Running a butchery can be challenging enough before even considering the many risks you’ll have to be sure to mitigate. A sustainable business is one not bogged down by both incidences (such as injuries or damages) and that makes a point of safety as a standard operating procedure. 

Naturally, this means implementing safety in as seamless and sustainable a way as possible. 

Butchery equipment, by its very nature, is fraught with hazards that can cause severe injuries or even death. Following these safety tips will not only ensure that these hazards are easily avoided but will also do so with minimal interruptions to your operations.

Provide Enough Space Around Machinery

Mobility is important where dangerous equipment is around, and butchery equipment is no different. Cramped spaces greatly increase the risk of accidents, since it won’t be as simple as it needs to be to avoid machinery, whether working on it or not.

You need to avoid situations where equipment operators are bumped or distracted, need to position themselves awkwardly, or don’t have the space they need to ensure that limbs and extremities are kept out of harm’s way.

Be sure to provide enough space around equipment for this to be possible.

Display Warnings Wherever there are Hazards

In any hazardous working environment you need to clearly mark out any areas where there is a risk of harm. 

Signs need to not only be clearly visible from anywhere in the area (which also means well lit spaces), but should also be simple in their design, and easy to understand.

All personnel in the area should also be made aware of the warnings so that they can actively avoid the hazards.

Ensure Proper Maintenance

Maintenance is key to the proper operation of butchery equipment, in fact, any equipment. When it stops working properly, the chance of injury grows exponentially. Ensuring that safety features are up to snuff is just one part of this, however.

Having to use equipment not in the way it was intended to be used, because of a fault from lack of maintenance, puts you or any other operator directly in harm’s way.

So, be sure to keep all butchery equipment in top condition.

Be Strict About Safety

Don’t compromise on your safety protocols, and make sure that operators are always observing them, no matter how comfortable they are with the job, or how efficiently they work when ignoring safety.

Tight clothes, no loose jewellery, tied back hair, setting equipment before turning it on, not pushing produce through with your hands, working without distraction, all things related to hygiene and cross contamination (of course), and the use of PPE are all rules we are well familiar with.

Ensuring that your operators follow these rules is up to you.

Have Medical Supplies On Hand

Even with the greatest care, there is always a chance of an accident occurring, so you need to be prepared if it does.

Have medical supplies (and someone with knowledge of first aid) handy at all times, to ensure that you can act immediately if you need to. Any delays could be the difference between life and death.

Remember however, that first-aid might not be enough. Once the immediate injury has been dealt with to the best of your ability, get the injured person to a hospital immediately.

Contact Cater Bros Catering Equipment for Details

If you would like to know more about sourcing professional butchery equipment for your business, be sure to visit the Cater Bros Catering Equipment website today!