In this episode of Simply Hospitality, we dive into best practices for conducting a risk assessment to create a safer, more efficient cellar environment. Ruth and Lucy speak with Simon Ambridge an industry professional with over 20 years of experience in drink distribution, about the essential steps for identifying, assessing, and managing risks in cellars. Whether you’re managing a pub cellar or a large storage facility, this episode will guide you through the key aspects of cellar safety.

Key Takeaways

1. Identifying Common Hazards

- Cellars come with unique risks like slips and falls, manual handling injuries, CO2 leaks, fire hazards, and confined space risks. Each cellar setup may require customized safety precautions.

2. Assessing Who Could Be Harmed

- Beyond staff, cellar risks can affect visitors, customers, and nearby businesses. Identifying all possible people at risk is critical for a comprehensive safety plan.

3. Implementing Control Measures

- Ventilation to prevent CO2 buildup.

- Regular cleaning and drying to reduce slip hazards.

- Lifting aids and equipment for safe manual handling.

- CO2 detectors for gas safety.

- Fire extinguishers and fire-resistant storage for hazardous materials.

4. Advanced Safety Precautions

- In some cases, additional measures like emergency procedures, health monitoring, equipment maintenance checks, and clear signage may be necessary to ensure a safe cellar environment.

5. Ongoing Risk Assessment

- A risk assessment isn’t a one-time task - it needs to be reviewed regularly, especially with changes in staff, equipment, or cellar layout. Staying proactive and continuously improving safety practices helps prevent incidents.

Final Advice from Simon:
To maintain a safe cellar, stay vigilant. Regularly review your procedures, take feedback from your team seriously, and make safety a daily priority.

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