Hazard & mitigation register — Hospitality (café / restaurant / takeaway)

Category: Hospitality (café / restaurant / takeaway)

Generated: 24 September 2026

This output is assembled deterministically from verified NZ rules — AI does not decide the outcome. It assembles a hazard & mitigation register matched to the answers you confirmed for a low-risk NZ business, and nothing more. It is not professional health-and-safety advice. Where AI writes any wording here, it presents the rule-based result; it does not change it.

This register is a starting document, built from your confirmed answers. It becomes yours when you walk your site with it — see the final sections.

Common hazards (all low-risk workplaces)

Slips, trips and falls on the level

Wet or recently cleaned floors, spills, trailing cables, loose mats, cluttered walkways, uneven thresholds. The highest-frequency injury source in low-risk workplaces.

Who's exposed: workers, customers/public

Controls (statutory hierarchy — eliminate first, then minimise):

Eliminate — Route cables away from walkways permanently (cable runs, relocate equipment to power).
Eliminate — Fix uneven thresholds and lifting mat edges.
Engineering — Slip-resistant flooring in wet zones.
Engineering — Drainage mats at entrances.
Administrative — Clean-as-you-go spill rule with named ownership per shift.
Administrative — Wet-floor signage used during cleaning and removed after.
Administrative — Walkways kept clear of stock and deliveries.

Statutory anchors: HSWA s36

Manual handling — deliveries, stock, furniture

Lifting cartons off pallets, carrying stock to storage, moving furniture or equipment. Strains and back injuries accumulate rather than announce themselves.

Who's exposed: workers, owner

Controls (statutory hierarchy — eliminate first, then minimise):

Eliminate — Have suppliers deliver to point-of-use or storage rather than the door where the delivery arrangement allows it.
Engineering — Trolley or sack barrow sized to the actual stock.
Engineering — Storage heights set so heavy items live between knee and shoulder.
Administrative — Two-person rule above a stated weight.
Administrative — Break bulk cartons before carrying.
Administrative — Induction covers lifting technique for the actual items handled.

Statutory anchors: HSWA s36

Electrical — damaged leads, overloaded boards, faulty appliances

Frayed cords on heavily-used appliances, daisy-chained multiboards, water near powered equipment. The reason wet areas get singled out: dry skin is a decent insulator, but wet or sweaty skin drops your body's resistance by around a hundredfold. The same contact that's a harmless tingle dry can be a can't-let-go shock when your hands are wet. Wherever hands are wet around mains-powered gear — a dishwash or prep bench, a salon basin, a cleaner's sink — wet skin is the everyday state, and wet skin conducts. That's why RCD protection there isn't belt-and-braces; it's what stands between a faulty lead and a fatality.

Who's exposed: workers, customers/public

Controls (statutory hierarchy — eliminate first, then minimise):

Eliminate — Remove and replace damaged leads and failed appliances — tag out, don't tape up.
Engineering — RCD protection on circuits in wet areas.
Engineering — Enough outlets installed that multiboards aren't load-bearing infrastructure.
Administrative — Periodic visual check of leads and plugs on a stated cadence.
Administrative — Testing and tagging where in use.

Statutory anchors: HSWA s36

Lone and after-hours work

Opening or closing alone, cashing up at night, a sole worker on quiet shifts.

Who's exposed: workers, owner

Controls (statutory hierarchy — eliminate first, then minimise):

Eliminate — Roster so the highest-risk tasks (closing, cash handling) are two-person where the operation allows.
Administrative — Check-in arrangement for lone workers (a call or message at stated times); cash-handling routine that varies timing; keys-and-lighting routine for after-dark closes.

