Kitchen Safety for Cooks and Dishwashers (Australia): Lessons 2026

Lesson 1: WHS law, your rights and reporting

Commercial kitchens have knives, hot oil, steam, wet floors, heavy loads and chemicals. This lesson explains the law that protects you and what to do when something is unsafe.

Which law applies

Australia has model Work Health and Safety (WHS) laws: a model Act, model Regulations and model Codes of Practice. Every state and territory has adopted them except Victoria, which uses the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004 and the OHS Regulations 2017. Safe Work Australia writes the model laws and guidance, but it does not enforce them. Regulators do, for example SafeWork NSW, WorkSafe Victoria and WorkSafe Queensland.

Who has duties

• The PCBU (person conducting a business or undertaking, usually your employer) must ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health and safety of workers.
• SafeWork NSW says employers must give safety inductions to all workers, train workers for all their tasks, and explain the work, the risks and the controls in a way that is easy to understand.
• Workers must take reasonable care for their own health and safety and that of others, follow reasonable instructions, and cooperate with reasonable safety policies, such as reporting hazards and incidents.
• Customers and visitors must also take reasonable care and follow reasonable instructions.

Your right to stop unsafe work

Under the model WHS laws, you may stop or refuse work if you reasonably believe it would expose you to a serious risk from an immediate or imminent hazard. Then:

• Tell the PCBU as soon as practicable.
• Stay available for suitable alternative work.
• You are protected from discrimination for using this right.
• A health and safety representative (HSR) who has done approved training can also direct workers to stop unsafe work.
• If the issue is not sorted out, the regulator can send an inspector.

Victoria's OHS Act has different rules on stopping work. In Victoria, talk to your employer or your health and safety representative (HSR).

Young and new workers

WorkSafe Victoria says employers should treat young workers' age as a specific risk factor, give induction and ongoing training, supervise them, and encourage them to speak up and ask questions. If you are new, ask before you use any equipment or chemical you have not been shown.

Reporting

• Tell your supervisor about hazards, near misses and injuries straight away.
• Notifiable incidents include a death, a serious injury or illness, and certain dangerous incidents. The PCBU must notify the regulator immediately after becoming aware (in NSW, SafeWork NSW takes calls 24/7 on 13 10 50).
• Do not disturb the scene of a notifiable incident, except to help an injured person, make the area safe, or follow directions from police or an inspector.
• Each state and territory has its own workers' compensation scheme, and employers must have insurance. In Victoria, employers must display an "If you are injured at work" poster explaining how to get treatment, tell your employer and make a claim.

Topic quiz 1: WHS law, your rights and reporting

Lesson 2: Knives and kitchen equipment

Knife safety

• Use a sharp knife that suits the task. A blunt knife needs more force and slips more easily.
• Put a damp cloth or non-slip mat under the chopping board so it does not slide.
• Curl your fingertips under (the claw grip) and cut away from your body.
• Carry a knife point down, close to your side, and call "knife behind" as you pass people.
• If a knife falls, step back and let it fall. Never try to catch it.
• Never leave a knife in a sink of soapy water. Wash it and put it away straight away.
• Store knives in a rack, block or magnetic strip, not loose in a drawer.

WorkSafe Victoria suggests steel mesh gloves when using knives or cleaning sharp equipment, and buying pre-sliced, pre-peeled or pre-cut food where possible so there is less cutting to do. It also suggests trolleys, racks and lightweight non-slip trays for glassware. Clean up broken glass with a brush and pan, never your hands, and put it in a marked container.

Slicers, mixers and other machines

• Keep guards in place and working. Never remove, tape open or bypass a guard to work faster.
• De-energise equipment before cleaning or maintenance: switch it off and unplug or isolate it.
• SafeWork NSW says safe isolation procedures (including locks and tags) should be developed with workers. If a guard must come off for cleaning, the machine should not be able to restart until the guard is back.
• FSANZ advises removing parts like slicer blades and stab mixer sticks to sanitise them, following the manufacturer's instructions.
• Tie back long hair and keep loose sleeves and jewellery away from moving parts.
• Report faulty equipment and tag it out of service so no one else uses it.

Only use equipment you have been trained on. SafeWork NSW says employers must train workers for all their tasks, so it is always right to ask to be shown first.

Topic quiz 2: Knives and kitchen equipment

Lesson 3: Burns, hot oil and kitchen fires

Preventing burns

WorkSafe Victoria's hospitality guidance includes these controls:

• Splatter guards around deep fryers and guards around hot surfaces.
• Use lids or covers, and let oil drain before removing fried food.
• Do not reach over hot fat, hotplates or oil, and let oil cool before changing it.
• Wear protective clothing such as fire-resistant long sleeves, aprons and gloves near flames or oil.

Open pot lids and oven doors away from your face to avoid steam, use dry oven cloths for hot handles, and call "hot behind" when you carry hot items.

Preventing kitchen fires

Fire and Rescue NSW says unattended cooking and overheating of cooking oil or fat are the most common causes of restaurant fires. It recommends:

• Cookers and fryers with thermostats fitted, serviced and cleaned as the manufacturer recommends.
• No combustible liquids under or near cookers or fryers, or blocking exits.
• Routine cleaning and inspection of range hoods, ducting and grease fans.
• Automatic wet chemical systems for deep fryers in larger kitchens, supported by wet chemical extinguishers and fire blankets that are easy to reach and not next to fryers or hotplates.
• Training for staff who may need to use fire equipment.

