CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION AND STATEMENT OF THE STUDY

1.1    BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

          Kitchen safety awareness is crucial during food preparation and cooking, as well as during clean-up and daily living; understanding the hazards present in the kitchen can help you avoid accidents or subjecting your family to a bout of food poisoning.          Hazard is a situation that could be dangerous, like slipping and falling. Every kitchen has safety hazards. A hazard is any agent that can cause harm or damage to life, health, property or the environment (Sperber, 2001).

          Hazards can be dormant or potential, with only a theoretical probability of harm. An event that is caused by interaction with a hazard is called an incident. The likely severity of the undesirable consequences of an incident associated with a hazard, combined with the probability of this occurring, constitute the associated risk. If there is no possibility of a hazard contributing towards an incident, there is no risk.

          The highest proportion of reported major injuries to workers in 2009/2010 was caused by slips, trips and falls on level ground. The occupations most affected were kitchen assistants, chefs, and waiting staff. Slipping on a wet surface (grease, oil, food) was responsible for 238 of the major injuries reported. Tripping over an obstruction (furniture, small items, work materials, boxes, and waste) accounted for 78 major injuries.