Commercial Kitchen Knife and Food Preparation SWMS

Suits restaurants, cafes, hotels, catering businesses, canteens and aged care and school kitchens where staff prepare food with knives and prep equipment. It covers setup, choosing and sharpening knives, cutting, carrying and passing knives, lifting, hot liquids, prep machines, cleaning and closing down.

Kitchen work is not high risk construction work, so a SWMS is required by law (WHS Regulation s 299) only when the work is part of high risk construction work (s 291). Otherwise this document works as a written safe work procedure and task risk assessment. If the work happens during construction work, for example a kitchen fit-out, tick the s 291 items that apply, such as a risk of a fall of more than 2 m. Deep fryers have their own SWMS.

Learn More: What Is A Safe Work Method Statement?
Have you ever been asked to provide a SWMS on a project in Queensland? Read our guide to what a Safe Work Method Statement is and when you need one.

What Is Covered In Our Commercial Kitchen Knife and Food Preparation SWMS?

The job steps run in the order the work is done, from pre-start checks to finishing up. The hazards and controls include:

• Cuts from knives, mandolines and peelers
• Blunt or damaged knives slipping
• Cuts when carrying and passing knives
• Slips on wet and greasy floors
• Scalds from hot liquids and steam
• Burns from hot trays and pans
• Strains from lifting stock pots and crates
• Electric shock from wet or damaged leads
• Skin and eye burns from cleaning chemicals
• Repetitive strain from cutting and standing
• Cuts from knives hidden in sinks
• Near misses not reported

High Risk Construction Work

No high risk construction work items (WHS Regulation 2011 (Qld) s 291) are pre-ticked, because this work is not high risk construction work by itself. Tick the items that apply to your job, such as a fall risk of more than 2 metres or work where powered mobile plant is moving.

Licences, Training and Competency

• Induction in the kitchen’s knife handling, food preparation and hygiene rules, with competency confirmed by the head chef or supervisor
• Training in safe manual handling of stock pots, trays and deliveries
• Training in the safe use and cleaning of any prep equipment the worker uses
• Food safety training as the site’s food safety program requires
• First aider on shift briefed on cuts, burns and scalds
• No high risk work licence class covers kitchen work

Legislation and Codes of Practice Referenced

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011 (Qld)
• Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 (Qld)
• Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice 2021
• First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Hazardous Chemicals in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice 2021
• Electrical Safety Act 2002 (Qld)
• Electrical Safety Regulation 2026 (Qld): s 138 (service work, such as cooking in a restaurant: specified electrical equipment is connected to a safety switch or inspected and tested at least yearly by a competent person)

What You Get

• An editable Microsoft Word document (12 pages), laid out on A4 landscape pages
• Business, client, job and document details typed once and filled in on every page, plus a space for your logo
• The high risk construction work checklist, worded as WHS Regulation s 291, and the construction project question (s 292)
• A worker and health and safety representative consultation record
• Qualifications, plant, PPE, hazardous chemicals, safety equipment, permits, references and emergency arrangements filled in for this work
• A 5 x 5 risk matrix, and job steps with initial and residual risk scores and the people responsible
• Implementing, monitoring and review requirements, an additional controls log, revision history and a worker sign-on sheet

Review and adjust it for your site, your plant and the way your crew does the job, and talk it through with your workers before work starts. If you have any trouble downloading this SWMS, you can contact us at any time. Please make sure you read our Disclaimer before downloading this SWMS.