rating Scheme’
T
he success of our food hygiene rating scheme (known as ‘scores on the doors’ scheme) has
been recognised, and a national scheme for England, Wales and Northern Ireland is now being
introduced - ‘the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme’. We at Chiltern intend to adopt the new national
scheme and the launch is likely to be Spring 2012.
Since the national scheme's formal launch in November 2010, roll out of the FHRS has continued
apace. All 22 local authorities in Wales are already running the scheme as are 124 in England and
17 in Northern Ireland, and there are now records for over 120,000 businesses online. On the basis
of current commitments, this momentum is set to continue and, by the end of March 2012, it is
anticipated that over 60% of authorities in England and over 90% in Northern Ireland will be running
the scheme or preparing to launch it.
The main changes to our current scheme will be in the banding differences which means that it is
likely that a small number of businesses will have their scoring automatically changed. There are also
additional benefits to businesses, such as right of appeal, right to revisits and right to reply. Further
information on these areas can be found on the food standards agency website Q &A guidance
www.food.gov.uk/safereating/hyg/hygieneratings
Before the launch of our involvement in the new scheme, we will write individually to all those
business who may be affected by the change to the national rating system.
If you would like to receive update emails about the progress of this scheme or require any further
information please email [email protected]
New FSA guidance on E.coli
T
he Food Standards Agency has issued guidance for food businesses
outlining steps they need to take to control the risk of food
becoming contaminated by E.coli O157 and what businesses should
be doing to protect their customers. E.coli 0157 is a pathogenic strain
which produces toxins that cause severe, bloody diarrhoea and in
some cases result in acute kidney failure.
This guidance has been developed in response to the serious outbreaks
of E.coli O157 in Scotland in 1996 (303 cases, 49 hospitalised, 10 died)
and Wales in 2005 (157 cases, 31 hospitalised, 1 died), which were
attributed to cross-contamination arising from poor handling of food. This document
is also well-timed with the recent outbreak of E.coli O104 in Europe which has seen
nearly 4000 people fall ill and 41 people die (up to 18 July 2011). Sprouted fenugreek seeds
were found to be the source of this outbreak and reiterates that unwashed vegetables must be treated
as a potential source of E.coli.
Although E.coli is the key focus of this guidance, the measures outlined will also help in the control of
other bacteria, such as campylobacter and salmonella.
Key measures for food businesses to follow in the guidance are:
• Identification of separate work areas, surfaces and equipment for raw and ready-to-eat food.
• Use of separate complex equipment, such as vacuum-packing machines, slicers, and mincers for
raw and ready-to-eat food.
• Handwashing should be carried out using a recognised technique (e.g. as shown in the Safer
Food Better Business pack). Anti-bacterial gels must not be used instead of thorough handwashing.
• Disinfectants and sanitisers must meet British Standards (BS EN 1276:1997 or BS EN 13697:2001) and
should be used as instructed by the manufacturer.
The full guidance can be found at the link below, along with a factsheet for businesses, which
summarises the guidance www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/guidancenotes/hygguid/ecoliguide
4
Duty to manage asbestos in
non-domestic premises
B
usinesses in the district have been
targeted as part of a national campaign
to raise awareness of the dangers of
asbestos.
After last years campaign which targeted
Chesham businesses it was decided that during
February and March of this year, Chiltern’s
Environmental Health Officers would visit
businesses in Amersham. They carried out
checks to ensure businesses had appropriate
measures in place to comply with their
responsibilities under the asbestos regulations.
Preventing asbestos related disease is still a
vital issue as approximately 4,000 people die
per year in the UK and according to the Health
and Safety Executive this figure is expected to
continue to rise until at least 2016. Around 25%
of those dying from asbestos related diseases
have worked in the building maintenance and
repair trades at some time during their working
lives.
Grubs Up
Councillor Noel Brown, Cabinet Member for
health, housing and community safety said:
“Every day, thousands of workers across the
UK are gambling with their lives by working
on buildings where asbestos is present and
where the risks are not managed. I want local
businesses to see this as an opportunity to get
good advice and reassure themselves and their
staff that they are doing everything right when
it comes to the management of asbestos. If
changes need to be made then our officers
can help them make these by giving advice on
safe removal and disposal.”
If premises were built before the year 2000 or
had any building work or alterations before this
date, it may contain asbestos. The regulations
require all those with responsibilities for control
or repair and maintenance of buildings to look
for and identify any asbestos present; keep a
record of its location and condition; assess the
risks from its presence, manage and control
those risks by either removal, encapsulation or
monitoring its condition; and to inform anyone
who might accidentally disturb it.
We would like to hear from you!
W
e are continually wishing to improve our service to local businesses and the
public. To assist us in doing this, we would like your help in providing information
to enable us to do this.
In the near future, all those that have received either a food safety or health and
safety inspection, will be asked to complete an online questionnaire. This will involve
a series of questions about the inspection and an opportunity to provide your own
comments.
In addition to this, we also wish to develop a business forum in order to get your
views on a number of current and developing issues, including the Food Standards
Agency’s Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, what additional services you would like
to see provided by the Environmental Health Section, the extent and format of
inspections and correspondence and how best to communicate with businesses
generally.
If you would like to take part in a regular business forum, covering both food safety
and health and safety issues, please let us know by emailing [email protected].
uk with your details and we will be in touch.
The Council values the opinions of businesses and your assistance in this will be
appreciated to enable us continually to improve our service.
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