Statutory anchors: HSWA s36; GRWM reg 21 (remote or isolated work)

Cleaning chemicals

Concentrated cleaners decanted into unlabelled bottles, mixing products (bleach + acid = chlorine gas), splash exposure, storage next to food or within customer reach. The never-mix rule isn't caution for its own sake. Bleach with an acid (many toilet and tile cleaners) gives off chlorine gas; bleach with ammonia (some glass cleaners) gives off chloramine. Both are toxic, both land people in hospital, and people have died from it in ordinary cleaning cupboards — usually because they had no idea the two bottles reacted. That's why decants get labelled and products stay in their own containers: so no one combines them by accident.

Who's exposed: workers

Controls (statutory hierarchy — eliminate first, then minimise):

Substitute — Swap the harshest products for lower-hazard equivalents that do the same job.
Isolate — Locked or out-of-reach storage, away from anywhere customers or staff casually reach and from any food or drink areas.
Isolate — Original containers or properly labelled decants only.
Administrative — Never-mix rule stated explicitly.
Administrative — Dilution instructions at point of use.
PPE — Gloves (and eye protection for splash-risk tasks) provided and actually worn.

Statutory anchors: HSWA s36

Fire and emergency egress

Blocked exits, propped-open fire doors used as stock overflow, extinguishers present but unserviced, no one knowing the assembly point. The hazard on this row isn't really the fire — it's not getting out. You can't prevent every ignition in a kitchen full of oil, gas and electrics, so the control that actually saves people is a clear, known way out. That's why a blocked exit or a propped-open fire door is the real risk here: it turns a manageable fire into a trapped one.

Who's exposed: workers, customers/public

Controls (statutory hierarchy — eliminate first, then minimise):

Engineering — Exits and exit routes kept physically clear — storage banned in egress paths.
Administrative — Written emergency plan covering evacuation, assembly point, who calls emergency services, how medical treatment and assistance is arranged, and who does what; walked through with every new starter; trial evacuation on a stated cadence.

Statutory anchors: HSWA s36; GRWM reg 10(a) (entry and exit, including in an emergency); GRWM reg 14 (emergency plans)

Customer aggression and violence

Abusive or threatening customers, disputes at the counter, intoxication-adjacent aggression in hospitality and late retail.

Who's exposed: workers, owner

Controls (statutory hierarchy — eliminate first, then minimise):

Engineering — Counter layout that keeps an exit path behind staff.
Engineering — Good sightlines and lighting.
Administrative — A stated de-escalation and walk-away rule.
Administrative — Staff are explicitly permitted to disengage and call for help.
Administrative — Incidents logged and reviewed.
Administrative — Trespass process known.

Statutory anchors: HSWA s36

Kitchenette scalds — boiling-water taps, kettles, microwaves

Scalds from an on-demand boiling-water tap (instant, around 98°C — no boil-time cue to warn you), a kettle, microwave superheating, or carrying hot drinks through shared space. The non-obvious one is the microwave: water heated in a smooth, clean cup can pass its boiling point without bubbling, then erupt the moment it's lifted or a spoon goes in — a scald from a cup that looked perfectly still.

Who's exposed: workers

Controls (statutory hierarchy — eliminate first, then minimise):

Engineering — Boiling-water tap with a safety lock or push-and-hold action and a splash-safe spout; sited out of casual reach and away from where people pass, where you can.
Administrative — Lids on hot drinks carried through shared space; treat the boiling tap as hot even though it doesn't look like it's boiling; don't disturb a microwave the instant it stops — let it stand a moment, and stir before, not after, if you can.

Statutory anchors: HSWA s36

First aid provision

No kit, an expired kit, or no one knowing where it is or who's trained.

Who's exposed: workers, customers/public

Controls (statutory hierarchy — eliminate first, then minimise):

Administrative — First aid kit stocked to match the actual work — add a burns module where there's a kitchen, boiling-water tap, commercial cooking, or heat-styling / hot-wax services — location known, restock owner named.
Administrative — At least one person per shift knowing where the kit is and what's in it.
Administrative — Trained first aider proportionate to size and risk.

