Curry House Fined for Hazardous Equipment
Tuesday, March 9th, 2010
Tandoori ovens in
The health and safety officers from Birmingham City Council’s Environmental Health have now launched a flurry of safety checks, covering as many as 27 different diners and takeaways across the city. The aim is to see that all curry houses using tandoors follow safe practices in their installation and maintenance. The inspections found that two ovens – where accidents had taken place – were ill kept and defective.
One of these tandoori ovens was installed by a chef at Chandni Chowk Restaurant and Sweets in Handsworth. According to the health and safety regulations, only an engineer qualified for the job should have installed the tandoor. The tandoor exploded, burning the hands, face and eyes of a worker who was trying to light it. The inspection also showed it had several other defects. The matter reached the Birmingham Magistrates Court, which slapped a fine of £3,500 and costs of £2,500 on the restaurant owner when they accepted their liability and pleaded guilty.
An inspection at a different eatery revealed that the tandoor was under the care of an engineer who could not legally work on catering appliances. The inspections found that only a limited number of tandoori ovens had working ignition systems, which necessitated the use of burning serviettes by employees. Additionally, over 50 per cent of the ovens inspected had poor flame quality due to partial combustion, exposing employees to poisonous carbon monoxide. Almost three-quarters of the kitchens were badly ventilated and lacked interlocking ventilation canopies, while some of the worst tandoors looked amateurish and home made.
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