How To Avoid Fires And Accidents In A Home Bakery

If you are setting up a new bakery, you will need to delve into the slightly less exciting world of health and safety.

Much as it’s a challenge to spend time on this side of things that won’t launch you as an innovator, you need to comply with safety rules and avoid a severe accident.

How to prevent fires and accidents in a bakery

Keep all your flour in the same area, away from heat sources. Ensure that flammable items are not stored near exits or fire routes.

Fire doors fitted on storage areas to prevent the spread of fire. All fire routes should be kept clear at all times. Store flour and grains away from cookers, hobs, or deep-fat fryers, which might spit hot fat.

When cleaning equipment, using a hoover is a popular choice. Unlike with a brush, waste flour is taken away, reducing the risk of baker’s asthma and other health issues. If using a Hoover to clean your equipment, please make sure that you empty the bag into your waste compactor right away! Dry flour and dust are very flammable.

Filling, transporting, and measuring buckets of water is time-consuming and messy. Install a temperature-controlled water meter if your budget can afford it to avoid constant puddles of water-causing trip hazards. If your budget doesn’t stretch that far, try to place your weighing area near your water source.

Have fire blankets and extinguishers maintained and available, and train staff to use them.

Cardboard boxes are frequently used in bakeries. Empty containers must always be flattened and stored away from heat sources.

What do you do before you leave your bakery?

Check that the ovens are empty before leaving the building each day. Many fires have erupted in a bakery due to bread being left in the oven and forgotten.

You should always sweep out ovens after use to prevent flour setting alite.

Ending thoughts about fire safety in a bakery

All in all, many factors might be important to you. To see a broader range of ideas, see the Home Baking Safety article I contributed to. If you have any questions or want to learn more about how to set up a home bakery, click the links or leave a comment below.