It is very important when starting a new food business to be in compliance with all relevant food safety laws. The main purpose of food law is to ensure a safe food supply. In addition, its purpose is to protect consumers’ interests in relation to food. When a business starts handling food they are regarded as a ‘food business operator’. It is a legal responsibility to make sure that the business complies with food law and produces safe food.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) is responsible for enforcing food legislation in Ireland. The FSAI carries out this enforcement through service contracts with official agencies.
Official agencies (such as HSE) carry out inspections, take samples and conduct audits of the food businesses they supervise. This is to check that the food businesses are complying with the law. They will also take enforcement action if they discover a food business has broken the law. Enforcement officers from the official agencies are also a good source of food safety information.
At the initial stages of starting a food business, it is important to contact the official agency appropriate to the nature of the business. This is so the food business can be registered and, if necessary, apply for an approval number.
To operate legally a food business:
A wide range of food is available in Ireland today. Whether that food is produced by a large multi-national company or a small local food producer, it must be safe for consumers to eat.
The main responsibilities of a food business are:
To summarise, the food for human consumption should be protected from contamination. In addition, it should be fresh and of good quality with accurate and correct labelling. Everyone deserves to be protected against food that might make them ill and that is exactly what the law aims to do. By operating an effective Food Safety Management System, businesses can abide by the law more easily. The Food Safety Management System does not mean ‘additional’ work. It means aiming to do things in the right way, every day. Good procedures will go a long way towards ensuring success.
The food business ensures compliance with food law by operating a Food Safety Management System. The system must be based on HACCP (Hazards Analysis Critical Control Point) principles.
By law, a food business must be able to show what procedures are followed to ensure that the food it makes or sells is safe to eat. These procedures must be written down. Everyone who handles food must be trained and qualified in safe food handling practices. The up-to-date records of all training and refresher training should be kept on records. All food handlers must receive appropriate instruction in the essentials of food hygiene before they are allowed to start work.
When it comes to food, it is important to consider accountability and traceability. A food business must be able to show where food stuff came from and where it goes to. This is important if the business sells to a retailer, but not if it sells to a customer. There has to be a clear path to indicate ‘who did what’ when food handling is in question.
Operating an effective Food Safety Management System means that food business practices are routinely checked and recorded. This will enable the business to comply with legal requirements. It will also help compile a ‘due diligence’ defence, should one be needed.
For useful information about starting a new food business in Ireland, please refer to FSAI Resources Booklet for Small Food Businesses. In addition, the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) provides beneficial content for new businesses and those already running businesses. They often organise and moderate webinars aimed at those wishing to start a new food business. More information is available on the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) website.
Please remember – it is a legal requirement that staff who are involved in a food environment are trained and/or supervised commensurate with their work activity!
Myelearnsafety offers fully online Food Safety (HACCP) courses.
To find out more, please check our Courses page.
Alternatively, should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to let us know via email info@elearn.ie
Prolonged static sitting at work has become a norm in the modern economy and the way many jobs are performed. The rise in home-working due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic has probably exacerbated the situation as many employees are not commuting to work anymore. Whilst commuting to work is generally considered a ‘lost time’, this is not the case if the commuting was done through walking, cycling or any other physical activity. In this case, the time spent on commuting counts towards personal physical activity which has numerous positive health effects.
Prolonged static sitting at work, however, brings numerous negative health effects.
Prolonged sitting can be defined as being sedentary for 2 hours or longer at a time. This has three main characteristics:
The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work published an insightful report Prolonged static sitting at work: health effects and good practice advice which delves into the issues associated with prolonged sitting at/for work.
To ensure a good sitting position at work, a number of factors must be looked at. These factors according to the Canadian centre for Occupational Health and Safety are:
None of these factors are more important than the other. To ensure a best possible sitting at work arrangement, all these factors must be looked into. The eLearn Safety VDU/DSE course provides invaluable employee training that explores issues arising from tasks related to sitting; and it looks into workstation arrangement and chair adjustment.
