Cutting it fine
KITCHENS are dangerous places. Hot water, hot fat, knives and slippery floors are all potential hazards to the health and safety of kitchen workers. But there is one piece of equipment in the kitchen that is reckoned worthy of its own set of safety regulations, a "prescribed dangerous machine". It's the food slicer, which, year after year, is one of the most common causes of kitchen injury.
As with all equipment, though, if the rules are followed, slicers are perfectly safe. The onus for safety lies partly with the manufacturer and partly with the owner. The law says that the machine has to be manufactured safely and comply with safety standards, but also that it has to be properly maintained and fitted with the appropriate guard.
If you have a food slicer, it should have legal requirements displayed next to it that state: "You may only operate and clean the machine if you are: trained, or being trained under direct supervision; and 18 or over."
When cleaning the machine it is essential that two rules are followed. First, make sure the guard is in place, and second, disconnect it from the power supply.
"Accidents occur all the time with these machines, usually for the same reasons," says environmental health consultant Graham Aston. "Either the guard has not been correctly refitted, or an electric shock is given because it has not been disconnected for cleaning.
"Another problem comes when users get to the last slices of the product they are cutting, and try to push it through with their fingers. Most modern machines are fitted with a pushing plate, so this should not happen, but on older models the plate is separate and operators often put it down somewhere and then cannot find it when they need it."
effective cleaning
Aston gives some useful hints for cleaning slicers in his book, co-written with John Tiffney, The Essential Guide to Food Hygiene and Safety. The book points out that effective cleaning is especially important in avoiding cross-contamination, as modern machine designs are fairly complicated and leave numerous potential sites for bacteria and dirt to collect if the machine is neglected.
Aston adds: "Good food practices should apply in the use of the machine. For example, cooked meats should never be placed on a machine where raw meat may have previously been sliced without it being thoroughly cleaned first."
The best models are those where the blade and blade housing can be readily dismantled for easy cleaning, say Aston and Tiffney. The blade must be cleaned daily but may also need to be cleaned between cutting various foods, so when selecting a new machine a few simple wing nuts are preferable to a complicated system of nuts and bolts for releasing covers.
Aston and Tiffney say thorough cleaning of the blade, carriageway, hand guard and blade casing is essential. And while modern machines have only the minimum number of oil or grease points, operators should use only the oil recommended by manufacturers, which will normally be vegetable-based and non-toxic.
SAFETY FIRST?
Metcalfe Catering Equipment has added its own extras to make its machines less likely to cause a hazard. "All our slicers comply with the current requirements of legislation and carry CE approval," says managing director Max Richards.
"We have also introduced colour coding on our SG and F ranges of electrically operated gravity-feed slicers in line with the colour coding on chopping boards, designed to keep raw and cooked meats separate during preparation."
Metcalfe also claims to be the first manufacturer to produce a knife-removing tool for ease of cleaning. The machines have a screw-on sharpener that can be easily removed when not in use, so there is virtually no possibility of food collecting inside. Only three parts need to be removed for cleaning, including the knife.
The company's F range machines also include a patented removable fence plate that requires no special tools for removal.
RV Rutland also has safety in mind with the design of its machines. As well as conforming to the latest legislation, all blades on the slicers continue to be fully protected, even after the guard is removed, Rutland claims. Magnetic blade removal tools are available, which, it says, make removal safer and easier. The tool is placed over the blade while the retaining screws are undone.
Two warning labels, one for raw meat and one for cooked, are now included with each machine and can be attached to the slicer to alert operators to the danger of cross-contamination.
Commercia's CEX standard and heavy-duty gravity feed slicers are fitted with an emergency stop button that locks off to prevent accidental switch-on, as well as suction feet to stop slipping, and a permanent blade rim guard. The guard stays in place for cleaning and there is a micro-relay safety switch fitted to the blade cover to prevent accidental starting when cleaning.
On Fields & Pimblett models, the meat carriage has a locking device to prevent the blade being exposed when wiping or cleaning the machine.
Hobart models are fitted with an indicator light which shows when the machine is ready for use, and the no-voltage release switch prevents accidental restart after a power failure. The carriage is completely detachable and can be washed with a low-pressure water hose.
On the Electrolux range, the product holder can be removed only with the slice thickness set to zero and the blade edge recessed below the top surface of the slice thickness plate.
A mechanical interlock prevents movement of the slice adjustment plate when the hopper is removed, and front and rear blade guards give added protection. Safety guards are see-through; an emergency-stop push button is fitted as well as a no-volt release; and a pilot light indicates when the machine is in use.
Derek Wright (Food Machinery) has been in the food slicer business for more than 25 years and reckons to have the largest range of machines on the market.
It is the sole supplier of Italian Omega equipment, which has nine models of slicer available. In addition, the company stocks spares for other makes and boasts that it can supply blades for any manufacturer's current models, ex-stock. n
The Essential Guide to Food Hygiene and Safety is by Graham Aston and John Tiffney (Eaton Publications, price £16.95).