Statutory anchors: GRWM reg 13 (first aid)

Work-related stress, fatigue and psychosocial harm

Sustained understaffing, long single-operator hours, and the mental-health toll of the work — including bullying and harassment between staff, which WorkSafe treats as a hazard in its own right. Slow-burn, and increasingly within regulator focus. This sits in a hazard register, not just an HR file, for a concrete reason: a worn-out person is a physical-safety risk, not only a wellbeing one. Fatigue is when the hand slips on the slicer, the hot pan gets misjudged, the wet-floor sign gets skipped. Chronic understaffing and solo doubles don't just wear people down — they lift the error rate on every other hazard on this list.

Who's exposed: workers, owner

Controls (statutory hierarchy — eliminate first, then minimise):

Administrative — Rostering that doesn't normalise doubles; a named, real route to raise problems (including about the owner); workload reviewed when someone leaves rather than silently absorbed.

Statutory anchors: HSWA s36

Off-site and home-based work

Workers at client sites or working from home — the duty doesn't stop at the office door, but the control reach is different.

Who's exposed: workers

Controls (statutory hierarchy — eliminate first, then minimise):

Administrative — Basic setup guidance for home workstations; client-site hazards reported back rather than absorbed; clarity on what the business provides (equipment) vs checks (self-assessment).

Statutory anchors: HSWA s36

Hazards specific to hospitality (café / restaurant / takeaway)

Occupational dermatitis — wet work and cleaning products

Hands wet for long stretches (dishwashing, food prep, frequent hand-washing) and repeated contact with cleaning products and some foods can bring on irritant or contact dermatitis — dryness, redness, cracking, itch. It builds gradually rather than announcing itself, and once it's chronic it's hard to shift. This is the slow skin-disease side, separate from the acute chemical splash covered under cleaning chemicals.

Who's exposed: workers

Controls (statutory hierarchy — eliminate first, then minimise):

Substitute — Lower-irritant cleaning products where they do the same job.
Substitute — Pre-mixed dilutions so skin meets less concentrate.
Engineering — Keep hands out of prolonged wet contact — utensils, tongs and brushes instead of bare hands.
Engineering — A dishwasher rather than long hand-washing sessions where there's the choice.
Administrative — Rotate the longest wet tasks between people rather than one person all shift.
Administrative — Dry hands thoroughly (skin left damp under gloves is worse, not better).
Administrative — After-work moisturiser/emollient as routine.
Administrative — Early reporting of redness, itch or cracking so it's caught before it turns chronic.
PPE — Waterproof gloves for extended wet work and chemical cleaning, swapped out when they leak or tear.
PPE — Cotton liners under gloves worn for long stretches to manage sweat.

Statutory anchors: HSWA s36

Burns and scalds — hot surfaces, liquids, steam, oil

Fryers, ovens, grills, coffee-machine steam wands, carrying hot liquids through service areas. Moving or changing hot oil is the one you already treat carefully — worth stating is why it's absolute: at around 180°C a spill is a deep burn before you can react, which is why it's changed cold or moved with transfer gear, never carried hot in the open.

Who's exposed: workers, customers/public

Controls (statutory hierarchy — eliminate first, then minimise):

Engineering — Splash guards on fryers.
Engineering — Pot handles turned in.
Engineering — Designated hot-pass routes that don't cross customer flow.
Administrative — Call-outs when moving hot items ("behind, hot"); oil changed cold or with transfer equipment, never carried hot in open containers; burns module in the first aid kit and running-water-first treatment known.
PPE — Dry, long-sleeve handling cloths/gloves rated for the task — not damp tea towels.

Statutory anchors: HSWA s36

Knives, slicers and broken glassware

Knife work at pace, cleaning slicers and mandolines, knives loose in sinks. Cuts also come from handling broken glass and crockery and from blades left point-up in dishwasher baskets. The serious injuries don't happen during prep — they happen during cleaning. That's when the guard's off and a hand is near the blade, and a slicer still able to start is how fingers get lost. That's the whole reason for isolating and locking out before cleaning: not because the machine is unusually dangerous in use, but because cleaning is the one moment its safeguards are down.

