3. Leading Specialists in
Extraction Ventilation Hygiene
At Duct Hygiene we specialise in the servicing of
commercial kitchen extraction systems. We provide
maintenance services to both blue chip and private
sector clients throughout the UK. Our management team
has over twenty years’ experience in the industry and
we are committed to providing a high quality,
professional service.
Our experienced and qualified staff receive constant
training to ensure we comply with current health and
safety guidelines. We are a member of The Building
Engineering Services Association (BESA) and are
accredited with Altius and Safecontractor. We operate to
TR19 and DW172 standards as stipulated by the BESA.
Our services are tailored to meet the needs of our
clients. We offer a range of service options including
monthly maintenance contracts and annual reviews, and
we are able to react to emergency or ad-hoc requests.
Customers
Harvester
Burger King
Coast 2 Coast
Toby Carvery
Ramada Hotels
Frankie & Bennys
All Bar One
Travelodge
Chiquito
Sizzling Pubs
JD Wetherspoon
Miller & Carter
O’Neills
And many more …
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5. The Cleaning Process
Kitchen ventilation systems can only be operated
efficiently and hygienically through regular cleaning and
ongoing maintenance. At Duct Hygiene we can assist
you to ensure your kitchen ventilation system is
maintained to the standards stipulated by the BESA and
complies with current legislation and guidelines.
Our services operate to accommodate your needs. We
provide a 24-hour service, which allows us to carry out
the clean at a time that suits you. Our friendly in-house
call-centre will arrange for us to visit your premises and
are there to support you throughout the process.
Our maintenance team will arrive at your premises with
Company Identification Cards and fully uniformed. A
team member will walk through your system, evaluate
any access issues and provide an accurate timescale for
completing the work.
Where access allows, we will conduct a thorough clean
of your duct and extraction system and, should the need
arise, we will use a chemical wash throughout. Prior to
commencing the clean, we will take digital photographs
of your system. Photographs will also be taken when we
complete the cleaning process.
Frequency of Cleaning:
As stipulated by BESA TR/19 7.30.
Table 11 below will assist in assessing the required
frequency of cleaning.
Table 11 Kitchen grease extract systems
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Perceived
level of
grease
production
Typical example Cleaning intervals
(months)
Daily usage
Up to
6 hrs
6-12
hrs
12-16
hrs
16+
hrs
Low No significant production
of grease laden aerols
during normal daily food
production operations
12 12 6 6
Medium Moderate production of
grease laden aerols
during normal daily food
production operations
12 6 4 3
High Heavy,significant or
continual production
of grease laden aerols
during normal daily food
production operations
6 3 3 2
Notes to Table 11
1 Commercial liability/property insurance policies invariably contain conditions and warranties that stipulate a
minimum cleaning frequency for grease extract ductwork systems under the insurance contract which can
be a higher frequency of cleaning than TR/19 recommendations. Failure to comply with such requirements
will invalidate the property insurance.
2 The canopy and canopy plenum is an area of higher fire risk and considerate should be given to more
frequently cleaning in accordance with insurers requirements.
3 Periodic specialist cleaning should be accompanied by daily or weekly cleaning of canopies, filters and
associated drains and traps in accordance with manufacturers’ recommendations, typically carried out by
the kitchen operator, in compliance with the property insurers’
7. Reports & Audits
Following the pre-planned maintenance clean we
produce a full report relating to the kitchen extraction
system. Reports and audits are produced to contain:
■ Pre-clean photographs
■ Post-clean photographs
■ Site schematic
■ Micron readings
■ System report
■ Recommendations for compliance
Example Report:
Certification
All cleans carried out by Duct Hygiene are verified by
fully auditable reports. The content includes site
schematic, wet film thickness (WFTT – a measurement
method to record grease deposit levels), and
photographic evidence and site inspection details.
A certificate can therefore be issued, based on quality
results, which can be repeated and audited. This
certificate can be displayed to your customers, insurance
companies and environmental health officials and has a
genuine value.
Example Certificate:
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9. Added Benefits
From our reports and audits, we are able to make any
recommendations that may be required for the system to
comply with current legislation and guidelines. Generally
non-compliance is due to specific access issues - the
requirement of additional access doors, required
replacement door seals, the installation of incorrect
filters, faulty electric or mechanical equipment and/or
poor air flow.
At Duct Hygiene we offer a range of products to
overcome these issues. We can provide equipment that
will prolong the lifetime of your ventilation system and
ensure it continues to operate effectively.
Access Panels
It is essential that ventilation and extraction systems are
provided with access panels of sufficient number, quality
and size enabling unrestricted access for regular
inspection and cleaning of the internal surfaces and in-
line components.
Should there be a requirement for access panels in your
system, we are able to recommend, supply and install
suitable access panels to overcome such issues.
Replacement Filters
At Duct Hygiene, we place great importance on the
regular maintenance and cleaning of canopy filters.
Filters should be removed from the extract canopy at the
end of each service and thoroughly cleaned, dried and
placed back in the canopy prior to the next service
Regular cleaning of filters will prolong the duration of
duct and the life cycle of mechanical equipment.
According to the BESA, baffle filters are the most
effective, durable and safe filters to use within extract
canopies. Baffle filters comprise a number of interlocking
vanes, which when assembled form a two-pass grease
removal device. These filters are fabricated entirely from
stainless steel. They are far more effective than mesh
filters, which have a limited life and therefore need
replacing more frequently. Mesh filters should only be
used as a secondary method of grease extraction. At
Duct Hygiene, we specialise in the supply and
installation of stainless steel baffle filters in accordance
with BESA guidelines.
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11. Legislation
Food Safety
Under food safety legislation, namely the Food Safety
(General Food Hygiene) Regulations 1995, it is the legal
duty of the operator of a food business to maintain food
equipment and premises in a clean condition.
Fire Safety
The introductory of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety)
Order 2005 has created the legal requirement for all
buildings to have a Fire Risk Assessment undertaken.
To comply with the legislation, any identified fire hazard
must be removed, controlled or minimised where
possible. If you are responsible for the property be it
rented or owned you are deemed as the Responsible
Person by law to undertake and review this.
Health & Safety
Under the provisions of the Health & Safety at Work Act
1974, it is the responsibility of the employer to ensure
the health, safety and welfare of all parties. This includes
staff and customers. An absence of adequate control
renders the business operator liable to criminal action.
The absence of an effective system for maintaining
ventilation extraction systems could readily lead to fire
and subsequent injury or death of either building
occupants or of third parties such as fire officers. Any
such event would be likely to result in legal action under
the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974.
Corporate Manslaughter
The Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide
Act 2007 is a landmark in law. For the first time,
companies and organisations can be found guilty of
corporate manslaughter as a result of serious
management failures resulting in a gross breach of a
duty of care.
The Act, which came into force on 6 April 2008, clarifies
the criminal liabilities of companies including large
organisations where serious failures in the management
of health and safety result in a fatality.
Civil Liability
The management team should be aware that if a
property insurer can show that the systems employed to
protect an installation were inadequate and this led to
the loss of all or part of a building, any claim can be
disputed. Where the company loses a criminal case, any
civil claim will inevitably fail as, under civil law, the
burden of proof is on the balance of probabilities rather
than beyond all reasonable doubt.
For further information about legislation and guidance,
please refer to our website www.ducthygiene.com.
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