Some of the tips to prevent adverse effects associated with sitting at work are:
The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work, (General Application) Regulations 2007, Chapter 5 of Part 2 outline the requirements that must be adhered to in relation to Display Screen Equipment and Workstation. According to the Regulations 2007, the workstation is defined as
an assembly comprising display screen equipment, which may be provided with a keyboard or input device or software, or a combination of the foregoing, determining the operator and machine interface, and includes—
(a) a work chair and work desk or work surface,
(b) any optional accessories and peripherals, and
(c) the immediate work environment of the display screen equipment.
The employer must carry out a Risk Assessment of employee workstations and implement relevant measures to mitigate risks. This information must be collated to employees. The Risk Assessment is an ongoing activity, and all workstations should be regularly assessed to reflect any change of equipment and/or emergence of new technologies and practices that might mitigate some of the risks associated with the use of workstations. In addition, the employer must provide relevant VDU/DSE training in the use of to them applicable workstations. This training must take place before the work commences and/or whenever there is a modification of the workstation.
Risks associated with prolonged sitting are numerous. There is ample evidence that suggests that this can be prevented by light regular physical exercise. At least 30 minutes of daily exercise is recommended. This can be any activity, such as walking, jogging, cycling, or exercising at home or at the gym.
Regular exercise can keep people fit and it burns calories. The majority of people with daily exercise routines also report improved sleep and feel more rested after waking up. In addition, regular exercise promotes a healthy heart and keeps weight down. This in turn reduces risk of a number of poor health conditions, such as various musculo-skeletal disorders (low back pain; neck and shoulder complaints, etc.), cardio-vascular diseases, diabetes, high cholesterol and even cancer.
The Health Service Executive (HSE) published useful Physical Activity Guidelines to consider for getting healthy and staying healthy.
Proactive Health and Safety training is critical to ensure a safe workplace. An effective training program can reduce the number of worker injuries and deaths. It can also reduce instances of property damage, legal liability, illnesses, and missed time from work.
Health and Safety training helps establish a culture in which employees themselves help promote proper safety procedures while on the job. It is important that new employees be properly trained and embrace the importance of workplace safety. The role of training in developing and maintaining effective hazard control activities is a proven and successful method of intervention.
This is why we have established Myelearsafety school. We pride ourselves in how we guide, support and mentor our students. They receive support throughout their learning experience and into their working lives. Our staff have extensive training experience and also have many years industry experience. We understand the challenges that exist within Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety. Our priority is to ensure that all learners are fully prepared to differentiate themselves in the workplace after completing our Health and Safety courses.
Myelearnsafety offers fully online Health and Safety courses.
To find out more, please check our Courses page.
Alternatively, should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to let us know via email info@elearn.ie
You should only ever attempt to fight a fire with the Fire Extinguisher if it is safe to do so. The purpose of Fire Extinguishers is not to save the property. Their purpose is to assist people escape the fire and save lives. Never use Fire Extinguishers if not trained to do so.
The workplace must be equipped with appropriate fire extinguishers. The type, number and exact location of the Fire Extinguishers will depend on the Fire Risk Assessment and the risk of fire and type of fire that might develop. Fire Extinguishers are one of the most common types of fire fighting equipment. They are, however, not the only fire fighting equipment. Other examples of firefighting equipment are fire blankets, fire hose reels, sprinkler systems, etc.
Firefighting equipment must be in place for employees to use, without exposing themselves to danger, to extinguish a fire in its early stages. All firefighting equipment provided and put in place must be suitable for the risks and all staff must be trained in its proper use.
Fire safety is extremely important. Fire poses a serious threat to the safety of employees and members of the public. The Health and Safety Authority will issue notices to any business that falls short of the requirements. Employers should make every effort to abide by the law. They must assess risks and provide access to training which informs on the importance of fire safety. You can read more about the importance of fire safety in our article Fire Safety and Why is it Important.
To extinguish a fire, one or more of the elements in the fire triangle has to be removed or reduced to a level where it will no longer support combustion. Most Fire Extinguishers work by smothering or cooling the fire (or a combination of both methods). Employers and those responsible for premises must provide appropriate firefighting equipment. In addition, they must make sure sufficient people are trained in its use. To learn more about fire safety, please check out our Fire Safety Awareness fully online course.
