Health and Safety Behind the Bar
Health and safety issues have been highlighted across every industry and things that weren’t considered a problem years ago are suddenly sneered at, scrutinised and ultimately banded up with some form of regulation. Areas that weren’t considered particularly important in terms of health and safety are now the subject of strict rules. Regulations to food preparation and hygiene only used to be a cause for concern for bistro’s, cafes or restaurants. In today’s more vigilant world, bars also have a strict list of points that must be adhered to.
When a bar first opens, staff and owners take particular care over the details and the pristine condition that the bar and all equipment, accessories and décor are maintained to. However, as time progresses standards slip and hygiene and maintenance methods may become lax. It gets to a time when owners and staff alike only pay attention to health and safety regulations around the time that an inspection is due. Once the inspection is over, standards are again left to slide. This should not be the way to run a business and any occurrence with the health and safety of the public or members of staff will put the future of your bar in jeopardy.
There are a number of actions which regularly occur in the majority of bars which are actually violating health and safety regulations.
Common Oversights
- Do not collect ice with a plastic cup or a glass.
- Cups or glasses that have not been washed properly can transfer contamination to the ice.
- Unwashed hands can cause a potential health risk.
- Glasses can easily chip or shatter and any shards or splinters will not be visible when mixed with the ice.
Solution;
The correct protocol should always be to use the specified utensil for the purpose i.e. an ice scoop.
- Do not wipe or clean glassware with the same towel that is used to wipe the bar or any spillages.
- Towels used for multiple purposes will pick up odours and pass this odour on to other surfaces.
- Spillages should not simply be mopped up but should be correctly sanitised to kill any potential bacteria and germs.
- The lack of sanitisation will create bacteria laden surfaces that can contaminate any items that are placed onto it.
Solution;
Designate a set of towels for wiping the bar and a separate set for cleaning glassware. Never mix up these towels. Always keep a plentiful stock of sanitising fluid behind the bar so that any spillages can be promptly and hygienically cleaned.
- Do not stack glasses directly on the bar surface.
- Glasses may become chipped when stacking glasses on the bar without utilising the correct mats.
- The bar is for serving drinks and should never be used for storage purposes due to a risk of cross contamination.
- Glasses stacked precariously on a bar can easily be knocked in a busy atmosphere. Accidental breakages are not only a hazard for customers but also for staff.
Solution;
Always use appropriate glass racks to organise and store glassware safely. For glasses that are stored directly on countertops always use bar mats.
- Do not cut garnishes on boards and with knives that have not been appropriately sanitised.
- Cutting multiple garnishes on the same board and with the same utensil can cause problems when serving customers who have allergies to certain items. Small pieces of the fruits flesh or juice are easily transferable to any substance which may then be served to an allergy suffering customer.
- Some bars do not store their garnishes properly which may cause an increased risk to customers when serving in their drinks.
Solution;
Aim to introduce colour coded boards and knives for separate garnishes e.g. yellow for lemons, orange for oranges, green for limes etc. All fruit or other garnishes should be stored separately and appropriately. If any garnish goes ‘off’ it can quickly spread to other stock in the same storage area so check the condition of garnishes daily and throw away any spoilt garnish.
- Do not chop fruit or garnishes that have not been washed thoroughly before preparation.
- In a busy bar when items are needed quickly, shortcuts can often be made which include missing the washing process.
- Dirty glasses and spraying water can build the prime conditions for bacteria to be transferred to any fruits or garnishes.
- Customers or staff could sneeze or cough over the fruit or handle the stock with unclean which should render the stock useless.
Solution;
If your bar has a specific kitchen area, then aim to wash all fruit or garnishes that may be required during shift prior to the bar actually opening. This will reduce the crowds congregating in the preparation area during shift and will limit the amount of germs and bacteria that may contaminate the produce.
- Do not keep any food i.e. fruit and garnishes, remaining at the end of shift for use the next day.
- Bar staff may not always use the correct utensils to pick up the garnishes and will probably use their hands which will be most likely unwashed, to grab the pieces they need. Bacteria will easily be transferred to the produce during this process.
- During warm periods especially, flies can become a nuisance. Flies love sweet, sugary items and may land on your fruits regularly through a shift passing on bacteria to the item.
- The trays which hold your bar garnishes and fruits will harbour bacteria and become a breeding ground if not cleaned and sanitised before and after every shift.
Solution;
Emphasise the need to dispose of any unused produce at the end of every shift to bar staff. Creating a checklist of ‘to do’ tasks that should be followed prior to shift and after closing will remind staff of the optimum procedure. It is easy to think that saving fruits until the next day will save money by reducing waste however it is a potentially serious health hazard.
- Do not use fingers to handle any garnishes.
- Unwashed hands will pass present bacteria onto bar garnishes.
- Busy bar staff will often fail to use the proper instruments through lack of time and the need for haste.
- Customers at the bar will be deterred from products once they have seen garnishes being handled with bare hands.
Solution;
Always keep a plentiful stock of toothpicks or tongs behind the bar so that staff do not need to waste time by searching for the correct utensil to prepare the drink.
There are many simple actions that are by-passed in the name of speed and convenience but are jeopardising the health and safety of bar staff and customers alike. Re-programming bar staff’s naughty habits may be difficult but will be beneficial to your business in the future.
