Food Retailers (Restaurants) & Manufacturers: Campylobacter awareness

Food poisoning is the name for the range of illnesses caused by eating or drinking contaminated food or drink. It is also sometimes called foodborne illness. It is quite common, affecting an estimated 4.1 million Australians each year. The symptoms can be unpleasant and for some groups they can be quite serious.

Campylobacter is one of the most common cause of food poisoning and is considered to be responsible for more than 200,000 cases of food poisoning each year. More than 80,000 of these were confirmed to be campylobacter poisoning (also known as campylobacteriosis) by laboratory reports.

Here are Eight Things All Food Retailers & Manufacturers Can Do Today:

1. Defrost in the fridge
Place poultry in a covered container on the bottom shelf of the fridge to defrost away from cooked/ready-to-eat foods. Check poultry is fully defrosted before cooking.

2. Never mix raw poultry and cooked food
Keep raw poultry separate from cooked and ready-to-eat food.

3. Avoid cross-contamination
Ensure hands, equipment and surfaces are thoroughly cleaned with soap, hot water and appropriate disinfectant after contact with raw poultry or its packaging.

4. Cover and chill
Cover raw poultry and store at the bottom of the fridge so juices cannot drip on other foods.

5. Check it’s cooked
Poultry should be cooked thoroughly until steaming hot with no pink meat and juices must run clear. Check this at the thickest part. If barbecuing, consider pre-cooking in the oven first, then finish on the barbecue for flavour.

6. Don’t wash raw poultry
Splashing water spreads germs to hands, equipment, surfaces and other foods.

7. Cook marinades
Don’t put sauce or marinade on cooked food if it has already been used with raw poultry.

8. Contact ISOsafe today
Don't risk a food complaint! State Government Food Authorities work closely with local councils to ensure food sold to consumers is both safe and correctly labelled. ISOsafe can deliver in house food safety awareness training to your workers, as well as, undertake a full assessment of your restaurant / food manufacturing / food storage (warehouse) facility.

Managing work related stress and anxiety

Work related stress is the misfit between a worker's needs and capabilities, and what the workplace offers and demands. 

The National Health and Safety Commission (NOHSC) identified stress as the most significant psychological hazard in the workplace, affecting both the mental and physical wellbeing of employees.

In 2013, Safe Work Australia (SWA) released its first report on work-related mental stress and its associated costs based on an analysis of Australian workers' compensation claims data from 2008-09 to 2010-11. The report, which can be downloaded from the SWA website, revealed that mental stress is costing Australian businesses over $10 billion dollars per year. 

Despite this, and the fact that stress has been recognised as a major occupational hazard by unions and government authorities world wide, many Australian employers still do little about the issue.

Employers can help reduce work related stress by:

•   Offering company wide extracurricular activities, such as a company football team. This can be used in team building/strengthening, as well as, assisting in general health & wellbeing of workers. 

•   Providing cool drinking water and promoting healthy eating decisions. Eating well (less sugary, salty and processed foods) will help clear the body of toxins, decreasing fatigue and improving alertness to manage stress.

•   Minimising interruptions. Interruptions at work can cause stress, impacting on productivity. Workers should be trained in prioritising tasks such as answering phone calls and emails at a set time.

ISOsafe can assist in the development of stress management policies, initiatives & training programs for your business - contact us today

Cancer awareness in the workplace

Thursday the 4th February 2016 is World Cancer Day. Solar radiation is a known carcinogen. It is also the major cause of skin cancer in Australia and represents a major workplace hazard to workers in outdoor occupations.

Work Health & Safety legislation requires employers (and their managers) to provide and maintain safe working environments. Employers must ensure their workers can undertake duties safely and without risk to their health - this includes exposure to solar radiation. In turn, workers have a responsibility for their own Health & Safety. Workers must follow sun safety policies and use sun protective measures provided.

Cooperation between employers and their workers can help minimise exposure in the workplace, this may include:

•    reducing the amount of time outdoor workers spend in the sun;
•    providing and maintaining equipment needed to protect workers from the sun; and
•    information, instruction, training and supervision to reduce exposure.

Since 2002 workers in a wide range of outdoor occupations have been able to claim the cost of sunglasses, hats and sunscreen as a tax deduction. This is because wearing sun protective clothing, sunglasses, sunscreen and hats is no different from wearing safety boots, hard hats or gloves to reduce workplace injury. For more information visit the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) website.

ISOsafe can assist in the development of sun safety policies, initiatives & training programs for your business - contact us today

Safe employees = happy clients

Workers of organisations with strong safety cultures tend to be less stressed and more in control of their well-being according to a new survey published on Health and Safety Magazine

Employers who adopt "health conscious" cultures are those who invest in health and safety training, walk the extra mile when it comes to precautions and of course provide their employees with health care plans, as an extension of this culture

With an approach like this, safety is not a matter of compliance but a motivation policy, that empowers the employees, demonstrates that the company cares and ultimately results to higher employee satisfaction

Perhaps, Richard Branson was on to something special when he said "Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients"

Why should I adopt a Health & Safety Management System for my workplace?

ISOsafe's bespoke Health & Safety Management Systems improve efficiency and profitability, they protect existing contracts and help win new business through achieving certification

Our systems are designed to meet the requirements of our clients and many internationally respected standards such as:
•    Quality Management (ISO 9001)
•    Environmental Management (ISO 14001)
•    Health & Safety Management (ISO 45001 OHSAS 18001 AS/NZS4801)