Product Overview

This General Kitchen Safety Knife Handling and Hygiene SWMS is a site-ready Safe Work Method Statement designed to identify hazards and implement controls for safe food preparation and kitchen operations. It is a comprehensive document that covers multiple aspects of kitchen safety, knife handling, and hygiene to support ongoing WHS compliance in commercial and high-volume food environments.

Activities & Specific Tasks Covered

This document includes specific risk controls for:

• Safe chopping and slicing of ingredients to minimise laceration and puncture injuries
• Cutting fresh produce safely, including correct hand positioning and use of cutting boards
• Cutting vegetables and fruits using appropriate knives and controlled cutting techniques
• Grating foods with safe body positioning, guarding, and use of cut-resistant gloves where required
• Handling sharp kitchen tools such as chef’s knives, cleavers, mandolins, and peelers
• Cleaning of large cooking utensils, pots, pans, and trays while controlling manual handling and cut risks
• General kitchen safety, including traffic flow, slips, trips and falls, and hot surface awareness
• Opening and closing commercial freezers safely, including entrapment, ice build-up, and temperature control risks
• Opening canned goods safely using approved can openers and managing sharp edges and waste
• Preparing food in high-volume kitchens, including workflow planning and congestion risk controls
• Safe storage of cooking tools and utensils to prevent falling objects and accidental contact with sharp edges
• Hygienic handling of food-contact equipment to prevent cross-contamination and food-borne illness
• Use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as cut-resistant gloves, aprons, and non-slip footwear
• Cleaning, sanitising, and maintaining knives and cutting equipment in line with food safety requirements
• Emergency response procedures for cuts, slips, burns, and exposure to biological contaminants

Who is this for?

This SWMS is designed for commercial kitchen staff, chefs, catering teams, food processing workers, hospitality businesses, and site supervisors responsible for safe food preparation and kitchen operations.

Specific Job Steps & Hazards Covered

Legislation & References

This document was researched and developed to align with:

• Work Health and Safety Act 2011
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2017
• Safe Work Australia – Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice: Guidance on safe layout, amenities, and conditions in kitchen work areas
• Safe Work Australia – Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice: Controls for lifting, carrying, and repetitive movements when handling large utensils and food items
• Safe Work Australia – How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice: Framework for identifying, assessing, and controlling kitchen-related risks
• Safe Work Australia – First Aid in the Workplace Code of Practice: Requirements for first aid facilities and response to cuts, burns, and other kitchen injuries
• Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) – Food Standards Code: Legal requirements for food safety, hygiene, and contamination control in food businesses