Personal Protective Equipment in the Kitchen

Maintaining high standards of hygiene is vital to maintaining food safety. All those who work with food should be aware of the importance of maintaining food safety and their role in keeping food safe. Along with internal practices, personal protective equipment (PPE) plays a vital role in protecting kitchen staff and customers. In this article we will outline the importance of PPE in the kitchen and provide you with a list of PPE options for kitchen staff.  

---

Why is PPE in the Kitchen Important?

PPE in the kitchen is important as it helps to prevent bacteria and other contaminants from spreading to food. It is also a legal requirement and employers are responsible for providing staff with adequate personal protective equipment.

All staff should wear clean clothes when working with food as clothes can bring dirt and bacteria into food preparation areas. PPE further helps to reduce this risk as disposable or washable PPE, such as aprons or hair nets, help to prevent the spread of contaminants by providing a barrier. PPE therefore helps to minimise contact between food and potential contaminants such as skin, hair, fibres or pocket contents. 

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) notes that PPE such as aprons are important as they help to stop dirt and bacteria from getting onto work clothes. Moreover, as they can be removed they can be easily washed or disposed of should they become contaminated in any way. This helps to maintain hygiene standards in all food preparation areas thereby ensuring that food remains safe to eat. 

PPE not only protects customers by reducing the risk of contamination, it also helps to protect staff. Kitchens are busy environments and accidents can and do happen. Adequate PPE, such as oven mitts or cut-resistant gloves can help to prevent cuts and burns thereby keeping staff safe from undue harm.

---

List of PPE for Kitchen Staff

Below you will find a list of the various PPE available to kitchen staff and those in the food industry. The list is by no means exhaustive and not all PPE will be suited to your particular environment. 

It’s important to note that PPE works best in tandem with prerequisite programmes such as good hygiene practices (GHPs), for example maintaining personal hygiene. To keep food safe all staff must maintain a high level of personal hygiene or else it can render PPE ineffective. For example, latex gloves are redundant if a member of staff wears them on their cigarette break and then comes back inside to continue preparing food wearing the same gloves. 

PPE in isolation is not always effective so it’s important to reaffirm the importance of GHPs to staff. When displayed prominently, posters are a great way to remind staff of the health and safety practices that they should be maintaining. We have a range of kitchen safety posters which you can display to reaffirm your expectations for staff and to serve as a reminder of important health and safety processes. 

Kitchen PPE includes:

• Double breasted/Chef jackets
• Aprons
• Slip-resistant footwear
• Cut-resistant gloves
• Oven gloves
• Blue vinyl/latex/nitrile gloves
• Beard snoods
• Hair nets/Mob caps
• Safety goggles

---

PPE in the kitchen helps to keep food safe by reducing the risk of contamination from clothes, skin and other potential contaminants. It also helps to keep staff safe from cuts and burns. PPE is a legal requirement and a fundamental part of keeping food, and by extension customers, safe. 

---

Further Resources:

• Food Hygiene Ratings Report
• Kitchen Safety Posters for Commercial Use
• Food Hygiene Courses