Who's exposed: workers

Controls (statutory hierarchy — eliminate first, then minimise):

Engineering — Guards used on slicers/mandolines.
Engineering — Knife storage (rack or strip), not drawers or sinks.
Administrative — Slicers isolated and locked out before cleaning — cleaned only when off and unable to start; no knives in sink water — wash-immediately rule; knives and blades loaded point-down in dishwasher baskets; broken glass and crockery swept up with a brush and pan (never bare hands) and binned separately; sharpening cadence (blunt knives cut hands, not food).
PPE — Cut-resistant glove for slicer cleaning and high-volume prep.

Statutory anchors: HSWA s36

Gas appliances

Commercial gas cooking — leaks, failed ignition, flame-out, inadequate ventilation.

Who's exposed: workers, customers/public

Controls (statutory hierarchy — eliminate first, then minimise):

Engineering — Certified installation and maintenance by a licensed gasfitter.
Engineering — Ventilation/extraction operating whenever appliances run.
Administrative — Gas-off end-of-night check on the close checklist; smell-of-gas response known (no switches, ventilate, isolate, evacuate, call).

Statutory anchors: HSWA s36; HSW (Hazardous Substances) Regulations 2017

Cold stores and freezers

Walk-in chillers/freezers — entrapment, cold exposure on extended stocktakes, slippery floors at thresholds. This row is the health-and-safety hazard (people getting trapped or cold), not food safety: keeping food at temperature is a separate regime under the Food Act (MPI / your council), and this register doesn't cover it — see the food-safety boundary note.

Who's exposed: workers

Controls (statutory hierarchy — eliminate first, then minimise):

Engineering — Internal door release working and tested; door able to be opened from inside at all times.
Administrative — Someone-knows-you're-in-there rule for extended work; condensation at thresholds treated like any other wet floor — cleaned promptly, signed while damp.

Statutory anchors: HSWA s36

Alcohol-related aggression (licensed premises)

Intoxicated customers, refusal-of-service flashpoints, closing-time incidents.

Who's exposed: workers, customers/public

Controls (statutory hierarchy — eliminate first, then minimise):

Administrative — Refusal-of-service script.
Administrative — Backup rule — no solo refusals late.
Administrative — Host responsibility practices doubling as H&S controls.
Administrative — Incident log shared across shifts.

Statutory anchors: HSWA s36

Adjacent obligations — not covered by this register

Regime boundary — food safety is not H&S

Not a hazard row — a routing rule the register must carry. Food control plans under the Food Act (MPI/council) are a separate regime; the register output must say so rather than imply the H&S register covers it.

Boundary: Food Act 2014 — boundary only

Walk your site with this

A register only counts once it has been checked against the actual workplace. Take this document and walk your site — confirm each row against what you actually see and do. Strike anything that genuinely doesn't apply, and note where a control isn't in place yet and who will fix it by when.

Hazards specific to your site

No template knows your premises. Add what's specific to your site — the step everyone trips on, the machine with a temper, the corner you can't see around:

Hazard: ______ · Who's exposed: ______ · Controls: ______
Hazard: ______ · Who's exposed: ______ · Controls: ______
Hazard: ______ · Who's exposed: ______ · Controls: ______

Review this register when your work changes

This register reflects the business you described today. Review it whenever the work changes — for example:

new equipment (a fryer, a kiln, a delivery van)
new services (chemical treatments, late-night opening, off-site work)
new premises, or changes to the site
your first hire, or a change in who works alone

Where this comes from

Library-wide statutory grounding: HSWA 2015 s 36 (primary duty); HSWA 2015 s 22 (reasonably practicable); HSWA 2015 s 30 (hierarchy: eliminate so far as reasonably practicable, otherwise minimise); GRWM Regulations 2016 risk-management duties.

For the obligations behind this register, see Health & safety baseline.