Workplace safety for a bistro and fast food outlet

Workplace safety for a bistro and fast food outlet

Compared with a café, a bistro adds a deep fryer, a grill and a fast pace. Risk number one is hot oil, followed by steam and grill burns and cuts. Staff turnover is high, so training and records are in practice the weakest point.

The basics every outlet must have

Familiarisation of the employee on entry and before assignment to the workplace (Section 7(1) of Act No. 124/2006 Coll.), fire protection training before work starts (Section 22 of Decree No. 121/2002 Coll.), a written risk assessment document for all activities performed (Section 6(1)(c) of Act No. 124/2006 Coll.), a safety technical service and a fire protection technician for the tasks under Section 9(2) of Act No. 314/2001 Coll.

Hot oil and the fryer

The fryer is the most frequent cause of serious burns in fast food and at the same time the most frequent cause of kitchen fires. The risk assessment must therefore cover the procedure for changing and filtering the oil, the temperature at which oil is drained, the waste oil container and the ban on extinguishing burning oil with water.

Cooking oil and fat require a class F fire extinguisher. If you do not have one on site, it will be recorded as a finding during the preventive fire inspection.

Extraction and grease deposits

Grease deposited in the hood and in the ventilation ducts is flammable and is a typical reason why a kitchen fire spreads through the whole building. Cleaning of the extraction system and grease traps belongs in the operating procedures, and the interval has to match how much you actually fry.

Hygiene and HACCP

A bistro is a catering facility under Decree No. 533/2007 Coll. of the Slovak Ministry of Health. You need HACCP documentation, an operating manual, and for everyone handling food a certificate of professional competence for epidemiologically significant activities (Sections 15 and 16 of Act No. 355/2007 Coll.).

Fire protection

Documentation under Decree No. 121/2002 Coll., portable fire extinguishers in the quantity set by Section 9 of Decree No. 347/2022 Coll. and checked once a year, preventive fire inspections within the intervals under Section 14 of Decree No. 121/2002 Coll., and clear, marked escape routes under Government Regulation No. 387/2006 Coll. In rented premises these duties are performed by the tenant unless the lease says otherwise (Section 6(2) of Act No. 314/2001 Coll.).

Electrical appliances

Fryers, grills, fridges, microwaves and extension leads are subject to regular inspections and tests. Since 1 May 2025 the applicable standard is STN 33 1630:2025, which replaced STN 33 1600 and STN 33 1610; both may be used in parallel until 1 May 2027.

Seasonal and part-time staff

The law makes no distinction between a permanent contract and a casual agreement. Every new person needs training before the first shift, assigned PPE and a signed record. Without that, any accident is also a breach of Section 7 of Act No. 124/2006 Coll.

Ask for a quotation for your bistro and tell us how many employees you have.