Extinguishers and fire classes

Water is listed for Class A fires only. Never use water on a fat or oil fire. For a gas fire, do not put it out unless the gas supply has been shut off first.

If a pan or fryer catches fire

1. Turn off the heat if it is safe to do so.
2. Cover the flames with a lid or fire blanket, or use a wet chemical extinguisher, only in the first few seconds and only if you are confident.
3. If it is not out, leave, close the door and call triple zero (000).

In a larger fire, follow RACE: Rescue people in danger if it is safe, raise the Alarm and call 000, Contain the fire by closing doors, and Extinguish only if you are trained and it is safe. Then follow your fire wardens.

Burn first aid

• Cool the burn under cool running water for at least 20 minutes, as soon as possible.
• Do not use ice, creams or lotions, do not pop blisters and do not remove anything stuck to the burn.
• Cover it with a light, loose, non-stick dressing or cling film (not on the face).
• Get urgent help (000 or an emergency department) for deep burns, burns to the face, hands or genitals, chemical or electrical burns, or burns affecting the airway.

Topic quiz 3: Burns, hot oil and kitchen fires

Lesson 4: Slips, lifting and cool rooms

Slips and trips

SafeWork NSW lists common causes: spills of water, grease or oil, slippery floors from cleaning products, poor lighting, clutter and the wrong footwear. Controls include:

• Non-slip footwear for wet or oily areas.
• A procedure for spills: put out a warning sign and clean up straight away (WorkSafe Victoria).
• Keep work areas and walkways clear, level and well lit, and clean floors with the right products.
• Use a proper step or ladder for high shelves, with three points of contact. Never climb on crates or benches.

Hazardous manual tasks

WorkSafe Queensland says sprains and strains are the most common workplace injury, mostly from hazardous manual tasks. SafeWork NSW says a manual task becomes hazardous when it involves risk factors such as repetitive or sustained force, high or sudden force, repetitive movement, sustained or awkward posture, or vibration.

Eliminating the risk is the most effective control, for example by removing the need for the task. SafeWork NSW also says that giving "how to lift" training on its own is not effective: the task itself must be made safer. WorkSafe Victoria suggests:

• Mechanical aids such as trolleys and tables with castors.
• Storing heavy items at easy-to-reach heights, with benches at roughly hip to waist height.
• Ordering stock in smaller, lighter containers.
• Working between shoulder and mid-thigh height with elbows close to the body.
• Rotating tasks, and stools or anti-fatigue mats for long standing work, such as at the espresso machine.

Cool rooms and freezers

• Entrapment can happen in cool rooms or freezers. SafeWork NSW says entry and exit doors should be designed so no one can get trapped inside. Tell someone when you go in, and keep the doorway clear.
• Cool rooms often have poor ventilation, so fumes can build up, such as ammonia if the refrigeration leaks. Leave and report any strange smell.
• Wear warm, waterproof clothing in layers, and change out of wet clothing.
• Move stock with a trolley where you can, because floors may be wet or icy.

Topic quiz 4: Slips, lifting and cool rooms

Lesson 5: Chemicals, cleaning and dishwashing

The GHS and chemical labels

Australia uses the GHS (Globally Harmonized System): one internationally agreed system for classifying chemicals and communicating their hazards. Since 1 January 2023, labels and safety data sheets must follow GHS 7. A label shows the product name and supplier, and:

• a signal word: Danger or Warning
• pictograms (the GHS uses nine standard symbols)
• hazard statements (what the chemical can do to you)
• precautionary statements (how to use, store and handle it safely).

Safety data sheets (SDS)

An SDS uses 16 standard headings. Workers must have ready access to SDSs in the work area, on paper or electronically. Useful sections:

Handling chemicals safely

• Chemicals must stay labelled, even after you pour them into a spray bottle or bucket.
• Workplaces keep a register of hazardous chemicals with the current SDS for each one, which everyone affected can view.
• WorkSafe Queensland says some chemicals should not even be stored near each other, because they are incompatible. Never mix cleaning products. Use them only as the label and SDS direct.
• Wear the protective equipment the SDS lists, and keep a spill kit handy.
• WorkSafe Victoria suggests using safer substitutes for hazardous cleaners like bleach or oven cleaner where possible.

Cleaning and sanitising

FSANZ explains that cleaning removes dirt, grease and food waste, and sanitising destroys microorganisms. Always clean first: scrape or wipe off food, wash with hot water and detergent, then rinse. Then sanitise with one of these methods:

• Soak in very hot water at 77°C for 30 seconds.
• Use diluted plain bleach: 100 ppm chlorine for cold water or 50 ppm for warm water. Throw diluted bleach away after 24 hours.
• Use a commercial sanitiser, following the manufacturer's instructions.
• Use a dishwasher that can sanitise.

For the dishwasher: scrape food off first, load items so water reaches every surface, use the longest, hottest (or sanitising) cycle, check items are clean and dry, and unpack with clean hands. Clean and service the machine, including filters, regularly. Air-drying is best.

Topic quiz 5: Chemicals, cleaning and dishwashing