grease extract cleaning

Under the Health and safety at Work Act etc 1974, employers have a responsibility to maintain a safe, hazardous-free workplace to its employees, which includes providing well ventilated spaces.

This is a system that is designed to draw contaminated air away from the catering facility by creating sufficient air changes within the building to ensure the atmosphere is free from irritable and potentially carcinogenic contaminants, which are by-products of the cooking procedure.

A ventilation system’s primary point is usually a canopy, which is situated within the kitchen and houses visible grease filters. The filters are designed to be the first line of defence, trapping the carbon deposits created by the cooking process and should be cleaned thoroughly and frequently .

The system is designed to be a series of sealed metal units, usually riveted, or sometimes welded together and has many component parts, turning vanes, attenuators, fan units and dampers. The fan unit draws the air towards itself throughout the building to an external point, to be released into the atmosphere. This “atmosphere point” is likely to be on the roof or the side of the building, pointing upwards.

As the fan performs its task of drawing the contaminated air away from the catering facilities, each of these internal surfaces is a target for grease deposits, which will build up to create a fire risk . To reduce this risk, grease extract systems require a cleaning regime at regular intervals.

The most effective method of cleaning is by hand; access panels (if required) are cut into the system to provide accessibility to remove grease deposits, thereby reducing the possibility of the system carrying or feeding a fire throughout the building.

The frequency of cleaning will be determined by several factors, the buildings insurers will stipulate a frequency for the grease extract (commonly annual), canopy and grease filters (ranging from weekly to monthly). Other considerations for planned preventative maintenance will be based on the type of cooking and operational time.

Bright Hygiene are one of the few companies in the UK to be BRE LPCB members, an insurance led initiative. Our teams will provide a full and thorough cleaning service of your grease extract system, reducing the fire risk and improving the efficiency of your ventilation system for the onsite employees , increasing the life of the internal components. We provide a full post service ventilation report, complete with wet film thickness readings, schematics as well as pre- and post-service photographs, accepted by buildings insurers and fire safety officer alike. All services are BESA TR19 GREASE compliant.

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