Fire Safety in Commercial Kitchens: Managing Workplace Risks
This article, developed from NIG Risk Assist, aims to educate, inform and support businesses in managing workplace risks. Share this with colleagues in your organisation who use the kitchen to help prevent accidents.
Even if summer temperatures have eased, it remains essential to assess your commercial kitchen’s fire hazards and identify the steps you can take to reduce the risk of fire threatening your staff, property, and business continuity.
Typical Reasons for Catering Fires
Kitchens present multiple opportunities for fires to start, regardless of the size of the business.
Faulty cooking appliances such as fan motors in extraction systems can cause sparks or flames, especially when located near hot oils or fats. Flammable deposits in ducts can also ignite.
Poor or neglected gas appliance maintenance may result in fire or explosion. Gas appliances should be inspected and serviced annually by competent professionals, with regular cleaning of ventilation filters and ducting to reduce risks.
Common Fire Hazards in Kitchens
Catering businesses face a combination of combustible products and high heat sources.
Cooking oils and fats are one of the greatest hazards. Deep-fat fryers, slow cookers, and high-temperature oils all present risks, particularly if appliances fail or thermostatic controls malfunction.
Chemicals used for cleaning, such as caustic soda, may be combustible under certain conditions. Follow CoSHH guidance, PPE requirements, and manufacturer safety data sheets when handling these substances.
Fire Suppression Systems
A Fire Suppression System (FSS) provides automatic protection for kitchen environments, detecting and extinguishing canopy and range fires with specialist agents.
Benefits include:
Immediate suppression of flames to limit damage
Faster return to normal kitchen operations
Potentially reduced insurance premiums (as many insurers require FSS installation and maintenance as a condition of cover)
Compliance with British and European fire safety standards
Most insurers also insist on biannual maintenance to ensure systems remain fully functional.
Ventilation System Maintenance
Commercial kitchens use overhead canopy and ducting systems to extract grease safely. To reduce fire risk, systems should meet the following requirements:
Ducting that passes through fire compartment walls must include automatic fire dampers, maintained to the same fire resistance standard as the wall.
Combustible materials within 150mm of ducts should be removed or replaced with non-combustible materials.
Ducts should not pass through combustible floor or ceiling gaps, or be used for storage.
Bends likely to trap grease should be minimised, or fitted with grease-tight access panels for cleaning.
Mesh filters are not recommended as they offer no flame protection; use LPS 1263-compliant filters or grease-removal equipment instead.
Insurance providers often refer to the HVCA TR/19 standard for internal cleanliness of ventilation systems and may recommend accredited duct cleaning. The Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB) works with insurers to raise standards by certifying cleaning providers. Only a few UK companies are currently authorised under standard LPS2084.
In Summary
As a business owner or manager of a commercial kitchen, you have a duty to regularly review fire risks, maintain safe systems, and implement fire protection strategies.
Be proactive, remain vigilant, and ensure that negligence or poor housekeeping never becomes the cause of fire in your workplace.