All Fire Extinguishers must have instructions for use attached on the cylinder. The general advice, however, for operating a Fire Extinguisher can be remembered using the acronym PASS.
In short, the acronym stands for:
Remember – the fire extinguisher must be large enough to put out the fire. The majority of portable extinguishers discharge completely in as few as eight seconds.
How a fire should be extinguished depends on what type of material is burning. Therefore it is important to know the different types of fire so they can be extinguished safely. The types of fire are split into six different classes:
Fire extinguishers are almost always red with a coloured label to indicate its type. Some fire extinguishers are silver in colour. All fire extinguishers must have a sign giving details of its type and use.
Types of Fire Extinguishers:
You should only ever attempt to fight a fire with the Fire Extinguisher if it is safe to do so.
Never fight a fire if:
Proactive Health and Safety training is critical to ensure a safe workplace. An effective training program can reduce the number of worker injuries and deaths. It can also reduce instances of property damage, legal liability, illnesses, and missed time from work.
Health and Safety training helps establish a culture in which employees themselves help promote proper safety procedures while on the job. It is important that new employees be properly trained and embrace the importance of workplace safety. The role of training in developing and maintaining effective hazard control activities is a proven and successful method of intervention.
This is why we have established Myelearsafety school. We pride ourselves in how we guide, support and mentor our students. They receive support throughout their learning experience and into their working lives. Our staff have extensive training experience and also have many years industry experience. We understand the challenges that exist within Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety. Our priority is to ensure that all learners are fully prepared to differentiate themselves in the workplace after completing our Health and Safety courses.
Myelearnsafety offers fully online Health and Safety courses.
To find out more, please check our Courses page.
Alternatively, should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to let us know via email info@elearn.ie
Hand washing is one of the most important hygiene requirements expected of the employees working in the food handling industries. The food business operator must ensure that all employed staff are trained in good hygiene practices and that they behave in a manner that will not contaminate food.
The human body is an excellent home for bacteria. Humans carry a number of potential food poisoning bacteria on and in our body. It is very important that food handlers have a very high standard of personal hygiene to prevent contamination.
Bacteria on the hands have an ideal environment for growth and spreading. They have food, moisture and an ideal temperature of around 37°C; all ideal factors for bacterial growth. The role of hands in transferring pathogens to high-risk food is one of major causes of outbreaks’ of food poisoning not only in Ireland, but worldwide. The Health Protection Surveillance Centre publication ‘Preventing Foodborne Disease: A Focus on the Infected Food Handler’ provides a very insightfully report on preventing foodborne diseases with a focus on the infected food handler.
Hand washing is a crucial step in preventing food contamination by food handlers. By using proper hand washing techniques and as often as possible, harmful bacteria present on the hands of food workers are removed. Some examples of harmful bacteria are E. coli, Salmonella and Staphylococcus aureus and viruses (e.g. norovirus) .
All food handling staff must wash their hands including forearms when exposed with a non-perfumed soap and:
Hands should be followed as follows:
The hands should be washed using designated hand wash basins only. After washing the hands must be dried using disposable paper towels. Towels are never to be shared! Alcohol and disinfectants are only effective if used on clean hands. They are not meant to be used as a method of hand disinfection – unless hands have been thoroughly washed prior using disinfectant. Taps should be turned off with either elbow or whilst holding a paper towel.
This short instructional video prepared by SafeFood demonstrates how to wash hands properly: How to wash your hands properly.
The use of disposable gloves is not a substitution for hand washing. In fact, gloves are a potential cause of food contamination as they can provide the ideal environment for multiplication of micro-organisms. Disposable gloves should only be worn for short periods and hands must be washed before and after use.
If gloves are however used regularly, a glove policy should be provided and all employees must be trained on how and when to put gloves on and how they should be used to prevent contamination. Clear instructions regarding the changing and disposal of damaged and contaminated gloves is a must.
Please remember – it is a legal requirement that staff who are involved in a food environment are trained and/or supervised commensurate with their work activity!
Myelearnsafety offers fully online Food Safety (HACCP) courses.
To find out more, please check our Courses page.
Alternatively, should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to let us know via email info@elearn.ie
